Spider-Man hits the Big Time

 

Three years ago, Marvel shook things up in a major way for Spider-Man. The Brand New Day story line totally reset the series, returning Peter Parker to the free-wheelin' bachelor he started as, and moving the character away from the doom and gloom that had followed him the years before (Aunt May on her death bed, a rocky marriage to Mary Jane, his secret ID exposed, etc.).

In my opinion, BND was a cheap (but effective) gimmick that allowed Marvel to destroy Parker's world without having to think too hard about mapping out the reprecussions. I didn't like the idea of a reset, and what made matters worse was the horrible writing that started BND off. But over time, the writing improved dramatically and, while I never fully warmed to the new "reset" Spideyverse, I got used to it.

And now, just when when the BND-era is hitting its stride, Marvel is pulling the plug on it. Amazing Spider-Man #648 will not only introduce the "Big Time" story line, but it will also move the book to "twice a month" and increase the page count (30 pages instead of 22) and the cover price (to $3.99).

What changes are in store for our favorite wall-crawler? These images give us a clue:

 

For some semi-spoilery insight into the Big Time story arc, check out IGN.com's interview with writer Dan Slott and editor Steve Wacker. Also of interest - the creators reflect on Brand New Day.

Comments

[Dennis B]

If you haven't seen it yet, check out the Thor footage from Comic Con: http://www.megavideo.com/?v=XKBC5EOU

Holy crap!!! Verily I have messed mine yonder shortpants!!

[Dennis B.]

Someone took that link down, but there's another that's up if you want to download the footage:

http://hotfile.com/dl/58306546/8c0a4e9/Thor_teaser_trailer_released_%28