In between scary movie marathons why not dive into a classic comic book tale of terror this Halloween? An obsessed killer and a monster in the sewer are horror movie favorites. These are the driving forces that make“Kraven’s Last Hunt”also known as “Fearful Symmetry” one of my favorite comic book chillers.
J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck crafted this twisted tale of Kraven the Hunter, Vermin and a deadly double posing as Spider Man. My college roommate gave me this creepy collection one dark night in the dorms when I was in need of a study break distraction. A psychotic Kraven the Hunter’s final scheme to bag his most elusive big game, Spider Man, delivers on suspense and playing on your great fears. And just like a horror movie with that one last shock, this hunt delivers!
Amazing Spider-Man will end with issue #700 but Superior Spider-Man #1 launches in 2013. Artist Ryan Stegman shared his insight on the new Spidey on Marvel.com but first I have to talk about his cover to Superior Spider-Man #2. Is this new guy under the mask making a move on Peter Parker’s main gal? This sure looks like Mary Jane getting a kiss from the new webslinger.
Back to Stegman who shared why his style is perfect for Dan Slott’s darker take.
“My style has been edging darker anyway. My favorite styles are sort of cartoony with a certain amount of looseness to the finish. It allows your work to cover a wide range of expression. So when it needs to be light it can and when it needs to be dark it can.
I’ve found that my style slightly changes on almost every book I do to suit what it is that I’m working on. It’s not always overt, and it’s certainly not conscious. But I just finished a run on FANTASTIC FOUR and I think my style on this has been different even though I never consciously decided that. It’s just that the tone of the writing is different.”
Slott and Stegman are throwing a new Sinister Six at the Superior Spider-Man.
“I re-designed Overdrive. But for the most part we stuck with classic designs. I think one of the great things about the villains in this book is that the ones that stick generally have pretty cool designs. For example, the Living Brain is something that I would never design. It’s blocky and crazy looking. But somehow it’s awesome. So I didn’t want to fiddle with it. I just wanted it to look exactly like it always did.”
Back to that famous redhead, Stegman calls MJ the most important supporting cast member.
“I’ve always wanted to draw her. And I want to do her justice as all the great Spidey artists have done. Especially Romita Sr. That’s a huge part of Spider-Man to me. Without Mary Jane this book probably wouldn’t be everything that it is.”
For his entire interview here’s the Marvel.com link.
Superior Spider-Man #1 swings into the Marvel Now in January.
Will Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker “hit the jackpot?”
Variety reports Sony is in talks with Shailene Woodley (The Descedants, The Secret Life of An American Teenager) to play Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man sequel. Director Marc Webb is back to direct. According to the story the search is on for an actor to play Harry Osborn, Peter’s best friend and eventual enemy and an unspecified villain. The report says an option is Max Dillon aka Electro.
I hope the producers continue to keep Norman Osborn off camera and in the shadows until a final film. I would love to see Dr. Michael Morbius aka Morbius, The Living Vampire as a villain in the tradition of the Lizard from the first film.
Amazing Spider-Man swings for the final time with issue #700 but in 2013 your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is feeling Superior! Marvel Comics is shaking up their roster of famous heroes and titles. The relaunch will mean a brand new and darker webslinger. Today’s news may give current fans chills over the fate of Peter Parker.
Marvel announced Superior Spider-Man #1 will debut this January with current AMS writer Dan Slott and artist Ryan Stegman will spin the tales of a new Spidey. Slott reveals what makes a Superior Spider-Man on Marvel.com.
“That’s a tricky thing. It could be their powers. It could be an overestimation of their self-worth. It could be that they’re calling themselves Superior Spider-Man. Or it truly could be that they have some qualities that Peter Parker lacks. How is that possible?”
Peter Parker’s adventures are filled with some fan-favorites supporting characters. How will the new title and leading man interact with the Parker’s friends and allies?
“This is still very much the world of Spider-Man. There may be a new Spider-Man here, doing things in a new and different way, but you’re going to see the Spider-cast reacting to this. You’re going to see how this Spider-Man will deal with our Spider-Man’s villains. How will hereact to this Spider-Man’s supporting cast? Whoever makes it out of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #700 will find a different Spider-Man waiting for them when Superior Spider-Man starts.”
