Like a lot of Marvel heroes, Jessica “Spider-Woman” Drew has had a rough summer. In addition to the never-ending stress of being a single mom, Jess has also had to deal with the dissolution of her friendship with Captain Marvel thanks to Civil War II, so it makes sense that she would seek refuge from her superhero life. Enter: Staten Island. Writer Dennis Hopeless did excellent work making Spider-Woman’s Civil War II tie-in issues engaging, important chapters of the series, but it’s nice to see him freed from crossover restraints in these preview pages of Spider-Woman #12, which take a lighter approach as Jess and her son venture to the beach with Carol’s new best friend, Roger “The Porcupine” Gorking, and his daughter.
Even more exciting is the addition of Tigh Walker as guest artist on the issue. Walker previously worked with Hopeless on Avengers Undercover and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and his richly detailed and expressive artwork elevates Hopeless’ scripts. This preview spotlights the strength of his characterizations, and even though there’s not much action in the script, Walker brings energy to the story by accentuating Jess’ excitement about her upcoming beach day. The cool, confident look on her face as she leaves her apartment is a stark contrast to the perturbed look she gives Roger when she gets off the final bus in her public transit marathon, but it’s hard to be grumpy when she’s about to enjoy a sunny day on the water.
Colorist Rachelle Rosenberg has helped maintain visual consistency on this title as different artists join the team, and editor Devin Lewis deserves credit for picking artists that have complementary styles so the tone of the book doesn’t change drastically with creative shifts. Walker is the latest smart choice, and he’s a great pick to close out the first year of Hopeless’ second Spider-Woman volume.