"Spectacular Spider-Girl" Series Talkback (Spoilers)

[Roxas_Sora]

After the end of "Amazing Spider-Girl", Spiderman's daughter now jumps to the pages of "Amazing Spiderman Family", where she's going to have at least 20 pages with her new adventures. However, before the official printing of the comic, Spider-Girl is first published in Marvel's Digital Comics in its Website. If anyone has any information about what happen in this issue, please, send it. I can only give some spoilers based on pictures seen in an interview of "Marvel's Hotline":

+ Looks like both our May and BNMay patrol New York as Spider-Girls. Or should I say, the "Spider-Twins"?.
+ Both of them find a powerfull bomb in a building which is about to explode, they quickly jump by the window and save theirselfs in the last second, when the great explosion destroy the building. (I suspect that building must be the Goblin Cult's headquarters that Spider-Girl and Tarantula attacked when they were looking for Peter, the same place where they download Norman's mind in his brain).
+ It seems that May and BNMay have some kind of "fashion chat" where May says something like "Don't you think we are ridiculous wearing the same outfit?". So BNMay use her symbiote powers to combine her "monstruos symbiote form" with her "Spider-Girl form", creating a new "Blue and Black Spider-Girl". Similar to her appearance in Peter's mind world from "Amazing Spider-Girl #30", but wearing a blue Spider-Girl's mask.
+ Fixed this fashion problem, the two Mays continue patrolling New York and fight against a group of masked robbers or something.
+ It seems that BNMay lose her temper control in that battle and attack one of the robbers with her symbiote form. More like Spiderman when he has Carnage's claws and jaws. (I hope this won't bring terrible problems for our Spider-Girl).
+ By the look of the scene, Tarantula and Araña have some kind of "romantic scene" in an hotel or something. (Wait, didn't these two want to destroy each others?).
+ Looks like we have a new villain in the city who has metallic arms or something.
+ There's a flashback scene where we see pictures from the beggining of Spider-Girl's adventures on the "What If?" issue to "Amazing Spider-Girl #30".
+ Finally, we see a clip of the "Amazing Spider-Man Family" with its new member, BNMay.

I hope somebody will send info with more details soon. Please and thank you.

[danman007]

Okay since Antiyonder has suggested moving all SSG discussion to this thread, I'll like to get it started. Here are my summary and thoughts on SSG #1:

WARNING MINOR SPOILERS

Whether you read it on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited or waited patiently for it to be printed in Amazing Spider-Man Family #5(Like Me), Mayday Parker is back!

The Spectacular Spider-Girl #1 opens up with our girl checking out the headquarters of the Order of the Goblin in hopes to get some answers to whether or not she is the original May Parker or the clone.
From the First Page to the Last, DeFalco and the Frenz/Buscema team set the pace for SSG by moving the story along, setting up subplots in the background and developing the sibling rivalry between May and April.

It's great to have Mayday Parker back and to continue where we left off from ASG #30. I enjoyed the new addition to the Parker family, Mayday's possible clone, April.
May and April's dynamic is definitely the most satisfying part of the issue with April providing a great foil for Mayday at home, school and during her crime fighting activities.

The big mystery is set up when a young lady comes by the Parker household claiming to be the daughter of Ben Reilly. Determine to find out who is this woman masquerading as her Uncle's kid, Mayday with April tagging along, attempts to track Gwen down before being side track leaving us with the last page cliffhanger.

Subplots establish are Silvio Barraca aka 'Silverback' igniting a gang war between himself and the Black Tarantula. The Black Tarantula himself has resume a love-hate relationship with Arana, who has moved in with him along with the addition of Fury becoming a lose cannon. With Fury's knowledge of Peter Parker being Spider-Man she could exploit this info against Mayday and her family.

It was great seeing the high school cast again, with them setting up May and Wes on a date and April introducing herself to high school gang. Mayday's friends begin to ask questions about her new 'Cousin'.



Overall life has gotten alittle bit more interesting for Mayday Parker.
I wait impatiently for the next issue.

Anyone else pick this up or read on Digital Comics Unlimited? If so what are your thoughts and opinions?

