The Untold Truth Of Spider-Gwen

It's no exaggeration to say that the biggest factor behind Spider-Gwen's initial appeal was probably that she had one of the best new costumes of the decade. Even in that stretch of the mid-2010s when a handful of heroines were getting new costumes with more updated, modern sensibilities — including new designs for Batgirl and the main-continuity Spider-Woman — Gwen's was probably the best.

According to writer Jason Latour, also an accomplished comics artist in his own right with work in "Wolverine" and Image's "Southern Bastards," the design was a collaborative process between himself, artist Robbi Rodriguez, and colorist Rico Renzi. Rather than just making a cool suit, which they did, they also ensured that every aspect of it was driven by character. The full mask, similar to the main continuity Spider-Man's, was an indication that Gwen had been branded as a criminal, with the added bonus of allowing readers to imagine themselves underneath it, something that would become a theme in the "Spider-Verse" movie. The spraypaint-style eyes and Chuck Taylor-esque design of her shoes were meant to evoke the DIY attitude of a hero whose day job was playing drums in a rock band. The stark contrast of the white spider silhouette against the black suit— one so subtle that plenty of readers didn't even notice that's what it was — made her pop on the page, especially as a contrast to the predominantly red and blue costumes of the other Spideys. Also, Rodriguez, like many Spider-Artists who have suffered from cramped hands thanks to Steve Ditko's design sense, wanted to draw as few webs as possible.

There was, however, one other element of the design that had more to do with the people behind the scenes. While Gwen herself is a New York City gal through and through, two of her three creators — Latour and Renzi — are from Charlotte, North Carolina. Rodriguez designed the blue and purple accents of the costume with the same colors as the NBA's Charlotte Hornets. Sadly, we've yet to see Spider-Gwen taking a villain to the court to literally dunk on them, but it stands to reason that she'd be pretty good at it.