Spider-Man & Related Titles for May, 2015

This afternoon Marvel Comics released their FULL May solicitations. It's a pretty packed month, with the launch of Secret Wars and all it's mini-series and tie-ins. Here's a look at the Spider-Man related titles (and everything he'll be appearing in) shipping that month:

SECRET WARS #1 (OF 8)
JONATHAN HICKMAN (w) • ESAD RIBIC (a)
Cover by ALEX ROSS (FEB150650)
VARIANT COVER BY ESAD RIBIC (FEB150656)
PARTY VARIANT COVER BY CHIP ZDARSKY (FEB150663)
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY SIMONE BIANCHI (FEB150653)
VARIANT COVER BY AMANDA CONNOR (FEB150655)
VARIANT COVER BY Jim Cheung (FEB150651)
CLASSIC VARIANT COVER BY Butch Guice (FEB150652)
YOUNG VARIANT COVER BY SKOTTIE YOUNG (FEB150657)
BLANK VARIANT COVER (FEB150658)
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER (FEB150654)
PARTY VARIANT SKETCH COVER BY CHIP ZDARSKY
• THE FINAL INCURSION IS HAPPENING!
• THE MARVEL UNIVERSE IS COLLIDING WITH THE ULTIMATE UNIVERSE!
• AND NEITHER WILL SURVIVE!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

SECRET WARS #2 (OF 8)
JONATHAN HICKMAN (w) • ESAD RIBIC (a)
Cover by ALEX ROSS
VARIANT COVER BY ESAD RIBIC
VARIANT COVER BY YASMINE PUTRI
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY SIMONE BIANCHI
CLASSIC VARIANT COVER BY Kevin Nowlan
• WHEN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE IS GONE, ALL THAT REMAINS IS BATTLEWORLD!
• LEARN THE SECRETS OF THIS BRAVE NEW REALM IN THIS SPECIAL OVERSIZED ISSUE!
56 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

SECRET WARS: BATTLEWORLD #1 (OF 4)
JOSH WILLIAMSON & ED BRISSON (w)
MIKE HENDERSON & SCOTT HEPBURN (a)
Cover by PACO MEDINA
Variant Cover by JAMES STOKOE
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
• When the Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe collide, there is only…Battleworld!
• Featuring the fights, battles and blow-ups that are just TOO BIG for Secret Wars!
• When a Dr. Strange-possessed Punisher goes on the run, only Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk and Ghost Rider can track him down!
• Question: What happens when M.O.D.O.K. recruits every single M.O.D.O.K. ever for his evil schemes? Answer: M.O.D.O.K. M.A.D.N.E.S.S.!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SPIDER-VERSE #1
MIKE COSTA (w) • ANDRE ARUAJO (a)
Cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Variant cover by ROBBI RODRIGUEZ
• Spinning out of the SPIDER-VERSE event, a team of Spiders finds themselves face-to-face with Battleworld! Starring SPIDER-GWEN, SPIDER-MAN NOIR, SPIDER-MAN: INDIA, MAYDAY PARKER, SPIDER-UK and SPIDER-HAM!
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #18
CHRISTOS GAGE (w) • HUMBERTO RAMOS (a/C)
VARIANT Cover by STACEY LEE
NYC VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• A huge chapter in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN history comes to a close!
• Peter’s choices as CEO of Parker Industries come home to roost!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #18.1
GERRY CONWAY (w) • CARLO BARBERI (a)
COVER BY YASMINE PUTRI
VARIANT COVER BY Greg Land • SPIRAL continues!
• The gang war continues to rock New York City as Spidey and the Wraith do their level best to keep it contained.
• But Wraith and Spidey’s methodologies don’t always gel.
• And Spidey’s methodology makes him a nail for Hammerhead to smash.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SILK #4
ROBBIE THOMPSON (w) • STACEY LEE (a)
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
• Silk and Johnny Storm’s first date! Nuff’ said?
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

SPIDER-GWEN #4
JASON LATOUR (w) • ROBBI RODRIGUEZ (a/C)
NYC VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• Learn what really happened the day that Peter Parker died!
• Gwen comes face to face with Ben and May Parker!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SPIDER-WOMAN #7
DENNIS HOPELESS (w) • JAVIER RODRIGUEZ (a/C)
• Jessica Drew, A.K.A., Spider-Woman, gets closer to figuring out who has been kidnapping villains’ significant others to blackmail the villains!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SPIDER-MAN 2099 #12
PETER DAVID (w) • WILL SLINEY (a)
Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
• Miguel O’Hara finds himself in the middle of bidding war between Parker Industries and rival Alchemax!
• Not only that, but his traveling through time has put the people he cares about in the year 2014 in imminent danger!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99

