Amazing Spider-Man Modern Era Epic Collection: Spider-Island

Is Spider-Man still amazing when everybody in Manhattan has spider-powers?

New York City is infested, and eight million normal people have gained arachnid abilities! But not all of them realize that with great power, there must also come...you know the rest. Okay, sure, we often say Peter Parker’s life will never be the same. But listen, pal, we’ve never been more serious. This will change everything for Pete, for Spidey — and possibly for you! As the brilliantly fearsome Jackal returns and begins organizing an army of spider-powered soldiers, how can the heroes of NYC hope to contain millions of wall-crawling New Yorkers? Plus: Spidey is haunted by a Wraith from the past! And to take on Mister Negative, Pete teams up with Eddie Brock — in the heroic guise of Anti-Venom!

COLLECTING: Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #663-676, Amazing Spider-Man: Infested (2011) #1, Free Comic Book Day 2011 (Spider-Man), Spider-Island: Deadly Foes (2011) #1

Written by Dan Slott, Christos Gage & Fred Van Lente
Penciled by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Ryan Stegman, Stefano Caselli, Humberto Ramos, Mink Oosterveer & More

Dan Slott has built a loyal fan base by combining old-school fun with stories and characterizations friendly to new readers. Following his run on She-Hulk, Slott moved into the upper echelon of Marvel writers, launching Avengers: The Initiative and taking the reins on Mighty Avengers from Brian Michael Bendis. When Marvel gave Spider-Man a fresh start in 2008, Slott was one of several rotating writers on the thrice-monthly Amazing Spider-Man. Slott became the writer most closely identified with the web-slinger’s “Brand New Day” era, and the title hit the “Big Time” when he took over as full-time writer for a decade-long run. Slott has also turned his talents to other iconic Marvel heroes — including soaring the spaceways with Silver Surfer; helming Tony Stark: Iron Man toward Iron Man 2020; and masterminding the glorious return of Fantastic Four, leading to his long-awaited “Reckoning War.” In 2022, Slott made his way back to the Spider-Verse, teaming with legendary penciler Mark Bagley on Spider-Man and introducing the sidekick sensation Spider-Boy. 

Christos Gage sold his first screenplay in 1997 and has been working steadily ever since; he started writing comics in 2004 with DC’s Deadshot miniseries, featuring the sharpshooting antihero from Suicide Squad. He then began co-writing Avengers: The Initiative with Dan Slott, which led to him becoming the sole writer on the book and its successor, Avengers Academy. His additional Marvel credits include Civil War: Casualties of War, House of M: Avengers, Iron Man, Union Jack and World War Hulk: X-Men, as well as a prominent run on X-Men: Legacy.

Fred Van Lente has been a comics fan as long as he can remember, initially hooked by his father’s copy of Jules Feiffer’s landmark anthology The Great Comic Book Heroes. Van Lente joined Syracuse University’s comic-book club and met artist Steve Ellis, with whom he created indie super-crime comic The Silencers. That work got noticed by Marvel, where Van Lente was soon hired and introduced a heroic new Scorpion in Amazing Fantasy. Since then, the versatile Van Lente’s many Marvel assignments have included three New York Times-best-selling entries in the Marvel Zombies series, as well as Amazing Spider-Man, Incredible Hercules, X-Men Noir, Iron Man Legacy, Chaos War, Herc and Alpha Flight.

Artist Giuseppe Camuncoli made his Marvel Comics debut in 2002 on Spider-Man’s Tangled Web. His subsequent Marvel credits include the limited series X-Infernus, which re-established Illyana Rasputin as a central character in the X-Universe. He later helped launch Wolverine’s son into his own title with Daken: Dark Wolverine, and teamed with writer Dan Slott on Amazing Spider-Man and Superior Spider-Man. Camuncoli illustrated the entire 25-issue run of writer Charles Soule’s Star Wars: Darth Vader.

Artist Humberto Ramos made his American comics debut in 1994 with DC’s Impulse, featuring the Flash’s brash grandson. In 1998, Ramos launched the creator-owned Crimson under Wildstorm’s Cliffhanger imprint, illustrating the title for more than two years. He then moved to Marvel, becoming one of the most recognizable and innovative talents in comics. Seamlessly blending both Eastern and Western styles, the artist’s artist has worked on many of Marvel’s most iconic characters — including Spider-Man, Wolverine and the X-Men — in addition to a run on the fan-favorite Runaways. Ramos brought his kinetic artwork to the pages of Extraordinary X-Men and Champions, as well as a magical collaboration with Skottie Young on Strange Academy.

The pencils of Ryan Stegman first gained rave reviews in the Marvel adaptation of Raymond E. Feist’s Magician Apprentice and Riftwar. The popularity of his work there led to assignments on Incredible Hulk, Marvel Adventures Spider-Man, Incredible Hercules and She-Hulks. With writer Christopher Yost, he launched a new incarnation of Scarlet Spider; with Dan Slott, he shocked fans with Superior Spider-Man; and with Gerry Conway, he offered a different take on the wall-crawler and his family in Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows. Stegman’s other Marvel credits include Wolverine, Inhuman and Uncanny Avengers as well as his smash-hit run on Venom.

Italian illustrator Stefano Caselli broke into American comics during the early 2000s with work on titles including Marvel’s Mutant X and Thunderbolts. He enhanced his reputation on series such as Avengers: The Initiative, Secret Warriors and Avengers Assemble before playing a key role in the rotating art team on Dan Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man and joining Jonathan Hickman on Avengers. Caselli collaborated with Brian Michael Bendis on a groundbreaking Invincible Iron Man run featuring Riri Williams as a new armored hero, and joined Gerry Duggan on the seafaring X-series Marauders.