Category Archives: Comic Books

Marvel Comics Announces New Secret Wars Series to Begin in 2015

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secret wars 640Yesterday at New York Comic Con, Marvel Comics announced their next big comics event, a brand new Secret Wars! Set to be written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Esad Ribic, the series will begin in 2015 and last one full year.

The series no doubt is what Hickman’s run on “Avengers” and “New Avengers” has been building up to since launching in 2012 as both series have dealt with parallel worlds to the Marvel Universe, not to mention the current story arc goes by the title “Time Runs Out.” Both of those things seem to pl

 

ay into this new Secret Wars as the promo art shows not only the new female Thor, the Superior Iron Man, and Sam Wilson as Captain America, but Miles Morales the Ultimate Spider-Man, Iron Man 2020, both regular Thor and Captain America, and countless other heroes and villains.

Secret Wars began in 1984 as a promotional tool for Marvel’s freshly-inked toy deal with Hasbro. The series saw all of the heroes and villains in the Marvel U together for one giant story, and proved so popular that a sequel was published the following year. Secret Wars is famously known as the series that introduced Spider-Man’s black costume all those years ago.

Will you be picking up the new Secret Wars next year?

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Spider-Man & The X-Men Coming in December, As Fallout From the Death of Wolverine Continues

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With the death of Wolverine, someone had to take his place at the Jean Grey School — and Marvel Comics have exclusively revealed to ComicBook.com that the job will fall to someone with academic experience — although he probably doesn’t remember much of it.

Spider-Man will take over as the title lead in what’s currently Wolverine and the X-Men in December, ComicBook.com learned. The series will be written by Elliott Kalan, head writer for The Daily Show, and feature art by Marco Failla.

Given the job as a last request from Wolverine and tasked with a mission so secret, Spider-Man can’t even tell the other people at the School, America’s favorite non-mutant superhero isn’t exactly ingratiating himself into the community at his new place of work.

Here’s the solicitation text for the first issue:

SPIDER-MAN & THE X-MEN #1
ELLIOTT KALAN (W) * MARCO FAILLA (A)
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Variant Cover by BENGAL

Meet the Jean Grey Academy’s new guidance counselor: Spider-Man!
• What’s a non-mutant doing at a school for mutants? What secret suspicion has fueled the formation of his
special student class?
• And because you demanded it! Sauron and Stegron the Dinosaur Man! The villain team 65 million years in the
making! You didn’t demand it? Well somebody did.

Kalan joined us to discuss the title, and the challenges that Spidey will face as a non-mutant employee at a mutant school…and one who won’t even take his mask off!

I remember in the ’90s, for a while, Marvel actually had the words “non-mutant super-hero” over Spidey’s name on the cover. So he isn’t just NOT a mutant but to me the last guy you’d see at the School. How’d that happen?

You’ve hit the nail on the head about why the X-Men aren’t very happy with having Spider-Man involved with the school (along with his general troublemaking and wisecracking qualities — Spidey’s an acquired taste for many Marvel characters). He’s not a mutant, and though he may be a friend of the X-Men, he’s not a member of the family. There’s a lot of tension between mutants and an outsider whose true identity they can’t even know for sure. But before Wolverine died he made it clear he wants Spider-Man at the school, and he asked Spider-Man to go on a mission for him. Unfortunately, Logan also wanted the mission kept secret from the other X-Men, so all they see is Wolverine’s crazy pal inserting himself into their business.

And a “secret suspicion?” To me as a reader, immediately I wonder whether Spider-Man — a man of science — doesn’t believe some of the kids are actually mutants, but instead just people with powers. Could that be a point of conflict?

Honestly, that’s an idea I hadn’t thought of until you mentioned it right now. It would totally be a point of conflict if I had thought of it. In actuality, Spider-Man suspects one of the students may be working for the X-Men’s enemies. It’s up to him to find out which one, while teaching the other X-kids in his class a lesson about their responsibility to the non-mutant world.

Since mutantkind is a race, does that kind of thing raise uncomfortable questions for the characters? Or even just a non-mutant teaching at a mutant school? Is this like all those Great White Hope movies with Hilary Swank and Michelle Pfeiffer?