MARVEL UNIVERSE ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN: WEB WARRIORS #7
Adapted by Joe Caramagna
• The Lizard has made his lair in the sewers beneath Midtown High!
• Spidey and Mary Jane venture into the depths, aided by the Janitor Stan (the Man!)
32 PGS./All Ages …$2.99

ULTIMATE MARVEL OMNIBUS VOL. 1 HC
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, BILL JEMAS & MARK MILLAR
Penciled by MARK BAGLEY, ADAM KUBERT, ANDY KUBERT & BRYAN HITCH
Cover by VARIOUS
Witness the birth of a new world, in which the heroes you know are reinvented for the modern era! The bite of a genetically engineered spider gives Peter Parker great power, but a harsh lesson will teach him responsibility. To prevent war, Charles Xavier recruits his X-Men — but Magneto’s Brotherhood reaches Wolverine first. Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man, Wasp and the Hulk — these are not the Avengers. They’re Nick Fury’s Ultimates. Young genius Reed Richards’ efforts to reach the N-Zone will forever change the lives of his fantastic friends. In a single volume, watch the Ultimate Universe — which helped make superstars of its architects, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar — take shape through the opening acts of its core titles. Collecting ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (2000) #1-7, ULTIMATE X-MEN (2001) #1-6, ULTIMATES (2002) #1-6 and ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #1-6.
768 PGS./Parental Advisory …$99.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9750-8
Trim size: oversized

MARVEL FIRSTS: THE 1990S OMNIBUS HC
Written by HOWARD MACKIE, GREGORY WRIGHT, FABIAN NICIEZA, PETER DAVID, DAN ABNETT, DG CHICHESTER, CHRISTIAN COOPER, TOM DEFALCO, JOHN OSTRANDER, JORGE GONZALES, TOM PEYER & MORE
Penciled by JAVIER SALTARES, JACKSON GUICE, MARK BAGLEY, ANGEL MEDINA, STEVEN BUTLER, RICHARD CASE, RON GARNEY, ART THIBERT, RON FRENZ, GABRIEL GECKO, TOM TENNEY, SCOTT MCDANIEL, PASQUAL FERRY, JIM CHEUNG & MORE
Cover by VARIOUS
Revisit comics’ most divisive decade with a giant-sized compendium of daring debuts! All your favorites are here: Deadpool! Nomad! X-Force! Scarlet Spider! Quicksilver! ClanDestine! Venom! Nightwatch! Gambit! Vengeance! Spider-Man 2099! The Thunderbolts! Plus: Ghost Rider and Deathlok, reinvented for the ’90s! Guns! Swords! Leather! Clones! Pouches! Don’t dis the ’90s, they’re totally dope! Collecting GHOST RIDER (1990) #1, DEATHLOK (1990) #1, NEW WARRIORS (1990) #1, FOOLKILLER (1990) #1, DARKHAWK #1, SLEEPWALKER #1, X-FORCE (1991) #1, X-FACTOR (1986) #71, WARLOCK AND THE INFINITY WATCH #2, DEATH’S HEAD II (1992A) #1, SILVER SABLE AND THE WILD PACK #1, TERROR INC. (1992) #1, NIGHT THRASHER: FOUR CONTROL #1, DARKHOLD: PAGES FROM THE BOOK OF SINS #1, NIGHTSTALKERS #1, SPIDER-MAN 2099 (1992) #1, VENOM: LETHAL PROTECTOR #1, CABLE (1993) #1, DEADPOOL: THE CIRCLE CHASE #1, THUNDERSTRIKE (1993) #1, GAMBIT (1993) #1, WAR MACHINE (1994) #1, BLACKWULF #1, FORCE WORKS #1, BLADE THE VAMPIRE-HUNTER (1994) #1, GENERATION X SAN DIEGO PREVIEW, FANTASTIC FORCE (1994) #1, WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #118, BISHOP #1, X-MAN #1, ELEKTRA: ROOT OF EVIL #1, GREEN GOBLIN #1, CAPTAIN MARVEL (1995) #1, HEROES FOR HIRE (1997) #1, MAVERICK #1, QUICKSILVER #1, SPIDER-GIRL (1998) #1, SLINGERS #0, SPIDER-WOMAN (1999) #1, DEATHLOK (1999) #1 and WARLOCK (1999) #1; and material from CAPTAIN AMERICA ANNUAL #9, WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #100, MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #147 and #158, and TALES OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE.
1288 PGS./Rated T …$125
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9816-1
Trim size: oversized

