JUST WHO IS THIS WEIRD FIGURE swinging through the shadows of a city skyline? There's no hint of a face and the eyes are blank, almost alien in shape. Wait - are those actual cobwebs clinging to his armpits?
He's a hero, right? Only a hero gets their own comic book cover. But this is the final issue of an anthology title, so all bets are off. And previous covers have showcased such existential threats as the Living Statues and The Terror of Tim Boo Ba while asking the eternally pressing question "Do Sinister Creatures Walk Among Us... In Human Form?"
If he is a hero, shouldn't he be clutching a swooning damsel, not some craggy average Joe who's clearly not enjoying the ride? "Though the world may mock Peter Parker, the timid teenager... it will soon marvel at the awesome might of Spider-Man!" declares the masked oddity. Consider the cadence of those speech balloons. These are the vain, planet-threatening boasts of a supervillain, surely?
No wonder that average Joe looks terrified. He's just been told this freak's secret identity, which makes him a liability. How long before he succumbs to the venomous fangs of the malevolent man-spider?
If first impressions count for anything it's a miracle this character became one of the biggest pop-culture icons on Earth. But that's how the world met Spider-Man, on the cover of August 1962's Amazing Fantasy 15.
This story is from the October 2022 edition of SFX UK.
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This story is from the October 2022 edition of SFX UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Making Alien - Jaws in Space - Forty-five years on from its original release, Alien continues to terrify. We dissect what arguably remains the most chilling instalment in the saga
The seven-strong crew of the commercial mining spacecraft the Nostromo seal their fate after reluctantly responding to a mysterious distress signal on a hostile planet. Here, a face-hugging alien from a derelict ship impregnates and later kills executive officer Kane (John Hurt) after its offspring is birthed onboard. After being unleashed, the fearsome newborn with acid for blood proceeds to dispatch the remainder of the crew.Ridley Scott's much more convoluted prequels have yet to reveal how the knowledge that led to this initial interception was acquired. However, the premise of the original Alien is perfect in its uncomplicated purity.
PURE AND SIMPLE
IN THE FINAL PART OF OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, SHOWRUNNER RUSSELL T DAVIES TALKS RELAUNCHING DOCTOR WHO
TO CAP IT ALL OFF
CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF THE BBC SERIES THE TRIPODS
FRENCH REVOLUTION
THE WALKING DEAD SPIN-OFF SHOWRUNNER DAVID ZABEL ON BEING GIVEN THE TOUGH TASK OF REUNITING DARYL AND CAROL IN FRANCE
SILENT KILLERS
THE DIRECTOR OF HOLLYWOOD'S SPEAK NO EVIL REMAKE ON HORROR, COMEDY AND JAMES MCAVOY
BRING OUT YOUR DEAD
THE GHOST WITH THE MOST RETURNS FINALLY - IN BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
TEENAGE DREAM
JOE LOCKE HITS THE ROAD RUNNING
MOB RULE THE PENGUIN
GOTHAM'S UP FOR GRABS IN BRUISING NEW CRIME SAGA BUT WHERE IS THE BATMAN?
SEASON OF THE WITCH
AS MARVEL TELEVISION CARVES OUT A NEW PATH FOR ITSELF, WE SPEAK TO CREATOR JAC SCHAEFFER, PLUS A CAST OF STARS LED BY KATHRYN HAHN AND JOE LOCKE, ABOUT THE MAGIC OF WANDAVISION'S SPIN-OFF AGATHA ALL ALONG
Ghouls Allowed
Even silence can't save you at this year's Halloween Horror Nights
