Out Today: Stories from the Spider-Verse!
I know, I know—normally the headline is something corny, but I’m quite earnest when it comes to SPIDER-MAN: STORIES FROM THE SPIDER-VERSE, out today from Marvel Press. It’s a brand-new middle-grade anthology of prose short stories featuring ten different Spider-heroes, written by ten different authors, including my good pal Alex Segura, who sets up the connective tissue with an awesome Miguel O’Hara Spider-Man 2099 tale. I’m in intimidatingly talented company here, and was very honored when editor John Morgan III asked me to contribute a Web-Weaver story to the collection.
I’m grateful any time I get to write a Spider-hero—there’s something fundamentally iconic about that branch of the Marvel U.—but getting to do so in a medium that stands to reach a wider audience of younger readers means a lot. I’ve been luckier than most in that regard, between the SPIDER-HAM with Shadia Amin, my work for the all-ages Spidey stories in Europe, and now SPIDER-MAN: HOMEROOM HEROES, but bringing Web-Weaver, the first gay Spider-hero, to a middle-grade audience is a chance for younger LGBTQ+ readers to see themselves represented among this arachnid pantheon, too—and for non-LGBTQ+ readers to be reminded that heroes come in all varieties.
I also just never turn down an opportunity to expand Cooper Coen’s unique universe. From the very first Web-Weaver story onward, I’ve made it a point to make sure each new tale demonstrated how his world differed from the 616 in meaningful ways, while still reflecting the core characters and themes that make Peter Parker and Spider-Man so memorable. In this story, titled “Immaterial,” we get to spend time with several members of Coop’s supporting cast whom we’ve already met, like his boss Janet Van Dyne; drop some Easter-egg-y nods to wider continuity; and most exciting of all, debut a very different take on a major, mysterious Spidey-foe.
I love writing prose and don’t get to do it nearly enough, so I do hope Spider-fans, and parents/guardians of younger Spider-fans, will pick this volume up. Beyond the Web-Weaver story, it’s jam-packed with exciting tales of Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Peni Parker, Spider-UK, and more—truly a big ‘ole Spider-party. And if you happen to be attending New York Comic-Con, I’ll be doing a signing with a few of the other authors on Sunday, October 20 from 1:30 - 2:30 PM in Hall 1A, so feel free to swing by (sorry).
XOXO and Thwip Thwip