Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow expands after What If? revival's early success

News
By published

The revival (and expansion) of the What If? line is apparently a success

Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow
(Image credit: Pasqual Ferry/Matt Hollingsworth/Joe Caramagna (Marvel Comics))

Marvel's experiment to expand its trademark alt-history 'What If?' stories from one-shots to limited series appears to be a success.

(Image credit: Phil Noto (Marvel Comics))

Chip Zdarsky and Pasqual Ferry's Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow limited series has been given an extra issue, going from four to five issues in length. This comes 12 days after the Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow #1 went on sale - an issue which sold out, with a second printing scheduled for late May.

The concept of Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow is pretty simple, but with massive storytelling implicates: what if Peter Parker wasn't able to resist the dark turn the Venom symbiote was trying to take him on? Instead of kicking it to the curb where it finally obtained its finalized Venom form with the more corruptible Eddie Brock, in Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow Peter Parker is unable to fight it off and succumbs to the dark power of the Venom symbiote - despite his responsibilities.

(Image credit: Phil Noto (Marvel Comics))

"Spider-Man's vicious new approach to crime has every villain on high alert! No one is safe as Peter succumbs further to his new dark powers," reads Marvel's description of Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow #2. "Wilson Fisk wants to put an end to this deadly new Spidey once and for all, but who is really the one coordinating this takedown attempt? And with Peter haunted more by his past each day, will someone be able to save him from his own mind?"

This is the first in a planned line of What If? Limited series, reviving (and expanding) the concept ahead of the animated What If? Show coming to Disney Plus.

Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow #2 (of 5) goes on sale May 12, with a collection of all five Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow issues already scheduled for October 12.

Keep track of this and ALL the new Spider-Man comics, graphic novels, and collections in 2021 and beyond.

Chris Arrant
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)