Exactly. As Iceman says to Spidey in the first issue, how’s it look to the world to see a non-mutant telling mutants how to behave? While I don’t want to take the racial analogy too far, there’s definitely a feeling that Spider-Man hasn’t lived the life they’ve lived and doesn’t face the everyday tensions mutants face. Their survival is threatened in a way they feel he doesn’t understand — and he feels like they’re overreacting and shutting themselves off from a world that needs them. One of the intriguing things to me about this concept is that Spider-Man and the X-Men live by two similar but different, and equally valid codes of ethics. Seeing those ethics contrasted adds an extra dimension beyond just, “Whoa! Spidey’s fighting X-Men villains!”

That said, around that time we also had the Super Nintendo game Spider-Man & the X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge. That always seemed like it was a simple mix of Marvel’s two biggest properties. Is it fun to be the guy to write a kind of all-star blowout book like that?

It’s extremely fun. Because regardless of what I said in that last answer, it’s super-awesome to make Spidey fight X-villains. Of course this book isn’t just Marvel’s big name properties hanging out. I want to spotlight some of the newer X-Men students who have been around for a little while but haven’t gotten all of the attention I think they’ve deserved. The stars of this book are Spider-Man and his class of students. We’ll see many of the other X-Men, but characters like Storm and Beast get plenty of attention. Time for Shark Girl and Glob Herman to take the main stage!

Was this something you pitched to Marvel or was it an idea that they had and you fleshed out?

The general concept of “Wolverine asks Spider-Man to teach some kids at the school” was Marvel’s, but then editors Mike Marts and Katie Kubert gave me a pretty free hand with fleshing it out. They’ve also been great with letting me use the characters I’m most interested in. It’s been a lot of fun just thinking of possible adventures for Spidey and the kids to go on. They’ve both got such vast and rich universes to go exploring in.

Sauron and Stegron really is something I’m kind of surprised we haven’t seen before. Are you going to play that fairly straight or will it be, as the solicitation implies, a bit sillier?

Me too! There’s no way I’m the first person to think of teaming up Marvel’s two dino-man villains! Their teaming is going to be played mostly straight in that these two guys are a serious threat to our heroes, but there will definitely be a silly edge to what happens with them. The tone of this book is fun, exciting, light-hearted adventure, so don’t expect a grim and gritty take on Stegron.

Obviously, comics fans can be a finicky lot. Everyone likes heart and humor, but they’re also continuity wonks and suspicious of Hollywood talent. Does that even occur to you when you’re writing a book like this, or at this point are you pretty much used to working with a critical audience?

As a non-stop comic book reader since the age of 10, I’m used to being part of that critical audience. Continuity and correct tone and character behavior are important to me, as well. I can’t promise I’ll take into account every single story every character has appeared in, but this takes place in the Marvel U that I care about and love, and I plan to do this right.

Now am I writing it worrying about what people will say? Not really. I’m writing the book that I would want to read if I was picking it up on the stands. Also, the idea that anyone would think of me as “Hollywood talent” and not a nerdy guy finally achieving his dream of writing a Sauron story is hilarious.

You’ve written both Wolverine and Spidey in the past. Which characters are you’re playing with here, that you never had a chance to in previous outings?

Foremost, I feel like I never got a chance to write a “real” Spider-Man story before. So getting to do multiple issues with the canon Peter Parker is an enormous thrill. Other than that, the members of Spider-Man’s special class (No-Girl, Rockslide, Glob Herman, Ernst, Hellion, Shark Girl, and Eye Boy) are all characters I’ve never written before, and I’m enjoying figuring out their voices and personalities. Plus the major X-Men cast, actually — Storm, Beast, Iceman…And then there’s all the villains…Really, the question should be “Which characters are you playing with here that you have written before?”

On that note, are there characters you’re excited to write, or want to write, or is it more a matter of finding a story that works and being excited about one story at a time?

For me it’s more about focusing on one story at a time. I do have a longer Spider-Man story I’d love to earn a chance to write someday. But pretty much every Marvel character has potential, and I like being told “What about this character? What would you do with them?” With the exception of undying love of D-Man. I still hope to write the return of D-Man. So Marvel readers, start up those “Elliott Kalan Needs a D-Man book” petitions!

Obviously there was a Spider-Man Halloween special a few years ago with the guys from SNL. Are we going to have a comedy-writers-in-comics turf war at some point? And if so, who gets Kevin Shinick?

If that’s ever going to happen, then we’re all going to have to get a LOT better at fighting. Until then, we can just let the characters duke it out for us.

