When I saw you I fell in love,
and you smiled because you knew.
- William Shakespeare
Hi guys,
a couple of days ago I picked up the Gwen Stacy Comiquette from Sideshow and I have been deeply impressed by it ever since I unpacked it.
The statue is beautiful and delicate with a romantic and joyful presence.
Gwen Stacy is caught walking in the rain but the happy look on her face gives away that she is walking on sunshine nevertheless.
Gwen is so happy thinking of Peter and what he means to her that the whole world looks beautiful and promising even on a cloudy, rainy day.
Love makes the world go round and love not only found Gwen but also changed her world in every way imaginable.
When I look at this statue I see a happy young woman walking on the street without anything to worry about. Gwen is enjoying life with love on her mind and sunshine in her heart.
Even in a dull, gloomy mood Gwen would have been amazingly pretty but her happiness and joy take her beauty and attractiveness to the next level and turn her into a truly irresistable bombshell who could conquer the heart of any man around her if she would wish to do so.
Gwen is a beautiful, sexy young woman, a beauty queen in the true meaning of the word but that is not all there is to Gwen.
Gwen is also an intelligent and gifted scholar who takes her education seriously and tries to make the most of it.
Gwen was Peter Parker's first true love and it is all too easy to see why: the lady is beautiful and smart, sexy and intelligent, warm and tender. Peter realized all of that when he got to know her and he fell for her in the most beautiful way possible.
The days of mourning over Gwen's death and the heartwrenching pain that came with it, are still lightyears away from this happy moment in time. The Gwen we see here is filled with life and joy, pleasure and happiness and she dances through life without anything to worry about.
That is what I like so much about this statue: it has a happy, carefree vibe showing the beauty of love and life. To me Gwen is happily singing in the rain and as such she makes me smile everytime I look at her.
Since a picture says more than a thousand words, I have posted some pictures below which I hope you will enjoy.
But before we go to the pictures I first would like to shout out a big
THANK YOU! to
Ramon who helped me to add this statue to my collection. Thanks's a lot for your friendliness and your great service Ramon; I really appreciate it!
Alright then guys, it's time to get out in the rain! Get ready to walk next to Gwen for a while and please do not forget to bring your umbrella!
My verdict
Peter Parker's first true love is the gorgeous and brainy bombshell, Gwen Stacy. Sideshow is proud to share this one-of-a-kind design from renowned artist J. Scott Campbell.
Capturing the vibrant heroine on an afternoon stroll through the rain, her knowing smile and carefree stride suggest that a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is watching over her wherever she goes.
Statue Number: #2789/4000
Release date: 2013
Artists: J. Scott Campbell (Design), Kat Sapene (Paint), Steve Schumacher (Sculpt) together with The Sideshow Collectbles Design and Develeopment Team
Statue size: 18" H (457.2mm) x 7" W (177.8mm) x 5" L (127mm)
Product Weight: 8.00 lbs (3.63 kg)
Sculpt:
9/10
This is a very beautiful, light-hearted statue filled with what the French call ‘joie de vivre’. The joy and happiness of Gwen are easily imaginable and very realistically sculpted and you can almost feel Gwen’s smile lightening up your day or hear the melody which she is softly humming while walking in the rain.
The happiness and joy of Gwen have been masterfully caught in polystone and that really is no small feat. Even though it’s raining, Gwen is walking on sunshine and the whole world smiles back at her.
Gwen has always been about beauty and brains and when looking at this statue it’s easy to see what makes her so special. Her dazzling beauty and charm will knock you off your feet but at the same time you can very well imagine she is walking towards university for a lecture she’s interested in. Gwen is a gifted scholar with a perfect body and the face of an angel and as such she is a bombshell who hit me like a thunderstrike.
But the goodies did not stop there. Gwen’s coat floating in the wind, her umbrella and the raindrops have all been impressively sculpted and they all add to the attractiveness of the statue and take it to the next level.
This is a very impressive statue overall but that does not mean that there is nothing which could be improved.
I find for example the position of Gwen’s left hand a bit odd: it sure looks charming and cute but at the same time I must admit that I have never seen a lady walking around with her hand held like that. Furthermore I think it’s a pity that Gwen has fully closed her eyes; it would have been great if Gwen’s eyes would have been visible since I think it would have made her even prettier.
Paint & Mixed Media:
10/10
The paintjob on this statue is simply fantastic. Gwen’s boots and clothes have a very solid paintjob and leave nothing to be desired. Add to that the impressive and realistic paintjob on Gwen’s skin and hair and it becomes clear we have a real winner here.
But that is not the end of it yet. There is also plenty of eye for detail which shows through Gwen’s delicately painted lips and eyelashes as well as through her clear skin smile, her luscious blonde hair or her finely painted fingernails.
And let’s not forget about the great way in which the effect of falling waterdrops on the base is created.
It’s all top-notch and I could not find any shortcomings or flaws. Thumbs up for Sideshow and fort heir truly great performance!
Design:
9/10
I have read warnings from other collectors about the possible danger of this statues leaning to the right in time as a result of the relatively heavy umbrella which Gwen carries combined with the fact that the statues is only secured to the base through a peg underneath Gwen’s left foot.
I am not sure if this will indeed happen in time or not but it’s true that in order to avoid all risks it would have been better probably if Gwen’s right foot would have been secured to the base with a peg as well since this construction would have created some extra stability.
