Spider-Man's Tangled Web
Encyclopedia
Spider-Man's Tangled Web is a comic book
series starring Spider-Man
and his supporting cast published by Marvel Comics
for 22 issues from June 2001 to March 2003.
The title was conceived as an anthology
series, where various creative teams not usually associated with Spider-Man (usually creators who had previously worked for alternative
or Vertigo comics) could display their take on the character.
Creators who contributed to the title included Peter Milligan
, Duncan Fegredo
, Kaare Andrews
, Darwyn Cooke
, Zeb Wells
, Sean Phillips
, Brian Azzarello
, Paul Pope
, Jim Mahfood
, Ted McKeever
and even professional wrestler Scott 'Raven' Levy
. The series was edited by Axel Alonso
for the first 17 issues and afterwards by John Miesegaes.
Despite having his name in the title, Spider-Man was often an ancillary character in these stories, appearing on only a few pages or just making a cameo appearance.
Issue #4's "Severance Package" by Greg Rucka
and Eduardo Risso
was nominated for an Eisner Award
for "Best Single Issue of a Comic Book" in 2002.
The lengths of the storyline depended on each team. The shortest were just one issue and the longest ran for 3 issues (#1-3's "The Coming of the Thousand" by Garth Ennis
and John McCrea
and "Gentlemen's Agreement" by Bruce Jones
and Lee Weeks
in #7-9).
Sales on the series lagged behind the other Spider-Man titles throughout its run and it was finally cancelled in 2003 to make way for the new The Spectacular Spider-Man
vol. 2 comic by Paul Jenkins
and Humberto Ramos
.
Interestingly, Tangled Web #1 (see picture to the right) was the subject of a recall
due to the incorrect paper stock being used for the cover. A second print run was ordered with the correct paper stock thus making a collectors item of the rarer first print.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series starring Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and his supporting cast published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
for 22 issues from June 2001 to March 2003.
The title was conceived as an anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
series, where various creative teams not usually associated with Spider-Man (usually creators who had previously worked for alternative
Alternative comics
Alternative comics defines a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to "mainstream" superhero comics which in the past have dominated the US comic book industry...
or Vertigo comics) could display their take on the character.
Creators who contributed to the title included Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan
Peter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
, Duncan Fegredo
Duncan Fegredo
Duncan Fegredo is a British comic book artist born in Leicester in 1964.-Career:Fegredo first managed to get into comics after showing his portfolio around UKCAC in 1987 and meeting Dave Thorpe. Together they worked on a strip for a short lived British magazine called Heartbreak Hotel...
, Kaare Andrews
Kaare Andrews
Kaare Andrews is a comic book writer and artist and filmmaker known for his cover work on Incredible Hulk and Canada's first national recognized award, "The Shuster", for his work on Spider-Man: Doctor Octopus.-Career:...
, Darwyn Cooke
Darwyn Cooke
Darwyn Cooke is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer, artist, cartoonist and animator, best known for his work on the comic books Catwoman, DC: The New Frontier, The Spirit and Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter.-Career:...
, Zeb Wells
Zeb Wells
Zeb Wells is an American comic book writer known for his work at Marvel Comics, as well as his work on Robot Chicken.-Career:Wells is an Emmy and Annie Award winning writer and actor for the TV show Robot Chicken, including the Emmy-nominated Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II.Wells has written...
, Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips is a British comic book artist.He is best known in the American comic book industry for his work on DC Comics' Sleeper, WildC.A.T.s, Batman and Hellblazer.-Career:...
, Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo.-Career:...
, Paul Pope
Paul Pope
Paul Pope is an American alternative comic book artist. Influenced by Ray Bradbury and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Pope's stories evoke poignant, under-explored aspects of youth culture...
, Jim Mahfood
Jim Mahfood
Jim Mahfood , a.k.a. Food One, is an American comic book creator.Apart from his creator-owned comic book series Grrl Scouts and his comic strip Stupid Comics he also did work for Marvel Comics on various Spider-Man titles, including Ultimate Marvel Team-Up and Spectacular...