The Truth Behind Hello Kitty Revealed

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The world was introduced to some new information about Sanrio mascot Hello Kitty recently, though some of what emerged from an L.A. Timesarticle ended up causing widespread confusion. You wouldn’t think the world would go so topsy turvy just by reading that Hello Kitty isn’t a cat, but that’s precisely what happened thanks to a few things getting lost in translation.

The article was written in advance of the upcoming “Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty” retrospective that opens at the Japanese American National Musem in L.A. on October 11. The article taps University of Hawaii anthropologist Christine R. Yano for some insight into the hugely popular kitty, and one of the bombs she dropped was that Hello Kitty is not actually a cat.

From the article:

When Yano was preparing her written texts for the exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum, she says she described Hello Kitty as a cat. “I was corrected — very firmly,” she says. “That’s one correction Sanrio made for my script for the show. Hello Kitty is not a cat. She’s a cartoon character. She is a little girl. She is a friend. But she is not a cat. She’s never depicted on all fours. She walks and sits like a two-legged creature. She does have a pet cat of her own, however, and it’s called Charmmy Kitty.”

Sanrio has since followed up with multiple sites like Kotakuto clarify that, yes, Hello Kitty is most definitely a cat. She just happens to be an anthropomorphic one, and should be regarded as a personification along the lines of Mickey Mouse. The latter may behave like a human in many ways, but he’s still a mouse, or at least a representation of one.

So, there you have it, heated controversy and debate deftly dodged! Feel free to enjoy the rest of the less dubious info about Hello Kitty in the article, including the fact that she’s British, has the full name Kitty White, and, understandably, holds a special significance to Asian Americans.

Everything You Need To Know About Deadpool

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I remember first reading about Deadpool in the early 2000’s in my X-Men anthology series. The picture next to his profile, if I remember right, was DP kicking ass while talking about GI Joe. I remember thinking it was weird and flipping the page, not really giving it a second thought. Longshot was my favorite mutant.

Fast forward to now, when the “Merc with a mouth” has skyrocketed to geek fame. Cons are flooded with geeks in suits, he’s in video games and, yes, even children’s programs.

So with all the hype of the potential movie on the horizon, you may be toying with the idea of getting into Deadpool. For those people, I have a collection of everything you need to know. Where you need to start reading, basic character background, etc. Let this be that little push you need to dive right into his twisted world!

Required Reading…http://static.squarespace.com/static/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/t/53eb99ece4b00015c3fdf1c2/1407949325048/?format=500w

Deadpool first arrived on the scene in 1991. Artist Rob Liefeld penned the character and his abilities (killler with super agility) and sent it off to writer Fabian Nicieza. Nicieza, after viewing the character, contacted Liefeld and told him he “literally created Deathstroke.” Liefeld, a huge fan of the Teen Titans series, took this as a compliment and named the character Wade Wilson after Deathstroke’s real name, Slade Wilson.

Deadpool made his debut in New Mutants #98 where he was hired by a man named Tolliver to kill Cable and crew. Deadpool ended up with three knives in his back and was mailed back to his employer. This Deadpool was very serious, calculated, and a lot more villainous than the Deadpool we know today. It can also be noted that his movements were very Spider-Man-esque.

It wasn’t until writer Joe Kelly that we got the style of Deadpool that we still see today. Kelly was charged with writing the first Deadpool series ever and immediately made some changes. Where Deadpool was initially seen as a villain, Kelly’s incarnation was characterized by being “morally ambiguous” and had as much focus on comedy as it did kicking ass. This 1997 series is viewed as the bible for all writers of Deadpool and most Deadpool fans. Hilariously enough, the randomness and over the top attitude of the comic came from Kelly’s frustration with Marvel…

“With Deadpool, we could do anything we wanted because everybody just expected the book to be canceled every five seconds, so nobody was paying attention. And we could get away with it.”

Kelly said frustration came from the fact that, unlike now, very few people were reading the series. Every third issue he wrote, he was getting a note saying they would be cancelled. This led to very choppy storylines and a lot of half-baked ideas that never came to fruition. After issue 33 Kelly departed to work on other projects, but would later return to work on a Spider-Man/Deadpool crossover.

Other popular series for those looking to delve into the comic world of Deadpool are Deadpool Corps, Merc With A Mouth, and Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe.

