Peter Parker: Spider-Man

Peter Parker: Spider-Man
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
Format discontinued
Genre Superhero
Publication date

(vol.1): August 1990 – November 1998

(vol. 2): January 1999 – August 2003
Number of issues

(vol. 1): 99 (#1–98 and #-1)

(vol. 2): 57
Main character(s) Spider-Man
Creative team
Writer(s) Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, Howard Mackie
Penciller(s) Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, Tom Lyle, John Romita Jr.

Peter Parker: Spider-Man is the name of two comic book series published by Marvel Comics, both of which feature the character Spider-Man.

Volume One (1990–1998)

Peter Parker: Spider-Man (originally titled simply Spider-Man), was a monthly comic book series published by Marvel Comics that ran for 98 issues from 1990 to 1998. The series was retitled Peter Parker: Spider-Man with issue #75, but only on the covers, the series was still under its original Spider-Man title in the comic's legal indicia, printed on the title page, from #75 to #98; the comic book would not officially be titled Peter Parker: Spider-Man until the volume 2 series relaunch.

The series originally was conceived as a showcase for Todd McFarlane. McFarlane, who until then had only been known as an artist, was hugely popular at the time and the series was created by editor Jim Salicrup so that McFarlane could pencil, ink, and write a Spider-Man title of his own, starting with the "Torment" storyline.

The series was a massive sales success with over 2.5 million copies printed.[1][2] McFarlane stayed on the title until issue #16 (November 1991) in which the story was printed in a landscape format.[3] He would go on to create the character Spawn and help found Image Comics in 1992.[4] He was succeeded on the title by Erik Larsen, who had succeeded McFarlane on The Amazing Spider-Man two years earlier, and would later join him in the founding of Image. Larsen wrote and drew the six-issue story arc "Revenge of the Sinister Six" (#18–23).[5] Writer Don McGregor and artist Marshall Rogers crafted a two-part story in issues #27–28 dealing with gun violence.[6]

After that came a quick procession of different contributors, including writers Tom DeFalco, Ann Nocenti, David Michelinie, J. M. DeMatteis and Terry Kavanagh, and pencillers Ron Frenz, Klaus Janson and Jae Lee. The rotating creative team was solidified with Spider-Man #44 (March 1994) when writer Howard Mackie and penciller Tom Lyle took over the title; Lyle lasted until issue #61, and Mackie for over six years.[7]

The series went on to play a key role throughout the Clone Saga, becoming one of two Spider-Man titles that shifted focus to the new Ben Reilly Scarlet Spider character with issue #51 (November 1994).[8] The series' run was interrupted by that saga in issues #63 and 64 (Nov.-Dec. 1995), when the title was renumbered to #1 and renamed Scarlet Spider. Spider-Man resumed with #65 (Jan. 1996), with Ben Reilly replacing Peter Parker as Spider-Man.

Intended as a permanent change, Reilly's status as the new Spider-Man was cut short when Bob Harras was named new Editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics in February 1996, and ordered the reinstatement of the character's Peter Parker identity. Spider-Man was the title in which this was to and in #75 (December 1996), by Mackie and John Romita Jr., Ben Reilly was killed by the resurrected original Green Goblin – who had seemingly died in The Amazing Spider-Man #122 (July 1973) – and Peter Parker returned to the role of Spider-Man. That same issue, the title of the series was changed to Peter Parker: Spider-Man to concretely establish that the original Spider-Man was being depicted.[9]

The series had a brief interlude in July 1997 with Marvel's one-month "Flashback" event, when all Marvel titles were numbered −1 and each was set before the events of Fantastic Four #1. This #-1 was published between issues #81 and 82.[10] The series then continued uninterrupted until the arrival of John Byrne to the Spider-Man titles heralded a relaunch of the entire line. The book was cancelled with #98 (Dec. 1998) and relaunched as Vol. 2 almost immediately afterward.

Volume Two (1999–2003)

Peter Parker: Spider-Man vol. 2, was a monthly comic book series published by Marvel Comics that ran for 57 issues between 1999 and 2003.

