SPIDER-WOMAN: DOES WHATEVER A SPIDER-MAN CAN (AND MORE!)

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Cosmic KC by Stuart Immonen

a KC Column by KC Carlson

Annnd, best off the bat, I have to stop as well as discuss which (of several) Spider-Women I’m speaking about, because: contemporary comics. (Ack. Fooey.) It’s the outstanding Jessica Drew we’re celebrating right here today, who just just recently provided birth to a healthy infant boy, as well as instantly later on kicked a score of dastardly goons as well as creepizoid butts on sheer adrenaline alone. There are a few other Spider-Women in the marvel world (including one who utilized to be a Spider-Girl), however we’ll get to them later in the column. Or perhaps the next one. For now, let’s concentrate on the life (lives?) as well as profession of Jessica Drew, star of the present Spider-Woman comic.

The many recent Spider-Woman #1

Drew was the very first lady to be provided the Spider-Woman name, however she would not be the last. Currently, she’s the star of the series by writer Dennis Hopeless as well as artist Javier Rodriguez. They have brought much-needed stability to the character/series, in addition to fantastic action as well as incredible character building. This is groundbreaking stuff — thoughtfully told, emotionally as well as powerfully moving, as well as yet still an action-packed excitement trip of a comic book.

Spider-Woman Vol. 2: new Duds

The present innovative team really got their begin in problem #5 of the previous volume of Spider-Woman (which was volume 5, according to the data geeks). The very first four problems of that run were written by Hopeless, drawn by Greg Land, as well as were a part of that year’s Spider-Verse event. Those four problems are quite impossible to checked out on their own since they are Chapters 5, 11, 17, as well as a wrap-up problem to Spider-Verse. They’re likewise quite ignorable if you just want to begin reading about Jessica. The collection you ought to be searching for is called Spider-Woman volume 2: “New Duds!”, as well as it reprints problems #5-10.

After problem #10, the Spider-Woman series was interrupted/halted (like whatever else in the marvel Universe) by the 2015 trick Wars event. The restarted series (volume 6) debuts with a spectacular very first issue. As shown on the cover, Jessica is extremely pregnant, as well as she’s keeping the dad a mystery. She provides birth to a healthy infant young boy in problem #4 while trapped on a satellite — as well as instantly after the birth, kicks a great deal of Skrull butt. Jess is going to be one incredible mom.

THE method everything BEGAN…

The Jessica Drew Spider-Woman wasn’t always cool. Her behind-the-scenes real-life development was extremely cynical. Back around 1976, marvel needed to rapidly produce a Spider-Woman character to avoid Filmation Animation Studios from taking the trademark for a new TV cartoon. Stan Lee personally asked then-Marvel-editor-in-chief Archie Goodwin to assist come up with a one-shot character before Filmation could. According to Marv Wolfman in his introduction to the Spider-Woman marvel Masterworks volume 1, “Stan’s one proviso was that Spider-Woman ought to have nothing in typical with Spider-Man.”

Marvel spotlight #32

Spider-Woman’s origin story in marvel spotlight #32 was only meant as a one-shot to establish Marvel’s trademark insurance claim to the name. But, since of the professionalism of her creators (Archie Goodwin, very first artist Sal Buscema, as well as character designer Marie Severin) as well as their solid storytelling, it was a much much better story than what was to be expected from its dubious genesis. It IS, however, sorrily lacking numerous conventional origin details (like the genuine name of the primary character). much of what was provided there was practically instantly dropped or rewritten in subsequent stories. (Did you know, for instance, that she was originally not human however an developed spider?)

Despite all this, it apparently offered like crazy, possibly since the previous problem of marvel spotlight (#31) was the then-awesome (and still classic) “Infinity Formula” story by Jim Starlin as well as Howard Chaykin that re-defined Nick Fury (as well as explained why WWII vet Fury was still a extremely important guy at the age of 60/70 years old). Spider-Woman’s marvel spotlight #32 origin likewise includes shield as well as Nick Fury, as well as he extremely prominently shares the cover of that problem with Spider-Woman.

After the sales success of the Spider-Woman origin in marvel spotlight #32, marvel began to prepare an continuous series for the character. Goodwin was far as well hectic as editor-in-chief to script an continuous monthly, so Marv Wolfman was asked to do it. He agreed however realized (along with Goodwin as well as Lee) that modifications to the character would requirement to occur for Spider-Woman to be viable as an continuous starring character. The very first was to decrease the concept of Spider-Woman being an developed spider in favor of making her human. other story issues might be resolved by taking the tack that Spider-Woman “simply hadn’t been told all the story,” according to Wolfman.

Spider-Woman #1

Wolfman likewise carefully pushed to have the new Spider-Woman character slowly relieved into the the marvel world rather than begin best out with a new very first issue. Spider-Woman’s next few adventures would appear in the Wolfman-written marvel Two-in-One #29-33 (guest starring Shang Chi, unnoticeable Girl, Modred the Mystic, as well as Nick Fury) in 1976-77. Spider-Woman #1 debuted in 1978, drawn by Carmine Infantino. Wolfman likewise lastly provided her a genuine name in that problem — Jessica Drew — “obviously a nod to Nancy Drew, contemporary fiction’s very first genuine strong woman hero/detective…. Jessica was suggested by the other marvel editors. That was the name my then spouse as well as I had provided our recently born daughter, as well as I didn’t want anybody to believe I was pushing it, however they all persuaded me it wouldn’t be a problem. So her name was now Jessica Drew,” Wolfman recalled.

