The Matter of the Spider-Man #1000 cover has been a puzzling one for Kremlinologists. No one outside of Marvel seems to know exactly what transpired, whether the cover was actually pulled (despite one website insisting it was), who might have pulled it, and what did PRH know and when did they know it. Honestly, it’s quote a silly matter in the larger scheme of things, but it does point to a certain level of confusion in the wake of David Gabriel’s departure. As far as we know, Gabriel’s position as VP of Sales and Marketing has not been filled, and no retailer we’ve spoken with actually know who is filling the position in the interim. This could definitely be a factor in the mixed messaging here.
But speaking of interim….more Spider-Man #1000 covers! Good ones! And at last an official statement! We’ll quote the relevant portion in full – but perhaps the key takeaway: John Romita Jr. will be presemting HIS OWN ALL NEW ALL DIFFERENT VARIANT COVER! Another turn at bat for the champ. Spider-verse editorial head Nick Lowe was sent out to explain what happened.
On sale September 16, the highly anticipated milestone issue, destined to take its place in comic book history, delivers both a major turning point for Joe Kelly’s run and an incredible lineup of anniversary stories celebrating Spider-Man’s legacy. As fans have been buzzing about online, the landmark issue will feature two main covers, one from each of the current run’s lead artists. Legendary artist John Romita Jr. joins acclaimed illustrator Paolo Rivera for a stunning painted cover, while modern superstar Pepe Larraz delivers a striking traditional piece. Both artists are also contributing variant covers for the issue. Larraz’s variant cover was unveiled last month, while Romita Jr.’s will be revealed next week.
“Our announcement of the added Pepe Larraz cover seems to have been misunderstood. In addition to John Romita Jr. and Paolo Rivera’s jam cover, we also wanted to highlight the ‘#1000’ more concretely, hence Pepe’s cover with color artist Marte Gracia,” Editor Nick Lowe explained. “Our goal is to bring as many legendary Spider-Man artists together for this monumental celebration.”
“What a pleasure it’s been to see readers celebrate my work on Amazing Spider-Man over the years and show support for the cover I did with Paolo Rivera for the upcoming issue #1000!” Romita Jr. shared. “I’m honored to work on yet another milestone issue for Spidey, and this one is especially big—so big that it has not one but two primary covers, one by me and one by my fellow Amazing Spider-Man artist, Pepe Larraz! I hope everyone enjoys the issue, it’s going to be unforgettable!”
“If a time traveler suddenly showed up, back when I was a kid reading Spider-Man in my room, and told me that I was going to be drawing the 1000th issue of the comic book I had in my hands, and that I was going to be doing so alongside a living legend like John Romita Jr., the easiest to believe would be the time traveling part!” Larraz reflected. “Thank you, Marvel, for the honor and privilege of making me a part of Peter Parker’s history with this milestone issue. “
I think Larraz has that right: time travel would be necessary to put together an accurate picture of what happened over the last few weeks.
Be that as it may, more variant covers: a foil variant cover by Ed McGuinness inspired by John Romita Sr.’s Amazing Spider-Man #100 cover; Skottie Young, J. Scott Campbell, Ryan Stegman spotlighting the new supervillain Ravage, and the final piece in Lee Bermejo’s acclaimed Amazing Visions cover series.
Also more insides revealed, a team up of comic book legend Larry Lieber and artist Giuseppe Camuncoli in “Of Webs and Six-Guns,” a story spotlighted on Camuncoli’s newly revealed variant cover.
FINALLY, there is a MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Variant Cover featuring Peni Parker from the upcoming game and a Marvel Animation Variant Cover showcasing an iconic scene from the original 1967 Spider-Man animated series.
Whew! More cover reveals and more innard reveals coming!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1000
Written by JOE KELLY, NOAH HAWLEY, FRANK MILLER, DAN SLOTT, J.M. DEMATTEIS, BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, LARRY LIEBER & MORE!
Art by PEPE LARRAZ, JOHN ROMITA JR. PATRICK GLEASON, PEACH MOMOKO, MARCOS MARTIN, HUMBERTO RAMOS, STUART IMMONEN, GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI & MORE!
Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. & PAOLO RIVERA – 75960621001503656
Cover by PEPE LARRAZ – 75960621001503611
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Variant Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. – 75960621001503662
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Variant Cover by PEPE LARRAZ – 75960621001503622
Variant Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI – 75960621001503649
Foil Variant Cover by ED MCGUINNESS – 75960621001503631
Variant Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG – 75960621001503651
Variant Cover by J. SCOTT CAMPBELL – 75960621001503641
Ravage Variant Cover by RYAN STEGMAN – 75960621001503661
Amazing Visions Variant Cover by LEE BERMEJO – 75960621001503621
Marvel Animation Spider-Man 1967 Wraparound Variant Cover – 75960621001503625
MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls Variant Cover – 75960621001503661
On Sale 9/16
