The Unbelievable Gwenpool #9 Review

I’m well aware that the latest issue of Gwenpool has been out for sometime as I’m writing this, but what can I say, the holidays were a busier time for me than I anticipated. But we’re here now, so let’s do it.

Last time we covered Gwenpool, Gwen had hatched a plan to rid herself of the alien threat once and for all. Unfortunately, said plan backfired when her employer, Vincent, tipped off the aliens, seeing Gwen and her team as a bigger threat to the status quo than the aliens themselves. Pissed off, Gwen tried to attack Vincent revealing him to be a Doombot in the process.

We open with “Vincent’s” activation by Doctor Doom who boasts this new Doombot as the first in a new generation possessing true artificial intelligence. However, in a twist I wouldn’t know how to elaborate on if I tried, Doom’s plot is foiled by a future version of Squirrel Girl and Vincent escapes. Vincent is then taken in by a man named Phinneas Mason, who would one day become the super villain known as The Tinkerer. Phinneas showed Vincent kindness, despite his menacing appearance, but others weren’t so accepting, so Phinneas used his technological expertise to develop an artificial skin, allow the robot to speak, and of course, gave him his name. Throughout his new life, Vincent began to develop a resentment for the abnormal world of Super-heroes. When Spider-Man drove Phinneas to become the Tinkerer, Vincent vowed that he would make the world normal once again, as it should be. Back in the present, Gwen has barely been paying attention to Vincent’s story, much to the robot’s irritation. Dedicated to normalcy or not, Vincent is still a Doombot, possessed of all the powers that that entails. Fortunately, Gwen has a backup plan. Unfortunately, Spider-Man isn’t returning her calls right now. So… plan B: Cecil uses his ghost-hacker abilities to distract Vincent long enough for her to steal a cop car and make a run for it.

Back at HQ, Gwen laments that the team is being held hostage by humanoid squid-creatures from space in the living-room of a Doombot who wears a sweater vest, and they have no plan to free them. Fortunately, it turns out M.O.D.O.K. kept a mercenary army in his basement and Gwen’s just finding out about it now.

What Works:

Vincent’s Backstory is pretty interesting. Also, there’s a scene I didn’t discuss where the team is shown and Batroc has a moment in which he reminds the team to have faith in Gwen. It’s brief, but it shows how far he’s come as a character in this series. Perhaps Gwen’s assertion that he’s little more than a one-dimensional stereotype inspired him to be more. I hope that aspect of the character is explored in later issues.

What Doesn’t: I found that a great deal of this comic felt shorter than other issues. Maybe they gave Vincent’s backstory too much time and not enough of that time to the fight with Gwen.

Overall: 4/5

While not the strongest issue yet, this was still a fun time.