PREVIEWS Exclusive: Spider-Men Interview with Marvel's Axel Alonso & David Gabriel

This June, Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, will be teaming up with Miles Morales, the new Ultimate Spider-Man, in Marvel Comics' much-teased Spider-Men, one of several ways Marvel Comics is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the wall-crawler. The book's a hit. The publisher has already had to go back to press for a Spider-Men #1 Second Printing Variant (APR1,28107, $3.99), featuring a new version of Jim Cheung's cover.

In this exclusive interview, Marvel's Editor in Chief Axel Alonso and SVP of Sales David Gabriel talk about why two webslingers are better than one and what went into bringing together the two versions of the fan-favorite hero. 
 

PREVIEWSworld: Spider-Men is part of Marvel’s celebration of Spider-Man’s 50th Anniversary. How significant would you say this milestone and this story are for Marvel as part of its overall publishing history? 

Axel Alonso: Pretty darn significant.  Five generations of readers of all creeds and colors have made Peter Parker one of the most beloved and recognized super heroes on the face of the planet.  When Spider-Man peeled back that familiar mask to reveal a new face, a kid named Miles Morales, readers proved once again that it’s the size of the hero’s heart that matters.

PREVIEWSworld: Not only are you celebrating history, but you’re making it as well by bringing together the 616 and Ultimate Universes for the first time. In your opinion, what made Spider-Men the right story for breaking down that barrier? 

Alonso: The idea of having battle-tested Peter Parker, who is celebrating his 50th Anniversary, and super hero-in-training Miles Morales, who is celebrating his 10-month anniversary, was just too appealing to pass up.  We opened the portal between the Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe because this story was worth it. 

PREVIEWSworld: I know you can’t say too much about the story itself, but how does having two different wall-crawlers – Peter Parker and Miles Morales – meeting as opposed to two different versions of Peter Parker affect the scope of this story and its appeal to True Believers?

Alonso: Even the most cynical fans have embraced Miles Morales’ journey of self-discovery because if its emotional honesty. For Miles to meet a man from another universe who is the closest living thing to his real-life idol will be a seismic event.

PREVIEWSworld: Do you think one of the byproducts of Spider-Men to be Ultimate Comics Spider-Man fans checking out Amazing Spider-Man after this wraps up or vice versa? Are there any noticeable differences between the fan bases of those respective series in your estimation? 

David Gabriel: I think that happens naturally. One of the great things about both books is that they both have very loyal fan-bases and to have the two come together for a comics experience like no other is going to be very interesting for fans and retailers.  I see the major difference in the two heroes to be not only their ages but really their experience.  It’s going to be a great ride watching Miles learning from Peter, and at the same time seeing how Peter deals with learning that in this other universe – he’s dead.

PREVIEWSworld: Can you tell us a bit about what steps Marvel has taken or will be taking to promote this title?

Gabriel: For starters, we went to two major mainstream outlets to break the news of the series and its threat with the NY DAILY NEWS andUSA TODAY. Then, we followed it all up in the comics press with art and interviews being debuted over the course of the month. That, combined with the fact that we had to go back to press already on the first issue means fans and retailers are excited and we want to make sure they have copies available for them to sell to any and all readers. 

And of course, with all the anticipation surrounding the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN movie just weeks away it was a perfect opportunity to launch the series. One great thing is that if fans that saw the movie are looking for more stories featuring the Lizard, Dan Slott has an awesome story cooked up in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN called “No Turning Back.” Ideally, fans get hooked on Peter Parker and want to read more stories with him and they’ll see SPIDER-MEN on the store shelves! 

PREVIEWSworld: How great of an impact do you think Spider-Men will have on both of the universes and the characters involved in the story? Does the crossover of the two universes effect how Marvel moves forward after the series wraps up? 

Alonso: On a personal level, this adventure will affect both Spider-Men,­ especially Miles, who is learning to be a hero. On a macro level, this story opens a portal between two universes.  Will it be closed after the story closes?  Read and find out.

PREVIEWSworld: Any final thoughts about this project, the anniversary of Spider-Man, or anything else coming from Marvel in the near future you’d like to mention? 

Gabriel: SPIDER-MEN kicks off what Marvel has planned for Spider-Man’s 50^th Anniversary, and with the first issue going back to press to meet demand – I think we’re off to a great start.  I mentioned the “No Turning Back” arc in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN which gives us two big stories to entice comic and movie fans over the next few months. With AVENGERS VS. X-MEN, ASTONISHING X-MEN, & SPIDER-MEN all hitting over the next few weeks and continuing through to the Fall, I think we’ve got some great things in store for retailers and their customers.

Now sold out at the distribution level (though copies may be available at local comic shops), Spider-Men #1 is scheduled to go on sale on June 13. However, even if you miss out on picking up a first printing copy, the Spider-Men #1 Second Printing Variant (APR128107, $3.99) is scheduled to hit shelves on June 20, just one week after the initial release and a week before Spider-Men #2 (APR120606, $3.99).