Comics: Current Title Summary
One of the questions we often get asked is "I'm thinking about
starting (or restarting) reading Spider-Man comics, but I don't understand
all these different Spider-Man comics..."
Well, here's a quick summary to the current Spider-Man titles. You can find a
complete listing and detailed reviews in the
Comics Index.
Spider-Man Core Titles
Ongoing titles that feature Spider-Man as a headline character
the mainstream Marvel continuity.
Spider-Man Limited Series & One Shots
Limited Series and one-shot stories that feature Spider-Man as a
a headline character in the mainstream Marvel continuity.
Spider-Man Spin-Offs
Spin-Off titles for characters that clearly leveraged Spider-Man
in mainstream Marvel continuity.
Spider-Man 2099
Spider-Man in the 2099 universe. Miguel O'Hara and friends.
Spider-Man Marvel Adventures Universe
Spider-Man in the Marvel Adventures Universe.
- Marvel Adventures Spider-Man: This is another retelling of Spider-Man, aimed at re-capturing the younger
market. While
the regular continuity titles are pitched at the long-term faithful, and
Ultimate Spider-Man
appeals to savvy teenagers, Marvel Adventures Spider-Man is shamelessly
looking to sell to
the pre-teen market.
Perhaps the most unusual thing about this title is that it follows so closely
on the heels of another
very similar book - Marvel Age: Spider-Man which ran to 20 issues of
reworking
Spider-Man's early day. For no apparent reason, Marvel canned that book and
immediately
replaced it with this title which started right back at the beginning once
more. Maybe that's
the plan, just keep re-telling the first 20 Spidey stories in different
ways.
Staff May Edit Title Info
Spider-Man MC2 Universe
Spider-Girl and others from the MC2 universe.
Spider-Man Ultimate Universe
Spider-Man and others from the Ultimate Marvel Universe.
Spider-Man Other Universes
Spider-Man in non-mainstream universes that have no dedicated section.
- Marvel Heroes (UK Magazine): A new ongoing title produced by Panini in the UK, in the same style as the
Spectacular Spider-Man (UK Magazine). There are two comic strips in every
issue. Spidey's not always in the title role, but he's always in the issue
somewhere.
Staff May Edit Title Info
- New Avengers Transformers: Spider-Man! Captain America! Luke Cage! Wolverine! It's the New Avengers
against the highly merchandised might of Hasbro's Transformers! In a not-so-
subtle tie-in to Michael Bay's Transformers movie (at cinemas Summer 2007!), we
are treated to a four issue limited series of battling robot action and
superhero tomfoolery. What more do you need to know?
Staff May Edit Title Info
- Spectacular Spider-Man (UK Magazine): While sharing the same name as the long-running main continuity title, this
Spectacular
Spider-Man is in fact a Kids Magazine produced in the UK once every three
weeks.
Aimed at
the pre-teen market, each issue features an 11-page Spidey story, plus a
centrefold wall
poster, puzzles, games, villain profiles and all sorts of other goodies. As an
extra incentive,
each issue also ships with a plastic Spider-Man toy or giveaway cellotaped to
the front cover.
The "Spider-Man" of these stories is a generic cartoon version, essentially
based on the
popular 90's TV cartoon. You probably won't find this in the U.S., but for UK
collectors it's a
nice little bonus.
Staff May Edit Title Info
- Spider-Man & Friends (UK Magazine): This UK kids Magazine is produced by Panini, and it's a companion to the
Spectacular Spider-Man (UK Magazine) produced by the same guys.
The new "Spider-Man & Friends" range is based around Spider-Man, his cousin
Spider-Girl, plus Hulk and Wolverine, though there's plenty of guest
appearances. You should be able to find plenty of Spider-Man & Friends toys
still in the shops, the style is a western/manga cross, and the target group is
the 3-9 year old market.
Published every four or five weeks, this UK magazine features a toy taped to
the
front of each issue. Inside you'll find a four page Spidey & Friends story
with
three panels per page, captions of 8-20 words per panel. Then there's some
nice
simple kids puzzles, some coloring, a couple of competitions, and a page or two
of Spidey merchandise. Essentially, it's the same format as the older kids
magazine, just with a much younger target market.
Staff May Edit Title Info
- Spider-Man Noir: This is an alternate-world telling of the story of Spider-Man, if he had shown
up in the 20s. It is told it a classic "noir" style.
Staff May Edit Title Info
- Spider-Man/Power Pack: Spider-Man, one of Marvel's "oldest" heroes teams with Power Pack, a team of
Marvel's "youngest" heroes in a four-issue mini-series. Let the fun ensue!
Staff May Edit Title Info
Spider-Man Books
Spider-Man books, trade paperbacks, and graphic novels from
any universe whatsoever.
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