SPIDER-WOMAN VOL. 1: SPIDER-VERSE TPB
Written by DENNIS HOPELESS & ARCHIE GOODWIN
Penciled by GREG LAND & SAL BUSCEMA
Cover by GREG LAND Jessica Drew has been an agent of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D., an Avenger and more — but nothing could prepare her for the multidimensional insanity of Spider-Verse! A war is brewing, and every spider-character in the multiverse is a target! But being a target is something Jessica Drew just won’t abide. She’s a woman with a mission. And with Silk — the newest spider on the block — at her side, she’ll need to put all her training to the test if she wants to make it out of Spider-Verse alive! Now, undercover in the most dangerous place in the multiverse, Spider-Woman is in the tightest spot she’s ever been in. What if even succeeding with her mission means her death? And can Silk handle a solo mission? Plus: Spider-Woman’s classic debut! Collecting SPIDER-WOMAN (2014) #1-4 and MARVEL SPOTLIGHT (1971) #32.
112 PGS./Rated T+ …$15.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5458-7

VENOM BY RICK REMENDER: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 1 TPB
Written by RICK REMENDER
Penciled by TONY MOORE, TOM FOWLER, STEFANO CASELLI, LAN MEDINA & SHAWN MOLL
Cover by JOE QUESADA
Flash Thompson is Spider-Man’s biggest fan. That hero worship inspired him to join the Army, where he became a decorated war hero. And though he lost his legs, Flash never lost his dignity — or his desire to serve. Now, the government has offered him a chance to don the alien Venom symbiote and be a hero once again! Flash Thompson is Venom, the government’s most lethal special operative. But Flash soon finds himself losing control of his own mind to the symbiote! And when his nemesis, Jack O’Lantern, blackmails Flash into serving the merciless Crime-Master, can Venom complete his mission and save his loved ones? Plus: What if the Venom symbiote bonded with…Deadpool?! Rick Remender’s gripping run is collected in two volumes! Collecting VENOM (2011) #1-12 and VENOM/DEADPOOL: WHAT IF?
320 PGS./Rated T+ …$34.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-9352-4

-Also listed (without picture) was a Spider-Verse Poster:

SPIDER-VERSE #1 BY BRADSHAW POSTER
FOC 4/13/15 ON-SALE 5/13/2015 - 24x36…$8.99
5960605400-50121

-Wow!!! It's a pretty full month of Spider-Goodness, and from here on out, things are NOT slowing down! Plus, don't forget to go to your local comic shop on May 2nd and pick up the Free Comic Book Day issue of Marvel's Secret Wars #0!!!

Comic Review: The Amazing Spider-Man #14

The Amazing Spider-Man #14: The end is HERE! The ultimate chapter of Spider-Verse has arrived! Who lives? Who dies? Find out answers to this and more right here, in this very comic!
The Good: This issue had almost everything that I wanted in Spider-Verse. All my favorite Spider-People (save one), show up to the final showdown with the Inheritors. There's some great moments and beats in this story. Not going into spoiler territory, but there's a moment with Spider-Ham that had me cheering out loud! Plus, getting to see all my favorites again. Spider-Girl, Spider-Ham, Superior Spider-Man, ect, was really nice. The art was really great, and I look forward to the titles that are going to spin out of this story.
The Bad: Surprisingly enough, I wasn't really 100% in love with the ending. It seemed a little rushed. I'm not sure if this issue was oversized, but if it wasn't, it probably should've been. It ends on a nice enough last panel, but we're left with a TON of questions about The Inheritors, the other Spider-Beings, and not to repeat myself, but it the story seemed to come to a screeching halt within the last 5 to 6 pages. It was abrupt, and I mean REALLY abrupt.
The Verdict: If you've gotten the rest of the Spider-Verse story, there's no way I'm going to tell you not to get this one, you absolutely should. But, I have to say that overall, I was disappointed with this issue. ALTHOUGH, in this book's defense, it's pretty hard to get emotionally invested in ANY Marvel book right now, knowing that everything in the Marvel Universe is going to change once Secret Wars is finished.

