Spider-Verse: Things You Need To Know to get started on The Biggest Spider-Man event EVER
Spider-Verse has officially kicked off, and just about every Spider-Man related character and alternate version of Peter Parker and beyond has a stake in trying to fight and survive the big common threat that's after their lives! That being said and if you're new to this EPIC Spidey crossover event, here are a few things that'll get you up to date on some things so you can be webslinging right away to read this AMAZING Marvel comic book event that sees "Every Spider-Man Ever" present!
It finally begins – Dan Slott, Olivier Coipel, and the rest of the creatives of Marvel have ushered in the most ambitious Spider-Man story yet by launching the long-awaited storyline known as “Spider-Verse” – which promises to bring all kinds of arachnids and multiple versions of Peter Parker’s alter ego into the fold to combat a threat the likes of which they have never faced before!
Starting with the release of this week’s The Amazing Spider-Man #9, Spider-Verse kickstarts things in high gear and sets in motion the greatest battle Peter Parker will face alongside his friends and allies that he didn’t know even existed! A force determined to feed on the Spiders has systematically travelled across multiple realities to kill each and every single one, forcing the wallcrawlers to fight back and make a final stand against their common foe.
If that amazing idea hasn’t really settled in your mind… Just imagine EVERY SINGLE SPIDER-MAN EVER appearing in the pages of the Spider-Man family of books Marvel prints featuring your friendly neighborhood wall-crawling hero and his supporting cast of characters… Then you have a pretty clear picture of how grand and EPIC in scale this storyline is. In fact, it is THE Spider-Man storyline that promises to see fan-favorite incarnations of Spidey united for the first time, and that includes the various looks and costume iterations that Peter Parker has worn through the years, as well as the multiple clones and alternate universe Spider-Men and Women both old and new that have significant parts to play in this crossover!
If that idea/ prospect sounds too good to be true, rest assured it is not! Dan Slott and Marvel are not pulling the stops on this one, and it already has Spidey fans around the world ready to embrace this epic Spider-Man event!
Just this past October 25th and in time for All Hallow’s Eve, Manila based cosplay group Spider-Verse PH, together with the Pinoy Spider-Man fan group Webspinas, gathered together for “Look Out – Here Comes The Spider-Verse~!” at Fully Booked and Comic Odyssey at Bonifacio Global City, to show and promote awareness for the big crossover event that is Spider-Verse!
So now that Spider-Verse has started and spins a web that’s even larger than one could ever imagine, here are some things you should take note of to keep yourself up to date and knowledgeable for what’s in store for Spidey and his crew.
SPIDER-VERSE COVERS MULTIPLE SPIDER TITLES
Undeniably the most important thing to secure first if you’re serious about collecting Spider-Verse – this handy checklist promoted by Marvel details all of the issues that will cover the entire storyline, which started with this week’s ASM #9 and will run all the way until January of next year and end with that month’s Amazing Spider-Man #14. If that sounds a little bit much with all the multiple titles crossing over, having PLENTY of SPIDER-MEN AND WOMEN to work with justifies that approach.
BACK TRACK TO EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE AND RECENT AMAZING SPIDER-MAN STORYLINES
If you’ve been living under a cave (or in this case a web) and aren’t fully aware of what came before Spider-Verse, there’s PLENTY of stuff to back track and read that supplement and serve as a prologue to the events transpiring now. Chief among these are straight from the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man Vol.2, which kickstarted Peter Parker’s new adventures and introduced some new characters in the process, specifically Cindy Moon – a girl bitten by the same radioactive spider as Peter and gaining powers of her own as well, taking up the codename “Silk” in the process.
Also, there was this supplementary miniseries called “Edge of Spider-Verse” which served as a springboard to introduce the different kinds of Spider-Men and Women who’ll be playing a part in the whole main “Spider-Verse” event to come. Classics like Spider-Man Noir got more of his origin fleshed out, while other tech-based and beast-like Spider-Men got their chance to tell their story.
Still, the highly-acclaimed introduction was that of Gwen Stacy Spider-Woman in “Edge of Spider-Verse #2” (which we reviewed as well)! Affectionately and now called “Spider-Gwen” by the masses, this web-slinging darling has become the new favorite of Spidey fans worldwide, and is getting her very own series along with Silk come the end of Spider-Verse next year!
