Edge of Spider-Verse #4

History

The issue was the penultimate chapter of the five-part Edge of Spider-Verse (2022) anthology miniseries, which served as a narrative runway for Dan Slott's End of the Spider-Verse event beginning in Spider-Man #1 (October 2022). The Sun-Spider feature emerged directly from fan culture: artist Dayn Broder created the character as a Spidersona in 2019, won Marvel's contest, and the character was canonized in the back pages of Spider-Verse Vol. 3 #6 (2020) before writer Tee Franklin — who also uses a wheelchair and had previously published Bingo Love — co-developed the character further alongside Broder and pitched the solo story to Marvel editors. Spinstress was conceived when Marvel approached Come From Away co-writers David Hein and Irene Sankoff to craft a Disney Princess–flavored Spider-hero, with character design outsourced to Walt Disney Animation Studios production designer Helen Chen; Hein even worked with Broadway vocalist Arielle Jacobs to produce an original song accompanying the issue's digital release. The Spider-Mobile segment, written by Slott himself with Eisner Award–winning artist Ty Templeton, gave the cult 1970s novelty vehicle its first-ever self-contained solo adventure.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance of Spinstress (Princess Petra, Earth-423): a fairy-tale Spider-hero who receives her powers from the Fairy Gob-Mother Norma, fights antagonists Bishop Octopus and the corruption-maddened Queen Mysteria, and is subsequently recruited by Madame Web.
• First solo story for Sun-Spider (Charlotte Webber, Earth-20023), titled 'Prom and Circumstance,' written by Tee Franklin with art by Jethro Morales — Charlotte's prior appearances had been ensemble roles in Spider-Verse Vol. 3 (2020).
• Sun-Spider was originally created by fan Dayn Broder as a Spidersona and won Marvel's 2019 Spidersona contest; Charlotte has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, uses a wheelchair in civilian life and custom crutch-web-shooters as Sun-Spider, and her queerness is made explicit for the first time in this issue's story.
• First solo adventure of the Spider-Mobile, written by Spider-Verse architect Dan Slott with Eisner Award–winning artist Ty Templeton, set on the anthropomorphic vehicle Earth-53931 (featuring analogues Peter Parkedcar and J. Jonah Jalopy).
• Spinstress was designed by Helen Chen, a Walt Disney Animation Studios production designer whose credits include Raya and the Last Dragon, Wreck-It Ralph, and Big Hero 6; the character's introductory story 'Once Upon a Spider: The Spinstress Princess' was written by Come From Away co-writers David Hein and Irene Sankoff.
• The Spider-Ham segment, 'The Last Laugh,' was written by M.O.D.O.K. series co-creator Jordan Blum with art by Michael Shelfer, and features the first appearance of Pete Spiderman (Earth-91279).
• The issue also contains a handbook entry for Pete Spiderman, and the Spinstress story is explicitly framed as a parody of Disney Princess films — with writer Hein producing an actual performed song for the digital release, voiced by Broadway actress Arielle Jacobs (Jasmine in Aladdin).
• Cover art by Josemaria Casanovas; variant covers by Helen Chen; the issue is rated T+ at 48 pages and was on sale September 21, 2022, with a November 2022 cover date.

Cast · 23 characters

Full credits

Key issues in Edge of Spider-Verse

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#1 1st appearance — Zarina Zahari

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#5 1st appearance — Web-Weaver

Variants (4)