Dan Slott teased a potential new Sinister Six and confirmed the return of the Vulture.
“For many characters, and for many things in Spider-Man’s world, there are dark days ahead,” Slott revealed about Parker’s friends at Horizon Labs.
Amazing Spider-Man #700 courtesy Marvel
Does this mean Peter Parker will die in Amazing Spider-Man #700? Slott has reportedly said he will have to hide from the public after the milestone issue.
“Passions run high and fast. And I expect many message boards to be consumed with flames as all this stuff goes down. But at the same time, I feel that once #700 is over, and when SUPERIOR launches, I think a lot of people are going to walk into this and go, “what have they done?” But when they get to the end of SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #1, there will be a moment of, “oooh,” and then it’ll be safe for me to poke my head out and to walk the streets again.”
Ryan Stegman, Humberto Ramos and Giusseppe Camucoli will be the artist on the new series.
For the entire interview here’s the Marvel.com link.
Dan Slott, Ryan Stegman, Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli are creators named in a tease for Superior coming in January 2013. Is this a brand new Spidey comic?
Amazing Spider-Man will end with issue #700. All the creators named have worked on Spidey’s flagship title recently and the colors are in Spidey’s traditional red and blue.
Update: So this is when geek worlds collide. Star Trek popped into my head: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan when Khan’s second in command said “yours is the superior intellect.” I thought of clones, then the Spidey clone saga and thought what if Superior was about another Spidey clone since the Jackal recently came back and Scarlet Spider is a hit?
Lil Iron Man at Jet City Comic Show, photo by ComicsBlend.com
I was always a tall kid so I loved my Star Wars Darth Vader costume and wore it over and over as a kid for Halloween. How times have changed? At this weekend’s Jet City Comic Show I saw little Iron Men and Captains America!
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are now the inspiration for Halloween’s most heroic costumes. With the blockbuster success of The Avengers – expect a ton of Marvel heroes trick or treating in your neighborhood this season!
The Marvel NOW relaunch continues with the end of long running titles only to be relaunched later.
The Marvel December solicitations include Amazing Spider-Man #700. The milestone issue will be the final issue.
Wolverine #317 and Captain America and Black Widow #640 (which I think is the original numbering for the Captain America series but who can tell at this point?)
Wolverine is joining Uncanny Avengers, All-New X-Men and his Wolverine and X-Men book will continues. Black Widow will be part of Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers relaunch. Captain America will be part of Uncanny Avengers, Avengers and a brand new solo book by Rick Remender.
No word yet on a new book or creative team for Spidey. For me the biggest Marvel NOW surprise is two new X-Force books (Cable & X-Force, Uncanny X-Force) that don’t include Logan.
Avenging Spider-Man #12 Spidey and Deadpool go back to high school? I’m sure there’s something much more sinister going on but the idea of Peter Parker and the Merc With a Mouth in detention is too good to pass up!
Avengers vs. X-Men #11 courtesy Marvel.com
Avengers vs. X-Men #11X-Men join the Avengers in a last stand against the cosmic might of the Phoenix Two. What happens when Cyclops and Emma Frost turn on each other? What is Professor X prepared to do to save humanity? Marvel is teasing a fatality – who will pay the ultimate price to defeat the Phoenix Force?
Batman #0A look into the past. Bruce Wayne returns from his global quest ready to launch his war on crime. See how the gadgets, Batcave, costume and more were born.
Manhattan Projects #6 Some of the most famous scientific geniuses in history as you’ve never seen them before. Creating the atomic bomb was nothing compared to what this American think tank was really up to. You can catch up with the first 5 issues in a new collection. Now see the other side of this twisted alterate history and weird science. Go back into the Cold War days and inside the Russia’s scientific counterpart to the Manhattan Projects.
The Massive #4How you continue to have the moral companss of a pacifist when the world has gone to hell? A crew of environmentalists sail the poison oceans in search of their friends and trying to survive modern day pirates. What happens when the Captain meets a ghost from his past when he was a corporate mercenary.
I could have written a top 15 this week there are so many good books out there! Here’s my previews of the Doctor Who Annual, more Batman Family Zero issue books and a legion of X-Men books!
