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As work on the Disney Plus animated series What If? continues, Marvel Comics is reviving that classic formula for the first in what’s planned as a series of several alt-history limited series set in the Marvel Universe.
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Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow asks the question ‘What if Spider-Man became Venom?’, with that being answered by former Spider-Man writer Chip Zdarsky, artist Pasqual Ferry, and colorist Matthew Hollingsworth.
“Peter Parker once put on an alien suit that nearly destroyed his life – but what if he’d never taken it off? Ignoring every warning, Spidey embraces the dark symbiote!” reads Marvel’s description of the four-issue series. “Haunted by terrible nightmares and exhausted by an endless barrage of bad guys, Peter can’t seem to catch a break these days. So when the Hobgoblin attacks, he finds a hero at the end of his rope…and vulnerable to new dark impulses. Spider-Man is about to change his rules – but is it truly Peter who is in charge?”
Described as one of the “most ruthless” Spider-Man stories ever by Marvel, Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow is long-time Marvel artist Pasqual Ferry’s first real project with Spider-Man front-and-center.
“Since I started working at Marvel some long years ago, I always dreamed of drawing Spider-Man. I came close a couple of times to get it, but the God of Thunder and Iron Man got in the way at the last moment— which were quite a joy too,” Ferry says in the announcement. “So when I was offered the opportunity to draw this miniseries, you can imagine my happiness.”
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Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #1 unlettered preview
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Ferry goes on to call Zdarsky’s script “shocking and surprising,” while for his part Zdarsky jokes about how dark it’ll be.
‘I’m thrilled to be kicking off a new era of ‘What If?’ stories with this tale of a Spider-Man gone bad!” Zdarsky says. “How bad will he be? Will he have a goatee and no hyphen in his name? Pick up issue one to find out! But seriously, I feel that with Spider’s Shadow we’re exploring some dark situations with Spidey and the Marvel Universe, while making it cool and fun to read.”
Long-time Marvel readers will remember this idea was touched upon in 1989’s What If? #4 (Vol. 2), in a story called “What if the alien costume had possessed Spider-Man?’ by writer Danny Fingeroth and Mark Bagley.
Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #1 (of 4) goes on sale this April. Look for Marvel’s full April 2021 solicitations later this week on Newsarama.
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