The Amazing Spider-Man titles

thecolorsblend wrote:Looks cool to me. I've not reads ton of Vulture stories but I like the character.

thecolorsblend wrote:

webhead2006 wrote:

Maybe this isn't an affirmation of Peter being Spider-Man in some bullshit existential way so much as it is a confession to Carlie, who obviously suspects something's up.

SPIDER-ISLAND HOPPING: Slott on "Amazing Spider-Man" #673
by Dave Richards, Staff Writer |
CBR HomepageCBR News


[SPOILER WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR "AMAZING SPIDER-MAN" #673, IN STORES AND AVAILABLE DIGITALLY NOW]


Dan Slott sits down for the final SPIDER-ISLAND HOPPING

The heroes of the Marvel Universe know their actions have consequences, but no other Marvel hero is as conscious of that fact as Spider-Man. His whole super heroic career stems from the fact that he chose not to act when he was needed which resulted in the death of his Uncle Ben. Spidey also knows that even when he chooses to do something heroic there will be a price to pay. That he keeps going in spite of this is one of the many reasons he's a great hero.

In part six of the ""Spider-Island" storyline running through "Amazing Spider-Man" and several different tie-ins, Spidey pulled off one of the most heroic acts of his career when he helped cure the people of New York from a virus that had transformed them into giant, monstrous spiders. Such a large scale action is bound to have consequences for Peter Parker and his entire supporting cast of characters.

In "Amazing Spider-Man" #673 writer Dan Slott and artist Stefano Caselli examined some of those consequences. Today marks the final installment of SPIDER-ISLAND HOPPING, our in-depth look at each issue of the main crossover, as Slott spoke with CBR for a discussion about issue #673, the epilogue to "Spider-Island."


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CBR News: So Dan, there have been several Marvel events of late including "Fear Itself" and "Schism," and many readers have been wondering when "Spider-Island" takes place in relation to these other events. It looks like you finally answer that question in #673. Why did you have to wait so long to do it?

Dan Slott: Well, with "Fear Itself," "Spider-Island," and "Schism" all being published at the same time, we didn't want to give out the specific order until at least two of them were done. Or else it would have let you know that everyone who appears in this, that, or the other story was safe; and that nothing bad could happen to characters X, Y, or Z.

But this is how it is with all comics in a serialized shared universe. We know they can't all be happening at the same time. It'd be silly to think that at the exact moment Punisher is shooting a gangster in an alley, he can look up and see Galactus' ship in the sky over New York, because that's what happening over in that week's issue of "FF." We understand that storylines happen, and when they're done, then we place them in a Marvel U timeline.


With "Spider-Island" in the books, Spider-Man isn't exactly catching a break

That said, once we hit "Amazing" #673, we threw in a nod where Iron Man says to Steve Rogers, "Why aren't you in your Captain America suit?" And he replies, "Because this started off as a military mission and I had to dress down." Of course the real reason was that we didn't want people to know that "Spider-Island" takes place after "Fear Itself." That's why you don't see Thor in "Spider-Island," and you don't see Spider-Man use his spider sense in "Fear Itself," because he hasn't gotten it back yet. And in all of our issues Steve, just like he does in the post-"Fear Itself" issues of "Secret Avengers," wears the Super Soldier uniform. Otherwise it would have tipped Matt Fraction's hand over in "Fear Itself."

That conversation between Iron Man and Steve Rogers happened at the beginning of the issue while various super heroes were helping to clean up the giant carcass of the Queen, the main villain of "Spider-Island." While that's going on we learned that the story line's other villain, the mad scientist known as the Jackal, had escaped death in the last issue because it was actually one of his clones that had been involved in "Spider-Island," and not the real Miles Warren. So the Jackal is just as cunning as he is crazy?

I'd say he's just as cautious as he is crazy. Look, if you've got cloning technology, why not? If you were the Jackal, would you ever send the real you to hang out with other super villains? These are very touchy guys [Laughs]. Doctor Doom might kill you if he had a bad sandwich that day. So if I'm the Jackal, I never send the real me. I stay back at home and catch up on all my episodes of "House."

In that scene with the Jackal he says, "I, the real Jackal." We have to wonder though, wouldn't a clone say that? With all these clones running around is there such a thing as a "real" Miles Warren anymore?

Is there, Dave?! IS THERE?! [Slott hums spooky Theremin-style music]

Okay, let's move on then. While we're on the topic of deranged Spider-Man foes let's touch on Eddie Brock. Eddie has always possessed a strange code of honor that often made him more of a hero that would "save" you whether you wanted to or not instead of an out and out villain. In "Amazing" #672 he sacrifices his Anti-Venom symbiote to produce a cure for the spider plague. In issue #673 he gets recognized as a hero for that. Is Eddie still his same aggressively self-righteous self or did sacrificing his symbiote somehow change him?

The first time we met Eddie Brock in "Amazing Spider-Man," he was praying in Our Lady of Saints church asking for a way to seek revenge. Then symbiote dripped down on him and he became Venom. Even in those early Venom stories, every now and then, it would be kind of creepy because his costume would change into street clothes, and one of the outfits he kept appearing in was a collar wearing priest. So Eddie's always had a weird, religious, and self-righteous side to him.

After Eddie found out the symbiote was killing him and had left his body riddled with cancer, he went back to Our Lady of Saints church, prayed again, and Martin Li, Mister Negative, put his healing hands on him. That super-charged the alien anti-bodies that were still inside him, cured him of his cancer, and turned him into Anti-Venom. He could now use his powers to "cure" us all.

For him, "Spider-Island" was this ultimate fantasy. He got to be Jesus walking amongst the lepers, curing the infected with the powers given to him "from above." To complete his martyrdom complex, he made the ultimate sacrifice. He gave up his gift. He can never be Anti-Venom again. So we're very much left with this self-righteous, holier-than-thou Eddie Brock -- and his story continues in Rick Remender's "Venom" series. He's going to become a very important supporting cast character over there. Even without that symbiote -- or those anti-bodies -- Eddie Brock still has a lot of story left in him.

The cure made from Eddie's Anti-Venom suit had a profound impact on Peter Parker's flawed clone, Kaine. It changed him back from his monstrous Tarantula form and healed him of all the defects from the flawed cloning process that created him. When we see Kaine in "Amazing" #673 he appears much happier because of this. Is he really though? Or deep down is he still his old angry self?


