For all fans of the “friendly neighborhood Spider Man” out there, today will be a day of mourning. In a story that caused mayhem in the comic world when it was first revealed last November, Marvel comics kills-off Peter Parker in Spider Man No:160 that releases today. Of course, without Parker, there can be no Spidey.
But like all clever marketing gimmicks, in his demise, they do promise the unveiling of an all new Spider Man (comic) with someone totally unexpected spinning a new web! This “new” comic will have new enemy characters and will be set in a world that’s very different from Peter Parker’s.
SPOILER ALERT:
According to writer of the story, Brian Michael Bendis (in an interview with Associated Press), Spider Man will die heroically at the hands of the Green Goblin.
Over the years, the webbed wonder has battled many villains – among them were Doctor Octopus, the Molten Man, the Sandman, the Scorpion, Tombstone and the Vulture amongst many others.
But even with all his super-powers and friends in high places, like President Barack Obama, Spider Man could not be protected from an awful death, proving that even superheroes are human beneath their latex and Lycra costumes.
“I won’t lie to you! It’s embarrassing to say this out loud. Tears were rolling down my face, I was very emotional in writing it,” said Brian Bendis in a statement to Associated Press.
The character of Spider Man – a teenage high-school student who gets his powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider – was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1962, making him just short of being fifty-years-old today!