Spider-Boy Goes Solo: A Reading Guide

Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, once had a young and impressionable sidekick named Spider-Boy, who was kidnaped and genetically engineered with spider traits that gave him whole set of super-powers. However, due to tampering with the Great Web—the elemental force that connects all Spider-based super heroes across the Marvel Multiverse—all trace and memory of Spider-Boy was erased from those who knew him.

Now, Spider-Boy is back in action and starring in his own comic book series by Dan Slott and Paco Medina. Although eager to make up for lost time, 10-year-old Bailey Briggs must contend with unresolved issues from his past, including his arachnid origins. Here are all of Spider-Boy's appearances in the Marvel Universe so far, including the debut of his solo series, SPIDER-BOY (2023) #1.

SPIDER-MAN #7

By targeting the Great Web, the ancient wasp totem Shathra put all the Spider-Heroes connected by it at risk. When she began erasing strands of the Web from existence, she affected beloved characters like Jessica Drew and Peter Parker, leaving the heroes scrambling to restore their friends and allies to reality once again. An entire army of Spider-Heroes joined the battle in SPIDER-MAN (2022) #7, where they fought Shathra to protect the Great Web and repair the strands she destroyed.

After Shathra's defeat, the erased heroes began to reappear, alive and well. Among the restored was Spider-Boy, who insisted he had teamed up with the gathered heroes before, even though they couldn't remember him. With this revelation, Bailey and the Spider-Heroes realized this previously unknown sidekick was a unique case among Shathra's victims… and the great mystery began.

SPIDER-MAN #8

Peter Parker was among the heroes restored to reality after Shathra's defeat, but was left haunted by his inability to save Uncle Ben again after a brief reunion. Frustrated and guilt-ridden after failing to rescue someone from an apartment fire, Peter went to drastic lengths to upgrade his Spider-Sense. This boost allowed Peter to sense everyone in New York City, allowing him to respond faster to crises all over the city.

Using Norman Osborn's advanced scientific labs, Peter augmented his powers despite the potential risks. Because of his own heightened Spider-Sense, Bailey detected what Peter was up to from the other side of town and deduced Peter's intentions. Despite scrambling to stop Spider-Man from undergoing such a reckless procedure, Bailey was too late to prevent Peter from heightening his Spider-Sense.

SPIDER-MAN #9

With his upgraded Spider-Sense, Peter found himself constantly overwhelmed by a dramatically increased flow of information. As Spider-Man coped with the negative side effects of his augmented powers, Bailey felt guilty that Peter had developed a spider-sense like his own. To see if he could restore his friend, Bailey decided to turn to the man who helped make Peter's upgrade possible in the first place: Norman Osborn, the reformed super villain now known as Gold Goblin.

Bailey reached out to Norman privately. Because of the damage to the Great Web, Norman didn't recognize Spider-Boy, forcing Bailey to reintroduce himself yet again. As Spider-Boy and Gold Goblin moved to help Peter, they found Electro hunting the vulnerable Spider-Man.

EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #3

The miniseries EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE (2023), which spotlighted Spider-Heroes from different universes, put Spider-Boy center stage in EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE (2023) #3 as Bailey readjusted to life back in New York City. This was made all the more complicated by the fact nobody in the Marvel Universe remembered him.

Spider-Boy wasted no time in resuming his super hero activities, starting out with a battle against Mister Negative and his gang of Inner Demons. Here, Spider-Boy's antagonistic history with Mister Negative surfaced, although only Bailey remembered their prior encounters. Though Bailey chafed at his lack of recognition, he slowly began rebuilding his reputation in Manhattan.

SPIDER-MAN #10

Overwhelmed by the sensory overload, Spider-Man found himself at the mercy of a supercharged Electro. Fortunately, Spider-Boy swung in at the nick of time and defended his mentor from the revenge-obsessed villain, turning the tide of battle. In the heat of battle, Spider-Boy revealed his monstrous, fanged maw and bit Electro to incapacitate him, which shocked the public at the scene.

As Peter recovered from the super-powered skirmish, Gold Goblin hit him with a blast that brought his Spider-Sense back down to normal. Upset by the perceived downgrade, Peter and Bailey had it out on a nearby rooftop. Webbing Bailey up against the wall, Peter declared that his protégé would be Spider-Boy no more, much to Bailey's frustration.

SPIDER-MAN #11

Literally up against the wall, Bailey reminded Peter of their extensive history together, including how Spider-Man's amazing friends trained Bailey to become Spider-Boy in the first place. This included hand-to-hand combat training with Daredevil and a super-suit made of unstable molecules from the Fantastic Four. In addition to acting as a sidekick for Spider-Man, Bailey had interacted with plenty of familiar faces across the Marvel Universe before he was temporarily erased from existence.

Spider-Boy also pointed out the greatest lessons Spider-Man taught him about power and responsibility. By the end of their conversation, Peter admitted he reacted too harshly to the concept of having a sidekick and accepted Bailey. Finally reunited, Peter and Bailey swung back into action together, ready to defend New York as Spider-Man and Spider-Boy once again.

SPIDER-BOY #1

Now headlining his own comic book series, Spider-Boy started his solo adventure by confronting the admittedly goofy super villain Gutterball. Though he didn't seem especially threatening at first, Gutterball possesses an indestructible head that he used to give even Spider-Man a run for his money. But even though Spider-Boy teamed up with Spider-Man for this encounter, he still had to face divided public opinion about his more monstrous physical appearance.

In addition to fighting against bowling-themed supervillains, SPIDER-BOY delved into Bailey's previously unseen history, including the menacing figures from his past who have resurfaced to put him through the wringer. Just like his mentor, though, Spider-Boy quickly proved his capabilities as a friendly neighborhood Spider-Hero.

Go solo with Bailey Briggs in SPIDER-BOY #1, now on sale!

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