Spider-Gwen #1 Preview!!!!

The bad news? We have to wait until February 25th to actually READ Spider-Gwen #1, but the good news is, earlier today Marvel released a preview of the first issue!! Check it out!!

Looks pretty great doesn't it? I can NOT wait to read this. And, if you haven't been paying attention and don't know who Spider-Gwen is, here's the solicitation copy for the first issue:

SPIDER-GWEN #1
JASON LATOUR (W) • ROBBIE RODRIGUEZ (A/C)
VARIANT COVER BY KRIS ANKA
YOUNG VARIANT BY SKOTTIE YOUNG
VARIANT COVER BY ADAM HUGHES
BLANK VARIANT ALSO AVAILABLE
SPIDER-GWEN SPINS INTO HER OWN SERIES!
• BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT! The breakout hit of the biggest Spider-Event of the century is taking comic shops by storm this winter with her own new ongoing series – SPIDER-GWEN!
• Gwen Stacy is Spider-Woman, but you knew that already. What you DON’T know is what friends and foes are waiting for her in the aftermath of Spider-Verse!
• From the fan-favorite creative team that brought you Spider-Gwen’s origin story in EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE, Jason Latour and Robbie Rodriguez!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Comic Review: Amazing Spider-Man #13

Amazing Spider-Man #13
Written by Dan Slott
Penciled by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Inks by Cam Smith
Colors by Justin Ponsor
Letters by Christ Eliopoulos
Assistant Editor: Davin Lewis
Editor: Nick Lowe
Editor in Chief: Axel Alonso
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Executive Producer: Alan Fine
-The penultimate chapter of Spider-Verse is HERE! And after last week's shocking last page revelation, what in the heck is the Spider-Gang gonna do? This issue they prepare for the coming all out war with the Inheritors, grabbing up Spider-People from different worlds, and laying out their strategies. Meanwhile, the Inheritors are getting ready to take the battle to the Spiders by laying out their plans.
The Good: There's a lot of good stuff this issue. I think the SPOILER ALERT!! stuff with Uncle Ben being a terrible Spider-Man is a really interesting take, I mean, we were all expecting that he would be the (no pun intended) ultimate Spider-Man, since he's the one that gave people the whole "great power" stuff. But, I guess we were WAY off on that one. END SPOILER Besides that, we got a LOT of fast-paced story and action, and before you know it, this issue ends on a really great cliffhanger.
The Bad: There's a couple of things that bothered me this issue, but they were VERY minor. First, The Inheritors feed on Spider-Totems, right? So, why would they want to destroy them? That would be like me wanting to murder all the food on Earth. And second, there really should have been a "This issue takes place after Scarlet Spiders #3  & Spider-Woman #3" line in the recap page. I read this one first and, needless to say, now those issues are spoiled for me. Not a huge deal, but I would've at least liked a warning.
What You Should Do: BUY IT!!!! Besides being another solid chapter in this story, it's got some really fun bits scattered throughout the issue, and honestly, the last page of this issue is now my favorite comic page IN MY LIFE!!!! Nope, not telling you what it is, but you'll definitely know it when you see it.
SIDE NOTE: I've heard a lot of people on a lot of podcasts slam this story and this issue in particular, because Peter Parker seems to be taking a back seat in Spider-Verse. I would respectfully disagree. I think people need to take into account that this story is called Spider-VERSE. That implies that it's a story about a while UNIVERSE of Spider-Men, Woman, Animals, etc. Besides the tagline for the story is "EVERY SPIDER-MAN EVER!!". So, with that in mind, do you really think that the whole story is going to focus on JUST ONE Spider-Man? Nope, me neither. So, take my opinion with a grain of sale, but take the story for what it is, not what you want it to be. You'll enjoy it a heck of a lot more.

Spider-Man related product swinging your way tomorrow!!!!

Here's a list of Spider-Man comics and merchandise that'll be in stores on Wednesday, June 21st! You might notice some funny letters and numbers before each listing. What that is, is the Diamond Order Code. IF you're friendly neighborhood comic retailer doesn't carry something, you can give them that code and they'll be able to order it for you, if it's available.

