This April, writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Pasqual Ferry team up for a Spider-Man story like none other in SPIDER-MAN: SPIDER’S SHADOW. The critically acclaimed writer, currently wowing readers with his Eisner-nominated work on DAREDEVIL, has crafted a thrilling saga that will explore Peter Parker’s dark side. Superstar artist Pasqual Ferry (THE MIGHTY THOR) and colorist Matt Hollingsworth (HAWKEYE) join him to bring to life one of the most ruthless Spider-Man stories Marvel Comics has ever told.
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! 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?
“I’m thrilled to be kicking off a new era of WHAT IF stories with this tale of a Spider-Man gone bad! 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. I think longtime fans will love it and new readers will be amazed at what Marvel lets us do,” Zdarsky teased. “Pasqual and Matt are producing amazing work on this book. When every page comes in, I share them with all of my friends even though Marvel says I’m not allowed to do that.”
“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 was quite a joy too. So when I was offered the opportunity to draw this miniseries, you can imagine my happiness. In addition, I always wanted to experiment with the black suit from SECRET WARS so the icing on the cake was doing that in the form of a WHAT IF series set at the beginning of that journey,” Ferry said. “Chip’s script is really shocking and surprising, a delight for someone fan of the character like me, and I’m sure it will catch the readers as much as it is drawing it with me. Hold on to the seats, because SPIDER’S SHADOW is going to surprise you in a way that you cannot imagine!”
It looks like along with Marvel revisiting The Clone Saga with Miles Morales, and rebooting/remaking Heroes Reborn, it seems like Marvel is trying to return to some storylines that readers either enjoyed or that they think will be big sellers. This isn’t the first time that Marvel has played with the What If? idea of Spider-Man keeping or being taken over by the Symbiote that would eventually become Venom. In fact, it was a What If? story that started the idea. What If? Vol 2 #4 (Oct 1989) featured the story “What If the Alien Costume Had Possessed Spider-Man?”, which saw Spider-Man turn evil thanks to the continued influence of the alien being. This would later be partly re-explored in the current series “Symbiote Spider-Man” which tells micro-stories from the time when Peter was wearing the costume and its effects on him, all taking place before he removes the costume in a Chruch, where it becomes Venom.
Don’t miss this new version of the terrifying tale when SPIDER-MAN: SPIDER’S SHADOW #1 hits stands in April.