As it is now Gwen’s is attached securely enough to the base to prevent any wobbling and so far I have not noticed any leaning at all. That’s why for now I will give the benefit of the doubt to Sideshow and trust on their decison to use only one peg.
I think it is also fair to give a special recommendation her to Sideshow for the way they designed the raindrops on the base as well as Gwen’s umbrella. I love the effect of the falling raindrops and think it’s one of the highlights of this statue together with the spidey umbrella which Gwen is carrying.(I really like that umbrella!)
The design is solid and impressive and Sideshow really nailed the essence and attractiveness of Gwen in this statue.
Production & Build Quality:
9/10
The statue feels solid and sturdy enough even though I would advise to handle it carefully. The big and relatively heavy umbrella as well as the fact that the statue is only secured to the base through one peg, means that this is not the kind of statue you can carelessly bump into.
Please do not get me wrong: once you have placed Gwen on her dedicated spot in your display room I have the feeling you will be able to enjoy the statue for many moons to come. But if you ever decide to move the statue I would advise to do so with both of your hands and preferable to remove the umbrella first. It’s better to be safe than sorry after all, right?
That being said I believe that with a bit of TLC (not too much though since you do not want to upset the Amazing Spider-Man!) Gwen is here to stay in your collection for a long, long time!
Overall rating:
9.25/10 –
Highly recommended; a truly impressive statue!
Background Information
I know that we all think we're immortal, we're supposed to feel that way, we're graduating. The future is and should be bright, but, like our brief four years in high school, what makes life valuable is that it doesn't last forever, what makes it precious is that it ends. I know that now more than ever. And I say it today of all days to remind us that time is luck. So don't waste it living someone else's life, make yours count for something. Fight for what matters to you, no matter what. Because even if you fall short, what better way is there to live?
- Gwen Stacy; Amazing Spider-Man 2
Gwen came to Empire State University from Standard High School, where she had been the resident "beauty queen". Arriving at ESU, she and fellow science major Harry Osborn befriended jock Flash Thompson.
Flash attempted to introduce Harry and Gwen to Peter, his high school classmate, during their first chemistry lab. When a preoccupied Peter unintentionally ignored Flash and his new friends, popular Gwen and wealthy Harry did not take kindly to the perceived snub.
Spitefully, Harry sabotaged Peter's lab experiment - setting the stage for a rocky start to their eventual friendship.
Peter had too much on his plate to worry about building friendships at school. His aunt, May Parker, was recovering from radiation poisoning; he was still licking his wounds from his recent battles as Spider-Man against Kraven the Hunter, the Molten Man, the Looter, Mendel Stromm, and the Green Goblin; and he had just broken up with girlfriend Betty Brant.
Over time, Peter reconciled with Gwen, Harry, and Flash - transcending his reputation as a standoffish scholarship student. Despite her friends' misgivings about the bookish Peter, Gwen's intuition to her there was more to him than met the eye.
Gwen's emotional breakthrough occurred after Peter turned up at ESU one day on his new motorcycle - a move that greatly surprised her and the rest of the gang. Having just defeated the Green Goblin, Peter was riding high - and for once, free of his many problems. Re-examining her previously held opinion, Gwen found in her heart a true romantic attraction - one Peter clearly returned.
But because of Peter's hidden life as Spider-Man, it was clear their love affair would never run smoothly. Missed dates, unexplained absences, secrets he could never tell - all these things conspired to cast his relationship with Gwen as a roller coaster of confusion, tears, and reconciliation. But Gwen's wise father, retired police captain George Stacy, warmly approved of Peter and did what he could to keep the two young lovers together.
After Norman Osborn again recovered his memory of Peter's secret identity, he burned with a desire for revenge against Spider-Man. Gwen, who was pregnant, fled to Europe where she secretly carried her twins to full term after only a seven month gestation, giving birth to Gabriel and Sarah.
Osborn arranged to provide for the twins in Paris while Gwen returned home and reunited with Peter.
Gwen argued with Norman that she should raise the children, counting on Peter's love for her and her children. Osborn planned to raise the children to be heirs to the Goblin legacy.
Hitting the wall-crawler where it would hurt most, and to rid himself of a young nuisance, the Goblin kidnapped Gwen and carried her to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge. Spider-Man arrived and was horrified to find the woman he loved in the hands of his nemesis. Spider-Man blazed into battle, but his ferocity was not enough to prevent the Goblin from pushing Gwen off the bridge. In his last desperate act to save his beloved, Spider-Man fired a slender web-line that caught Gwen by her ankle, stopping her fall before she hit the water. Due to the recoil Gwen's neck snapped however and when raising her up, Peter discovered she was already dead.
Gwen Stacy was Peter's first true love. Next to the death of his Uncle Ben, no death has weighed as heavily upon Peter's shoulders as her passing.
Real Name: Gwendolyne "Gwen" Stacy
Occupation: College student
Education: College educated (Gwen was a science major and she specialized and excelled in the field of biochemistry)
Citizenship: United States of America
Place of Birth: Unrevealed, presumably New York City
Physical Attributes:
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
I'm singing in the rain
Just singing in the rain
What a glorious feelin'
I'm happy again
I'm laughing at clouds
So dark up above
The sun's in my heart
And I'm ready for love
Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
Come on with the rain
I've a smile on my face
I walk down the lane
With a happy refrain
Just singin',
Singin' in the rain
- Gene Kelly - Singin' In The Rain
I didn't mean to fall in love, but you made it so easy.
Rainer
******************************************
Nothing can stop The Juggernaut... NOTHING!
