Back in 1992, Marvel had one of their more successful stunts with the introduction of the 2099 line – which told tales of a potential future of the Marvel Universe a hundred years hence, and while the X-Men, Ghost Rider, Hulk and even Dr. Doom all had titles, the flagship was Peter David and Rick Leonardi’s Spider-Man 2099, which also remains the most enduringly popular character from the entire line – although Doom 2099 has recently popped up in Uncanny Avengers, so maybe there’s something to anticipate there, as well. Now, Peter David is returning to the character he created and teaming up with Fearless Defenders artist Will Sliney for a brand new Spider-Man 2099 #1, due out in July.
Recent issues of Superior Spider-Man have left Miguel O’Hara, secretly the Spider-Man of 2099, stranded in the present day, working under an assumed name for his own grandfather, Tiberius Stone, and the newly christened Alchemax corporation – which is fated to become a blindingly evil megacorporation in his own time, headed by his illegitimate father, Tyler Stone – an utter bastard. O’Hara is hoping to change that.
“Miguel becomes determined to try and transform his grandfather, Tiberius Stone into a decent guy in the hopes that it will wind up informing the raising of Tyler Stone, and perhaps make him a better person,” says David. “In short, he’s hoping that he can influence the development of both the present and future of Alchemax. He’s going to find that’s not as easy as he’d hoped.”
“It’s going to be a huge year for all things Spider!” added series editor Ellie Pyle “This is your chance to get to know Spider-Man 2099 before the Spider-Man universe gets more crowded, and Peter and Will have prepared quite the introduction!” Crowded it will get, with the upcoming Spider-Verse storyline.
I, for one, am supremely stoked for this, because back when I was a broke college student wanting to start collecting comics regularly, but who was confounded by the myriad Spider-Man books at the time, jumped on board Spider-Man 2099 #1 as a great stand-alone series, and now I get to do it again, with the original creator at the helm. Miggy O’Hara is just so cool – a slightly more surly and sarcastic Spider-Man with a penchant for slightly skewed profanities. Excitement awaits!
Just look how cool his costume is, as illustrated by this variant cover by Simone Bianchi.
