Digital Comics Creator Spotlight: Roger Stern
The legendary writer recalls when he pitted Spider-Man against the Juggernaut
Posted May 12, 2009 12:00 am
Updated May 15, 2009 9:29 am
Every week, we'll tap one creator to browse Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited and pick some of their favorite work from the expansive catalog. This week: legendary writer Roger Stern on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #229-230!
"Early on, I had wanted to give Spider-Man some new villains, but the readers of the time wanted to see his old villains return. So I brought back the Vulture, and Mysterio, and the Beetle and the Black Cat…and even the Gibbon. And in between I managed to introduce Belladonna and a new Prowler, who was actually an old [Stan] Lee/[Steve] Ditko second-story man originally called the Cat.
"Somewhere along the line, it occurred to me that I could keep things even more
interesting by pitting Spider-Man against other heroes' villains. So I had him fight the Cobra and Jack O'Lantern and Foolkiller, and the readers seemed to go for that. But I still wanted to give Spider-Man a real challenge, have him fight someone who was way above his weight class, somebody who was just about unstoppable.
"Then, one morning, a title came to mind: 'Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut!' and the story just grew from there. This was the sixth story where I was working with John Romita Jr., and I think it's where he really started to become the superstar that he is today. J.R. got better and better with each issue; he made working on Spider-Man a real joy."
Read AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #229-230 right now.
Not a subscriber to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited yet? Join now!
Download episodes of X-Men: Evolution Season 1
now on iTunes!
Check out the official Marvel Shop for everything Spider-Man!
Register with Marvel.com!
Marvel.com Account