The Amazing Scarlet Spider #2

History

The Amazing Scarlet Spider series existed because Marvel's editorial group, led by editor-in-chief Bob Budiansky, conceived the title-swap as a way to capitalize on Ben Reilly's popularity before transitioning him to the Spider-Man identity — a stunt openly modeled on the X-Men's Age of Apocalypse line-wide replacement of 1995. Assistant editor Glenn Greenberg later recalled that while Budiansky and the rest of editorial envisioned a single issue per series, Marvel's sales and marketing department pushed for at least two issues of each replacement title. Tom DeFalco wrote both issues of Amazing Scarlet Spider with Mark Bagley penciling and Larry Mahlstedt inking, carrying over the same core creative team that had been handling Amazing Spider-Man; the 'Cyberwar' story threading through issue #2 continued directly from Web of Scarlet Spider #2 and concluded in Scarlet Spider #2.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First full appearance of Joystick (Janice Yanizeski), created by writer Tom DeFalco and penciler Mark Bagley; she would go on to appear in the Thunderbolts, Masters of Evil, and other Marvel titles across roughly three decades.
• First appearance of El Toro Negro (Sergio Torres) as a named, active character in the story's present day, as well as the debut of Great Game referee Henri and other Game infrastructure.
• First appearance (in terms of active story role) of the Great Game organization itself — a deadly sport run by wealthy sponsors who wager on super-powered 'players'; the concept was seeded in Scarlet Spider Unlimited #1 but fully launched here.
• Written by Tom DeFalco; pencils by Mark Bagley (credited as 'BAGS'); inks by Larry Mahlstedt; colors by Bob Sharen with Malibu Coloring separations; letters by Bill Oakley; edited by Bob Budiansky.
• Second and final issue of the Amazing Scarlet Spider limited series, which replaced The Amazing Spider-Man for the November–December 1995 cover-date window as part of the Clone Saga's Spider-to-Scarlet Spider title-swap.
• Part two of the 'Cyberwar' crossover arc; reading order runs: Web of Scarlet Spider #2 → Amazing Scarlet Spider #2 → Scarlet Spider #2 → Spectacular Scarlet Spider #2.
• Phil Urich's heroic Green Goblin appears as a supporting character, interacting with both Joystick and the Scarlet Spider during the climactic confrontation.
• Later reprinted in Spider-Man: The Complete Ben Reilly Epic Book 1 (2011) and in the Spider-Man: Ben Reilly Omnibus Vol. 1 (2018).

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