Slott and company will continue to address villains old and new in the pages of "Amazing Spider-Man"

We will find out more down the road. But this is a new lease on life for him though. It's like if you're watching "Beauty and the Beast" and the spell gets lifted and suddenly he's the handsome prince again. That's going to immediately change how he reacts to the world.

Kaine has always been Peter Parker-distilled when it comes to angst and the Parker luck. You'd see Peter Parker kicking cans because he couldn't get a date, or Jameson wrote something mean about him. Kaine is like, "I'm you, but I'm a hideous freak! All my powers don't work right and I was born in a tube. Shut up!" He's a guy with the Parker Luck to the Nth degree. Now, for once, he's gotten a good bounce. He's now human. He's cured. He's fine and he's got spider powers -- and some extra stuff.

Peter and Kaine are pretty much brothers, and after the scene with them talking in #673 we also get a scene with two people who have been friends so long they're practically brothers in J. Jonah Jameson and Robbie Robertson. They're chatting in a place that seems to be popping up a lot lately in Marvel books, The Lion's Head Pub. What can you tell us about this place? Why has it become such a popular Marvel U locale?

The Lion's Head is neat, because what you're looking at is an actual New York bar that does have a history with journalists. If you zoom in on the walls of the Marvel Universe version of the Lion's Head, you'll see all these "Daily Bugle" headlines from all across the years. When were doing the final lettering on the issue my editor, Steve Wacker, sent out an e-mail to everyone on the crew asking for Marvel Universe centric headlines. Some of them are really tiny, but they are actual headlines.

We can make out one that says "Captain America Alive!"

Right. There's stuff from the "Civil War" era, but there's also stuff about "Horton's Human Torch" and "Invaders Liberate Paris." There's all kinds of different things. If you pull out the magnifying glass you'll see that wall is covered with Marvel U history.

The Lion's Head is the backdrop for a discussion between Jonah and Robbie about how Spider-Man saved New York during the spider virus outbreak. How hard is it for Jonah to hear and understand what Robbie telling him about Spider-Man?

Jonah is a very strange character because over the years people have played him very differently. You read Frank Miller's "Daredevil" and he comes across as this earnest, crusading reporter. You read Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's Jonah and he's clearly putting out the most libelous garbage in the world about Spider-Man. There's no ethics at all [Laughs]. He uses the flimsiest excuses to attack and go after Spider-Man. "I saw him back lit against electricity! He must be Electro!" Then when he finds out they're two different guys he's all, "Well, they were in cahoots!"

We saw a classic shot in one of Stan's stories where it's just Jonah in a pool of light and he says, "The real reason why I hate Spider-Man, and I'll never admit it to the rest of the world, is because I envy him! I'm jealous of him -- I wish I was him!" So Jonah's emotions and feelings run the whole gamut. There's even been times, like when his wife Marla died, that Jameson tells Spider-Man, "This isn't your fault." You never know where you're going to go with Jonah. He's very unpredictable, but here he realizes that if it weren't for Spider-Man he would've been turned into a six foot tall spider.

It seems like that scene is about accepting difficult truths and you follow it up with a scene where the truth comes out. In that scene Peter is forced to admit to his girlfriend, Carlie Cooper, that he is Spider-Man. She delivers a few choice words and then promptly dumps him. Based on what Carlie says it seems like Pete basically blew it with Carlie. Is that true or was something else going on?

He had every chance in the world to tell her he was Spider-Man. In the recent "Revenge of the Spider-Slayer" arc he had Mary Jane advising that he should tell her. He even had a moment right before "Spider-Island" where the two of them were working on a case and she found out that the new Wraith was Captain Yuri Watanabe. Spider-Man was a bug on the wall watching this as Carlie didn't give Yuri up. Carlie was like, "Yes, you're a vigilante, but you were doing stuff for the right reasons. You're a good person and I'm not going to turn you in."


J. Jonah Jameson has a complicated relationship with Spider-Man

His hesitation before that scene is understandable because before that we saw that Carlie was the person willing to turn in her own father when she found out he was working with Mysterio, or that the guy she was interested in, Vin Gonzalez, was he's tied to the Spider Tracer Killings. She has a very well rounded approach though to someone having a secret identity. At the end of the day what matters to her is, "Are you a good person? Can I trust you to do the right thing?" So she totally could have handled Peter's secret, but Peter never told her.

We find out later on that Carlie was able to deduce Pete's identity because he basically negated the spell that Doctor Strange cast to protect it when he went on TV as Peter Parker, revealed that he had spider powers, and encouraged the rest of Manhattan, who had also received spider powers thanks to the early stages of the spider virus, to help him battle a horde of enemies. Now that the identity protection spell is gone, let's talk a little bit about it in the narrative sense. Why was it employed in the first place?

It gave the book a way to restore Spidey's secret identity after he revealed it during "Civil War." Basically, when the "Brand New Day" team came on "Amazing Spider-Man" what was going to happen in "One More Day" and what Mephisto was going to do was explained to us. The BND team was all of one mind that our take on that was that Mephisto was basically tugging one thread and all the other things that happened all happened for different reasons; reasons that could happen within the framework of things we already knew about Spidey's world.

Like in the past we've seen Doctor Strange do a spell that affected the entire world to protect his own secret identity. And in the past we saw Iron Man use an A.I.M. Satellite to beam brainwaves across the entire world which would wipe out the knowledge of his identity. So we've already seen things like this before in Marvel continuity. And the BND team wanted to take established things that worked and say that Mephisto pulled a clever pool shot, knowing that all these pieces would fall certain ways. It was the equivalent of The Butterfly Effect, but stepping on the correct butterfly.

We then tired to figure out the exact way in which the spell worked. We also tried to make a list of all the characters that would still remember that Pete is Spider-Man after Doc Strange's spell went into effect. But the list just went on and on and got really confusing. It included several heroes, some of Spidey's villains, and anyone who went to "House of M" and saw Peter Parker as a wrestler in an alternate universe -- and on and on and on...

It was Tom Brevoort who suggested, "No one remembers." That was clean, simple, and a lot easier to explain to all the readers -- both old and new. Then you had to work out what happens next. Like the second you do the spell the Watcher knows. Madame Web has to instantly know. If you're someone like Jackal and you're still alive and growing all these clones, of course you know.