LEARNING THE ROOTS OF DISASTER – WHO IS MORLUN?
Then there’s also the fact that the villain playing a major role in hunting down the spiders in this storyline hails from a storyline that was written by J.Michael Straczynski and illustrated by John Romita Jr. In the epic “Coming Home” arc that breathed new life to the adventures of Peter Parker and Spider-Man back in 2001, Peter meets a “kindred spirit” in the form of a middle-aged man named Ezekiel, who exhibits Spider powers of his own and tries to help our friendly neighborhood hero escape the clutches of an evil life-energy eating vampire named “Morlun”.
Throughout this encounter as well as succeeding stories like “The Other”, Spider-Man has great difficulty fending off Morlun and it nearly cost him his life. Fortunately Peter “evolved” and gained new powers such as organic webbing and spider stingers that helped him survive his ordeal. Succeeding storylines have slowly come to change some things in Peter’s life and reverting him back to traditional powers, but Morlun seemingly was defeated for good… Until recent events and Spider-Verse showed he’s very much alive and well… And with a FAMILY who share his craving for Spiders!
SPIDER-MEN AND WOMEN TO TAKE NOTE OF
Just because Peter Parker’s the big cheese and he has alternate versions of himself around doesn’t mean he’s the only prominent player in this whole “Spider-Verse” thing. A number of familiar supporting spiders with powers of their own are here to make this one unforgettable gathering to remember, and their related to Peter either through legacy, name, or being a clone of the original himself.
Spider-Man 2099
A fan favorite from the 90’s 2099 futuristic line of Marvel titles, Miguel O’Hara has been brought back to the pages of the Marvel Universe and is currently stranded in the present time taking care of some “family business”, trying to prevent something that leads to the creation of his world’s corrupt and evil corporation he fights everyday as “Spider-Man 2099”. As a heir to the legacy of Spider-Man, he’ll join Peter and help him fight their common foes to survive and not become food bait from the future.
Spider-Woman
The first and original Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew will return once more to help Spider-Man and his allies/ counterparts during the events of Spider-Verse. However, she’ll also be getting her own new miniseries in the process, and is tasked in training the newly introduced Silk to hone her powers and fight effectively against their enemies.
Kaine, Ben Reilly, Ultimate Jessica Drew… Scarlet Spiders
Clones rocking together in style for the first time!
Joining forces and in the midst of their own mission to stop their enemies from killing all of them, Peter Parker “clone brothers” Kaine Parker and Ben Reilly team up with the Ultimate Universe’s Jessica Drew (a female clone that world’s of Peter Parker) to become the terrific trio team of “Scarlet Spiders”! Anyone who’s known these characters from their respective “Clone Sagas” and have seen their evolution into what they are now as heroes will definitely be on board for this one, as well as how they’re going to play their part in the whole epic Spidey crossover that is Spider-Verse!
May “MayDay” Parker… The Amazing Spider-Girl
The daughter of Peter Parker from an alternate reality where he settled down with his wife Mary Jane Watson and had a family, May “Mayday” Parker inherited her father’s powers and sense of responsibility, and went on to don her “Uncle Ben’s” Spidey costume and become “The Amazing Spider-Girl”. Unfortunately, May had to be thrust into the events of “Spider-Verse” in a harsh manner, seeing her parents get killed by one of Morlun’s brothers, and saved just in the nick of time alongside her baby brother Ben by members of the “Spider-Army”. Filled with vengeance and seeking to save her only family left, May is steadfast in her resolve to end the threat against the Spiders once and for all.
Otto Octavius… The Superior Spider-Man
Of course, let’s not forget the former Doctor Octopus himself – the man who took over Peter Parker’s life for almost two years by swapping brains with his archfoe, and dedicating his life to being a better hero as “The Superior Spider-Man”! While the one and only Amazing Spider-Man is back for good, Otto managed to find a version of himself time-displaced in the year 2099 when Miguel O’Hara got stuck in our present. Superior Spidey then finds out about the threat on the Spiders, and seeks to establish an army to battle against their common foe. Thus the chain of events that lead to Spider-Verse come full circle… And it’s only a matter of time until Superior and Amazing butt heads for the first time in physical forms!
And that’s pretty much it for now! Spider-Verse has begun this November, and after all is said and done, nothing will be the same again! Go out, and read Spider-Verse!