The Spectacular Spider-Man #240

Name: The Spectacular Spider-Man #240
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Nov 1996 · Marvel · 1.50 USD; 2.10 CAD

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“Walking into Spiderwebs (Revelations, Part 1)”

★ 1st appearance — Alison Mongrain

About this Issue

Spectacular Spider-Man #240 carries substantial weight as the opening chapter of 'Revelations,' the four-part crossover that finally brought the mid-1990s Clone Saga to its long-awaited conclusion after more than two years of publication across all Spider-Man titles. The issue sets the entire endgame in motion: Seward Trainer — who had falsified the genetic tests declaring Peter Parker a clone — is silenced by Gaunt at the order of a figure seen only in shadow, a device that drove enormous reader anticipation toward the mastermind's unmasking in Spider-Man #75. Beyond its plot mechanics, the issue marks the first appearance of Alison Mongrain, a supporting character whose theft of Mary Jane's newborn would seed the alternate-future MC2 universe and give rise to Spider-Girl (May Parker) in that continuity. As the inciting chapter of an event that restored Peter Parker as the one true Spider-Man and brought Norman Osborn back from the dead for the first time since Amazing Spider-Man #122 (1973), the issue sits at a genuine turning point in Spider-Man publishing history, however divisive that turn proved to be.

writer Todd DeZago · artist Luke Ross · inker John Stanisci · colorist John Kalisz · colorist GCW · letterer Richard Starkings · letterer Comicraft · cover Luke Ross

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History

The 'Revelations' storyline was the product of a turbulent editorial period at Marvel. Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras had ordered a six-month delay to the Clone Saga's conclusion to avoid competing with the 'Onslaught' crossover event, and then personally decreed that the saga's hidden mastermind would be Norman Osborn — a decision that met with almost universal resistance from the writing and editorial staff, who felt it undermined one of Spider-Man's most beloved classic stories. Harras went so far as to dictate specific lines of dialogue and insisted on character appearances (such as Foggy Nelson at the Daily Bugle) that had no organic connection to the story. The issue's script was written by Todd DeZago, with pencils by Luke Ross and inks by John Stanisci, under the editorship of Ralph Macchio (who had replaced Bob Budiansky on the Spider-titles) and with Harras credited as editor-in-chief; the original plan for 'Revelations' had also included a prominent in-story Osborn journal explaining the saga's loose ends, but that element was so marginalized by editorial interference that it eventually had to be published as a separate one-shot, Osborn Journals #1.

Trivia · 8 facts

Cover-dated November 1996, on sale September 25, 1996; written by Todd DeZago, penciled by Luke Ross, inked by John Stanisci, edited by Ralph Macchio under EIC Bob Harras.
Part 1 of the four-part 'Revelations' crossover ('Walking into Spiderwebs'), which concluded the Clone Saga across Sensational Spider-Man #11, Amazing Spider-Man #418, and Spider-Man #75.
First appearance of Alison Mongrain, the operative hired by Norman Osborn to drug Mary Jane's drink and abduct her newborn; the character recurred in later Spider-Man titles and is directly connected to the MC2 reality's Spider-Girl origin.
Final appearance and death of Seward Trainer, Ben Reilly's longtime ally and the scientist who had falsified the DNA tests identifying Peter as the clone; he is killed by Gaunt on orders from the still-unnamed mastermind.
Norman Osborn appears for the first time since Amazing Spider-Man #122 (1973), seen only in shadow in this issue; his full unmasked return comes in Spider-Man #75.
The issue contains an emotionally significant scene in which Peter — sorting through Aunt May's belongings with Ben Reilly — reveals that May had confided she knew Peter was Spider-Man, a secret he had kept to himself since her apparent death.
Reprinted in the 1997 trade paperback Spider-Man: Revelations (which also added 14 new pages to the collected story) and again in Spider-Man: The Complete Ben Reilly Epic #6 (2012); also reprinted in international editions including Dutch, German, and Portuguese markets.
The issue features a variant cover (the 'Halloween cover') in addition to the standard Luke Ross direct-edition cover.