The following contains spoilers for Edge of Spider-Verse #4, on sale now from Marvel.
Edge of Spider-Verse #4 introduces the most shocking web-slinger variant of them all -- a Spidey without a hyphen in his name.
Pete Spiderman -- a goofy guy wearing a Spider-Man mask, shirt and fanny pack -- makes his glorious debut in the first story of the issue, "The Last Laugh." He meets the decidedly grittier (and hammier) Spider-Ham in an alleyway and shares his life story, which he calls a "ding-dong doozy of a tale."
According to his bio, Pete Spiderman works as a CPA and a "grill master." He received his powers after he was bitten by a radioactive spider living in his lawn furniture. After deciding to listen to the advice of his late Unkie Benjy ("With great patio furniture there must also come great risks for pest bites"), Pete Spiderman becomes an unlikely hero who protects his neighborhood from Osborn Estates, a wealthy planning group trying to build a luxury golf course. He faces a number of wacky villains, including the Green Lawn Goblin and Kraven the Homeflipper.
Spider-Ham is immediately disgusted by Pete Spiderman, first pointing out that he has no hyphen in his name and then calling him the "lowest-stakes excuse for a spider-hero in the entire multiverse." The middle-aged web-slinger is more than meets the eye, however, as he helps Spider-Ham save a child from a burning building and comforts her with a dad joke in a moment of distress. Spider-Ham apologizes to Pete soon afterward, realizing that cracking kooky jokes during tense moments is an important skill.
The Sensational Spider-Man Hyphen
The hyphen in Spider-Man's name has long been an oddity that has made Peter Parker stand out from other superheroes, to the point where it's been referenced as a meme within the Marvel Universe. According to a 2010 tweet by Stan Lee, the hyphen was a deliberate inclusion. "When I first dreamed him up I didn’t want anyone confusing him with Superman!" Lee posted. Despite this statement, the original debut of Spidey in 1962's Amazing Fantasy #15 only featured the hyphen on its cover and opening splash page. All other instances in the issue referred to Spidey as "Spiderman," or "The Spiderman."
Edge of Spider-Verse #4 is written by Jordan Blum, David Hein, Dan Slott and Tee Franklin. The issue boasts art by Michael Shelfer, Luciano Vecchio, Ty Templeton and Jethro Morales, colors by Rico Renzi, Brian Reber, Dono Sanchez-Almara and Chris Sotomayor, and letters by VC's Joe Caramagna. Cover and variant cover art comes from Josemaria Casanovas and Helen Chen. Edge of Spider-Verse #4 is on sale now from Marvel.