If you're still basking in the afterglow of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and are hungry for more from the MCU's resident webslinger, a new behind-the-scenes artbook drops today with early concepts, sketches, and designs showing how the movie's story developed from start to finish.
Considering how many characters are included in the runtime (ranging from expected cameos to genuine surprises), and how much the story changed over time, there's a lot to discover in here; it's apparently full of early designs and story ideas, not to mention alternate costumes from the beginning of development. While it doesn't include everything from the film (this book apparently doesn't include art for that mystery character, presumably to preserve the surprise in case of leaks), it's available for a few dollars less than normal via Amazon. That makes now a good time to grab it if you want it for your coffee table or are hunting down a gift for fellow Spidey fans.
Yes, it's a shame that the book omits a certain character who I'm sure you all know about by now. According to this reddit thread of someone who's been hands on with the tome, it sidesteps both them and the finale. That's disappointing, and there's no sugar-coating the fact. But I guess it's a casualty of the secrecy surrounding Brand New Day's major addition, and it looks as though there's plenty else to enjoy here.
Personally speaking, I adore coffee table art books like this and own quite a few from my favorite movies. I'm particularly keen on Star Wars ones because early development includes some truly wild alternatives, and Marvel versions are similar. They're usually a goldmine for fans because character designs and/or costumes can change so drastically over the course of production. Besides providing a cool "what if," it gives some fascinating insight into how things started and how this transformed into the movie we eventually got.
It's not the only Spidey-related product on offer right now, of course. The seminal comic run of the same name is also up for grabs at a discount, bringing it down to just $9.31 at Amazon. (Just don't expect the same story beats; even though it shares a title, this is a very different – though excellent – plot involving a lot of characters who don't make it into the movie.) And if you'd rather swot up on all things Spider-Man, this encyclopedia called 'Spider-Man Total Universe' details the character's history from inception to modern day and is $20 less at Amazon right now.
For more cool collectibles, don't miss the best Lego sets – these are some of the best around. That list is about to get longer, because leaks suggest a Lego Batman Returns Batmobile is on the way.
- See all Spider-Man: Brand New Day merch at Amazon