The spell did force us to ask some questions though. Like can people figure out Spidey's identity and what are the limitations of the spell? So it became confusing and we wanted to made things simple and easy to understand again. So now the rule is simple again: No one remembers, but now they can learn.

So it was always your intention to do away with the spell, and "Spider-Island" seemed like a good place to do it?

Yeah, especially since we had that almost-sort-of-unmasking bit where Peter goes on camera and tells the world who he is and that he has spider powers. It was like, "Uh-oh. That's not good."

Spidey may not have Doctor Strange's spell protecting him anymore, but he has another important mystical resource in the form of his ally, Julia Carpenter, the former Spider-Woman and the current Madame Web. Julia seems to be a character you enjoy writing. Which aspects of the character do you find most interesting?

It's fun to write this new Madame Web because she can always drop a hint -- and she's not the original Madame Web, who really seemed to know and see all. Julia is still finding her way in all of this and is still screwing up. It's tough to be an oracle. Right now she's been very mysterious because we've just focused on this part of her life. What will be fun, though, is to go, "Hey. She has a daughter, a life, and these other things going on." So the next time we see her we'll get more into that.

That said, it's probably going to be a while because at the end of the day this book is about Peter Parker. It's got to focus on Spider-Man and his life. But because Spider-Man has the best supporting cast in comics it's very easy to take your eye off the ball. So you'll see how characters like Mary Jane, Jonah and Robbie relate to Spider-Man, but with the amount of stories we're telling and the ideas we've got planned, we really have to keep the focus on Spider-Man/Peter Parker.


Doctor Strange's spell has been lifted, and Spider-Man's identity can once again be discovered

Spider-Man chats briefly with Madame Web at the end of #673. You then bring the issue to a close with a roof top chat between Peter and his former girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson. In "Spider-Island" Mary Jane briefly received spider powers and some insight into why Peter uses those powers for good. She also revealed that she still loves him. Now that the two of them are here together after Carlie dumps Peter, what's running through their minds? Does it seem to them that fate is trying to force them back together?

Hmm...

That's all I'm saying. [Laughs] There are so many people who want them back together and so many people that don't. It's fun to see them all go, "Augghh!"

And remember, she didn't tell Peter she loved him. She whispered it on the wind -- while fighting giant spiders that were climbing up the Empire State Building. That's how you tell someone you love them in the Mighty Marvel Manner! [Laughs]

Spidey and Mary Jane's conversation comes to a close on the final page of "Amazing" #673 with a splash page of New York City saying "thank you" to Spider-Man by lighting the top half of the Empire State Building with Spidey's red and blue colors. Where did the idea for this sequence come from?

I loathe splash pages. The space we get to play with in a comic is very valuable real estate! My feeling is if you're pulling out a splash page you better be using it for a good reason. It better have a visual pow. Even though it's one visual, it better tell a lot of "story."

I've been wanting to do this sequence forever. The idea for it came one night when I was walking down 33rd Street, and I looked up, and it was one of the many times the Empire State Building had been lit a different color. I stopped and went, "If Spider-Man ever saves the city they should make it red and blue." And I pulled out the notebook and scribbled that one down.

I don't think we've ever seen that in a New York comic before; someone lighting it for the heroes. And the Empire State Building is both a New York icon and a Spider-Man icon -- because it's long been established that it's a special place for both him and Mary Jane. It was such a good way to go out on a storyline that's so much about Spider-Man and so much about New York. I was very happy with it, and Stefano drew the hell out of it.

Originally the first chapter of "Spider-Island," issue #667, was going to open with Carlie on the ceiling. Steve said, "I think we need to add an extra page where we introduce the city of New York. I think we should do it from the top of the Empire State Building so that it will have some resonance." It was one of those moments where it's like, what's one of the millions of things an editor does? THAT! They do that kind of brilliant thinking! So that's why we have that opening scene, because of a note from Steve, and here we come full circle.

How does it feel now that "Spider-Island" has wrapped and all of its installments have made it into readers' hands?

It feels so good! This is the longest story I've written in my entire 20 years of working in the business. Besides this I've only done two six-part stories, which were "Arkham Asylum: Living Hell" and "New Ways to Die." This is an eight-part story with the prologue and the epilogue. That's not counting the little "Infestation" set ups or the Free Comic Book Day lead-in. This has been one very large endeavor! And it would not have happened without Steve and his assistant editor, Ellie Pyle, taking care of not just the herculean task of making sure all the tie-in books fit and came out at the right time, but also helping me get eight issues out of my brain. I still don't believe that happened. They're awesome!

The MVP of Spider-Island is defintitely Humberto Ramos. He worked night and day on this. We went heavy on a lot of chapters. There were a lot of 23-page issues and every page and every panel had zillions of characters in them. He never missed a step, though. Humberto drew all the time and took just one day of vacation; Mexican Independence Day. It's a national holiday and we got a couple of e-mails that day that were so apologetic and sincere that said, "Sorry I'm taking the day off to be with family and loved ones." Then, after all of that, another page showed up at 4:30 in the morning! So I LOVE Humberto Ramos. He turns in a page a day every day, and every page had a day's work in it.

Plus we had Victor Olazaba, with Carlos Cuevas and Karl Kesel, doing inks and Edgar Delgado doing colors around the clock. And Joe Caramagna was up lettering at all hours of the night. It's really tough to do these event story lines, but when everything comes together, like it did here, it's just the best gift. I'm really proud of the entire "Spider-Island" crew; that includes everybody who worked on "Amazing" and the creators responsible for some of the best and tightest event tie-in issues I've ever seen!

Now that you've finished your biggest "Amazing Spider-Man" story thus far, many readers are wondering what you're going to do now.

SLEEP!

No, I mean, can you tell us about what you're going to do as a follow up? What's the next big Spidey epic?

Our next "big" Spidey story is in 2012 and it's an adventure with Doc Ock titled "Ends of the Earth." It's the big Sinister Six story that we've been building and building and building. We saw hints of it all the way back at the start of "Big Time" in "Amazing" #648 and recently Doc Ock has been on a massive victory lap in the Marvel Universe. He's bested Iron Man. He totally punked Reed Richards. He broke into the Baxter Building and stole some things while making everyone in the FF chase fake zombie pirates. Plus he pulled one over on Hank Pym in "Avengers Academy." So right there you're looking at three of the biggest brains in the Marvel Universe who all just got pantsed by Otto Octavius -- on his way towards his biggest master plan ever.

