The Amazing Spider-Man #2
Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #2 is the pivotal hinge of the 1999 relaunch: it delivers the first appearance of Shadrac — the fiery, unwilling villain who is the transformed Dr. Gregory Herd — and simultaneously unmasks Mattie Franklin as the mystery Spider-Man who had been operating in Peter Parker's absence, with this issue being the first to explicitly reveal her gender and origin via Norman Osborn's Gathering of Five ceremony. Most significantly, the threat Shadrac poses to the overwhelmed Mattie is the direct catalyst that pulls a retired Peter Parker back into the Spider-Man costume just two issues into the new volume, making this the story beat that re-establishes the series' entire premise. It also marks the first appearance of villain Gray Dolman, whose connection to Shadrac and the Gathering of Five artifacts drives the subsequent multi-part arc. Taken together, those three debut moments — Shadrac, Dolman, and Mattie's unmasking — give the issue a density of new-character introductions rare for so early in a relaunched run.
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The issue was produced by the same team that launched the volume: scripter Howard Mackie plotting alongside artist John Byrne, with inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Gregory Wright, and editing by Ralph Macchio under editor-in-chief Bob Harras. The 1999 relaunch itself was Marvel's deliberate attempt to consolidate a bloated Spider-Man line — which had run four concurrent titles — down to two streamlined series, partly to rehabilitate a franchise badly damaged in fan perception by the years-long Clone Saga. Byrne's involvement was considered an editorial coup at the time, given his reputation for reinvigorating franchises, and he had been simultaneously writing and drawing the companion miniseries Spider-Man: Chapter One, positioning himself as the creative anchor of a full Spider-Man refresh; the Vol. 2 ongoing, however, split plotting and scripting duties with Mackie rather than being a solo Byrne vehicle.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Shadrac: Gregory Herd (previously the villain Override) debuts in his transformed, flame-wreathed form after receiving 'death' as his gift from the Gathering of Five ceremony.
- First appearance of Gray Dolman, the manipulative antagonist who controls Shadrac and seeks to reclaim the Gathering of Five artifact stolen by Norman Osborn.
- Mattie Franklin's identity as the mystery Spider-Man is revealed for the first time — she is confirmed to be a young woman and explains that her powers come from the Gathering of Five.
- Peter Parker, ostensibly retired from being Spider-Man, makes the in-story decision to return to the costume in this issue, spurred by Shadrac's threat and Mattie's inability to stop him.
- Story title: 'I Can't...(And I Don't Want To)...But I Must!' — part one of the three-part 'Shadrac!' arc that concludes in ASM Vol. 2 #3.
- Creative team: script by Howard Mackie, pencils by John Byrne, inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Gregory Wright; cover by John Byrne.
- Gregory Herd's history as Override — a mercenary with a cybernetically enhanced suit who could override electronic devices — is established as context: he entered the Gathering of Five to fund his gravely injured wife Ann's medical care.
- Published with a February 1999 cover date, making it the second issue of the first-ever renumbered relaunch of The Amazing Spider-Man, a series that had run continuously since 1963.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Spider-Man #7/1999 (1999), Spider-Man #7/1999 (1999), Spider-Man: The Next Chapter #1 (2011), Spider-Man: Through the Decades #[nn] (2011), Best Comics : Spider-Man #5 (2013), Spider-Man by John Byrne Omnibus #[nn] (2019)
Key issues in The Amazing Spider-Man
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