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Exclusive: Peter Parker battles Demon Bear in series reveal for Marvel's 'Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man'
Peter Parker's heading to Los Angeles, where he'll find a city of demons waiting for him.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of Spider-Man's debut in the pages of Marvel Comics, and the webslinger's going to be very busy as the publisher celebrates the milestone. A blockbuster new creative team is taking over an Amazing Spider-Man relaunch, Peter's clone Ben Reilly is in the midst of some all-new adventures, Spider-Man 2099 is back, and of course, some brand-new titles are on the way to celebrate Spider-Man's continued versatility as a character.
Today, SYFY WIRE can exclusively reveal one of Marvel's new Spidey adventures is Deady Neighborhood Spider-Man, a "revolutionary dark take" on the character from the writing team of Taboo (of The Black Eyed Peas fame) and B. Earl, with art by Juan Ferreyra and covers by Rahzzah, Peach Momoko, Josemaria Casanovas, and Rafael Albuquerque.
Launching later this year, the five-issue miniseries will take Peter Parker from his usual stomping grounds of New York City to Los Angeles, where he'll find that the City of Angels isn't looking very angelic. Demons are stalking the streets, in particular the legendary entity known as the Demon Bear, and the darkness he finds on the West Coast is set to test Peter in ways he's never encountered before.
“Being the first Indigenous writer to co-write this new Spider-Man comic with my brother B. Earl is a huge step in opening more doors for underrepresented talent to shape universally known comic characters," Taboo said in a statement. "As a lifelong fan of everything Spider-Man, this is a childhood dream come true. To go from collecting toys to penning our own Spidey story that brings our hero to my place of birth, Los Angeles, California — Pasadena to be exact — we are humbled and thankful. I see all the opportunities our Marvel family has given us as writers and truly appreciate their trust and ongoing support. We transformed their confidence into fuel that ignited our creativity to write a fun and exciting read for all our amazing Marvel Heads!”
Earl, who co-wrote Marvel's latest incarnation of Werewolf by Night alongside Taboo, also emphasized the Indigenous story elements they're integrating into the story, as well as their efforts to give Spider-Man a little California flavor.
“Not going to lie, taking on Spider-Man is both scary and invigorating," Earl said. "Taboo and I have been on an incredible journey with our Marvel family, from creating a brand-new Werewolf By Night series to launching a solo story for Kushala: Spirit Rider. Being trusted with Marvel’s most iconic superhero, Spider-Man, is an honor for this Jersey kid who went to bed imagining he was swinging through the streets of Manhattan, saving the city. When Taboo and I found out we had the go-ahead for a new Peter Parker adventure, we began earnestly weaving a tale that would lean into our strengths of pulling from Indigenous storytelling while balancing the intersection of pop culture. Since we’re both in LA, we decided to bring Spidey out to sunny California…but spin a fantastic tale of dark horror that ultimately will turn our friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man DEADLY!”
Below, you can check out an exclusive first look at four covers for the first issue of the series, including two peeks at this book's take on the Demon Bear.
“I’m really thrilled that Marvel called me once again to work on Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man along with Taboo and B. Earl, I hope we can bring our readers a spooky and terrifying Spider tale," Ferreyra said. "After doing Spider-Man Noir and also [Spine-Tingling Spider-Man], editor Nick Lowe told me what he wanted me in next and I couldn’t say no to the chance to flex my horror sensibilities once more but this time on a regular printed limited series, can’t wait to draw some cool double spreads with all the action and thrills a Spider-Man comic deserves, especially in the year of Peter's 60th anniversary!”
Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man launches June 1 in comic book stores everywhere.