Back in "Amazing" #600, we learned that Otto is dying. In "Marvel time" he was given months to live. We're reaching the point where he's only got weeks. So he's got one last shot and Otto isn't going to be content at taking over New York or pulling one over on the scientific community. He's making the BIG grab. He's got one shot at a master plan with the Sinister Six and he's going for THE WORLD! And to stop him Spider-Man will have to take their fight to... "THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!"

How's that for an ominous title?

While SPIDER-ISLAND HOPPING may be finished, keep it tuned to Comic Book Resources for all the latest on "Amazing Spider-Man" and the lead-up to "Ends of the Earth."

Dan Slott took part in today's "Next Big Thing" conference call with MARVEL to talk about "Ends of the Earth". Teased as the beginning of the road to Amazing Spider-Man #700, it will take place between issues #682 and #687. The six part arc will feature the work of artist Stefano Caselli for four issues and an as of yet unrevealed guest artist for two instalments focusing on "major players" in the story. Slott revealed that this is Doc Ock's final plan for world domination as his death creeps ever closer and will see Spider-Man operating on a GLOBAL level.

The seeds for this storyline have been planted throughout the Marvel Universe since Amazing Spider-Man #600 the writer said. He added: "We've seen Doc Ock and the Sinister Six slowly building and percolating this master plan. On the way it's stretched out into the Marvel Universe proper. We've seen Doc Ock totally smack down Iron Man. He totally wiped the floor with Hank Pym's team in 'Avengers Academy.' Over in 'Spider-Man' during an FF team up, Doc Ock pwned Reed Richards! He took over the Baxter Building and stole all kinds of stuff. Doc Ock's been taking out the biggest brains on his stomp to global domination."

"The Sinister Six you start out with in 'Ends of the Earth' will not be the Sinister Six you're left with by the end," he went on to reveal. The current roster is made up of Doctor Octopus, Chameleon, Rhino, Mysterio, Electro and the Sandman. The latter will in particular be showing off his powers in a very BIG way, and Spidey himself will also have a chance to show off some new tech. "We're going to see some pretty cool new Spider-tech," he said. "Spidey has known the Sinister Six are a-coming. Spider-Man has had all this time to prep and bring specific tech to all the members of the Sinister Six. Spider-Man has designed a new suit and this is a suit specifically designed to go to war with the Sinister Six."

The Avengers will play a part in "Ends of the Earth" but Spider-Man supporting characters such as Black Cat, Venom and Scarlet Spider will more than likely not. There will also be no tie-in issues such as those recently seen for "Spider-Island". "I've never done a Spider-Man story on this scope before,""I think a lot of the stuff I do is on character, but this one I think the focus is a lot more on action and adventure. It's so big and the fallout from it is going to be huge. It's going to be neat at the end of the day when this is over where all the pieces are on the table. They're going to be in a lot of interesting spots."

As for how the book will tie in to the upcoming movie adaptation starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, Slott promised an epic battle between Spider-Man and the Lizard next year but promised no resurrection of Gwen Stacy. For even more details on "Ends of the Earth" click on the link below.

Fri, February 3rd, 2012 at 2:02pm PST | UPDATED: February 3rd, 2012 at 2:09pm

Fridays on CBR mean Axel's In Charge.

Welcome to MARVEL A-I-C: AXEL-IN-CHARGE, CBR's regular interview feature with Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso!

An editor with years of experience who's brought out comics to both critical acclaim and best-selling status, Alonso stepped into the chair at the top of Marvel's Editorial department earlier this year and since then has been working to bring his signature stylings to the entire Marvel U. Anchored by regular question and answer rounds with the denizens of the CBR Message Boards, each week Alonso will shake things up with special guest stars, exclusive art reveals and more!

This week, we have a special guest as Axel welcomes "Amazing Spider-Man" writer Dan Slott! Having steered the Spidey-ship through the waters of 2011 and remaining at the helm in 212, Slott is here to talk all things radioactive spider-related, from revealing the first Spidey comic he remembers buying to the origins of "Big Time" and the pressures and rewards of this year being Spidey's 50th anniversary. Slott dives into details on Peter Parker's upcoming trip to the "Ends of the Earth" and how it relates to this week's revelation of a new set of duds for the wall-crawler. Plus, Slott takes the time to answer loads of fan questions! And hey -- what is the deal with that mysterious teaser Image Marvel released the other day...?

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Kiel Phegley: Welcome by A-i-C, Dan! Gentlemen, since we're talking Spider-Man's 50th Anniversary today, I thought I'd start with your own personal connection to the character: what was the first issue of Spider-Man you remember buying or the one that really made you a lifer with the hero?

Axel Alonso: "Amazing Spider-Man" #131. On the cover, Spider-Man is swinging down to stop Doc Ock and Aunt May from exchanging marriage vows. He webs the bible in the priest's hands before he can say, "With this ring, I thee..."

Dan Slott: "With this ring, I thee...web." [Laughter]

Alonso: That's it! I bought that issue off the rack at a five and dime. The story didn't disappoint: A gang war between this huge-headed gangster named Hammerhead and this geek with tentacles called Doc Ock who's about to marry this little old lady who Spider-Man pretty much considers his mother? I was hooked.

Slott: And it's all because she's secretly inherited a nuclear power plant.

Alonso: That's it! Dang, you have a great memory. You and [Tom] Brevoort. Once it gets in there, it doesn't get out! [Laughter]

Slott: Because lord knows, if you're a supervillain marrying a woman in Queens, that's the only reason it can happen. It can't be love!

My story is long and convoluted -- I already loved Spider-Man from the [Ralph] Bakshi cartoons. One day I was biking home from grade school, and they had a sign up at my 7-Eleven that Spider-Man was coming there to sign comic books. And I was at just the right age to totally believe it. I freaked out and ran inside and was like, "Where do I get the comics for Spider-Man to sign?"