, Ted McKeever
Ted McKeever
-Career:McKeever first professional work appeared in 1987, when he published the first five parts of his unfinished series Transit , establishing his trademark style. This was followed in 1987-1988 by his 12-part series Eddy Current. This "12-hour book" centers on an escapee from an asylum...
and even professional wrestler Scott 'Raven' Levy
Scott Levy
Scott Anthony Levy , better known by his ring name Raven, is an American professional wrestler, wrestling producer, wrestling writer, and occasional author and actor currently working for Juggalo Championship Wrestling , where he is co-holder of the JCW Tag Team Championship, as well as other...
. The series was edited by Axel Alonso
Axel Alonso
Axel Alonso is American comic book creator, known primarily as an editor at DC Comics from 1994–2000, and at Marvel Comics from 2000 to the present. At DC, he edited a number of books published under their Vertigo line, such as Doom Patrol, Animal Man, Hellblazer, Preacher and 100 Bullets...
for the first 17 issues and afterwards by John Miesegaes.
Despite having his name in the title, Spider-Man was often an ancillary character in these stories, appearing on only a few pages or just making a cameo appearance.
Issue #4's "Severance Package" by Greg Rucka
Greg Rucka
Gregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
and Eduardo Risso
Eduardo Risso
Eduardo Risso is an Argentine comic book artist. In the United States he is probably best known for his work with writer Brian Azzarello on the Vertigo title 100 Bullets, while in Argentina and Europe he is noted for his collaborations with Ricardo Barreiro and Carlos Trillo...
was nominated for an Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
for "Best Single Issue of a Comic Book" in 2002.
The lengths of the storyline depended on each team. The shortest were just one issue and the longest ran for 3 issues (#1-3's "The Coming of the Thousand" by Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis
Garth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
and John McCrea
John McCrea
John McCrea is a comic book artist best known for his collaborations with writer Garth Ennis.-Career:...
and "Gentlemen's Agreement" by Bruce Jones
Bruce Jones (comics)
Bruce Jones, whose pen names include Philip Roland and Bruce Elliot, is an American comic book writer, novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter whose work included writing Marvel Comics' The Incredible Hulk from 2001-2005.-Early career:...
and Lee Weeks
Lee Weeks
Lee Weeks is an American comic book artist, known for his work on such books as Daredevil.-Career:Weeks made his professional comics debut in the 1980s, penciling, inking, and lettering a short story in Tales of Terror #5, a horror anthology published by Eclipse Comics...
in #7-9).
Sales on the series lagged behind the other Spider-Man titles throughout its run and it was finally cancelled in 2003 to make way for the new The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man
The Spectacular Spider-Man is the name of several comic books and one magazine series starring Marvel Comics' Spider-Man.The character's main series, The Amazing Spider-Man, was extremely successful, and Marvel felt the character could support more than one title. This led the company in 1968 to...
vol. 2 comic by Paul Jenkins
Paul Jenkins (writer)
Paul Jenkins is a British comic book writer and Gary Gygax's stepson. He has had much success crossing over into the American comic book market. Primarily working for Marvel Comics, he has had a big part shaping the characters of the company over the past decade.-Life and career:Paul Jenkins...
and Humberto Ramos
Humberto Ramos
Humberto Ramos is a Mexican comic book penciller, best known for his work on American comic books such as Impulse, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man and his creator-owned series Crimson.-Career:...
.
Interestingly, Tangled Web #1 (see picture to the right) was the subject of a recall
Recalled comics
Comic books have been recalled for various reasons including simple printing errors, stories or images that were deemed inappropriate or to avoid potential lawsuits...
due to the incorrect paper stock being used for the cover. A second print run was ordered with the correct paper stock thus making a collectors item of the rarer first print.
Issues
- "The Coming of the Thousand", Part 1 by Garth EnnisGarth EnnisGarth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
, John McCreaJohn McCreaJohn McCrea is a comic book artist best known for his collaborations with writer Garth Ennis.-Career:...
, and James Hodgkins - "The Coming of the Thousand", Part 2 by Ennis, McCrea, and Hodgkins
- "The Coming of the Thousand", Part 3 by Ennis, McCrea, and Hodgkins
- "Severance Package" by Greg RuckaGreg RuckaGregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
and Eduardo RissoEduardo RissoEduardo Risso is an Argentine comic book artist. In the United States he is probably best known for his work with writer Brian Azzarello on the Vertigo title 100 Bullets, while in Argentina and Europe he is noted for his collaborations with Ricardo Barreiro and Carlos Trillo...