NOV140764 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #13 SV

NOV140769 SCARLET SPIDERS #3 SV

NOV140768 SPIDER-VERSE TEAM UP #3

NOV140770 SPIDER-WOMAN #3 SV

OCT140940 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN ULTIMATE COLLECTION TP BOOK 05

MAY142225 MARVEL LE SPIDER-MAN 8IN RETRO AF SET

Comic Review: Spider-Verse #2

Spider-Verse #2:
Credits: WAAAAY to long to list!!
-TONS and TONS of Spider-People this issue! It's packed with FIVE Spider-Verse stories, a couple of them featuring more than one Spider-Men. We've got Captain Britain Spider-Man, an African Spider-Man, "Punk Rock" Spider-Man, and a few that I'm really not sure what to call them.
The Good: There's 2 pretty good stories in this issue. Actually, there's 1 pretty good story and 1 that made me smile slightly. The Punk Rock Spider-Man AKA The Anarchich Spider-Man story is a great twist on the classic Spidey mythos. It's almost a "Dark Knight Returns" (the comic, not the movie) adaptation, where Norman Osborn is the President, and Spidey's the "common man" hero. Writer Jed Mackey and artist Sheldon Vella really did a great job here. And, the last story in the book, by Dan Slott, Ty Templeton & Co. is downright charming.
The Bad: As I stated before there are TWO out of FIVE stories in this book that are good. That leaves three that are.....let's just say less than spectacular (No pun intended). The "main" story in the book by Kathryn Immonen and David LaFuente is a bit too messy for my tastes. In fact, I really can't tell you what the whole point of the story was. There's a Spanish language story with fantastic art by Francisco Herrara, but the story by Enrique Puig wasn't enough to hold the story up, and the opening chapter by Dan Slott and Kris Anka just wasn't that great.
What you should do: I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but honestly, give this one a pass. This was basically some stories that weren't good enough to make it into Edge of Spider-Verse, cut down and thrown into one book. There's absolutely NOTHING to do with the fight against the Inheritors, nor is there enough entertaining materiel here to make this worth the $5 or your time.

Comic Review: Amazing Spider-Man #11

Amazing Spider-Man #11:
Written by Dan Slott
Penciled by Olivier Coipel
Inks by Grawbadger, Coipel, Livesay, Olazaba, Morales
Colors by Justin Ponsor
Letters by Eliopoulos with Lanham
Associate Editor Ellie Pyle
Editor: Nick Lowe
Editor in Chief: Axel Alonso
Chief Creative Officer: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Executive Producer: Alan Fine
-Welcome to part 3 of Spider-Verse!! The Inheritors are loose and making their way across the Multiverse eating up Spider-Beings!!!!...No, I just can't bring myself to say/type "Totems". But, Spidey 616 is putting together a plan to get everyone to safety, all the while trying to avoid The Superior Spider-Man from taking control of the group and heading everyone into what is sure to be a disaster!
The Good: What's better than 1 Spider-Man? How about like 30!!! OK, so they're not all MEN, but you get the gist. I gotta tell you, I'm REALLY loving this crossover. It's one of the few Marvel crossovers in recent history that actually works AND is entertaining! You've got all the different Spider-People all working together towards their very survival! Plus, we get some great focus on some of the less spotlighted characters this issue(and even more if you read the spin-offs, but we'll review them later), and some foward movement in the main plot of the story. Coipels art is, as per usual, fantastic!! The book looks great and each Spider-Person/Creature looks uniquely different, all the while maintaining a solid look that makes them easily coexist in the "same" universe. But, the best part? We get to visit THE most AWESOME Spider-Man universe in the HISTORY of the character!! I truly NEVER thought that I'd see this in comic book form in my lifetime!!
The Bad: Hmmmmm. I'm a little torn on this one. But, gun to my head, I'd have to say I'm a little tired of the mystery of The Inheritors. I'm assuming there's some big reveal coming that tells their origin (but, maybe not), but just REVEAL IT ALL READY!!!! It's almost oft-putting that we have pretty much no clue as to the motivation of these characters beyond the fact that they like to hunt things with Spider-Powers and that they need to eat them. Again, I'm guessing a big reveal about them is coming, but a little more info on these big baddies would be nice.
What you should do: BUY IT!!! Yes, it's part 3 of a mega-crossover and you probably want to get the whole thing. BUT, left to it's own design, is it worth the $4? The answer is a great big YES!!!!! You'll definitely get your money's worth out of this issue!!