The only comics I'd ever read were my cousin's, which were all Jack Kirby "Fantastic Four" issues and "Howling Commandos" that he kept in his basement. I just thought all comics came from my cousins basement. I never thought you could buy them. So, the 7-Eleven guys pointed me towards the spinner rack, and I thought, "Oh my God!" but I had no money. So I waited for my dad to get home and kept pestering him to give me an allowance because I needed to buy Spider-Man comics. And he was so nice that not only did he give me an allowance, he gave me a week's advance so I could have two comics for Spider-Man to sign.

The thing that hooked me for life was that I biked there early to camp out because I wanted to see Spider-Man swing in. I was looking in the sky, and I got really worried because there were no tall buildings to swing in on. And these guys came off the turnpike in a red pickup. And standing arms akimbo, in the bed of the pickup, was Spider-Man. And I bought it! That's how Spider-Man would come to 7-Eleven.

The truck pulled up, I was the only one there waiting, and the guy jumped out and landed in a crouch like Spider-Man. Then he jumped and walked on in. It was over for me. I had met Spider-Man, and he signed my comics. [Laughter] They were "Marvel Tales" #63 and "Marvel Team-Up" #38 where he teamed up with the Beast to fight the Griffin.

Alonso: Back in the day, me and my friends were starved for Spider-Man. Apart from the super-cool Spider-Man cartoon -- you know, the Ralph Bakshi one -- there wasn't much out there. I mean, I hated "The Electric Company," but I'd grit my teeth through lame skit after lame skit on the outside chance that Spider-Man would show up for that little segment they sometimes did. When he did, I was happy as a pig in poop; when it didn't, I was inconsolable. And it was corny! Just a dude in tights creeping around like a bug. I found out later that Morgan Freeman was the narrator!

Slott: And Spidey wouldn't speak! Thought balloons just showed up over his head with a "Boop boop boop!"

Alonso: That's right.

Slott: We were so starved back then that when Atari put out the game where Spider-Man was just eight red dots, you totally believed it was him, and you played it over and over.

Since that time, you guys each have worked on Spider-Man for a healthy stretch. Just around the time Axel came in as E-i-C, Dan was just getting rolling with the new phase of "Amazing Spider-Man" called "Big Time." It feels to me that there's been a clear change in how the book has run and how fans have reacted to it. I can't remember the last time I saw a fan approach the comic first through the lens of how they felt about "One More Day." In terms of tone, "Big Time" seemed to set aside some of the operating rules of the "Brand New Day" era. How did the twice-monthly shift the book into the state it is in now that's different from when you worked on it previously?

Alonso: Dan...?

Slott: Okay! [Laughs] To me, it had nothing to do with any of that so much as it was that when we were working on "Brand New Day" it was like a relay. We were all working as a team to write the stories, and we were trying to support each other as a team. If anyone threw anything into the pot, it was fair game and you incorporated it. We all had a great time, and we all liked working together. The change was the difference between playing on a sports team and playing golf. When Steve [Wacker] came to me and said "I want you to be the guy to do it two times a month" I said, "Where do I want to go with 'Amazing Spider-Man?'" That was the only real big difference. It wasn't a matter of "Mwa ha ha! I will throw everything aside!" It was just a matter of finding my own mojo.

Axel, in the past you told me about how when you got to the end of your run as "Amazing Spider-Man" editor, you were bit burnt out on working with Spider-Man. Have you come back around as Editor-in-Chief to wanting to pitch the occasional idea into Spider-Man's world, or do you try to stay hands off and let Dan and Steve do what they do?

Alonso: The latter. At some point in the future, I might be interested in editing a Spider-Man story, but right now, I'm not ready. Don't get me wrong: Spider-Man occupies a special place in my heart -- he was the first super hero character I had to wrap my mind around as an editor -- but I really feel I left it all on the floor during my tenure as Spider-Man editor. Getting him back on the map and then teeing him up for "Brand New Day" was some heavy lifting.

Slott: What I really liked most about the Axel era, on top of JMS and Paul Jenkins going in and telling great runs, was "Tangled Web." Stories like "Flowers For The Rhino" or that great Kaare Andrews story with the kids watching TV were just wonderful gems.

Alonso: Thanks. That series was a lot of fun to edit.

So for each of you, what's your favorite Spidey story that you worked on?

Slott: "Amazing Spider-Man" #655. It's one of my favorite things ever, and Marcos Martin killed on it. Every page was gorgeous.

Alonso: Without a doubt, "Amazing Spider-Man" #36, the 9/11 tribute issue with the all-black cover. I watched the towers go down from Broadway. It seemed preposterous to me that Peter Parker -- a New York native if there ever were one -- would just go about his regularly scheduled programming when something that big happened in his city. So I called up JMS and said as much, and he agreed. The next day, there was a script in my inbox. I closed my door, propped my feet on the windowsill to read it and was blown away. It was a knockout punch -- a love song to the city that's probably the single most satisfying comic issue I've ever worked on.

Slott: And that's got some of the most beautiful John Romita, Jr. art I've ever seen.

Alonso: Without a doubt. Johnny -- another New York native -- brought his best stuff to that. It was an amazing comic book.

So we've hit Spidey's 50th Anniversary. In the past, we've seen Marvel do some big publishing celebrations for Marvel characters, whether it be all the stuff that hit for the company's 70th or the FF's 50th last year. With Spider-Man, what have you discussed about doing overall to make a splash, and how do those plans impact "Amazing" on a monthly basis?

Slott: For me, the biggest motivation of the 50th was that I could see it coming. With the twice monthly book, you end up working on three or four arcs at once because everyone has to keep working. It can be a grind. Knowing the 50th was coming was the carrot. It was my reward. I kept myself going through a couple of all-nighters by saying, "You can do this, you can do this. The 50th is coming!" It's an honor, and it's something I take very seriously. We've got a lot of great plans, and we're building to a lot of things because these moments should be special. It's 50 years of Spider-Man! But I can't spoil too much.

Alonso: What Dan said. I can't say too much without spoiling it, but we have lots of surprises ahead.

The one thing we do know is coming up is "Ends of the Earth" -- Doc Ock's big return with the Sinister Six that we've been waiting for for quite a while now. Dan, why was now the time for those chickens to come home to roost in the wake of "Spider-Island"?