Other Spider-Girl related news:
Spectacular Spider-Girl Debuts & Amazing Spider-Man Family #5 Sells Out!

Marvel is pleased to announce that the double-sized Amazing Spider-Man Family #5, kicking off the all-new adventures of Spectacular Spider-Girl, has sold out at Diamond! Fan favorite creators Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz present a new chapter in the life of Mayday Parker as she must deal with…Gwen Reilly! Amazing Spider-Man Family is your new monthly home for the critically-acclaimed action pack adventures of Spider-Girl and it kicks off with a bang right here. Plus, don’t miss a sensational team-up between Spider-Man & Screwball, a look inside the world of Peter Parker and an all-new solo Aunt May epic we had to call “The Amazing Spider-Ma’Am”.
“Great art, story and plenty of well-written exposition to read…I highly recommend this fun title packed to the gills with action, adventure, drama and the Sensational Swiney-Girl. Yeah, she’s pretty awesome”—Dave Banks, Wired.Com
Please note that copies of Amazing Spider-Man Family #5 may still be available at the retail level and Marvel has no plans to go back to press on this issue. Want more Spider-Man action? Itching for more Spider-Gil adventures? Don’t miss a single issue as the adventure continues in Amazing Spider- Man Family #6!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN FAMILY #6 (MAR092525)
Written by BRIAN REED, TOM DEFALCO & PAUL TOBIN
Penciled by RON FRENZ, SHAWN MOLL & MORE!
Cover by PAULO SIQUEIRAI
Rated A …$4.99
On-Sale 5/20/09!

[Xurk]

Well, that's certainly good proof for the influence Spider-Girl has on a book And another occasion that leaves me scratching my head on why they decided to pull the plug on her own book...

Anyhow, I enjoyed May's first story in the "Amazing Spider-Man Family" book! After the obligatory 'introduction of the character and her history to new readers' they kicked straight into high-gear with a brand new story. Having April tag along as an inexperienced Spider-Girl with her own unique powers proves for an interesting story folding out - I'm guessing that "Gwen Reilly" [as if that's her real name ] wasn't actually attacked by her but passed out from shock or something... though that doesn't explain her torn clothes and the blood
Arana and Black Tarantula in an awkward relationship is pretty strange, seeing as we never got any explanation on that - first they were intent on killing each other a few issues back and now they're a couple??

One thing that annoyed me about Gwen Reilly is how she looked like a Gwen Stacy clone Unless Ben Reilly had a relationship with the actual Gwen Stacy clone, how on Earth could she end up looking like that?! It really wouldn't make much sense and seems to have been done just to make her visual appearance interesting.

Oh, nice touch on having MJ's arm bandaged up. Continuity, yay!

[danman007]

Well, that's certainly good proof for the influence Spider-Girl has on a book And another occasion that leaves me scratching my head on why they decided to pull the plug on her own book...

Anyhow, I enjoyed May's first story in the "Amazing Spider-Man Family" book! After the obligatory 'introduction of the character and her history to new readers' they kicked straight into high-gear with a brand new story. Having April tag along as an inexperienced Spider-Girl with her own unique powers proves for an interesting story folding out - I'm guessing that "Gwen Reilly" [as if that's her real name ] wasn't actually attacked by her but passed out from shock or something... though that doesn't explain her torn clothes and the blood
Arana and Black Tarantula in an awkward relationship is pretty strange, seeing as we never got any explanation on that - first they were intent on killing each other a few issues back and now they're a couple??

One thing that annoyed me about Gwen Reilly is how she looked like a Gwen Stacy clone Unless Ben Reilly had a relationship with the actual Gwen Stacy clone, how on Earth could she end up looking like that?! It really wouldn't make much sense and seems to have been done just to make her visual appearance interesting.

Oh, nice touch on having MJ's arm bandaged up. Continuity, yay!

Well, The Black Tarantula did saved Arana's life in the last arc.
The Tarantula obviously still harbors feelings for Arana despite her having killed his father. It's an odd love/hate relationship. Plus, they both have their own intentions for Spider-Girl, the Black Tarantula with his infatuation for May and Arana sees her as a student to mold.
That could play part into revealing whatever dirty laundry that they have between one another.