- Featuring the KingpinKingpin (comics)The Kingpin is a fictional character, a supervillain in the . Kingpin is one of the most feared and powerful crime lords in the Marvel Universe. The character is a major adversary of Daredevil, the Punisher, and Spider-Man...
- Featuring the Kingpin
- "Flowers for RhinoFlowers for Rhino"Flowers for Rhino" is a critically acclaimed Spider-Man story by Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo. Published in 2001, it is a pastiche of the classic Science Fiction story Flowers for Algernon...
", Part 1 by Peter MilliganPeter MilliganPeter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
and Duncan FegredoDuncan FegredoDuncan Fegredo is a British comic book artist born in Leicester in 1964.-Career:Fegredo first managed to get into comics after showing his portfolio around UKCAC in 1987 and meeting Dave Thorpe. Together they worked on a strip for a short lived British magazine called Heartbreak Hotel...
- Featuring the RhinoRhino (comics)The Rhino is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist John Romita, Sr., the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #41 The Rhino (Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich) is a fictional character that appears in comic...
- Featuring the Rhino
- "Flowers for Rhino", Part 2 by Milligan and Fegredo
- Featuring the Rhino
- "Gentleman's Agreement", Part 1 by Bruce JonesBruce Jones (comics)Bruce Jones, whose pen names include Philip Roland and Bruce Elliot, is an American comic book writer, novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter whose work included writing Marvel Comics' The Incredible Hulk from 2001-2005.-Early career:...
, Lee WeeksLee WeeksLee Weeks is an American comic book artist, known for his work on such books as Daredevil.-Career:Weeks made his professional comics debut in the 1980s, penciling, inking, and lettering a short story in Tales of Terror #5, a horror anthology published by Eclipse Comics...
, and Josef RubinsteinJosef RubinsteinJosef "Joe" Rubinstein is a comic book artist and inker, most associated with inking Marvel Comics' The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.-Career:... - "Gentleman's Agreement", Part 2 by Jones, Weeks, and Rubinstein
- "Gentleman's Agreement", Part 3 by Jones, Weeks, Rubinstein, and Jimmy PalmiottiJimmy PalmiottiJames "Jimmy" Palmiotti is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film.-Early life:Palmiotti is a graduate of the High School of Art and Design in New York City.-Career:...
- "Ray of Light" by Kaare AndrewsKaare AndrewsKaare Andrews is a comic book writer and artist and filmmaker known for his cover work on Incredible Hulk and Canada's first national recognized award, "The Shuster", for his work on Spider-Man: Doctor Octopus.-Career:...
- Featuring ElectroElectro (comics)Electro is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is a supervillain and an enemy of Spider-Man who gained the ability to control electricity after being struck by lightning while working on a power line. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first...
- Featuring Electro
- "Open All Night" by Darwyn CookeDarwyn CookeDarwyn Cooke is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer, artist, cartoonist and animator, best known for his work on the comic books Catwoman, DC: The New Frontier, The Spirit and Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter.-Career:...
and Jay Bone- Featuring the VultureVulture (comics)The Vulture is the name of six comic book supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The best known Vulture in the Marvel Universe is Adrian Toomes, an elderly enemy of Spider-Man created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 .-Golden Age Vulture:In Young Men #26, a scientist...
- Featuring the Vulture
- "I was a Teenage Frogman" by Zeb WellsZeb WellsZeb Wells is an American comic book writer known for his work at Marvel Comics, as well as his work on Robot Chicken.-Career:Wells is an Emmy and Annie Award winning writer and actor for the TV show Robot Chicken, including the Emmy-nominated Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II.Wells has written...
and Duncan Fegredo- Featuring Frogman
- "Double Shots" by Ron ZimmermanRon Zimmerman (comics)Ron Zimmerman is an American comedian and writer who has worked primarily in the television and comic book medium. He also had a small recurring acting role as "Doc" in the family drama series 7th Heaven...
and Sean PhillipsSean PhillipsSean Phillips is a British comic book artist.He is best known in the American comic book industry for his work on DC Comics' Sleeper, WildC.A.T.s, Batman and Hellblazer.-Career:...