Slott: You're always building to something bigger and bigger, and when you look at the journey Spider-Man has taken, especially in our opening arcs, you see how all the pieces of our status quo have fallen into pace. The Sinister Six have been out there planning something. Spider-Man has this job at Horizon, and on top of that he also has this new mission. He's given himself this almost untenable goal, like the War on Drugs or the War on Terror. He had decided that whenever he's around, on his watch, no one dies. And that's because of the death of Marla Jameson. Everything grows out of those big moments and beats and will keep building. You're going to see a major shift during "Ends of the Earth" as a lot of those elements come to a head, all in a big, globe-trotting, world-spanning adventure!

One of the guys on the boards, SpiderPrime, asked a question that I think fit well in with a lot of what Axel and I have discussed lately with the status of Norman Osborn. He asked, "With the elevation of Norman Osborn to an Avengers-level threat, and with soon-to-be Secret Avenger Venom off having his own adventures, Spidey hasn't gotten to play much individually with his two most popular 'big-bads' of the last 30 years in some time. I've loved how you've reestablished both Doc Ock and the Hobgoblin to fill that big-bad void. What do you think goes in to making a real, credible and lasting arch-enemy for Spider-Man? Why have the Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Venom and the Hobgoblin lasted so long as fan-favorite Spidey-villains?"

Alonso: The great Spider-Man villains usually share some deep personal connection to Peter Parker's civilian life that gives their relationship a whole other dimension. Doc Ock and the Green Goblin are the prime examples of that. But also, let's face it, the best ones endure the test of time because they have a certain swagger -- a mojo --that works in any era.

Slott: I think Axel's right. We've spent so much time with these guys, but if you could just mindwipe everybody and introduce these villains as fresh and new and said, "Here's a guy named Otto Octavious who's called Doctor Octopus who has these metal limbs" people might laugh you out of town. But the thing is that Stan and Steve created this character, and they gave him heart. And John Romita, Sr. drew him as being responsible for the death of Captain Stacy, and that gave him so much weight. All these giants of the industry have poured their artistry and love into these characters over the years and made them so cool, made them into the icons that we have today.

Obviously, with "Spider-Island" we had a core story in "Amazing" that was supported by a number of minis and one-shots. With "Ends of the Earth," we know there are six issues of main story, but will there be any support books with the rest of the Spider-Man cast?

Slott: We're going to do a one-shot special. This story has ramifications for all of planet earth, and in the one-shot, you'll see superheroes from across the planet dealing with this problem. There are characters here that might not have been highlighted for a while from different countries and fan favorites it'll be fun to touch base with. And in "Ends of the Earth," you'll see a lot of fun stuff with the supporting characters, particularly the Horizon cast, during the course of the six issues of "Amazing." But for the most part, this is like a movie. "Ends of the Earth" is a Spider-Man blockbuster focused on action between Spider-Man, the members of the Sinister Six and Doc Ock. They're your stars.

For a while now we've seen Spider-Man really be contained by one comic, whether "Amazing" has been twice monthly or thrice monthly. It's still been that one core Spider-Man narrative. Does that make stories like this easier to tell compared to some of the huge events we identify with comics these days?

Slott: Well, I don't think it is the only one. If you love Spider-Man, there's great work coming out from Zeb Wells on "Avenging Spider-Man," and Rick Remender has stuff from the Spider-Man world driving "Venom," who's also going to Rick's be "Secret Avengers." Of course, Brian Michael Bendis tells stories with him in "New Avengers" and Jonathan Hickman does in "Fantastic Four." So there's a lot of Spider-Man, and we still coordinate to make sure it works all together. It's just that you can find whatever particular flavor of Spider-Man you're into.

EXCLUSIVE: Morbius returns in the upcoming Point-One issue of "Amazing Spider-Man"

Many people on the boards were playing detective about "Ends of the Earth," with NickFury90 pointing out that we're looking at a new costume coming up in issue #683. What lies ahead on that front?

Slott: New toys!

Alonso: New toys! [Laughs]

Slott: Stefano Caselli designed a great suit, and you're going to see why Spidey needs it in "Ends of the Earth" and what it can do. It is something we've been building to, and you'll see Humberto Ramos do his take on it too. It's great, but we're not sharing it yet. We're hiding it!

On the front of crossover with other characters and new costumes, the aptly named Peteben82 asked, "Will we see some brotherly interaction between Pete and Kaine now that he is cured of his degeneration? And will Ben Reilly be a catalyst for that relationship?" I'd add to that how much you feel there should be crossover with "Amazing" and books like "Scarlet Spider" and "Venom"?

Alonso: We're thrilled with the success of spinoff titles like "Venom." [Editor] Steve [Wacker] has managed to tap a nostalgic vein that's appealing to new fans. It's not farfetched that you'll see the paths of these characters cross in the future.

Slott: That said, everyone should check out "Scarlet Spider," because Yost and Stegman are knocking every issue of that book out of the park.

As a follow up, what's up with this "Spider-Men" image you guys released this week?

Alonso: Kinda cool, huh? Can't say anything.

One last piece of news to look into involves the kids comics. Axel and I talked about this a bit last week, but Dan, when I saw you'd be contributing a story to "Ultimate Spider-Man" with Ty Templeton, who you worked with on "Batman Adventures" to great acclaim, I was surprised and excited. What can you say about the challenge of coming on to a newly built Spidey world and making work for longtime fans and kids?

Slott: We love this stuff. Ty and I are the best of friends, and if you look at "Spider-Man/Human Torch" you can see how much we love working together. That was an all-ages book to me. I think if you sit down and look at some of the biggest movies of all time, you'll see that they're "G-Rated" movies that everyone could sit down and watch. Adults can watch them and go, "Wow, that's a great story." That's our goal, here. We don't want this to be a young readers book. We want it to be an all-ages book -- an everyone book. This is a book you can give to anyone, and they'll go, "That was a really great ride." That's how Ty is wired too.

One of the fun things about working on this is that Paul Dini, Brian Michael Bendis and Joe Kelly and the rest of the Man of Action crew have designed this awesome new continuity for Spider-Man. One of the joys for me is working in that specific world with that Peter Parker and the setup they've given him. When you read the story I've written for issue #1, you'll realize that this isn't a story I could have told in "Amazing Spider-Man" or with the 616 Spider-Man. This is the Ultimate Spider-Man, and his world is a cool thing to play with. It's the only time I've really gotten to write a teenage Peter Parker except for some flashbacks in "Spider-Man/Human Torch." Sure, I get to write a Peter Parker that acts like a teenager sometimes because he's a goofball. [Laughs] But he has a job and puts on a lab coat. Ultimate Spider-Man is a guy who's still at Midtown High. It's a kick.