Powers And Abilities…http://static.squarespace.com/static/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/t/53eb9ad3e4b04bc976729b6b/1407949532786/?format=500w

Long before he was a mutant, Deadpool was an assassin. Highly skilled in the art of killing, his life was pretty good until he got cancer. Desperate for a cure, Wade Wilson joined the Weapon X program where he was infused with Wolverine’s healing factor. The boosted healing factor cured Wilson’s cancer, but at the price of severely scarring his body. Thus he donned the costume he wears today and joined Weapon X.

While his healing ability comes from the manipulation of Wolverine’s genes, Deadpool’s healing factor is much more extreme. His mind is in a constant state of healing, which makes him invulnerable to any psychic manipulation. The healing of his cancer did, however, make him insane, or maybe heightened his sense of reality, it’s hard to tell. It’s hard to question the sanity of a character who knows he’s part of a comic book world.

Deadpool’s healing ability is mentally driven. This means he can heal at will, as well as focus his healing on different parts of his body. This gives him superhuman stamina, reaction time, and a boost to the already deadly strength and abilities he had prior to the procedure. His reaction time has been noted to be faster than the finest human athlete.

Chopping off Deadpool’s head will not kill him. Wade Wilson is completely capable of surviving independent of his body, and can reattach his head once it is found. While it has not been officially acknowledged in canon, there have been instances where DP’s head has been destroyed, and he just regrew it. There is also a dispute as to whether Deadpool has an extended life cycle due to his healing, or if he has become immortal through his own healing. Whatever the case, the X-Force stumbles upon him 800 years in the future relatively unchanged.

Gadgets!
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Deadpool has a lot of cool gear he’s amassed over the years. Most who have a base level understanding of the character know of his two katanas and pistols, but he’s also got a magic satchel! This satchel contains a litany of weapons at any given moment, usually just what he needs. DP’s specialty is the use of blades, but he shoots a fair number of guns as well.

Deadpool has a teleporter, which can teleport him away from or into danger. It can also disguise his identity, which he has abused several times throughout the years to look like other heroes, innocent bystanders, etc. At one point he even had a time machine, where he went back in time to meet and ruin the lives of past Marvel superheroes.

An Almost Impossible Backstory…http://static.squarespace.com/static/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/t/53eb9cdce4b0588f78ec3bdb/1407950092766/?format=500w

Deadpool’s confusion about his own past is practically a meta joke between the writers who have helmed him. So many storylines have been retconned, rewritten, or flat out ignored that it’s really hard to give a legitimate telling of the character’s past. In one telling he was a discharged American soldier, but in another he claims to be Canadian. He’s killed the entire Marvel universe, but then everyone’s still alive, He’s also teamed up with other incarnations of himself that exist in different multiverses, like his zombie self, Headpool.

The most common canon to the character recognized by readers is the Joe Kelly incarnation. Once again, as all fans will say, if you want to get acquainted with Deadpool, this is where you start. It’s what Frank Miller is to Daredevil, if you will, the creme de la creme of Deadpool. The gold standard. You get the picture.

Great Cast of Characters…http://static.squarespace.com/static/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/t/53eb9d27e4b0588f78ec3c27/1407950122380/?format=500w

Deadpool is only one of the cool parts about reading his comics. There’s Blind Al, the roommate/hostage old woman in his apartment. There’s Hydra Agent Bob, who, as his name would imply, is an agent of Hydra who teams up with DP. Then there’s all the variations of Deadpool like the zombie Headpool, Kid Deadpool, Lady Deadpool, Dogpool… etc. This doesn’t even cover the numerous superhero team ups he’s done, which are always fantastic.

Seriously, if you are a fan of superheroes and you haven’t picked up this series yet, do yourself a favor. Deadpool is just as great as the community makes him out to be, and provided you start off reading the right way, you’ll agree. Now get out there, buy his comics in bulk, and feverishly beg for the movie!

 

Would like to see deadpool in a feature film!  what do you think?

New star wars comic book lines from marvel!

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Earlier this year, we learned that Marvel would be taking back the Star Wars license from Dark Horse Comics. The change seemed inevitable given Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm. Dark Horse has released piles of great stories over the years, and Marvel will hopefully follow suit. They announced the first of their upcoming Star Wars titles at Comic-Con, and it seems like they’re off to a strong start.

