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."
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.
