There’s a new anomaly in the Arachno-Humanoid-Poly-Multiverse: the Sinister Squadron. After last year’s animated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse movie introduced the Spider-Society — an elite strike force of the best Spider-People dedicated to the security of the multiverse — Marvel Comics began teasing an existential threat to the Web of Life and Destiny. In February’s Edge of Spider-Verse #1, the clairvoyant Madame Web tasked Miguel O’Hara, Spider-Man 2099, with assembling other Spider-heroes to form the Spider-Society.
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But in March’s Web of Spider-Man #1, Miguel was ambushed by the Gwen Stacy Green Goblin, leaving Anya Corazón, a.k.a Araña, to recruit the Spider-Versers in this week’s Spider-Society #1.
The first in a four-issue limited series from writer Alex Segura (Edge of Spider-Verse) and artist Scott Godlewski (Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace) reveals a Spider-spy in the ranks of the Spider-Verse team: Araña (Earth-616), Cooper Coen/Web-Weaver (Earth-71490), Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk (Earth-138), Spider-Cat (Earth-999), Sergei Kravinoff/Kraven the Hunter-Spider (Earth-31), Peter Parker/Weapon VIII (Earth-72), and the Issa Rae-voiced Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman (Earth-332) from Across the Spider-Verse.
After Gwen Goblin leads an assault on the Spider-Society HQ and defeats her counterpart — Earth-65’s Gwen Stacy, a.k.a. Ghost-Spider, who recently permanently relocated to Earth-616 — the Sinister Squadron is revealed to consist of Spider-Man villains from across the Spider-Verse. Rogues from the prime Marvel Universe — including the Francine Frye Electro and the Carolyn Trainer Doctor Octopus — have joined forces with villain variants like Spider-Girl villain Fury the Goblin Queen (Earth-982), Spider-Ham villain Green Gobbler (Earth-8311), and Venom 2099, and alt-universe versions of classic villains Scorpion, Mysterio, Hobgoblin, Rhino, the Lizard, Calypso, Swarm, Tarantula, and Mud-Thing (a combined Sandman and Hydro-Man).
The Sinister Squadron’s mysterious leader wants to destroy the Spider-Society before it fully forms, but the Spider-villains are under orders to take the Spider-Society alive. When the Squadron captures Spiders like Gwen and Miles Morales, Madame Web instructs Anya to save “the chosen ones.” Some force is interfering with Madame Web’s ability to see the future, and it’s suspected this mysterious someone is the Sinister Squadron’s master.
Miguel O’Hara is the “key to everything,” Web says, sending the Spider-Society to rescue Spider-Man 2099, Ghost-Spider, and the Miles Spider-Man. The Anya-led team finds Miguel in the clutches of Halloween Jack, realizing too late that they walked into a trap. Hunter-Spider is exposed as the traitor and the final member of the Sinister Squadron — which has surrounded the Spider-Society to end issue #1.
Spider-Society #2 is on sale September 18th from Marvel Comics.
