If you’re an avid reader of comic books, then there’s a good chance you’ve read a media tie-in at some point – and no, I’m not talking about adaptations for existing movies. In recent years, we’ve seen TV shows like Smallville, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The X-Files continue their sagas in the medium we love.
On a similar note, we’ve seen the surface scratched when it comes to films that never were. Though Frank Miller was credited as a writer on RoboCop 2, his original screenplay didn’t exactly find itself adapted. Luckily, it was produced as a comic down the line. Conversely, Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash brought us a crossover sequel of epic proportions.
The reason I’m bringing this up is because Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 has once again become a topic for discussion. In case you hadn’t heard, Marvel dropped a cryptic teaser image showing the number “4” formed out of webbing, looking very similar to Resident Evil 6‘s logo. At first, I considered this to be hinting at a Future Foundation reunion – and it could be – but then legendary artist Alex Ross fanned the flames by posting an image of his own on social media.
Should this go in the direction we’d like, then that’d mean Raimi’s scrapped film will see the light of day – but as a comic book. If so, then we’ll find out how John Malkovich’s Vulture and Anne Hathaway’s Black Cat would’ve turned out. Funny enough, Hathaway eventually went on to star as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Now, what could this mean for the industry as a whole?
If indeed a Spider-Man 4 comic is released by Marvel in the near future, this could potentially open the door for other canned Marvel and DC movies to be revived in literary form. Actually, this would more so apply to the latter publisher, as one would think more than a few fans would kill to read Superman Lives, Justice League Mortal, Batman Unchained or Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Parts 1 and 2. Still, I’d surmise Marvel themselves would be inspired to put out more books of this ilk.
So, if you’d like to see Spider-Man 4 be a trendsetter, then I recommend buying it whenever it potentially arrives in stores because it’s all about sales figures. Furthermore, don’t wait for the trade paperback. From where I’m sitting, this could be the start of a new era, and it’s highly exciting.