Now, Gwen Reilly...yeah, I think the intention was to make her visual appearance interesting. I don't think she is who she claims to be- Ben Reilly's daughter? Not a chance but I could be wrong. It's an intriguing mystery...
Seeing as how they are dealing with Ben's legacy, I hope Reilly Tyne will show up in this arc but I'm not counting on it.

Also, Fury's a lose cannon and seems to mark out on her own. She knows Peter Parker is Spider-Man, and with that knowledge she could use it against Mayday and her family and/or wrestle control of the Goblin Cult.

The solicits for the coming issues mention a conspiracy against Mayday that will reach her high school so it will an interesting time in May's life.

[spidl]

I just read the Family story and I enjoyed the new status quo. It has the old Bewitched/I Dream of Jeanie/several other shows cousin who looks just the star with a different hair vibe. I am surprised they show Mary Jane handling the whole symbiote thing so well.

As for why they canceled Spider-Girl it is simple. The numbers were not enough to keep the book going. Bundling the book with the Spider-Family title helps to boost both books enough to keep them going. Plus, the higher price point has to help justify the low numbers.

[danman007]

Spectacular Spider-Girl #2 was release today on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, will see print in Amazing Spider-Man Family #6 next week on May 20th.
Here is a preview art:

Spoiler:

YES! I hoped that he'll show up in this arc, can't wait for next week!

[ShadowStar]

Is it cheaper to read Spectacular Spider-Girl using Marvel Digital Comics or by reading it in Amazing Spider-Man Family? If you read it on Marvel Digital Comics, are you able to re-read it again whenever you like? And will each Spectacular Spider-Girl story be 16 pages from now on, as was the case with 'issue 2' in Amazing Spider-Man Family 6?

The new story arc is shaping up well. I'm enjoying some of the current developments, like May roping Darkdevil into the mix, Silverback doing the same with Tombstone where the gang war's concerned, the mystery of what happened to Fury etc.

It's funny how April sort of takes after MJ, coming across as a party girl who's after as much fun and excitement as possible. Despite her callous attitude regarding Gwen Reilly, I don't think she killed her. Of course, there's no telling how long April will be among the main cast for...

I wonder what it was that alarmed Phil Urich and who that person was who got out of Reni's car.

[spidl]

Is it cheaper to read Spectacular Spider-Girl using Marvel Digital Comics or by reading it in Amazing Spider-Man Family? If you read it on Marvel Digital Comics, are you able to re-read it again whenever you like? And will each Spectacular Spider-Girl story be 16 pages from now on, as was the case with 'issue 2' in Amazing Spider-Man Family 6?

Well you would be paying roughly $36 for the family title or you can pay $60 for a year subcription to Marvel Digital. You can read the issue more than once as well as thousands of other titles. I guess there is the possibility they may take it down in the future so if you really want to have the story forever you can by family.

[danman007]

WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS

Spoiler:

Continuing where we left off from the first issue of the Spectacular Spider-Girl, Gwen Reilly is dead.
The two big questions are who was she and who killed her? Mayday questions April but she denies killing her only to have both May and April's spider-sense go off. That prompts them to check the roofs but who or what that cause the tingle is gone.
If that weren't bad enough, the spider tracer left on Gwen's body is now log into evidence and Phil Urich has gotten a quick match on Gwen's prints, saying Peter is going to freak the minute he sees the report.

Mayday, investigating the murder, enlists the help of Darkdevil. She informs him about Gwen Reilly, leading to an nice exhange with Darkdevil telling May that her father doesn't know 'everything'.
Now, from the first issue of SSG, I wanted Darkdevil to get involve because the storyline relates to his father and with the possilibity of Reilly finally coming out of the shadows to reveal himself to the Parker Family that he is Ben Reilly's son.



Now, Mayday, where do we start with you........you have to investigate the murder of a girl who claims to be your Uncle's daughter, you have your possible clone to content with and you forgot to meet up with Wes. It just doesn't get easier for May.
April, again continues to be a breath of fresh air in this series. She obviously takes after MJ, being the party girl who is looking for fun, and she also waltzes off with Wes.
Poor May.



