Kaare Andrews Teases Miles Morales, Kingpin’s Revenge and More in Spider-Man: Reign II (Exclusive)

Kaare Andrews is returning to the world of Spider-Man to continue a story he began nearly 20 years ago. The prolific writer/artist crafted a Spider-Man tale unlike any other in Spider-Man: Reign, which featured a retired Spider-Man set 30 years in the future. After constantly being asked about Spider-Man: Reign and fan interest in a sequel remaining at a steady clip, Andrews and Marvel Comics decided to return to the story in Spider-Man: Reign II. ComicBook gave you the first look at Spider-Man: Reign II, and now we have Kaare Andrews to offer up some new details on its story and cast of characters.

ComicBook spoke to Kaare Andrews via email about Spider-Man: Reign II and what he has planned for Old Man Peter Parker. Andrews is holding nothing back in this sequel, and is even getting to address plot points that he never got a chance to tackle in the first series. The creator teased the involvement of Miles Morales and Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, as well as other characters who may get involved.

One of the special parts of working within the Marvel Universe is Miles Morales didn’t exist when Spider-Man: Reign was published. Of course, he’s since gone on to become a household name right beside Peter Parker, and is even the focus of Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Verse animated trilogy. Plus, we had to ask Andrews about the feline character that has a striking resemblance to the Black Cat. We can also exclusively reveal the cover of Spider-Man: Reign II #3, featuring Peter Parker and Miles Morales in a heated fistfight.

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Differences between Reign and Reign II

ComicBook.com: You’ve obviously grown as a creator in the time between Spider-Man: Reign and Spider-Man: Reign II. What new creative lessons or techniques are you excited to bring to the table in the sequel?

Kaare Andrews: The job of a creative is to always be creating, not recreating. So the biggest challenge is also the most plain: “what can I do that’s different from before?” You could rephrase the same question as, “why this? why now?” or “what justifies bringing a sequel to a book from so long ago?” The answer is always, and must always be, that there is more truth to be told. There is something new to say. All Art with a “capital A” involves truth investigated in a new way. And to be honest, when you’re really firing on all artistic cylinders, you don’t even know what that truth is or what the new way might be, because you’re venturing into the unknown. I’m not a craftsman making a perfect cabinet; I’m an explorer hurtling past the outer limits. You ride a wave of energy that seems to come from another place, tuning into it like a homing beacon. If you find yourself caught in your head wondering what you’re up to, that’s when you need to stop, take a breath, let go of knowing, and dive back into the work intuitively. This approach is common to anyone trying to work at the elite levels of any artistic endeavor, from dance to swordsmanship. First, you don’t know, then you know, then you let go of knowing and you do.

In practical terms, the first Reign was an experiment in new techniques for me, from the backgrounds to the storytelling to the line art. I was really pushing myself. Reign 2 is no exception. I’m using new artistic techniques, drawing twice-up, using new pens, and exploring new approaches to backgrounds. It’s a way that mimics the approach to the first Reign, where I drew on vellum with nibs and an open line art style with 3D backgrounds. Now, I’m using different paper, different pens, and new approaches to coloring and backgrounds—but in a way that honors the same areas of concern. And by the end of issue one, I take us into a new place entirely, which is both terrifying and exciting for me personally.

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New characters

Peter Parker is joined by two new additions to the Spider-Man: Reign Universe: Black Cat and Miles Morales. The cover of Spider-Man: Reign II featured a character who fans speculate could be Black Cat. What can you tell us about her relation to the original Black Cat, and how Miles Morales will factor into the story?

I remember the kinds of stories I’d read as a kid—the ones that stood out were those that took characters I thought I knew and did something new and surprising with them. It created a real sense of adventure and excitement. That feeling of reinvention and reinvestment is something I’m playing with. One advantage of doing a sequel to a book from so long ago, set in the future, is that introducing a new character like Miles makes sense. It feels right. And more characters will show up; I’m not stopping at Miles. 

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New threats

Can you talk about the type of threat (or threats) Peter has to deal with?

The dangling plot thread I never had the page count to complete in the first Reign story was Kingpin. I don’t think I even used his name, but he was a wheelchair-bound man on an IV drip that Mayor Waters would wheel out once a year to eat a steak dinner in front of as a gesture of humiliation and power. I always planned on Wilson Fisk taking his revenge on Mayor Waters in the ruins of the building after it imploded. I just never had the page count. I always considered asking to draw those pages if REIGN was ever reprinted. When Reign 2 was greenlit, I knew exactly who would take the throne of power and what Peter would be up against. It was exhilarating to finally draw those pages I’ve always wanted to draw… and I can’t wait to share them.  

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What to look forward to

To wrap things up, what are you most looking forward to fans experiencing in Spider-Man: Reign II?

The surprise. This book isn’t going to go the way you think. It’s not something you expect. Hold on tight to your webbing—it’s going to swing to places you never thought it would go! I’m not backing off from the craziness of the first series. This isn’t some lame apology tour. This is an emotionally fueled epic madness that honors the character I love most. The character that taught me how to stand back up, how to be a man, how to try to do what’s right even after you’ve screwed up, and that fights for those he loves. If you haven’t read a Marvel comic in some time, come back for this. If you haven’t been to your comic shop in a while, come back for this. If you haven’t seen these characters in a fresh way or in a way you used to love for ages, come back for this. Because the itsy-bitsy spider is about to climb the spout again…