A nearly-forgotten unpublished Spider-Man comic has found its way online

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way #1 excerpt (Image credit: Scott Koblish (Marvel Comics))

A nearly-forgotten Spider-Man comic that has been in limbo for nearly two years has snuck out and as a digital-first release. The four-issue series How to Read Comics the Marvel Way landed on both comiXology and the Marvel Unlimited reading service in late November and early December without much fanfare - or any Marvel publicity/marketing.

How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way #1 cover (Image credit: David Nakayama (Marvel Comics))

"Comic storytelling is a language that we habitual comic readers take for granted," writer Christopher Hastings said in early 2020 of the Scott Koblish-drawn series was originally announced. "How to Read Comics the Marvel Way breaks down that language in a way that invites in younger or newer readers, and gives the more experienced of us a look at the hidden machinery in and out of the panels."

Originally planned to debut April 15, 2020, How to Read Comics the Marvel Way was shelved indefinitely when the initial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic led to an industry-wide pause on comics distribution. But after a few weeks, Marvel and other publishers began to get back on track - and in the year since, have pretty much gone back to business as usual.

Except for a few series (including How to Read Comics the Marvel Way) which made our 'Marvel Missing in Action' list.

How to Read Comics the Marvel Way #1 - #4 is available now on comiXology and Marvel Unlimited. A print collection of How to Read Comics the Marvel Way is scheduled for September 6, 2022.

Once you know how to read comics the Marvel way, make sure you've read the best Marvel stories of all time.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)