Amazing Spider-Man gets creative team turnover in September

Amazing Spider-Man #74
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Nick Spencer will conclude his long run as the writer of Amazing Spider-Man this September in Amazing Spider-Man #74, in what Marvel Comics is calling the "milestone" 875th issue of the series.

"Since taking over the title, the acclaimed writer has crafted a Spider-Man saga for the ages, taking not only Peter Parker but his beloved supporting cast and iconic rogues gallery on radical new journeys," reads Marvel's announcement. 

Amazing Spider-Man #74 will be 80 pages and will be drawn by some of the artists who've worked with Spencer on his three-year run, including Patrick Gleason, Mark Bagley, and Marcelo Ferreira. 

Amazing Spider-Man #74 will be both an ending and a beginning according to Marvel, culminating Spencer's run with the character while also setting up for his successors with "surprising developments that will launch Peter Parker into his next high-flying era."

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Spencer's appreciation for Spider-Man seems especially large, with Marvel's longtime Spider-Man group editor Nick Lowe expressing that "He may be the biggest Spidey fan ever as evidenced from the fact that he read every Spider-Man comic in preparation for his landmark run."

That's not just the best Spider-Man stories, but ALL of them - even assumedly the more esoteric ones like the Hostess Fruit Pie ads, the Spider-Man manga, and that unusual Mexican Spider-Man alt-universe series which ran in the '70s.

Although Nick Spencer's three-year run on Amazing Spider-Man will be measured as issues #1 through #74, it would also include the kick-off - 2018's FCBD Special - as well as the voluminous annuals, tie-ins, .1 issues, and more - which would be well over a 100 issues if counted up.

This finale isn't until September, with loads of issues from next week's Amazing Spider-Man #69 as part of the 'Chameleon Conspiracy' arc, the upcoming 'Sinister War' arc (and the tie-in limited series, also by Spencer), and then onto the Amazing Spider-Man #74 finale, which will be called 'What Cost Victory.'

Marvel's decision to frame Amazing Spider-Man #74 as the title's "milestone" 875th might sound off, but it's an example of what's commonly called 'legacy math' - counting the number of issues of a title between relaunches, new #1s, and new volumes. That Marvel is making a point of it with the 875th issue can be seen as an indication they intend to celebrate every 25th issue as a sort of 'milestone' - up to #1000 in a decade or so, and beyond.

Perhaps to help prepare for this 80-page finale, Ed Brisson recently joined Spencer as co-writer with June 9's Amazing Spider-Man #68. It's unclear how many issues Brisson will be working with Spencer on, but he's not listed as involved with Amazing Spider-Man #74.

Amazing Spider-Man #74 goes on sale on September 22 and will feature a cover by Patrick Gleason seen here and likely many to-be-announced variant covers. Marvel is promising more news about the "next era" of Spider-Man next week, likely meaning the identity of the new writer and/or whole creative team. 

Newsarama will add Amazing Spider-Man #74 to our list of all the new Spider-Man comics, graphic novels, collections from Marvel arriving in 2021 and beyond.

Chris Arrant

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)