Spider-Man spins a web any size — and catches thieves just like flies — in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Before Marvel Animation’s new animated series swings onto Disney+ on January 29, Marvel Comics will publish an official prequel comic to the MCU-inspired show that follows high school freshman Peter Parker (voiced by Hudson Thames) “on his way to becoming Spider-Man, with a journey unlike we’ve ever seen and a style that celebrates the character’s early comic book roots,” the synopsis states.
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The Stan Lee and Steve Ditko-inspired series pits the fledgling friendly neighborhood wall-crawler against such classic villains as Doctor Octopus, Chameleon, Scorpion, Rhino, and the Colman Domingo-voiced Norman Osborn, plus lesser-known rogues Speed Demon, Butane, Carmela Black, Unicorn, and the Tarantula.
A new look at Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3 (of five) reveals even more foes from Spidey’s early years: the Enforcers. The trio of hired criminals — master martial artist Fancy Dan, the lasso-whipping Montana, and the brutish, dull-witted Ox — first appeared in Lee and Ditko’s The Amazing Spider-Man #10 in 1963 in the employ of the crime boss known as the Big Man. Osborn, secretly the Green Goblin, hired the Enforcers to aid him in his first costumed outing (in Amazing Spider-Man #14) after hired guns Scorcher and Headsman failed to eliminate Spider-Man (in Untold Tales of Spider-Man).
The Enforcers have been employed by the likes of Sandman (in 1964’s Amazing Spider-Man #19), but the supervillain eventually reformed and battled alongside Spider-Man to defeat the new Enforcers (in Marvel Team-Up #138). Throughout the years, the Enforcers have been hired by Techmaster, Lightmaster, and Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime.
“I’ve had the privilege of writing a lot of Spider-Man’s adventures, both in comics and in the Insomniac video games, but one thing I’ve never gotten the chance to do is recount his earliest exploits,” writer Christos Gage said when announcing the five-issue comic book series. “And the exciting part about this book is it’s a brand new take on those formative times. While this is definitely Peter Parker, the Spidey we know and love, he’s got a new cast of supporting characters — including Nico Minoru, who you may know from Runaways — and some surprising twists!”
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1
PREQUEL TO THE ALL-NEW ANIMATED SERIES! In Marvel Animation’s new series, we find Peter Parker still finding his footing on his journey to becoming the Spider-Man we all know and love! In this series, you can take the very first steps along with him as he discovers his powers, decides to become a hero, and even picks out his name and costume! Now Peter’s gotta survive an entire Freshman year as a newbie crime-fighting vigilante…and if you think you know how this story goes, you are in for a surprise!
On sale: Dec. 11, 2024
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #2
GREAT POWER WITH NO (WEB) STRINGS ATTACHED! Peter Parker hasn’t been the same since he was bitten by that radioactive spider-but he’s just starting to learn the lessons that make him the Spider-Man we all know and love! Before he swings onto our screens for the new YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN series on Disney+, he’s got some hard lessons to learn…
On sale: Jan. 15, 2025
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3
SWINGING INTO TROUBLE! With a new school, new powers and a new secret identity, Peter Parker’s in over his head as he tries to navigate his double life as Spider-Man. YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN is swinging into a new animated series on Disney+, but you can read about it first as he takes on THE ENFORCERS!
On sale: Feb. 19, 2025