The Spider-Verse’s Most Underrated Wall-Crawler is Back in the Spotlight

Sony Pictures Releasing / Marvel Entertainment / Courtesy Everett Collection

Published 4 hours ago

John Dodge is an MTV Writer for CBR who specializes in movies, television, comics, and pop culture. He has a deep knowledge of franchises likeMighty Morphin Power Rangers,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,Marvel, andDC Comics, along with a passion for indie and horror titles. An expert on obscure productions from the ’80s and ’90s, John is known for his encyclopedic recall of cult classics likeBeetleborgs.

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The following contains major spoilers forSpider-Man Noir#1, on sale now from Marvel Comics.

The Spider-Verse's greatest detective is officially taking center stage in his brand-new solo series.

Spider-Man Noir#1 (by Erik Larsen, Andrea Broccardo, Rachelle Rosenberg, and VC's Joe Sabino) wastes no time getting into the action, as the opening page finds the titular hero already deep in the middle of a blazing gunfight. Of course, bringing firepower to what could have been a fistfight isn't exactly this Spider-Man's first choice, and he even offers his opponents the chance to duke it out with their fists alone. Unsurprisingly, the villains of the Scorpion Gang have no interest in giving the hero any extra edge, especially not when he already has them outnumbered at one-against-ten.

Spider-Man Noir#1

Written by ERIK LARSEN
Art by ANDREA BROCCARDO
Colors by RACHELLE ROSENBERG
Letters by VC's JOE SABINO
Main cover art by SIMONE DI MEO
Variant covers by DAVID MACK; ERIK LARSEN & DEAN WHITE; JEROME OPEÑA; and ANDREA SORRENTINO

First seen in the pages of 2008'sSpider-Man: Noir#1 by David Hine, Fabrine Sapolsky, and Carmine Di Giandomenico,the Peter Parker of Earth-90214 lived a life not all that unlike the version of the character fans know best, save for the fact that he grew up during the Great Depression. Following the murder of his uncle, Ben Parker, Peter set out to claim whatever justice he could on his own. During a night when Peter tried to keep tabs on the gang led by Norman Osborn, aka the Goblin, the budding hero was bitten by a spider released from an ancient artifact, which imbued him with all the incredible powers afforded by the Spider-God, Erishkagal.

In the years since the character's debut, Spider-Man Noir became a fast favorite among fans. Apart from his own original series, the character has appeared in a variety of different comic books, includingSpider-Verse vs. Venomverse, not to mention multiple other pieces of tie-in media ranging from video games to Infinity Comics to the animated filmSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseand its sequel,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, with Hollywood icon Nicolas Cage voicing the character in both. Currently, Cage is expected to return to the role forSpider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verseas well asthe upcomingSpider-Noirtelevision series set to debut sometime next year.

The official solicit synopsis forSpider-Man Noir#1 from Marvel Comics reads, "Brush up on the coolest Spider-Man before he hits the small screen! Spidey legend ERIK LARSEN puts on his writing hat to reinvent this Spider-Man like he did the original with rising-star artist ANDREA BROCCARDO. It's the 1930s and Peter Parker is a private detective by day, vigilante Spider-Man by night. Things were going well until a certain dame walked into his office to ask Peter to solve the case of her father's murder. The dame's name? GWEN STACY! This case may not only break George Stacy's police department, but Spider-Man himself!"

Spider-Man Noir#1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.