This series was a continuance of volume 1, with the creative team of Howard Mackie and John Romita Jr. having migrated to the new series.[11] In June 2001, Marvel began a dual numbering system on all its titles that had been relaunched and renumbered. The first issue of Peter Parker: Spider-Man to be dual-numbered was listed as both #30 and #128 on the cover – the second figure achieved by adding the total of issues of the new volume (30) to the first volume's 98. The comic's legal indicia, printed on the title page, still listed the series as vol. 2 #30.

Mackie and Romita Jr. remained through #20 (August 2000) when writer Paul Jenkins and artist Mark Buckingham came aboard.[12] Jenkins would write the character over different titles for the next five years. Buckingham and Jenkins left Peter Parker: Spider-Man after #50 (Jan. 2003) and were briefly succeeded by writer Zeb Wells and an assortment of artists on what was meant to be a two-issue story before cancellation, but due to delays on the replacement book, became seven issues before the title was finally retired with #57 (Aug. 2003). This series was replaced with a new Spider-Man title, Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 2, which debuted with the team of Jenkins and penciller Humberto Ramos, running for 27 issues until 2005.

Collected editions

First series

Second series

References

  1. ↑ Cowsill, Alan; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2012). "1990s". Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 184. ISBN 978-0756692360. Todd McFarlane was at the top of his game as an artist, and with Marvel's release of this new Spidey series he also got the chance to take on the writing duties. The sales of this series were nothing short of phenomenal, with approx. 2.5 million copies eventually printing, including special bagged editions and a number of variant covers.
  2. ↑ Saffel, Steve (2007). "Mutant Menace". Spider-Man the Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon. London, United Kingdom: Titan Books. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-84576-324-4. Marvel knew a good thing when they saw it, and the adjectiveless Spider-Man received Marvel's most aggressive launch in company history...the initial press run was 2.35 million, and 500,000 additional copies were printed to meet demand.
  3. ↑ Cowsill "1990s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 195: "Writer and artist Todd McFarlane's final Spider-Man issue pitted the web-slinger against the Juggernaut and Black Tom Cassidy. The issue literally went sideways, which allowed McFarlane to use the landscape page size to maximum effect."
  4. ↑ Manning, Matthew K.; Gilbert, Laura, ed. (2008). "1990s". Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 250. ISBN 978-0756641238. The series proved to be such a hit that McFarlane left the book after [working on] fifteen issues to found his own company, Image Comics, with other well-known creators.
  5. ↑ Cowsill "1990s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 196: "Writer and artist Erik Larsen pulled out all the stops for his Spidey swansong."
  6. ↑ Cowsill "1990s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 200: "Writer Don McGregor and artist Marshall Rogers created one of the most original Spidey stories of the year with this two-part tale. The story told of events that happened after bullied 12-year-old Elmo Oliver found a gun dropped by a bad guy during a shootout...Once again, a Spider-Man story provided a platform for real-life issues."
  7. ↑ David, Peter; Greenberger, Robert (2010). The Spider-Man Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles Spun from Marvel's Web. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Running Press. p. 124. ISBN 0762437723. After Larsen left, the series ultimately went to Howard Mackie for the duration of its run.
  8. ↑ Cowsill "1990s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 215: "The Spider-Man titles split into two groups this month with The Amazing Spider-Man and The Spectacular Spider-Man continuing to feature Peter Parker and Web of Spider-Man and Spider-Man sharing a story about the further adventures of clone Ben Reilly."
  9. ↑ Cowsill "1990s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 231: "The Clone Saga came to a sense-shattering climax this issue."
  10. ↑ Cowsill "1990s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 237: "Marvel had a 'Flashback month' in July when they released special '-1' issues set in the past...Peter Parker: Spider-Man #-1 featured Arthur and George Stacy investigating goings-on at Oscorp."
  11. ↑ Cowsill "1990s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 246: "The second new Spidey title of the month featured a tale written by Howard Mackie and drawn by John Romita Jr."
  12. ↑ Cowsill "2000s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 258: "A British team of writer Paul Jenkins and artist Mark Buckingham took over the title from this issue and started to produce a series of classic stories that focused on Peter Parker."
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