Marvel Comics today announced a new series starring Spider-Man that will revisit one of the Wall-Crawler's most iconic arcs, the Alien Costume Saga. The series, titled Symbiote Spider-Man, by Peter David (Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider) and Greg Land (Domino, Hunt for Wolverine), will explore the weeks when Spider-Man was wearing his black costume -- before he discovered it was an alien symbiote that would go on to become the supervillain-turned-antihero Venom.

First appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #252, Spider-Man's black costume debuted during the original "Secret Wars" arc, when the hero's standard costume was damaged beyond repair. The alien symbiote latched onto Spider-Man, acting as a convenient replacement for his tattered suit. When Spider-Man returned to Earth, he continued to wear the costume until he discovered it had a mind of its own and was attempting to permanently merge with him.

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“Venom may be my day job and favorite Spider-Villain, but my favorite fictional character of all time is the one and only Spider-Man -- and far and away, this is one of the most exciting projects I’ve ever had the privilege of working on in my five and a half years here at Marvel,” said Marvel Comics editor Devin Lewis in a press release. “This is an in-continuity story of Peter Parker A.K.A. The Amazing Spider-Man set in the weeks he was wearing the alien symbiote costume that would later become one of his greatest foes! And all your favorites are there -- Black Cat, Aunt May, The Bugle. This is classic Spider-Action in the Mighty Marvel Manner!”

David and Land's series will revisit the time before Spider-Man uncovered the symbiote's true intentions, revealing new adventures in the black costume. The cover for the debut issue reveals a villain who did not do battle with Spider-Man during this time, Mysterio, hinting that untold stories from this era in Marvel Comics will be explored.

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“What’s Mysterio doing on the cover?!” Said Lewis. “He never fought Symbiote Spidey! Or did he?! Now, I know a lot of y’all out there in Mighty Marveldom are going to scoff at that -- that this story is in-continuity -- but trust me! Peter, Greg and I have all done our homework -- we’ve read and reread the original Alien Costume Saga in its entirety, revisited old stories and talked around those classics literally, for hours. This is Peter Parker as Spider-Man, wearing one of the most iconic costumes in all of comics, and we’re treating this story will the heart, seriousness and respect that that entails as a result.”

Symbiote Spider-Man #1 by Peter David and Greg Land goes on sale at comic book shops this April.

SYMBIOTE SPIDER-MAN #1 (OF 5)

  • Written by PETER DAVID
  • Art and Cover by GREG LAND