Spider-Man #7 (163)
Spider-Man (2022) #7 — legacy-numbered #163 — is the first appearance of Spider-Boy (Bailey Briggs), Peter Parker's self-proclaimed long-lost sidekick, making it one of the most significant debut issues in Spider-Man's extended family in years. The issue simultaneously serves as the finale of Dan Slott's 'End of the Spider-Verse' storyline, resolving a multiversal conflict built across Slott's entire return arc and closing a narrative thread stretching back to J. Michael Straczynski's original introduction of Shathra and the totem mythology in the early 2000s. Spider-Boy's introduction uses a clever ret-con device — the character is an Earth-616 hero erased from everyone's memory — that allowed Slott to debut a brand-new character who already has a rich, implied history without disrupting existing continuity. That structural invention, combined with the chapter's role as the capstone of a seven-issue arc produced by two of the medium's most prolific Spider-Man collaborators working together for the first time, gives the issue a durable place in Spider-Man publishing history.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
This issue was the product of Dan Slott's high-profile return to the Spider-Man franchise after leaving Amazing Spider-Man in 2018 following a decade-plus run that produced more issues of that title than any other writer. Marvel relaunched the adjectiveless Spider-Man series in October 2022 specifically to pair Slott with artist Mark Bagley — who had drawn more Spider-Man than any other artist according to editor Nick Lowe — on their very first collaboration on a Spider-Man title together, timed to Spider-Man's 60th anniversary. The 'End of the Spider-Verse' arc was conceived as Slott's definitive closing chapter on the Spider-Verse saga he had helped build, drawing in characters from prior Spider-Verse events alongside new figures introduced in the concurrent Edge of Spider-Verse miniseries. Spider-Boy specifically was created by Slott and Humberto Ramos — Ramos provided a variant cover for this issue and would go on to illustrate Bailey's origin in Edge of Spider-Verse #3 — after Slott confirmed he could legally use the 'Spider-Boy' name, though he had held the character concept for some time beforehand.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Spider-Boy (Bailey Briggs, Earth-616), Peter Parker's amnesiac-era sidekick, created by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos; the character went on to headline his own ongoing solo series beginning November 2023.
- Chapter title: 'End of the Spider-Verse Part Seven: Spider-Genesis'; legacy number #163 in the Spider-Man series.
- Written by Dan Slott; interior art by Mark Bagley (pencils), John Dell and Andrew Hennessy (inks), Edgar Delgado (colors), VC's Joe Caramagna (letters).
- Collects the conclusion of the seven-issue 'End of the Spider-Verse' arc; the full arc was subsequently collected in Spider-Man Vol. 1: End of the Spider-Verse trade paperback (collecting issues #1–7).
- Story resolution: Silk/Cindy Moon stabs Morlun with the Totem Dagger in issue #6, leading to a 'complete reset' of the Great Web in this issue; all previously erased Spider-heroes (including Jessica Drew and Peter Parker) are restored to existence.
- Spider-Boy debuts as a unique case among Shathra's victims — he is returned to reality but no one, including Peter Parker or Miles Morales, retains any memory of him, setting up his ongoing mystery and solo series.
- Variant covers include art by Humberto Ramos, Carlos Gómez, and others; the Ramos variant is a spoiler cover depicting Spider-Boy.
- This was the first time Dan Slott and Mark Bagley collaborated on a Spider-Man title together, despite both having individually defined eras of the character — Bagley through his 1990s Amazing Spider-Man and 100+ issue Ultimate Spider-Man run, Slott through his 2008–2018 Amazing Spider-Man tenure.