Other developments are the gang war between the Black Tarantula and Silverback. The Tarantula and Arana share a very good scene together with Chesbro leaving a file for BT that hinted of a old villain who appears in the cliffhanger of this issue. His animated incarnation in Spectacular Spider-Man made a big impact in that respective medium and Silverback enlists his services in his war with the Black Tarantula.
The mystery whereabouts of Fury the Goblin Queen continue and we see Rene(Goblin groupie) dropping off a student to Midtown High, so the seeds are planted for a little more high school drama for May.
Overall, 16 pages with alot of developments across the board. Now, how long do we have to wait for issue 3?

[Xurk]

Great reading your comments so far, guys It's really a pity that Spider-Girl doesn't have her own solo book anymore, especially when DeFalco is still able to [seemingly effortlessly] put out stories like the one currently in progress - it's as interesting as it is promising! I love all of the seeds being planted here and there, as knowing DeFalco, they will all play out at the end of the line!

As much as I dislike April's personality, I have to admit her Spider-persona has a cool appearance. The blue shade of costume is easy on the eyes and the black fingertops [with slightly pointy nails / claws] and the large eye-patches [compare them to Mayday's, they're definitely bigger] make for a cool visual!

[danman007]

I haven't chime in with my thoughts on the latest issue of SSG so better late than ever.
I'll keep it brief:



Issue #3 was superb work by Tom D, Ron and Sal with a brutal fight between Mayday and Tombstone. Ouch!
As for Gwen Reilly:

Spoiler:

Gwen's real name is Connie Frederickson aka Connie Osborn......you know there have been a lot of Goblin babies this decade......

Spider-Girl Related News:
Amazing Spider-Man Family #8 will be on sale Wednesday, two weeks after Issue 7 was released.
Spider-Girl fans will get their fix a little early.

http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=29051


Other news Ron Frenz honored:

Artist Ron Frenz was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the ToonSeum at its annual fundraiser on June 5, 2009. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the ToonSeum is a museum whose mission is to celebrate the art of cartooning and to promote a deeper appreciation of the cartoonists and their work through hands-on workshops, community outreach, cartoon-oriented educational programming, and exhibitions or original cartoon art.
A veteran comic book illustrator and storyboard artist for animation, Mr. Frenz is best known for his work on Ka-Zar, Amazing Spider-Man, The Mighty Thor, Thuderstrike, Superman, Avengers Next and He-Man And The Masters of the Universe. He is also currently drawing The Spectacular Spider-Girl and The Black Knight for Marvel Comics. The award was presented by Tom DeFalco, a former editor in chief of Marvel Comics and a frequent collaborator of Mr. Frenz. DeFalco hailed Frenz as “a brilliant co-plotter, an unparalleled visual choreographer, a terrific artist and an all-around nice guy.”

[danman007]

Did Spider-Girl Save The Amazing Spider-Man Family?

I understand from Marvel sources that the addition of Spider-Girl to the bi-monthly Amazing Spider-Man Family has boosted sales enough to save the title from cancellation, and indeed, the title has sold out at distributor level.
Expect Marvel to relaunch the anthology title using the abandoned title Web Of Spider-Man in the near future, including stories about the alternate-future prodigy of Peter Parker and Mary Jane.
Which will make a good print home for all those Marvel digital comics Spider-Girl stories as well.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2009/07/...er-man-family/

[ShadowStar]

Just finished reading my copy of Amazing Spider-Man Family 8... If the title's been saved from cancellation, I wonder when we can expect the relaunch to happen, because Spectacular Spider-Girl 4 had such a nasty cliffhanger.

Spoiler:

I wonder where the creative team is going with the character of April, since this issue marked a big turning point for her. Her true colours stand revealed... The twists in this storyline have left me flummoxed, as I seriously don't know what to believe regarding May's apparent fate. I'm guessing that she's not dead, but I don't think Tombstone's the type to play games and lie about that kind of thing...