All right - let's wrap this call with some fan questions for Dan! Cosmo Rocks asked, "With the recent appearance of Cardiac in 'Fear Itself: The Home Front,' are there any plans to bring him back into Spidey's world? I would imagine you could work wonders with him! "

Slott: No plans presently, but I love Cardiac. He's got a great visual and a great hook -- especially when people play him right. In his own mind, he's a hero, and he's got a great agenda.

Mr. NickerNacker asked, "I'm a huge Spidey fan and the Lizard is my favorite villain in all of comics, so naturally I have some questions about his upcoming arc in ASM. First, who will be the artist(s) drawing the story, how long is the story, and what issue will it begin in?"

Slott: The Lizard story, which is called "No Turning Back" will be drawn by one of our most amazing Spider-Man artists, Giuseppe Camoncoli, and it will also feature Morbius the Living Vampire. So people should check out the upcoming Point-One issue of "Amazing Spider-Man" to see that get set up. The whole story will run four issues and come out around the time of the "Amazing Spider-Man" movie, which shockingly also features the Lizard. It's almost like we planned it that way! [Laughter] That was the real fun there. With the movie coming, I asked myself "What's the coolest Lizard story I can tell?" and it's great to give yourself a challenge to live up to. If I only had one Lizard story in me, my Lizard movie, what would it be? And it would be "No Turning Back!"

As I'm sure you're aware, there are a ton of Squirrel Girl fans on the boards, including StuBarnes who asked, "How do you feel about all the fantastic exposure that Squirrel Girl is getting lately? And will Doreen Green ever get her own miniseries???"

Slott: Yes! I think she should. I think she should be the focal hub of Marvel's next event. That would be awesome! It would be A and X Vs. S.G. That's how many people you'd need to take out Squirrel Girl! [Laughter] The Phoenix Force images of her in the column here have been just lovely, and I love how she got her own video game and how Brian is giving her the full Bendis treatment in "Avengers" by fleshing her out and giving her that crackling dialogue and a great spotlight in Marvel's biggest book.

Frequent questioner Hypestyle wondered, "What are the chances that Prowler or Rocket Racer will have a guest appearance in a Spidey book this year?"

Slott: Hmm...Prowler or Rocket Racer. You know, from the very first day of the first Spidey Brand New Day summit, people had to smack me to stop me from saying "Hobie Brown." Every other word out of my mouth was "And then Hobie Brown could..." and they had to yell, "Enough with the Hobie Brown, Dan!" So it's strange that I haven't gotten to a Prowler story yet. It's probably a good bet that he'll show up, but in the meantime, there's some great Prowler stuff in the Ultimate Universe book that Brian's got coming up.

We can finish with a few from Spidey616 who wanted to know "Like a lot of readers I've been hoping for Paper Doll to reappear soon, so think we'll be seeing her again in 2012?"

Slott: I would love to. She was supposed to be in the two-part space story coming up this month, but there just wasn't enough room for her...which is odd because she's two-dimensional and very thin. But I'd love to get back to Piper Dali, the mysterious Paper Doll, and tell her origin and show why there's so much more to her than a simple fan obsession with one movie star. But we'll get to her. And Screwball too! I love Screwball.

He followed up with "With the upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon incorporating things from the mainstream and Ultimate Marvel universes as well as other places, is there anything specific you hope/would want to see from your Spidey run animated?"

Slott: It would be fun to see an animated "Spider-Island" or the equivalent of that in the "Ultimate Spider-Man" cartoon. That'd be a hoot. It's hard for me to answer that question because I'm under lock and key about the new Spider-Man toon, but I've seen the first two episodes, and they are a blast! They've gone all out to put a really boisterous, big and brash Spider-Man cartoon together. I love the vibe they've got on that one.

Finally, Spidey616 asks, "It might be too early to talk about your 2013 ASM plans but knowing how far ahead you plan your stories and with the New York City November 2013 Mayoral elections coming up, any plans for a new candidate to challenge Jameson for the position?"

Slott: That's going to be really tough after J. Jonah dies...Oh my God! What have I said?!?!? [Laughter] No, one of the fun things about Marvel time is that it can bend and stretch. When you think about people who have held office in the Marvel Universe, it's crazy. Like Blake Tower! He was the D.A. in the Marvel Universe's New York for over a decade. It's fun to have Jonah in this place right now. Who knows how long Jonah will be in office? It's taken Franklin Richards how long to have a birthday? And Doc Ock has had a year to live since issue #600! [Laughter] It's in "Marvel time" so I don't feel tied down to things like the next mayoral election title.

webhead2006 wrote:Mysterio Teaser for "Ends of the Earth":

J Scott Campbell’s Lizard Really Needs A Chiropodist
Written on May 29, 2012 by Rich Johnston in Comics



There must be a Lizard about to apear in a Spider-Man movie or something.

Here is J Scot Campbell’s variant cover to Amazing Spider-Man #688, starting the comic’s No Turning Back story arc in June. Although how he runs with splayed toenails like that I’ve no mistake. Or creep around sewer tunnels. That “tikka tikka tikka screech” would have just been too familiar.

Mind you, he does seem to have ripped apart Spider-Man, so maybe he’s not that bad…

This August, celebrate Spider-Man's 50th anniversary as the amazing dream team of Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos introduce someone new to the Marvel Universe that will have everyone asking – "Who Is Alpha?" But in order to find out, you’ll have to be amongst the first to pick up Amazing Spider-Man #692 – the special anniversary issue you’ve been waiting 50 years for!

COMICS: First Look At AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #692; The Debut Of Spidey's New Sidekick

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Spider-Man,the iconic superhero is getting his own sidekick in the form of 16 year-old Alpha. Thanks to Marvel,we now have a first look at his introduction in Amazing Spider-Man #692 and the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #693. Josh Wilding - 6/27/2012

Fans across the globe have been asking, "Who Is Alpha" and this August, in Amazing Spider-Man #692, they’ll find out! Marvel is celebrating Spider-Man’s 50th anniversary in style as the blockbuster creative team of Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos give Peter Parker his very own….sidekick?! When he’s not working with the Avengers of the Future Foundation, Spider-Man has been saving the Marvel Universe on his own for fifty years! But now, with his anniversary right around the corner, that’s all about to change!

