Spider-Man is one of Marvel Comics’ most enduring heroes, first appearing in Amazing Fantasy #15 before going on to star in more than 800 issues of his own solo series across five volumes and almost six decades, the longest continuous tenure in the history of the company. Add to that the nearly one thousand issues of his Spectacular, Astonishing, Sensational and Unlimited variations, and it’s indisputable that Spider-Man is the most beloved resident of the House of Ideas.
Now, Deadpool writer Joe Kelly has been given the distinction of scripting an all-new era of the wall-crawler’s adventures, with artwork by Doctor Strange and Uncanny X-Men illustrator Chris Bachalo. Announced at the 14th annual meeting of the retailer trade association ComicsPRO, the new ongoing title Non-Stop Spider-Man is a series that Kelly describes as “the best of what Marvel Comics can be: relentless action, epic storytelling, mind-melting art, and relevant themes, all grounded by the heart and soul of one of my all-time favorite characters.”
Spider-Man’s appeal lies largely in his relatability: not some incomprehensibly-powerful extraterrestrial god flying across the skies, nor a radiochemically enhanced super-soldier or mythological warrior, nor a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist who battles villains with state-of-the-art technology, Peter Parker is a more-or-less ordinary everyman (his intellect notwithstanding), an awkward teenager who acquired an improbable ability in a bizarre accident.
But perhaps more than anything, Peter is a character who makes mistakes, sometimes fatal ones, and learns from them, even if he occasionally learns the wrong lessons. He’s a character whose vigilante career began with a staggering failure that took the life of his uncle and gave him a Biblical credo in his place: “With great power comes great responsibility.” Another of his most infamous failures resulted in the harrowing death of Gwen Stacy in the summer of 1973, a moment widely regarded as the end of the Silver Age of comics.
Kelly was drawn back to the imperfect character by long-time Ultimate Universe editor Nick Lowe, who, the author explains, “has a superpower. He picks up the phone, calls me, and says the exact combination of words that make me want to drop everything and dive headfirst into the Marvel Universe. Last time, it was Spider-Man, Deadpool, Ed McGuinness. No brainer, YES. This time it was Spider-Man, Non-Stop, Chris Bachalo. Again: YES.”
Non-Stop Spider-Man #1 is currently scheduled to hit the shelves of your local comic shop this June.