Spider-Boy has strange origins as a human-spider hybrid created by the sinister Madame Monstrosity, and now his hidden monstrous nature seems to be catching up to him in February's Spider-Boy #4 from writer Dan Slott and artists Paco Medina and Ty Templeton, which guest stars Miles Morales as seen on the just revealed cover of the issue by artist Humberto Ramos, seen below.
Spider-Boy #4 hinges on the new nickname given to Bailey Briggs/Spider-Boy, which is, somewhat tragically, "Boy-Spider." That moniker calls to mind the story of Man-Spider, a classic arc from the '90s Spider-Man: The Animated Series in which Peter Parker is mutated into a mostly spider-y monster hybrid.
The Boy-Spider situation will also rope in another young spider-hero, Miles Morales (who is also about to star in a new team-up ongoing series with his fellow Spider-Man, Peter Parker), who will do his best to round up Spider-Boy and get to the bottom of his plight.
"We've seen Spider-Boy 'monster out' before...but who’s to say that’s not his true form? Maybe he’s more spider than boy and it’s 'Bailey Briggs' that's really his disguise?" reads Marvel's official solicitation text for Spider-Boy #4. "Join special guest star Miles Morales as he tracks down the terror that everyone’s now calling...the Boy-Spider!"
Spider-Boy has slightly different powers from Spider-Man, including a kind of inverted Spider-Sense that gives him insight into other peoples' fates. He also doesn't shoot webs, but he does have a special venom bite thanks to his hybrid human/spider nature.
Spider-Boy #4 goes on sale February 14.
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