If you click on over to Comic Book Resources, you'll find my conversation with Brian Cronin about the upcoming Spider-Man '94 series.
And if you want to see a few pages of preview art, just cast your gaze below.
The first issue of Spider-Man '94 will be out in September. I hope you'll join us as we return to the universe of this classic animated series.
Looking forward to the launch Mr J. It's interesting that we're starting after MJ's rescue, was this your personal choice or was it something Marvel requested?
ReplyDeleteAn editorial request, I suspect (though I can't swear) to leave some mystery—and anticipation—for a follow-up mini-series.
DeleteMr DeMatteis, I have to be honest, it hurts in my heart you skipped the story of how Spider-Man and Madame Web found Mary Jane and brought her back; it leaves a big slate blank on the mystery I have waited for decades to be resolved. But on the other hand, if I'm honest, John Semper Jr's idea for that story (about Spider-Man in old England and meeting Sherlock Holmes) was always too weird to me.
ReplyDeleteNow I pray you will get green light in order to make that story in your point of view AFTER this one. Personally, I would expect Spider-Man and Madame Web traveling through several realities in the Spider-Verse that could give us some "shocks".
By the way, you said the comic is only 4 issues, but in CBR they keep saying there are actually five. I'm really confuse. Is there going to be 4 or 5? Personally, the more the merrier.
One last question, if you don't mind. The cover of issue #3 calls my attention because of the hands grabbing Spidey's mask; they look like apes/monkeys. Aside the Gibbon, I don't know many "primates" in Spidey's rogue gallery. By any chance, are the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes involved here?
Greetings, Mr DeMatteis. I hope your time at the SDCC 2025 was enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI would like to ask you something in order to know your opinion. You see, thanks to the Spider-Verse, I have seen some of the most crazy but amazing realities around Spider-Man, but there's one that calls my attention and it hasn't been properly explored until now.
You see, in some recent "special covers" from Marvel, we saw a reference to a world where Mary Jane was the one who became a Spider-Heroine while Peter Parker remained as a normal guy. And in the movie "Across the Spider-Man", on one of the so called "Canon Events", I saw a version of Peter and MJ's upside down kiss with Mary Jane as the Spider and Peter as the normal human.
So my question is... Would you adapt such reality on an adventure for "Spider-Man '94"? It reminds me a quote that Peter said back in the episode "The Lizard King":
"No, but I was hoping to be the only one to wear the superhero costume in the family. Of course, it'll probably look better on you, anyway".
That would be a fun reality to explore but not in this mini, which is already scripted and done. Maybe in the future!
DeleteThe series was always set as five issues but the initial PR release said four, for some reason and I must have reposted that here without realizing.
DeleteI would have liked to kick things off with the story of Peter's rescue of MJ—in fact I came up with what I thought was a really fun story idea that would have involved several other Marvel heroes—but editorial wanted to wait. Here's hoping we get another mini and I can finally tell that tale!
1º) I really hope you will write about such dimension in the future. I'm pretty sure it would be fun and interesting to see it.
ReplyDelete2º) Well, I wish for this comic the best of luck so we can have later the story of Peter saving Mary Jane. As much as I'm happy for this comic, I really don't want to get old without knowing that part of the story. We fans of the 90s animated series have been in the cliffhanger for long enough by not knowing the whole story, don't you think?
Oh, and thanks for confirming it's going to be 5 issues. It will make this year's Christmas much merrier.
I, too, hope we can get to the Peter-MJ rescue saga. It would be a blast to write!
DeleteMr Dematteis, I have a question for you, if you don't mind.
ReplyDeleteMary Jane's rescue was definitely the top cliffhanger of the animated series, but the truth is that she wasn't the only one to get lost on an alternative reality during the series:
- Dr Johnaton Ohnn (The Spot) and Dr Silvia Lopez ended up trapped in the "spot dimension". Ironically, they were the ones who started the whole thing with the portals.
- Carnage/Cletus Kasady was sent to the Dark Dimension with Dormammu, and Venom/Eddie Brock too when he sacrificed himself to save Dr Ashely Kafka.
- Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, was trapped in the same limbo as Mary Jane (which made me wonder why the real Mary Jane didn't appear alongside Osborn when he communicated with Harry).
- Captain America and Red Skull were trapped again in the vortex of the Doomsday Weapon, then Electro was too. During the Secret Wars, Beyonder freed them, but according to him, they were sent back there at the end of the Secret Wars.
Did you consider these characters when you wrote your story about Mary Jane's rescue? I believe they could play a role in Spider-Man's trip to rescue Mary Jane. The Spot and Dr Lopez could be the key for all this mess, the return of old foes (Elector, Venom, Carnage and especially the Green Goblin) could match the events from the comics; and since in the series there wasn't any sign of the Avengers, bringing Captain America back could lead to their formation (kinda like "The New Avengers" in the comics).
So, did you considered them for your story?
My idea didn't include all those others, but it was a very broad idea. I hadn't worked out all the details.
DeleteBut we're getting way ahead of ourselves: Let's wait and see if we get a second mini-series where we can tell the story of MJ's rescue. Right now we're busy working away on this first series.
I truly hope you will be able to make the second story, especially because it would complete this first one. I wish you the best of luck!!
DeleteBy the way, there's a fun fact. Do you now the same year the series was cancelled (1998) was the same year of the debut of MC2's Spider-Girl, the daughter of Peter and Mary Jane? I believe Mayday would look astounding in this series' artstyle.
I didn't know that. LOVE that Spider-Girl run. Great comics!
Delete