Warning: This article might contain spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The team behind Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day wasn’t just inspired by the wall-crawler’s vast comic book library; they expertly recreated some of Spider-Man’s most iconic covers for the film. Let’s dive into some of the covers referenced in the movie and learn more about the comic book histories of the Spidey villains making the jump from the page to the big screen.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #345 / BOOMERANG
The iconic AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #345 cover by Erik Larsen puts the spotlight on “the death-dealer from down-under.” Born in Australia, Frederick Myers, A.K.A. Boomerang, moved to the U.S. and chose a life of crime after his baseball career fizzled out – as one does. He eventually joined the Secret Empire, who outfitted him with a variety of specialized, boomerang-esque weaponry including shatterangs (grenade-like boomerangs), screamerangs (boomerangs that generated high-intensity sonic waves), and gravityrangs (boomerangs that created a gravity field, if you can believe it). In this issue, he teamed up with fellow villain Cardiac on a drifting ship, flinging a knife-edged razorang at Spider-Man. Watch out, Spidey!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #134 / TARANTULA
As the cover for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #134 boasts: “Danger is a man called Tarantula!” This dynamic 1974 cover by John Romita and Danny Crespi marks the Spidey villain’s Marvel Comics debut, with his blue-and-red costume looking like an outcast version of the web-head’s own get-up. While many have taken on the Tarantula mantle over the years, the original was Anton Rodriguez, a revolutionary hailing from the fictional country of Delvadia. Quick-kicking and quick-witted, Tarantula’s drug-laced pointed boots promptly knocked Spider-Man out in their first encounter.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #221 / RAMROD
While AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #221 (with a cover by the indelible Bob Wiacek) wasn’t the first time Spidey met Ramrod, it was the issue where the hardheaded villain arrived on Peter’s college campus looking for a powerful hallucinogenic poison to exact revenge on a country music bar owner. Ramrod, who first appeared in DAREDEVIL (1964) #103, was a muscular goon with a metal plate in his head that made him a “man of steel” (Spidey’s words, not ours). A powerful cyborg with super-strength and super-speed, Ramrod was once the boss of a construction crew. But upon getting gravely injured on the job, Ramrod turned into a formidable, metal-fused meathead. It happens to the best of us.
SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #142 / TOMBSTONE
With his sharp teeth and bulletproof skin, Tombstone makes for a terrifying addition to Spider-Man’s rogues gallery, as showcased on Sal Buscema’s iconic cover for SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #142. Bullied for his albinism as a child, the man once known as Lonnie Lincoln only found a friend in Robbie Robertson, a longtime Spider-Man ally. But as Tombstone, he wanted to lead New York City’s organized crime scene, using his superhuman strength to climb to the top.
SPIDER-MAN ADVENTURES #2 / SCORPION
SPIDER-MAN ADVENTURES (1994) #2 puts “The Sting of the Scorpion” episode from the hit ‘90s animated show to the page, sporting a cover by Alex Saviuk. Mac Gargan, A.K.A. the Scorpion, was a private investigator hired by J. Jonah Jameson to discover Peter Parker’s photography secrets. The editor even paid Gargan $10,000 to join a medical experiment that gave him superhuman powers like strength, agility, and even the ability to stick to walls. Unfortunately, the experiment also took away his sanity and Gargan became a super villain best-recognized by the electro-mechanical tail he wields as a deadly weapon.
AMAZING FANTASY (1962) #15
While there is no villain to note here, AMAZING FANTASY (1962) #15 perhaps features the most iconic Spider-Man comic cover, drawn by the legendary Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. In 1962, the newest issue of the AMAZING FANTASY anthology series quietly debuted the first look at a new masked hero. The cover boldly proclaimed: “Though the world may mock Peter Parker, the timid teenager, it will soon marvel at the awesome might of… Spider-Man!” Sounds interesting enough. Let’s hope this Spider-Man guy sticks around for a while.
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In this article: Spider-Man: Brand New Day,Spider-Man (Peter Parker),Tarantula (Anton Miguel Rodriquez),Boomerang,Scorpion (MacDonald “Mac” Gargan),Tombstone
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