Marvel Announces New Spider-Man Creative Team
Writer Zeb Wells and artist John Romita, Jr. are launching a new volume of Marvel's The Amazing Spider-Man in April, marking the character's 60th anniversary with a new #1 issue. As with the movie series, the comic book Spider-Man's new start comes as he finds himself isolated from firends, family, and allies...although in this case, he also has Doctor Octopus on his tail, and Tombstone is making some moves that Marvel says will re-establish him as one of Spidey's most dangerous foes. Both Wells and Romita have a long history with the character, giving this run a kind of "greatest hits" feel worthy of an anniversary run.
Wells is known for his work on Spider-Man and New Warriors, and has been a fan-favorte among Marvel readers for years. Romita, of course, is the son of a legendary Spider-Man artist, as well as one of the most celebrated visual storytellers in modern superhero comics. He has drawn virtually every character at Marvel, and many at DC, including runs on Superman and All-Star Batman.
"Spider-Man doesn't turn sixty every year," Spider-Man editor Nick Lowe said on a Marvel blog post, "and we are going BIG with this run cramming it with the biggest WTF moments Spidey has ever had. Zeb and JRJR will go down in history as one of the best creative teams ever!"
Calling Romita "the definitive Amazing Spider-Man artist," Marvel promises that the upcomign run "will house all the classic elements fans love about Peter Parker, surprising new takes on your favorite Spider-Man foes, and the answer to the question that will be on everyone's mind: WHAT DID SPIDER-MAN DO?"
"Ever since my father told my brother and me that Spider-Man/Peter Parker lived close to our home in Queens, NYC, we were hooked! We talked Spider Man on long drives to family get-togethers, and it was as if we had an extra family member!" Romita said in a statement. "As luck would have it, my brother Vic had the brains and went in another direction, while I had a little bit of art in me. As luck would also have it, I was able to watch the greatest Spider-Man artist, my father, John, work with the greatest Spider Man writer, Stan Lee, on the greatest character of all time. Fortunately, after joining the comic book universe, I was given a chance to work on this great character, the Amazing Spider-Man. I was terrified! How do I follow my father??? How do I follow any of the previous Spidey artists?? I had no idea, but I stuck it out and got lucky. The subsequent runs were much less terrifying, and became more and more fun. There was one particular run that was incredibly fun, but also incredibly important to me. The 9/11 issue may well be with me for as long as I live. One commonality with all the runs, was working with the brilliant writers and artists….. again, luck!!
"To take being lucky to another level: Marvel has allowed me to get back to work on this amazing character, and work with another brilliant writer, Zeb Wells! The stories are stunning and I am reading the scripts with a grin and wonderment…..then wondering how the heck to do them justice!!
"Well, fortunately, I have a close friend and brilliant artist to help me do that. Scott Hanna and I have worked on this character before and Scott is still a brilliant artist who will continue to be brilliant, lucky for me and anyone who looks at the art. Adding to Scott and myself is the third artist, the color artist, Marcio Menyz. It's difficult to describe how wonderful his work is, so to save space and everyone's patience, I'll let it speak for itself! It's stunning!!
"The editorial team beginning with Nick Lowe, adding in Lindsay Cohick, and Kaeden McGahey, make the work process smoother. Judging by the scope of Zeb's stories, I can use all the help I can get!
"One commonality here, is how lucky I am to be back working on my 'other' brother, Spider-Man, and to be back with my professional 'family,' Marvel. Thanks folks, I'll work hard to make you proud!"
"I've waited my entire career to work with John Romita Jr.," Wells added. "To team up with him on Amazing Spider-Man for the character's 60th anniversary is so exciting words can't describe it. We're gonna have a blast!"