This special event, could only be told in this oversized issue celebrating the values that made Spider-Man the world’s greatest super hero for the past five decades and many more to come. And with special variant covers by superstar artist Marcos Martin, depicting Spider-Man through the years, no fan can miss out on this! Get ready for a story about power and responsibility like you’ve never seen before in Amazing Spider-Man #692, swinging into comic shops everywhere, the Marvel Comics app and the Marvel Digital Comics Shop this August.









AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #692 Written by DAN SLOTT Pencils and Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS

Apologist Puncher wrote:Spider-Man has a side.....kick?

Wow.

thecolorsblend wrote:

Apologist Puncher wrote:Spider-Man has a side.....kick?

Wow.

Maybe next they can give him some kind of a vehicle and call it a "Spider-Mobile"!!

In a lengthy interview with Comic Book Resources, writer Dan Slott has talked about the major upcoming story arcs which are leading up to this December's landmark Amazing Spider-Man #700. While he's careful not to give too much away, it sounds as if VERY big changes are afoot for Spidey as Doctor Octopus learns Peter Parker's biggest secret (presumably that he's Spider-Man) with just hours left to live. After the unpopular "One More Day" fiasco, surely they aren't preparing to once again reveal his identity to the citizens of the Marvel Universe?! Well, only time will tell! Here's hoping Slott won't kill off the popular hero...

On Bringing Back Roderick Kingsley And The Initial Reaction From The Fans:

Oh my God, has this been a long time in the making! You'll notice when we first introduce Roderick Kingsley in "Big Time," he was fighting drug kingpins in Delvadia and moving in on their territory. He's down there with a plan. What we saw at the end of "No Turning Back" is that he's done this exact same schtick before -- trading of the Green Goblin's legacy to become the Hobgoblin. Now he's done something similar with the most fearsome and renowned character in Delvadia, the Tarantula. This plays right into his M.O. When we chopped off the "original" Hobgoblin's head in "Amazing" #649, the reaction we got from hardcore Hobgoblin fans was crazy. People wanted to boycott the book. They felt we were teasing them by bringing back Roderick Kingsley and then immediately chopping off his head the very next issue. There were YouTubevideoss, nasty message board comments and mean things said on Twitter. I had supposedly killed their favorite character. But c'mon! I chopped off the head of a guy wearing a mask. Not only that, but a guy who had a machine called the Winkler Device that was specifically built to hypnotize people into thinking that they were the Hobgoblin. And on top of that, he's a guy with an identical twin brother who he'd often send in his place to pretend to be the Hobgoblin! C'mon! [Laughs]

On Giving Spider-Man A Sidekick In The Form Of Andrew Maguire, a.k.a. "Alpha":

There have been odd times where there have been characters who wanted to be his sidekick. There's always been a twist, though. There was Bluebird from Kurt Busiek's "Untold Tales of Spider-Man," who Spidey quickly shut down. There was a a Superman-like character when Reggie Hudlin was doing some Spider-Man stories, but the twist was that character was really a Skrull. There was also a character who was really Moon Knight's sidekick, but who was cheating to suddenly make it feel like he was Spidey's sidekick. This is straight down the middle -- and on some levels that's never been done before in 50 years of Spider-Man continuity. Peter does not want a sidekick. He's worked with the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, but since "Ends of the Earth," he really just wants to be responsible for himself. There's a moment in "No Turning Back" where Uatu Jackson -- who has built all this vampire hunting equipment and he really wants to go with Spidey and help him track down Morbius -- Spider-Man tells him, "No. I work alone!" That's directly tied towards his feelings of guilt and, "Oh my God, I went on all these missions with Black Widow and Silver Sable and Sable is gone." Even though Madame Web has told him that she's still alive, Spidey thinks she might be lying.

On The Upcoming "Danger Zone" Arc Which Sees Roderick Kingsley And Phil Urich Battling It Out:

They're very different on some levels. Phil is very much a lucky amateur and Roderick Kingsley is the old, seasoned pro. Phil does things on whims and Roderick plans things out meticulously. One thing they very much have in common is raw ambition. Something snapped in Phil during "The Loners" miniseries, while Roderick Kingsley has very much been playing a long game. I don't think you can do that if you're loopy. I don't want to give too much away, but you are going to see a war of the Goblins. There are some other gobliny elements that will pop up. [Laughs] Plus, there are some things that we've been seeding ever since the end of "Spider-Island." Like Tiberius Stone, an unscrupulous member of Horizon Labs who will be seeing more of later, has stolen the plans for the Spider Jammers. The Jammers are the devices Horizon eventually used to spark Spider-Man's spider-sense back after he lost it. These things were used like a giant, electric dog collar to keep all the people with spider powers in Manhattan during "Spider-Island." So now you have all this tech in the hands of Phil's employer, the Kingpin, and that's going to be very important.

On Amazing Spider-Man #700 And Its Ramifications:

A heck of a big one. In "Amazing Spider-Man" #600, we established that Doc Ock had months to live. Thanks to the compression of "Marvel Time," it's down to weeks in "Ends of the Earth." Then, in issue #700, he's down to hours. This is it. This is the end game. "Ends of the Earth" was his one last big master plan. In issue #700, he's got nothing left to lose. And big SPOILERS if you have not read the solicits for #698, Doc Ock with nothing left to lose and hours left to live knows Peter Parker's secret. Everything he's ever tried to accomplish in his life has ended in misery and failure and it's all been because of one man. Now, he's got hours left to live and he knows exactly the name to put with that face. I'm really happy with our 1-2-3 punch of #698, #699 and #700. I think people are not going to forget this one. This story will raise some really strong emotions in Spider-Man fans. It will probably be one of the biggest things I ever do to a Marvel Comics character in my career. I don't know if people will start making little dart boards of me or not for this one. I've said it before, but I'm going into hiding after issue #700 comes out. I'm not looking at message boards. I'm not poking my head up out of that hole, because what happens in issue #700 is big! The lead story will be 50 pages, then there will be extra material by guest stars.