Spider-Man is officially turning 60 this year, with August 2022 marking the 60th anniversary of Peter Parker’s debut in Amazing Fantasy #15. Marvel Comics has announced two major new Spider-Man stories to celebrate that upcoming milestone, including the final chapter in the Spider-Verse trilogy.
First, Marvel is paying tribute to Spidey’s first adventure with Amazing Fantasy #1000. This oversized anthology issue features stories from both Marvel veterans like Dan Slott, Jonathan Hickman and Rainbow Rowell, as well as newcomers like Veep creator Armando Ianucci and novelist Anthony Falcone. Even The Sandman co-creator Neil Gaiman is returning to the Marvel Universe to pen a new story.
Art by John Romita, Jr. (Image Credit: Marvel)
The stories in Amazing Fantasy #1000 won’t necessarily focus on the beginnings of Spidey’s superhero career. Marvel teases that Slott and Jim Cheung’s story will flash forward in time to explore the bond between Peter and Mary Jane, while Falcone and Michael Cho’s story will introduce a new villain to Spidey’s rogues gallery.
In addition to this anniversary special, Marvel is also teasing the third and final chapter in the multiverse epic that started with 2014’s Spider-Verse crossover. Slott is returning for a series dubbed End of the Spider-Verse. Marvel has yet to reveal the series’ artist or how many tie-in comics may be involved.
“If you ask me, it’s madness,” Slott told Polygon. “Why would they do this? WHY? They could’ve milked this spider-cash-cow for decades. That said, if you are going to do it, going all-out in a blaze of glory is definitely the way to go!”
In the meantime, Marvel is setting up this crossover with a new volume of Edge of Spider-Verse. Much like the original 2014 series, which introduced multiversal heroes like Spider-Gwen and SP//dr, the new Edge of Spider-Verse will debut five more alternate universe versions of Spider-Man. Among them are Night Spider, a version of Black Cat who was bitten by the radioactive spider, and the kilt-wearing Spider-Laird. Check out the slideshow gallery below for a closer look at the new characters being introduced.
Edge of Spider-Verse Vol. 2 Introduces 5 New Spider-Heroes
The first three issues of Edge of Spider-Verse will ship in August, which could suggest End of the Spider-Verse will launch as soon as September or October. Though with the animated movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse being delayed again, Marvel may opt to wait until 2023 to bring the Spider-Verse crashing down.
Are you psyched for Spider-Man’s upcoming birthday bash? Let us know if you’ll be reading any of these comics in the comments below.
For more on Spidey’s movie future, learn everything you need to know about Madame Web and brush up on every Spider-Man movie in development.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.