| Spider-Man's Tangled Web | |
|---|---|
 Cover toSpider-Man's Tangled Web #1 (June 2001). Art byGlenn Fabry. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing |
| Publication date | June 2001 - March 2003 |
| No. of issues | 22 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | various |
| Artist | various |
Spider-Man's Tangled Web was an Americansuperherocomic book series starringSpider-Man and his supporting cast published byMarvel Comics for 22 issues from June 2001 to March 2003. The title was ananthology series, where various creative teams not usually associated with Spider-Man could display their take on the character.
The series was devised byJoe Quesada andAxel Alonso shortly after they became Marvel Comics' editor-in-chief and senior editor respectively.[1] Creators for the series were directed to focus more on the characters connected toSpider-Man rather than focusing on the character himself.[2][3] A similar approach had previously been tried withWebspinners: Tales of Spider-Man in 1999–2000. However, Alonso's contacts from his work withDC Comics and theirVertigo imprint attracted a number of acclaimed creators to the series, includingDarwyn Cooke,Garth Ennis,Duncan Fegredo,Jim Mahfood,Ted McKeever,Peter Milligan,Paul Pope andGreg Rucka.[1][4][5] While the series was nominally set in theMarvel Universe, the creative teams were given considerably leeway in terms of how strongly they adhered to continuity.[6]
The series' title was initially styled asTangled Web for the first four issues, with Spider-Man's name not featured on the cover. From #5 it was changed toSpider-Man's Tangled Web.[1] Issue #1 was the subject of arecall due to the incorrect paper stock being used for the cover. A second print run was ordered with the correct paper stock, thus making a collector's item of the rarer first print.[7]
Sales on the series lagged behind the other Spider-Man titles throughout its run,[8] and it was finally cancelled in 2003 to make way for the newThe Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 2 comic byPaul Jenkins andHumberto Ramos.[9]
| # | Title | Material collected | Format | Pages | Released | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spider-Man's Tangled Web Vol. 1 | Tangled Web: The Thousand #1-4;Spider-Man's Tangled Web #5-6 | TPB | 144 | 19 Nov 2001 | 978-0785108030 |
| 2 | Spider-Man's Tangled Web Vol. 2 | Spider-Man's Tangled Web #7-11 | TPB | 128 | 15 Apr 2002 | 978-0785108740 |
| 3 | Spider-Man's Tangled Web Vol. 3 | Spider-Man's Tangled Web #12-17 | TPB | 160 | 28 Oct 2002 | 978-0785109518 |
| 4 | Spider-Man's Tangled Web Vol. 4 | Spider-Man's Tangled Web #18-22;Peter Parker: Spider-Man #42-43 | TPB | 176 | 31 Mar 2003 | 978-0785110644 |
| Spider-Man's Tangled Web Omnibus | Tangled Web: The Thousand #1-4;Spider-Man's Tangled Web #5-22 | Omnibus | 560 | 27 Jun 2017 | 978-1302906825 |
In an overall series review before #20,Wizard ratedSpider-Man's Tangled Web as 'B-', noting the format was "both the strength and weakness" of the title.[5] Screen Rant considered it a title that was cancelled too early.[13]
Wizard listed "Severance Package" as one of their 'Top 10 Books of the Last Decade'.[5] "Severance Package" was named as one of the '10 Best Spider-Man & Kingpin Comics' byComic Book Resources.[14]Wizard also described "I was a Teenage Frogman" as "tepid".[5]
"'Twas the Fight Before Christmas" was listed inScreen Rant's '10 Marvel Comics That Could Inspire Another MCU Holiday Special'[15][16]
"Flowers for Rhino" was one of the most acclaimed stories from the series;Screen Rant named it among the '10 Best Comic Issues Of The 2000s' featuring Spider-Man;[17] it was listed at 49th onComic Book Resources' '50 Greatest Spider-Man Stories Master List'.[18] and was named as one of the '10 Weirdest Spider-Man Comics' byTilt Magazine, writer David Gelmini describing it as "an enjoyably offbeat insight into the psyche of the most imbecilic member of the Sinister Six".[19]Comic Book Resources would also list it as a fine example of a villain-centric Spider-Man story.[20]
