SPIDER-MAN Season One Comic Coming In May

Written by Cullen Bunn and drawn by Neil Edwards, the comic will act as a celebration of the character, going back to his early days and see him learn what it means to be a hero.

Amazing Fantasy #15 did something different. It introduced new hero Spider-Man, who was neither a spider or a man, he was a teenager boy. This was a first for comics, a medium where young characters were relegated to the role of sidekick, mentored by the hero until they were of age to take up the mantle. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character received no such mentoring, instead learning how to be a hero 'on the job'. He was so popular with younger readers, who related with the character's "self-obsessions with rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness", that he quickly became Marvel's top selling character, and a cultural icon (in a 1965 Esquire poll it was found that college students ranked him and the Hulk alongside Bob Dylan and Che Guevara as their favorite revolutionary icons.) As well as multiple comic book and mini-series', Spider-Man has also enjoyed a syndicated comic strip, a live action TV series, many cartoon shows, a succession of video games, and a live action film trilogy. Next year to celebrate Spider-Man's 50th anniversary, and to coincide with the reboot of the film series, 'The Amazing Spider-Man', Marvel are going back to the character's early days with the release of the original graphic novel 'Spider-Man: Season One'. The book, unveiled by Comic Book Resources, will by written by Cullen Bunn ('Fear Itself: The Deep', 'The Sixth Gun') and drawn by Neil Edwards ('Fantastic Four', 'Herc'). It will act as a celebration of the character, going back to his early days and see him learn what it means to be a hero, but also as a jumping on point for new readers who only the character from the new movie. Early concept art of Peter Parker is above.

€œThe idea of a OGN was very daunting especially as it's Spider-man and it's retelling his origin, but I jumped at the chance. I love the character and hope I've done him justice€, Edwards has said. He also added, €œCullen is wonderful to work with. His scripts are full of levels and incredible emotion, which I hope I have been able to convey. There's lots of comedy too, and tons of action!€
He went on to say that while it is similar in style to Ultimate Spider-Man, in that it is a modern re-imagining of the charcter's origin, it will not share that books radical update of the characters, €œI tried to update them a little, but keep them clearly recognizable. I especially looked at fashion for the high school sections of the story. I also updated Pete's hair as he gains confidence with his new powers.€ 'Spider-Man: Season One€ is released May 2012.

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