50 years ago, Marvel changed the game with a series of “Giant-Size” specials that propelled their universe forward.
Now, to celebrate their Giant-Size 50th Anniversary, they’re doing it again – and they’re opening with Giant-Size Spider-Man!
A Larger than Life Legacy
“Giant-Size” is a moniker with a significant pedigree at Marvel. Back in the 1970s, the publisher used this oversized format to transform the trajectory of various series, introducing new characters and telling bold, new stories.
Perhaps the most famous example, especially given recent mutant-related developments, is Giant-Size X-Men. Under Len Wein and Dave Cockrum’s pen, readers met characters that today are synonymous with the X-Men, but were once brand new ideas. Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Wolverine (although he technically debuted in the pages of The Incredible Hulk) all joined the X-Men in this pivotal issue – the same one in which we were also introduced to Krakoa, the island that walks like a man!
Giant-Size Avengers also saw the wedding of Vision and Scarlet Witch (short-lived as it ended up being in the grand scheme of things). Similarly, the original Giant-Size Spider-Man saw the wall-crawler fighting the living vampire, Morbius.
These issues served to shake-up these historic series, and revolutionise how people read certain books. Now, with the Giant-Size 50th Anniversary on the horizon, Marvel are looking to recapture that same energy for a whole new generation.
Bringing the Past into the Present
Kicking off what Marvel have announced is a series of one-shots is Giant-Size Spider-Man – and this time, he’s fighting Venom!
Specifically, 2023’s Giant-Size Spider-Man sees newest web-head, Miles Morales, facing off against the newest host of the Venom symbiote, Eddie Brock’s son: Dylan.
This title comes from current author of Miles Morales: Spider-Man Cody Ziglar and storied Spider-artist Iban Coello. The issue will release 10th January 2024.
Whether this will spin out of current storylines like Amazing Spider-Man: Gang War or Al Ewing’s run on Venom remains to be seen. All Marvel have revealed so far about the contents of the story is that ‘Dylan Brock has a bone…or a brain…to pick with Miles Morales’.
In addition to the main story, Marvel have also promised in their announcement that Giant-Size Spider-Man will see Bendis and Pichelli’s Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #22. In this issue, Miles faces off with the Venom of the Ultimate universe.
Given how this recontextualises an existing title, it stands to reason that further announcements as part of Marvel’s Giant-Size 50th Anniversay may follow suit. We would not be surprised if they were to announce a new Giant-Size X-Men, especially as a capstone to the current Fall of X era.
Perhaps it will release alongisde the recently announced Fall of the House of X / Rise of the Powers of X?
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