"The Amazing Spider-Girl" #29 on sale now

The penultimate issue of "The Amazing Spider-Girl" hit stands this week, in advance of the conclusion of twelve years' work for the book's writer, Tom DeFalco. While MayDay Parker's stories will continue in the bimonthly "The Amazing Spider-Man Family," as a recurring feature written by DeFalco, and though his work on the title is open-ended, DeFalco is not holding out much hope for future collaborations with Marvel Comics. The industry veteran tells CBR News that Marvel editors have stopped calling. In fact, as will be elaborated upon in next week's REFLECTIONS, DeFalco goes so far as to say his "Amazing Spider-Man Family" gig is "an assignment which could be my last for Marvel."Such an admission is shocking news from a man whose career has been so closely linked to Marvel Comics for decades. DeFalco was the publisher's Editor-in-Chief for seven years, and was partially responsible for bringing the company public. As a writer, DeFalco enjoyed legendary runs on titles including "The Amazing Spider-Man" -- where he participated in the controversial Clone saga - as well as "Thor," "The Fantastic Four" and "Spider-Girl" and its aforementioned successor, "The Amazing Spider-Girl."DeFalco said there are several reasons why his relationship with Marvel may be ending, chief among them being the simple fact that he's getting little to no other work from the company. "The bad news about working on the same thing for that many years is that editors start to believe that it is the only thing you can do," DeFalco told CBR. "So the only way I can get non-Spider-related work is to work for other companies."DeFalco continued, "The truth is that editors are a cowardly and superstitious lot. They are constantly looking for the 'next big thing' that will magically jump the sales of every comic book. The sad truth is that, with the market we have today, there is no magical 'next big thing.' "'Amazing Spider-Girl' is not nor has it ever been one of the top sellers, but for twelve years we've been pretty consistent. I'm often surprised an editor can't look and say 'Wow, they've kept the book alive for twelve years-they must be doing something right!'"Come back to CBR's REFLECTIONS next Tuesday to read what else DeFalco has to say about the Marvel editorial system, Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada, fans who would never give "Amazing Spider-Girl" a try, his artistic partner Ron Frenz, and what else lies ahead for the writer.