Since the storyline with the search for Fury has taken a backseat, and considering the hints that have been dropped during Darkdevil and Kaine's search for answers, I'm guessing that Fury is the one behind the appearance and death of Gwen Reilly.

I can't believe that April's impersonating May again. I just want to know what's going to happen next...

Funny how the solicitation mentioned a conspiracy that concerns May's high school, yet there was nothing on that subject in this issue. I'm still wondering who got out of Rene's car a couple of issues ago, and how that ties into things. Not to mention that the Black Tarantula, Arana and Chesbro haven't been seen for a couple of issues, so there's a lot to conclude. I hope Marvel really are sincere about Spectacular Spider-Girl staying on the printed page, and that we won't have to wait long for the next chapter of the story.

Did anyone else think the art looked strange on certain pages in this issue? It was noticably different on the page covering Kaine and Darkdevil's search, on the page where April reacted violently to learning about May's death, on the page where Tombstone unsuccessfully tried to flee from April, and on the last page of the story.

[Xurk]

Just finished reading my copy of Amazing Spider-Man Family 8... If the title's been saved from cancellation, I wonder when we can expect the relaunch to happen, because Spectacular Spider-Girl 4 had such a nasty cliffhanger.

This caught me by surprise... the "Amazing Spider-Man Family" book isn't being canceled - thanks to Mayday - but Spider-Girl will be leaving it? It makes no sense Or are they just referring to the title being relaunched as "Web of Spider-Man", as danman007 posted above?
In the story itself, the final panel says that the story continues in "Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited" - that's not the same as the digital "Spectacular Spider-Girl" comis, is it? ... I'm so confused

I wonder where the creative team is going with the character of April, since this issue marked a big turning point for her. Her true colours stand revealed... The twists in this storyline have left me flummoxed, as I seriously don't know what to believe regarding May's apparent fate. I'm guessing that she's not dead, but I don't think Tombstone's the type to play games and lie about that kind of thing...

I can't believe that our May would be killed off, so I think she'll show up next issue as she was absent for the whole issue this time around. April is now officially irredeemable... wow, she is baaaad news! I don't think she'll be sticking around much longer, at least not in the role she has at the moment.

Did anyone else think the art looked strange on certain pages in this issue? It was noticably different on the page covering Kaine and Darkdevil's search, on the page where April reacted violently to learning about May's death, on the page where Tombstone unsuccessfully tried to flee from April, and on the last page of the story.

Yes, that was odd! I noticed it too, but didn't really pay much attention to it until you pointed it out and I actually went back and compared pages with each other. The pages are kind of reminiscent of Pat Olliffe's work from the early era of "Spider-Girl", but he doesn't seem to be listed in the credits. It is odd to have a few random pages drawn by someone else though.

Random thought:
I read the Spider-Girl stories through "Amazing Spider-Man Family", and while the name sort of suggests an all-age kind of title, this sure was a dark issue! The first story had a man who was holding desperately to the side of the roof of a building think that Mac Gargan was Spider-Man and pleading for him to save him... but Gargan didn't do anything and well, you can imagine how that ended for the poor guy. Then we have the Spider-Girl story, in which I'm pretty sure that April killed Tombstone and at least severely injured those muggers.

[Xurk]

As I don't subscribe to "Marvel Digital Comics", I don't know if any Spider-Girl stories have been published between the final issue of Amazing Spider-Man Family and now. But what I do know, is that Spider-Girl is back in print as of today, in the new Spider-Man anthology title!

WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #1

(Click to enlarge)



WRITER: Tom DeFalco
COVER BY: Pasqual Ferry
PENCILS: Ronald Frenz & Val Semeiks

THE STORY: Tying into upcoming events in Amazing Spider-Man including WHO IS BEN REILLY? and THE GAUNTLET! Even with all the action jam-packed into every issue of Thrice Monthly Spidey, we STILL don't have enough room to tell the wall-crawler's exploits!

So BEHOLD! The brand-new, state of the art WEB OF SPIDER-MAN! THRILL! To the return of KAINE, the ill-fated Peter Parker Clone - where has he been all these years? Where is he now? And how does it tie into KRAVEN?! Then - MARVEL! At the continuing adventures of May-Day Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Girl! And More! Get caught in the web this October!

