Spider-Man Reveals a First Look at All-New Era (and Teases a Classic Villain’s Death)

A fight between Spider-Man and one of his classic villains turns deadly in the first look at the new era of Amazing Spider-Man. The flagship Spider-Man title relaunches in April from the all-star creative team of writer Joe Kelly and artists Pepe Larraz and John Romita Jr. Kelly is currently writing the wall-crawler’s adventures in Amazing Spider-Man‘s “8 Deaths of Spider-Man” story arc. But the book will get a fresh coat of paint and a new #1 this spring, and fans can get the first look at what the trio has planned.

Marvel released the first look pages for Amazing Spider-Man #1 by writer Joe Kelly, artist Pepe Larraz, colorist Marte Gracia, and letterer VC’s Joe Caramagna. It’s Spider-Man vs. Rhino, but there’s something off about Rhino’s latest rampage. After slamming a truck on top of Rhino, Spider-Man inquires about what’s gotten into the semi-reformed Aleksei Sytsevich. Suddenly, Rhino topples over out of nowhere. Spider-Man climbs on top of Rhino and puts his ear to his chest, but it appears that he doesn’t hear a heartbeat.

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“Spider-Man was probably the first Marvel comic I read when I was a kid,” Larraz shared. “It is a privilege for me to be able to draw this character, even more so that it’s guided by Joe Kelly’s hand. I’m a huge fan of Joe’s writing, from the way he builds characters to his dialogue, humor, and sense of action. Joe is great at everything he does, but the most important thing for me is that his stories matter, touching upon themes that are always relevant.”

Along with the first look at Amazing Spider-Man #1, we also have the reveal of the second issue’s cover, illustrated by Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia. Spider-Man is swinging through the New York City skyline as he THWIPS a kinetic web through the air.

“Even though this is a new #1, I don’t think of it as a ‘restart’ per se,” Kelly explained to Polygon. “I’m writing the next chapter of the story of one the world’s greatest characters, lucky enough to follow in the footsteps of the folks before me. After that sinks in, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I love about Spider-Man and his cast, what stories resonated with me at different times of my life, and how I can synthesize all of that into something that works with what came before but breaks new ground… I feel a drive to take bold, unexpected swings in order to see how Spider-Man deals with Marvel-sized curve balls. Pressure makes diamonds.”

Marvel also teased the introduction of an all-new supervillain that is amping up members of his rogues gallery — making them meaner, more aggressive, and increasingly dangerous to everyone around them. Sound a lot like what happens to Rhino?

The first look at Amazing Spider-Man #1 is below and goes on sale April 9th, followed by Amazing Spider-Man #2 on April 23rd.