Marvel Comics announced that one of the most infamous and reviled Spider-Man comics of all time will be getting a sequel.
What Spider-Man Story is Most Notorious?
The confirmation came via Twitter, where the official Spider-Man account revealed a preview poster. The image, viewable below, shows Spidey clutching an apparently dead Mary Jane Watson and the number 2. While the “most notorious Spider-Man story” is not named directly, the image is recognizably from Spider-Man: Reign.
Why Spider-Man: Reign is so Infamous?
Published in 2006, Reign was written and drawn by Kaare Andrews. Set 30 years in the future of the Marvel Universe, the story centers around an older, embittered Peter Parker. The story brings Peter out of retirement to fight a fascist government.
Spider-Man: Reign is chiefly remembered because of how Mary Jane died in this particular reality. It is revealed early on that blood isn’t the only radioactive bodily fluid that Peter Parker produces. As a result of Mary Jane “loving me,” as Peter puts it, she develops cancer and dies before the story opens.
Ignoring the Spider-Sperm controversy, Reign is also remembered as a failed effort to do for Spidey what The Dark Knight Returns did for Batman. Reign was an intentional homage of that classic comic, but many felt Kaare Andrews verged into ripping off Frank Miller‘s style. (The book features a supporting character named Miller Janson, as a nod to Miller and inker Klaus Janson.)
While Reign is one of the most disliked Spider-Man stories of all time, it is hardly the most notorious. Many would give that title to One More Day, which retconned Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s marriage. Another contender is Sins Past, which revealed Gwen Stacy was impregnated by Green Goblin. In any case, Reign is still an odd choice to receive a sequel, given its less than stellar reputation.