Thoughts? What are your comments?

[ShadowStar]

And she's back! I actually read Spectacular Spider-Girl #5 on Marvel Digital Comics the other month (while the whole thing was up there for free for a brief period of time), but I bought Web of Spider-Man #1 yesterday anyway.

I'm not sure why, but part of me suspected that Tombstone really did kill May. Glad that wasn't the case! The Jersey Devil sub-plot seemed a bit random and sudden, but the Black Tarantula confronting Silverback and

Spoiler:

Fury ambushing April

made for neat plot developments. I've only read the first couple of pages of Spectacular Spider-Girl #6 so I'm looking forward to reading Web of Spider-Man #2 and finding out how

Spoiler:

Fury's

return will impact on the story. As long as April doesn't switch sides, I'll be happy. The final issues of Amazing Spider-Girl showcased April as a villain, and I think it's a bit soon to explore that avenue again. Though I would like some closure on who the clone is (April or May) please!

[Xurk]

Mayday's newest story has been published in print! So either go out and get it now or, if you subscribe to Marvel Digital Comics and have already read it, let us know what you thought of the story!

WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #2

(Click to enlarge)



WRITER: Tom DeFalco (Spider-Girl)
PENCILS: Ronald Frenz (Spider-Girl)

THE STORY: As the first wave of the Gauntlet jolts Spidey's life in the form of Electro, we'll take a look back at how Max Dillon became the voltage virtuoso known as Electro as Fred Van Lente and Barry Kitson bring you his side of the origin story!

Over in Spider-Girl, May-Day continues her war with the Jersey Devil, while her clone April comes face to face with the remaining members of the cult of the Goblin! Finally, what's a day in the life like for Mayor J. Jonah Jameson? Tom Peyer has the answers - so come for a swing on the web this November!

Thoughts? What are your comments?

[Dogbert]

I'm getting more than a little irritated by how often these releases are getting delayed. Seems like every month the release containing Spider-Girl sees a 1 or 2 week delay. I know it's not because of Spectacular Spider-Girl, as those are printed a couple months in advance online, so they're ready to go. Add that on to the long delay between ASMF and WoSM, and it makes it hard for a SG fan to follow the releases.

At least the story continues to be top notch...

[Xurk]

Can anyone tell me how far ahead the digital version of "Spectacular Spider-Girl" is compared to the printed version in "Web of Spider-Man"? I have yet to read her story in WoSM #2 yet [I'll be getting around to it today or tomorrow] as it took forever to get my hands on. But a week or two ago I read a SSG story online but I think it took place after the one in WoSM #2, as it felt like I had missed some things.

Anyhow, there's another Mayday story in the latest issue of Web of Spider-Man!

WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #3

(Click to enlarge)



WRITER: Tom DeFalco (Spider-Girl)
PENCILS: Ronald Frenz (Spider-Girl)

THE STORY: His name is The Rhino, and when his will is set, there's no one he can't run through to get the job done. If Spidey manages to survive the first wave of the Gauntlet, he won't want to as The Rhino stands ready for him next.

Webhead Wonder Fred Van Lente and Super-Spider-Star Barry Kitson bring you The Rhino's history through the Rhino's own eyes as he gears up for the dropdown-all-out slugfest of the year in next month's Amazing Spider-Man!

Over, in the pages of the Spectacular Spider-Girl, May Parker stands against the cult of the Goblin, while April Reilly will find herself allied with the last person you'd expect. And finally, a look at the honeymoon that has swept the globe catches us up with Aunt May and her new husband, J. Jonah Jameson Sr.!

Thoughts? What are your comments?

[Dogbert]

Can anyone tell me how far ahead the digital version of "Spectacular Spider-Girl" is compared to the printed version in "Web of Spider-Man"?

They've had SSG #8 posted online for awhile now (not sure of the exact timeframe), and this week's release of WoSM #3 contains SSG #7. So, digital versions are at least six weeks ahead of WoSM.