Doc Ock is no more. It’s time to officially say goodbye to the moniker.
During Dan Slott’s past run on Spider-Man, Otto Octavius forcibly took over Peter Parker’s body when his own was dying. Using Peter’s abilities, he declared himself the Superior Spider-Man. Peter eventually regained his own body, leaving Octavius’s essence inside a robot. When the “Jackal” returned, Otto was given a newly cloned body of Parker’s to inhabit.
It’s now time again to show the world that he is the superior hero, and time to say goodbye to “Doc Ock.”
Starting in December, the new Superior Spider-Man series will be written by Christos Gage with art by Mike Hawthorne. Hawthorne is also extending his exclusive contract with Marvel and made the following statement about the new project:
‘I’m more than thrilled to renew my exclusive with the folks at Marvel. I want to emphasize folks’ here, as I think we often talk about Marvel as this big entity that just makes things happen. Marvel, to me, is the people that work day in and day out to try to make the best comics they can. They’re the ones that keep me coming back. I’m ecstatic to dedicate the next few years of my creative energies to adding to the Marvel Universe!
After drawing Deadpool for as long I did, I was a little heartbroken to be moving on. BUT, getting to work on a Spider-Man book has blunted that pain significantly! (Sorry, Wade). I’m thrilled to get a shot to work on such a flagship character! I think working specifically on Superior Spider-Man is a unique opportunity that’ll allow me to explore my own approach to a Spider-Man book. It gives me a chance to illustrate how Otto’s approach and demeanor differs from Peter, and to build on a story that I find very compelling. Christos, [editor] Nick [Lowe] and [editor] Kathleen [Wisneski] have shown a willingness to trust me and let me do my thing, which allows me to do my best work. Honestly, I haven’t been this excited to work on a new book since the beginning of Deadpool!’
Christos Gage is no stranger to Spider-Man or Octavius. Here’s what he had to say to Marvel.com about the new title:
‘I had the great pleasure of collaborating with Dan Slott on his incredible Superior Spider-Man run, and I can’t wait for people to see this new chapter in Otto’s journey toward… redemption? Corruption? Triumph? Tragedy? That remains to be seen. What I can tell you is that the appropriately superior artistic team of Mike Hawthorne, Wade Von Grawbadger, and Jordie Bellaire — titans of their field, all — are absolutely killing it on the art.’
Get ready for a different sort of Spider-Man comic. The first issue is on sale December 26, 2018, with cover art by Travis Charest.
What the Heck is going on?!? 