It’s been the better part of two decades since Marvel relaunched the Spider-Man franchise with 2008’s The Amazing Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Brand New Day was the subject of no small amount of controversy back then. It undid the effects of the Civil War and Back in Black storylines, restoring Spider-Man’s secret identity at the cost of his marriage, ultimately resulting in a status quo where Spidey was back to being a struggling bachelor with an endless string of bad luck. Depending on who you ask, it was either a great jumping-on point for the franchise or the worst thing to ever happen to Spider-Man.
With time, however, passions have cooled, and a great many Marvel fans look back on the Brand New Day era with fondness. It’s certainly proven influential. Insomniac’s Spider-Man games draw heavily from that era, and there’s even a movie hitting theaters called Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Marvel is now looking to capitalize on that growing nostalgia by commissioning a new series called The Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and they’re bringing back one of the architects of the original storyline.
IGN recently had a chance to chat with writer Dan Slott about the new series and how it tells a lost story from Peter’s Brand New Day era. Check out the slideshow gallery below to see a new preview of the first issue, and then read on to learn more about the series:
The Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day #1 Preview Gallery
Slott is hardly a stranger to writing Peter Parker at this point. His contributions to Brand New Day led to him becoming the full-time writer of The Amazing Spider-Man from 2012-2018, where he orchestrated everything from the original Spider-Verse crossover to Doctor Octopus hijacking Spidey’s body and becoming the Superior Spider-Man. Even having written hundreds of Spider-Man stories, Slott is still eager for more.
“I always want to tell Spider-Man stories,” Slott tells IGN. “Even after I left Amazing Spider-Man, I couldn’t stop telling Spider-Man stories. He was forever popping into whatever I was doing whether it was Fantastic Four or Spider-Boy. He’s my favorite character in all of fiction. So, yeah, any chance to strap on the web-shooters again.”
But why revisit Brand New Day specifically? Is there still untapped potential to explore in that era? Slott reveals that he has one big advantage now that he and his collaborators didn’t have at the time.
“As for the Brand New Day era, there are TONS of stories to tell in that zone,” Slott says. “Mainly stories with Spidey playing around with the rest of the Marvel Universe back then. When we were working on the original Brand New Day issues, we were coming out 3 issues a month. Sometimes MORE. For scheduling purposes, that meant that we had storylines mapped out so far into the future that it was way too hard for us to coordinate interacting with any other character in the Marvel Universe. But now? We know EXACTLY where everyone is on the board and that means we’re free and clear for Spidey have adventures with (or against) them!”
Art by Marcus To. (Image Credit: Marvel)
One such Marvel character playing a key role in the new series is Punisher. That’s the most obvious point of synergy between Slott’s book and the upcoming Brand New Day movie. Frank Castle is drawn into Spidey’s world after a dangerous new artifact emerges from Kingpin’s vault. Does that make the two allies or enemies? Slott is keeping mum on that front, teasing only, “Very much enjoying how Peter and Frank play off each other in this!”
The artifact in question is known as the Lexicon of Crime. Slott teases that this object ties back to a long history of Spider-Man dealing with the strange and mysterious in his tussles with New York’s criminal underworld.
“Even in the grounded ‘Gang War’ type stories of Spider-Man’s past, there have been some strange, magical artifacts kicking around,” Slott says. “Like Silvermane’s hunt for the Lemurian Tablet. A new Magical Artifact, The Lexicon of Crime will emerge from Spidey’s conflict with the Kingpin. And while it may appear to be a common book… there’s more to the Lexicon than you’d think.”
Brand New Day sees Slott collaborating with Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings artist Marcus To as well as previous BND artist Marcos Martin. Slott has high praise for both artists, teasing, “Marcus is going to blow everyone away! There’s a scene in issue #2 that is one of the most gorgeous Spider-Man shots I’ve seen in ages! (You’ll know it when you see it).”
Slott confirms that one of the primary goals with The Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day is to give readers an accessible entry point into the Marvel Universe. Even though the book is set in the past, it’s a past that was itself designed to be a clean gateway into the Spider-Man line.
“This book is incredibly new reader friendly,” Slott promises. “Even though this opening arc is set in the past, any first time reader can jump right on in and everything will be crystal clear.”
But will this story stay confined to the past, or will its effects ripple out into Spidey’s present day? Slott reveals that he has a finite story in mind when it comes to this return to the Brand New Day era, and it sure sounds like the plan is to pivot to the present and relaunch the series simply as “The Spectacular Spider-Man” down the road.
“By the end of this, the book jumps to the present….” Slott says. “And if we can keep up that momentum…. maybe there’ll be a new Spectacular Spider-Man title. Here! In the present!”
The Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day #1 hits stores on May 13, just a couple months ahead of the theatrical release of the Brand New Day movie. You can preorder a copy at your local comic shop.
For more on Brand New Day, check out IGN’s full breakdown of the first trailer and see why fans think some characters are being obscured in this footage.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.