Here are the Spider-Comics shipping in May. I’ve also provided a bit of commentary to give you my two cents.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #631
Written by ZEB WELLS
Pencils & Cover by CHRIS BACHALO
Heroic Age Variant by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
“SHED” CONTINUES AND YOU NEED TO BE THERE!!
As the deadly Gauntlet nears its end, Spider-Man and the Lizard battle to a standstill with family all that stands between Curt Connors and the greatest mistake of his life.
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99
BD Commentary: I’ve not liked any of Wells or Bachalo’s stuff, but being the Spider-completest there’s no way I can not order Amazing. I’m calling it right now, Billy Conners will turn into a version of the Lizard in this arc.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #632
Written by ZEB WELLS
Pencils & Cover by CHRIS BACHALO
Heroic Age Variant by TBA
“SHED” CONTINUES!
Bite by bite. Shred by shred. The Lizard slithers his way through Spidey’s life, destroying everything he…it…can. Plus, the Kraven family’s scheming begins to come to fruition.
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99
There’s more previews after this jump.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #633
Written by ZEB WELLS
Pencils & Cover by CHRIS BACHALO
Heroic Age Variant by TOM RANEY
“SHED” CONTINUES!
The new brutal, reptilian reality threatens to take down Peter Parker and the very man who set these violent wheels in motion. The Lizard as you know him is gone…in its place something even more dangerous. The “Grim Hunt” can now begin…
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #37
Written by KARL KESEL & KURT BUSIEK
Penciled by PAULO SIQUEIRA & PATRICK OLLIFE
Cover by MARCOS MARTIN
REVEALED AT LAST- SPIDER-MAN’S FIRST MEETING WITH CAPTAIN AMERICA!
An Untold Tale of Spider-Man reveals the web-head’s very first meeting with the Star-Spangled Avenger! Find out the secret history of how the Marvel Universe’s two biggest icons save the world from the deadly brains of the ROGUE SCHOLARS!
48 PGS./Rated A …$3.99
BD Commentary: This is the issue I’m looing forward to the most this month. I loved the Untold Tales of Spider-Man during the 1990s. It was consistently the best Spider-Book in that time because the Clone Saga had long gone off the rails.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS: AMERICAN SON #1 (of 4)
Written by BRIAN REED
Penciled by PHILIP BRIONES
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Heroic Age Variant by TBA
IN THE AFTERMATH OF SIEGE, AN OSBORN FALLS.
Where does Norman Osborn‘s fall leave his son, Harry? In the wake of the Siege of Asgard and the dawn of a new Age of Heroes, the world finally knows what his father is – but what is Harry himself? And who has taken on the American Son armor? And what does GABRIEL STACEY have to do with it?! Brian Reed (MS. MARVEL) and Philip Briones (IRON MAN VS. WHIPLASH) have the answers in the story of a true AMERICAN SON.
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
BD Commentary: Yup, you’ll need $16 to get the whole story here. However, I’m always interested in finding more about the Osborn’s especially Gabriel mainly because of what Kevin Cushing has done with him.
THE MANY LOVES OF THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1
Written by CHRIS YOST, FRED VAN LENTE & ROGER STERN
Pencils by MICHAEL RYAN, JAVIER RODRIGUEZ & MORE
Cover by JASON LEVESQUE
Peter Parker may be short on luck but his life sure isn’t short on beautiful, intelligent women and here, Marvel is proud to present three all-new tales of Spider-Man’s greatest loves. First, Spider-Man finally strikes it rich thanks to the help of the beautiful Black Cat and superstar creators Chris Yost and Michael Ryan. But it’s one payday he may live to regret. Then, Webhead stalwart Fred Van Lente teams with rising star Javier Rodriguez to take you back to a chance meeting between Carlie Cooper and Gwen Stacy–and how it changed their lives forever. Finally, legendary Amazing Spider-Man writer Roger Stern checks in on Mary Jane Watson. How is Peter’s ex coping in a Spider-Man world?
48 PGS./One-Shot/Rated A …$3.99
BD Commentary: Two words have me excited about this one, those are “ROGER STERN.” Book sold.
PETER PARKER #3
Written by BOB GALE
Penciled by PATRICK OLLIFFE
Cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
With Spidey’s popularity on the rise, will Mayor J. Jonah Jameson cross the line?! As Hizzonner and the Anti-Spider-Squad try to make their move against the Webbed Wonder, the New York Public has fallen in love with his fan club, the civic-minded SPIDER-GIRLS. Jonah finds himself ready to stop their rise…at any cost. But the fate of them all hangs on Spider-Man going on…gulp…a date!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99
BD Commentary: This is easliy the best cover of the month. Imagine walking down the street and a pair of pants falls on your head. Then it would literally be “pants on the ground, pants on the ground. ”
SPECTACULAR SPIDER-GIRL #1
Written by TOM DEFALCO
Pencils & Cover by RON FRENZ
SPIDER-GIRL’S BACK-AND SHE’S BROUGHT THE PUNISHER WITH HER! As a gang war threatens to tear her world apart and her clone, the Venom-like hybrid April Parker adopts a deadly new identity, MayDay Parker’s share of the old Parker luck gets cranked up to eleven when Frank Castle comes out of retirement! Meanwhile the daughter of Captain America is back on the streets of the MC2 Universe – in a world racked with crime and despair, can even AMERICAN DREAM keep hope alive? Here’s your chance to get in on the ground floor and see why Spider-Girl has the most dedicated fans of all!