- Featuring Alyosha KravinoffAlyosha KravinoffAlyosha Kravinoff, also known as the second Kraven the Hunter, is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He is the illegitimate son of Kraven the Hunter. He first appeared in the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man #243 ....
, the Vulture, TombstoneTombstone (comics)Tombstone is a supervillain in the fictional Marvel universe. The character was created by Gerry Conway and Alex Saviuk and first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #36 .-Fictional character biography:...
, Norman Osborn
- Featuring Alyosha Kravinoff
- "The Last Shoot" by Brian AzzarelloBrian AzzarelloBrian Azzarello is an American comic book writer. He came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series 100 Bullets, published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo.-Career:...
, Scott LevyScott LevyScott Anthony Levy , better known by his ring name Raven, is an American professional wrestler, wrestling producer, wrestling writer, and occasional author and actor currently working for Juggalo Championship Wrestling , where he is co-holder of the JCW Tag Team Championship, as well as other...
, and Giuseppe Camuncoli- Featuring Crusher Hogan
- Featuring Crusher Hogan
- "The Collaborators" by Paul PopePaul PopePaul Pope is an American alternative comic book artist. Influenced by Ray Bradbury and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Pope's stories evoke poignant, under-explored aspects of youth culture...
- "Heartbreaker" Part 1 by Daniel WayDaniel Way-Career:Way received the Xeric Foundation's Xeric Grant in 2000 for his first publication, Violent Lifestyle #1. Through Violent Lifestyle, Way was introduced to Marvel Comics editor Axel Alonso, who hired Way for a Deathlok mini-series that was cancelled prior to publication.Way's first published...
and Leandro Fernandez- Featuring Tombstone, KangarooKangaroo (comics)The Kangaroo is the alias of two fictional Spider-Man villains in the Marvel Universe. The first was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #81 in 1970; the second was first seen in Cage #13 in 1993 and made his debut in The Spectacular Spider-Man #242 in 1997...
- Featuring Tombstone, Kangaroo
- "Heartbreaker" Part 2 by Daniel Way and Leandro Fernandez
- Featuring Tombstone, Kangaroo
- "Alphabet City" by Ted McKeeverTed McKeever-Career:McKeever first professional work appeared in 1987, when he published the first five parts of his unfinished series Transit , establishing his trademark style. This was followed in 1987-1988 by his 12-part series Eddy Current. This "12-hour book" centers on an escapee from an asylum...
- Featuring TypefaceTypeface (comics)Typeface was a fictional Marvel Comics antihero. He first appeared in Peter Parker: Spider-Man vol. 2 #23 , and was created by Paul Jenkins and Mark Buckingham.-Fictional character biography:...
, Spellcheck
- Featuring Typeface
- "Call of the Wild" by Robbie MorrisonRobbie MorrisonRobbie Morrison is a British comics writer most known for his work in 2000 AD and as the co-creator of popular character Nikolai Dante .-Biography:...
and Jim MahfoodJim MahfoodJim Mahfood , a.k.a. Food One, is an American comic book creator.Apart from his creator-owned comic book series Grrl Scouts and his comic strip Stupid Comics he also did work for Marvel Comics on various Spider-Man titles, including Ultimate Marvel Team-Up and Spectacular... - "Behind the Mustache" by Zeb Wells and Dean HaspielDean HaspielDean Edmund Haspiel is an American comic book artist. He is known for his collaborations with writer Harvey Pekar on his American Splendor series as well as the graphic novel The Quitter. He has been nominated for numerous Eisner Awards, and won a 2010 Emmy Award for TV design work.-Early...
- Featuring J. Jonah Jameson
- "'Twas the Fight Before Christmas" by Darwyn Cooke and Jay Bone
- Featuring Fantastic FourFantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, MedusaMedusa (comics)Medusa is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Medusa first appeared in Fantastic Four #36 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
- Featuring Fantastic Four
- "The System" by Brian Patrick Walsh and Alberto Dose
Trade Paperbacks
- Vol 1: collects Tangled Web # 1-6
- Vol 2: collects Tangled Web # 7-11
- Vol 3: collects Tangled Web # 12-17
- Vol 4: collects Tangled Web # 18-22; and a two-part story from Peter Parker: Spider-Man (Vol. 2) # 42-43