At Marvel’s Cup o’ Joe panel, Joe Quesada previewed the Star Wars line, and I have the opposite of a bad feeling about this. Marvel will return to the galaxy far, far away in January 2015 with a Star Wars series by writer Jason Aaron and artist John Cassaday. It will take place right after the destruction of Death Star in Episode IV and will focus on the core cast we know and love.

Star_Wars_1_Cassaday_cov

Star Wars #1 by Jason Aaron and John Cassaday

And that’s not all! Two more titles will be out in February and March. Ongoing series Star Wars: Darth Vader by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca will explore facets of Vader’s personality we haven’t necessarily seen before. Gillen tells StarWars.com it’s about where see Vader before the beginning of Episode V.

“Vader has so many more responsibilities and problems to deal with than anyone could possibly understand. There are things that people above him may want him to do, versus what he actually needs to do to achieve his own aims, which is not the least bit to discover what the hell was going on with that mysterious fighter pilot who was strong with the Force.”

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Star Wars: Darth Vader #1 by Kieron Gillen and Salvador Larroca

Finally, there’s a Star Wars: Princess Leia five-issue miniseries by Mark Waid and Terry Dodson coming in March will also take place after A New Hope and show Leia as she wrestles with the destruction of Alderaan. Waid explains the basics of the story:

“So, our story is about Leia not long after the end of Episode IV deciding, “Well, as the princess, there are still responsibilities that fall to me, like making contact with any stray Alderaanians out there who may not know what happened. It is my job as princess to deliver the bad news. It is my job to bring those who survived by being in other places, together. It is my job to help preserve some sort of cultural heritage of my people, so that everything my planet stood for and everything my people stood for doesn’t get forgotten.”

Sign. Me. Up.

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Star Wars: Princess Leia #1 by Mark Waid and Terry Dodson

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE TITLES? we want to know what you are thinking?  me  personally  i think the  Liea series will go down first!

Female Thor, Sam Wilson Cap and More Assemble for Avengers NOW!

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http://static.squarespace.com/static/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/t/53c760f8e4b0e925a04c3722/1405575426930/marvel-announces-new-captain-america-and-avengers1?format=1000wOn the heels of news about Marvel’s new female Thor and word tonight that Sam Wilson will be taking over the mantle of Captain America from Steve Rogers, comes confirmation (via EW) that both Avengers will be assembling this fall in a new book, “Avengers NOW!”

The new Thor and Captain America will join a team that will also feature a new Iron Man suit, although it will still be worn by Tony Stark. “The Superior Iron Man” will follow Tony in his new life in San Francisco.

“Like the Superior Spider-Man, Superior Iron Man is a character that’s hard to root for,” Marvel’s Axel Alonso teases.

The new Avengers team, as shown below, will include, in addition to Iron Man, Thor and Captain America, Medusa, Scarlet Witch, Winter Soldier, Angela, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, Deathlok and Inferno.

New CAPTAIN AMERICA and AVENGERS! Art Comic Book Marvel Captain America

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Marvel Comics is really stirring things up in their comic book universe. First Thor and now Captain America and The Avengers.

Joe Quesada, Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer, announced that Sam Wilson, a.k.a. The Falcon, will be the new Captain America. What happened to Steve Rogers? Well, he lost his superhero strength and turned into a 90-year-old man both physically and mentally. He’s obviously in no condition to fight carry his shield and fight to protect the world.

I don’t really care that Wilson is taking his place, but I’m not a big fan of what they did with Steve Rogers. The new comic series is being written by Rick Remender and Stuart Immonen, and this is what Remender said in a statement to Marvel:

“This is the fireworks factory we’re arriving at, and now everything’s going to blow up and be very pretty and exciting to look at. It leads into an evolution of Steve Rogers’ character that I had very early when I was given the job. I think that it’s important with these stories to do things that are natural and make sense and have an inherent logic to the universe, but are also constantly shifting and exciting, keeping the drama high. In order to do that it really comes down to creating new dynamics.

“I’ve been having a lot of fun writing Sam. It’s a completely different attitude. The fact that he’s not a soldier shifts things up a bit. Sam’s not going to be Steve. Steve can be very rigid. That can be kind of joyless at times, whereas Sam is absolutely not that.”

