Spider-Man's Tangled Web

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.

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.

Issues

1. "The Coming of the Thousand", Part 1 by Garth Ennis, John McCrea, and James Hodgkins
2. "The Coming of the Thousand", Part 2 by Ennis, McCrea, and Hodgkins
3. "The Coming of the Thousand", Part 3 by Ennis, McCrea, and Hodgkins
4. "Severance Package" by Greg Rucka and Eduardo Risso
   • Featuring the Kingpin
5. "Flowers for Rhino", Part 1 by Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo
   • Featuring the Rhino
6. "Flowers for Rhino", Part 2 by Milligan and Fegredo
   • Featuring the Rhino
7. "Gentleman's Agreement", Part 1 by Bruce Jones, Lee Weeks, and Josef Rubinstein
8. "Gentleman's Agreement", Part 2 by Jones, Weeks, and Rubinstein
9. "Gentleman's Agreement", Part 3 by Jones, Weeks, Rubinstein, and Jimmy Palmiotti
10. "Ray of Light" by Kaare Andrews
    • Featuring Electro
11. "Open All Night" by Darwyn Cooke and Jay Bone
    • Featuring the Vulture
12. "I was a Teenage Frogman" by Zeb Wells and Duncan Fegredo
    • Featuring Frogman
13. "Double Shots" by Ron Zimmerman and Sean Phillips
    • Featuring Alyosha Kravinoff, the Vulture, Tombstone, Norman Osborn
14. "The Last Shoot" by Brian Azzarello, Scott Levy, and Giuseppe Camuncoli
    • Featuring Crusher Hogan
15. "The Collaborators" by Paul Pope
16. "Heartbreaker" Part 1 by Daniel Way and Leandro Fernandez
    • Featuring Tombstone, Kangaroo
17. "Heartbreaker" Part 2 by Daniel Way and Leandro Fernandez
    • Featuring Tombstone, Kangaroo
18. "Alphabet City" by Ted McKeever
    • Featuring Typeface, Spellcheck
19. "Call of the Wild" by Robbie Morrison and Jim Mahfood
20. "Behind the Mustache" by Zeb Wells and Dean Haspiel
    • Featuring J. Jonah Jameson
21. "'Twas the Fight Before Christmas" by Darwyn Cooke and Jay Bone
    • Featuring Fantastic Four, Medusa
22. "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

Sources

• The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
• Tangled Web page at SpiderFan.org