40 PGS./Rated A …$3.99
BD Commentary: I’m all about it. I thought May was doing great in Web, but I think she’s a strong enough character to carry her own book. I just hope the readers come along. Hopefully a few folks enjoyed her exposure in Web and follow here here. If you’re a spider-fan you should sign up based on the names DeFalco, Frenz and Buscema. They all have a huge hand in shaping the Spider-Man we know today!
SPIDER-MAN: FEVER #2 (of 3)
Written by BRENDAN MCCARTHY
Pencils & Cover by BRENDAN MCCARTHY
FILE UNDER F FOR FAR OUT!
Visionary creator Brendan McCarthy continues his surreal story as Dr. Strange journeys through bizarre dimensional realms in order to rescue Spider-Man’s soul from a tribe of depraved spider-demons. Reading like a psychedelic mash-up of Steve Ditko, The Beatles and Tim Burton, this trippy adventure is another modern classic from The House of Ideas!
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99
BD Commentary: It’ll be $12 to pick up this whole story. I dig Dr. Strange and the Ditko vibe this mini is giving.
WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #8
Written by FRED VAN LENTE & J.M. DEMATTES
Penciled by PAUL AZACETA & VAL SEMEIKS
Cover by JELENA KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC
Heroic Age Variant by MIKE MCKONE
IN TIME FOR HEROIC AGE…A BOLD NEW ERA IN WEB OF SPIDER-MAN! With an Age of Heroes unfolding around him, Superhero-Critic-in-Chief, Mayor J. Jonah Jameson, finds himself the target of a vicious assassination plot courtesy of a pro-super human vigilante in THE EXTREMIST – PART 1!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
BD Commentary: Just like Stern, DeMatteis gets my money if he’s writing Spider-Man.
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“I’m calling it right now, Billy Conners will turn into a version of the Lizard in this arc.”
First Marvel has to decide if Billy is a little kid or a teenager ROFL! He’s been both throughout the years. Last time I saw him in 616 was the Yith mini and he was back to being a little kid in that story. He first showed up as kid under Lee/Ditko, grew up to be a teenager soon after with Lee / Romita Sr. and since then he’s either shown as a teen or a kid. I think he should be starting college by now honestly… At least an HS senior… Ah well guess we’ll see what the BND crew comes up with.
Hey BD I don’t know if you forgot this but…Connors son WAS turned into a lizard guy already RIGHT before Civil War. Or did you ment it will happen AGAIN during this ark?
So the gauntlet runs all the way through May, followed by the Grim Hunt? Wow, this one extends for quite a long time.
Just to clarify, Gabe Stacy hasn’t appeared in regular continuity since ASM #513 – when he washed up on the beach after fighting Spidey as the Grey Goblin right?
Err … I meant The Many Loves of the Amazing Spider-Man. I didn’t want to scroll up and double-check because it meant having to see that cover again. 😛
A few thoughts …
(1) Wow, Donovan was right … that Many Loves of Peter Parker cover is ATROCIOUS. It looks like bad fanart. I may take up a challenge like Don and attempt to draw a better one!
(2) YES! Mayday is back in business!
(3) Brian Reed is probably the worst writer in comics right now. I refuse to buy anything with his name on it unless I HAVE to.
(4) Looks like Web of Spider-Man is ditching format again. With no Spider-Girl, sales will probably dip. This will be cancelled by the end of the year.
“Yup, you’ll need $16 to get the whole story here. However, I’m always interested in finding more about the Osborn’s especially Gabriel mainly because of what Kevin Cushing has done with him.”
Huh? Gabriel Stacy hasn’t appeared since Sins Remembered in Spec. I’m sure I would have heard if he popped up since then. (It would be the sound of a million fanboys heads exploding)
…Holy mother-of-rehash…I just realized there was a story EXACTLY like Zeb’s Lizard tale during the Ben Reily era.
I know Stern was always against MJ being Peter’s wife, but when he HAD to write her as his significant other, he wrote her superbloy. I sadly think he’ll end up using her status currently to make her look out-of-character and be negative towards her experiances with Peter rather than give us hope she’ll reconcile with him in the future…since I hear that’s now the plan for late 2010 (That could just as well be another “classy” lie from Marvel)
Good news on Spider-Girl getting another title. The most consistent reminder Marvel will always have a place for the marraige and it’s potential continues.