Wolfman likewise produced a string of unforgettable adversaries for the series, including Morgan Le Fay (based on the character from the Arthurian legends), sibling Grimm, as well as The Hangman. The early problems were extremely horror-oriented (Werewolf by night likewise appeared). The Spider-Man villain the Black feline was originally established by Wolfman to appear in Spider-Woman, however when he was asked to compose outstanding Spider-Man, Marv took her with him when he left Spider-Woman with problem #8.

Spider-Woman #35

Future writers on the series included mark Gruenwald (continuing the run of bizarre, practically Dick Tracy-like villains) as well as a short however unforgettable run by Chris Claremont as well as Steve Leialoha, which assisted the character by associating her much more carefully with the X-Men as well as other Claremont characters. A run of “out there” stories by Michael Fleisher didn’t assist the book much, though, as well as by the time that Ann Nocenti got a fracture at the series, it seemed like its fate had already been sealed. problem #50 was the last in this very first run, the longest Spider-Woman run to date.

Jessica was much more or less killed off in that final problem in 1983. In 1984, she was restored to life in the pages of The Avengers #240-241 by Roger Stern as well as mark Gruenwald. Gruenwald was the editor of Spider-Woman #50, however he felt poor about it later as well as requested that Stern revive her in The Avengers.

MORE SPIDER-WOMEN, however different ONES

Later in 1984, Jim Shooter introduced a new Spider-Woman character named Julia Carpenter in the pages of marvel very Heroes trick Wars, as well as for the next few years, Jessica Drew slipped into marvel publishing limbo, except for a handful of minor appearances right here as well as there.

Spider-Woman #1 starring the Julia Carpenter version of the character

Subsequent Spider-Woman series had restricted runs, as well as at least two of them didn’t even star Jessica Drew. volume two starred the Julia Carpenter version of the character in a mostly forgettable four-issue miniseries, as well as volume three starred teenager Mattie Franklin as a new Spider-Woman… at least long sufficient for Charlotte Witter (granddaughter of psychic Madame Web) to take the three previous Spider-Women’s powers — making her the fourth Spider-Woman. Madame Web, Drew, as well as Carpenter all acted as advisors to Franklin in an attempt to reclaim the stolen powers, which was successful, except that Franklin ended up with all the powers, as well as the others stayed powerless.

The gang’s all here! This cover to 1999’s Spider-Woman #1 features all the versions of Spider-Woman to that point.

This Spider-Woman series was written by John Byrne with art by Bart Sears. Franklin was later connected with the short-lived teen teams the Slingers as well as the Loners, ultimately moving to LA. She likewise appeared in Alias, as well as later, she was killed by Sasha Kravinoff in the “Grim Hunter” Spider-Man storyline featuring the prolonged household of Kraven the Hunter. Jessica Drew as well as Julia Carpenter both ultimately regained their spider-powers off camera.

Jessica Drew was ultimately revived by Brian Michael Bendis in a 2003 story arc in Alias, beginning a decade in which he composed many of her adventures. These included the Spider-Woman volume 4 seven-issue series in 2009, in addition to a five-part 2005 Spider-Woman origin miniseries which reorganized as well as redefined numerous of the much more confusing aspects of her origin as well as family. however first, likewise in 2005, Bendis put her in the new Avengers as well as really organized to have Frank Cho draw her there (for at least awhile).

OR DID HE?…

Secret invasion #6 Variant Cover by Frank Cho

In 2009, we found that during the trick invasion storyline/event, except for some flashback scenes, every Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman appearance in new Avengers was really that of an Skrull imposter. Bendis had set this up four years previously in new Avengers #1. complying with trick Invasion, her real, non-Skrull self continued to appear in the 34-issue relaunched Avengers (2010-2013) series, in addition to that 2009 seven-issue miniseries. As drawn by artist Alex Maleev, in that story, she went to work for S.W.O.R.D. She is likewise a routine character in the 2014 trick Avengers series.

Which brings us full circle to Spider-Verse as well as the incredible new 2015 (and 2016) Spider lady series (volumes 5 & 6) by Dennis Hopeless as well as artist Javier Rodriguez discussed at the top of this column. I hope they have a extremely long as well as successful run, as I’m looking ahead to numerous much more well-crafted stories by these creators.

More fun Spider-Women facts/trivia tomorrow…

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KC CARLSON SEZ: I haven’t got the patience best now to completely outline the total history of the Julia Carpenter Spider-Woman other than to state that the large majority of her appearances were in group titles or as a supporting character in other characters’ books. It is fascinating to note that she is the second Spider-Woman, the second Arachne, as well as the second Madame Web. That’s got to be type of ego-crushing….

WESTFIELD COMICS is not accountable for the dumb things that KC says. particularly that thing that truly irritated you.

Sources:

“Marvel’s Dark Angel” by Dan Johnson, Back problem #17 August 2006.

“Introduction” by Marv Wolfman, marvel Masterworks: Spider-Woman Vol. 1.

Various problems of the official Handbook of the marvel world as well as the comics themselves.

Classic covers from the Grand Comics Database.