Editor Tom Brevoort adds:

“While Sam shares many of Steve’s beliefs in a general sense, he’s also a very different person with a very different background. He didn’t grow up in the 1930s, he’s a modern day man in touch with the problems of the 21st Century. For most of his professional life, Sam has worked as a social worker, so he’s seen the worst of urban society up close, and how crime, poverty, lack of social structure and opportunity can affect the community. So he’s got perhaps a greater focus on the plight of the common man, and perhaps a greater empathy for the underprivileged than maybe even Steve himself. He’s also not a military man, so he’s more apt to be instinctively skeptical of any situation that calls for just following orders. Sam, like Steve, will be led by his personal morality and beliefs as to what is right and what is wrong—and where his beliefs may differ in their shading from those of the previous Cap are where the interesting stories will be found.”

It’s explained that Rogers will still “employ his skills as the new Cap’s remote strategic advisor, running missions from his headquarters in Avengers Mansion and providing Sam with technical support and field information from a distance.” So he’ll still have something of a vital role in the story.

Marvel also plans on rolling out other comics for the other Avengers, including Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, and Scarlet Witch. There are also reports that there will be a renewed focus on Medusa, Inferno, Deathlok, and the Winter Soldier, with more than ten titles currently in the planning stages. Not all of them are solo, though. You can get a glimpse of those characters in the picture below.

Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso told EW that Superior Iron Man #1 takes Tony Stark to San Francisco with a new suit of armor and a new perspective on life.

“The Genius Bar costume is there for a reason. The newly-transformed Superior Iron Man has very ambitious plans for the city that some of its residents embrace, but not all. Like the Superior Spider-Man, Superior Iron Man is a character that’s hard to root for.”

There are a lot of big things happening over at Marvel, and it will be interesting to see how this all translates to the cinematic universe in the future. http://static.squarespace.com/static/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/t/53c760f8e4b0e925a04c3722/1405575426930/marvel-announces-new-captain-america-and-avengers1?format=1000w

Marvel Comics Announces New Thor Series with Female God of Thunder

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Marvel Comics has revealed this morning that come this October, Thor will no longer be worthy to wield the power of Mjölnir, and instead an all new female Thor will pick up the hammer and take his place as the God of Thunder. The new series, simply titled Thor, will be written by Jason Aaron (Thor: God of Thunder, Original Sin) with art from Russell Dauterman (Cyclops).

“The inscription on Thor’s hammer reads ‘Whosoever holds this hammer, if HE be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.’ Well it’s time to update that inscription,” Marvel editor Wil Moss said in a statement. “The new Thor continues Marvel’s proud tradition of strong female characters like Captain Marvel, Storm, Black Widow and more. And this new Thor isn’t a temporary female substitute – she’s now the one and only Thor, and she is worthy!”

“This is not She-Thor. This is not Lady Thor. This is not Thorita. This is THOR,” Aaron said. “This is the THOR of the Marvel Universe. But it’s unlike any Thor we’ve ever seen before.”

Check out the cover art and images of the character below. Will you be picking up Thor #1 this fall?

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Spin Into 10 Amazing Spider-Man Origins

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https://i1.wp.com/i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/mg/6/c0/53a079ff643a8.jpg?resize=584%2C332The tables will turn on Spider-Man this July as the hero gets himself tangled up in a deadly web. The ripple effects of ORIGINAL SIN will reach Peter Parker in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #4, when the web-slinger learns that he’s not as unique as he originally thought. Enter: Silk. The mysterious woman stands revealed as a result of this summer’s Marvel event, and now she’ll be swinging – or crawling, who knows? – her way into Spidey’s life.

This won’ bet the first time that the incidents surrounding Spider-Man’s creation have been revisited, retold, or reimagined. To prepare you for Silk’s arrival, check out 10 varying depictions of the web head’s early days!

1. AMAZING FANTASY #15

 

Amazing Fantasy #15

Amazing Fantasy #15

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The first and still the best, the original Stan Lee and Steve Ditko story can be retold but it can never be replaced. In just 11 pages, Stan and Steve laid down an unbeatable origin story that introduces every single element that the rest of these tales touch upon. The high school field trip, the irradiated spider bite, the brief wrestling career, and the tragic death of Uncle Ben all take place in this short.

2. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #50

 

Amazing Spider-Man #50

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #50 COVER

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After 50-ish web-slinging adventures, Peter Parker had finally had enough. After tuning his back on all things spider-related, a kindly watchman gave Peter a much needed morale boost. Coincidentally, that old man looked a lot like Uncle Ben, thus prompting our hero to recall the events that caused him to become Spider-Man.

3. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #94

 

Amazing Spider-Man #94

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #94

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Taking place just after Gwen Stacy ditched Peter, this issue follows the titular hero as he mopes down the street in classic Sadsack Spidey mode. Parker recounts everything he did to cause Gwen to leave him, including the events that gave him his powers and tons of great responsibility.

4. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #181

 

Amazing Spider-Man #181

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On the anniversary of Uncle Ben’s death, Spider-Man swings by his final resting place to pay his respects. While there, Spidey runs through his story thus far and leaves a microscope behind as a symbolic gift to his father figure.

5. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #200

 

Amazing Spider-Man #200

Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #200 Cover

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After years of spider-action, Spider-Man finally came face-to-masked-face with the burglar that killed his Uncle Ben. The lowlife had also kidnapped Aunt May and threatened to take away the only family Peter had left. Spidey pushed past his traumatic memories and saved the day without losing his cool.

6. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #354

 

Amazing Spider-Man #354

Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #354 Cover

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This retelling only takes a few panels, but it has an impact. After fighting alongside rookie hero Darkhawk, Spidey shares a vague version of his origin to the newbie in hopes of instilling him with a solid moral code.

7. UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN #1

 

Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1

Untold Tales of Spider-Man (1995) #1

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This ongoing series from the mid-’90’s took place in-between Spider-Man’s original adventures from 30 years prior. The debut issue features a one-page catch-up of Spidey’s origin story before diving into the inaugural untold tale.

8. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #32

 

Amazing Spider-Man #32

Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #32 Cover

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Sometimes Spider-Man’s origin gets reimagined instead of retold. This happened when the mysterious Ezekiel visited Peter Parker, changing everything the hero thought he knew about himself by unveiling a massive theory involving pre-destination and animal totems.

9. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #38

 

Amazing Spider-Man #38

Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #38

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When Aunt May finally pieced together Peter Parker’s dual identity, the two had an issue-long convo about the hero’s years of secret keeping. This, of course, involved revisiting the night that changed both of their lives.

10. SPIDER-MAN: WITH GREAT POWER #1

 

Spider-Man: With Great Power… #1

SPIDER-MAN: WITH GREAT POWER... #1

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This limited series focuses more on the amateur wrestling part of Spidey’s origin story, an area that usually gets glossed over in favor of mad science and bad burglars. Like UNTOLD TALES, this story takes place firmly within the panels of previously told stories.

a new spider-man 2099

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https://i2.wp.com/x.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel/i/mg/4/60/539f598d81d52.jpg?resize=553%2C314This July, Miguel O’Hara returns – because you demanded it! Marvel is proud to present your first look at SPIDER-MAN 2099 #1, the all-new ongoing series from writer and Spider-Man 2099 co-creator Peter David along with artist Will Sliney!
Spinning directly out of the pages of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, Miguel O’Hara swings again as Spider-Man 2099 – only he’s trapped in the year 2014! Stranded there by his father, the evil head of super corporation Alchemax, Miguel must come to terms with being stuck in an unfamiliar and unforgiving era.
But in the year 2014, Alchemax has just formed, and Miguel has a plan. Undercover in their employ, Miguel has a chance to stop the corrupt organization before it can even get started. And perhaps even alter his own future to prevent the rise of one of his greatest villains!
“Miguel becomes determined to try and transform his grandfather, Tiberius Stone into a decent guy in the hopes that it will wind up informing the raising of Tyler Stone, and perhaps make him a better person,” says writer Peter David in an interview with Marvel.com.  “In short, he’s hoping that he can influence the development of both the present and future of Alchemax.”
“He’s going to find that’s not as easy as he’d hoped,” David continued.
You’d think that being a man out of time would make you a man without enemies, but Spider-Man 2099 is about to discover that he’s not the only one fighting for a better tomorrow. The Adjustor, a supremely powerful being has appeared in the year 2014 with only one mission: eliminate Miguel from the timestream! Not to mention the epic Spider-Verse event looming on the horizon!
Ask yourself, can one man change the future? Find out as the battle for tomorrow begins this July in SPIDER-MAN 2099 #1!

More on Marvel.com: http://marvel.com/news/comics/2014/6/16/22679/fight_for_the_future_with_spider-man_2099#ixzz351dFXcQR