Gay Spider-Man Ready to Swing Out of the 'Spider-Verse'
Comic books are branching out from their four-color origins to embrace a diverse spectrum of superheroes all along the sexuality and gender identity rainbow. From bisexual versions of Superman and Batman's sidekick Robin to a scrappy gay teenaged Captain America, and, coming to television, a gay Green Lantern and an out Aqualad, a new generation of heroes are strutting their super-powered authentic selves.
Now a gay Spider-Man is joining the mix, swinging in from the multi-dimensional Spider-Verse to the pages of the upcoming September issue of "Edge of Spider-Verse," comicbook.com reported.
"Created by Steve Foxe and Kris Anka, Web-Weaver is billed as 'a not-so-mild fashion designer,'" comicbook.com said. And the new hero will have a bespoke enemy to challenge him, "a very different kind of Spider-Slayer," according to the article.
The story also noted that writer Foxe "took to Twitter to tease that the character will be a unique step in terms of LGBTQ+ representation," specifying that Web-Weaver's "fearlessly femme identity is central to who he is, but it's not the STORY... which you can experience for yourself in September!"
Artist Kris Anka also headed to Twitter to offer fans a glimpse of his vision for the new character.
Web-Weaver will debut in Issue #5 of the comic, which is ramping up to a crossover epic called "End of the Spider-Verse." That multi-universe realm, bursting with wall-crawlers, has also yielded two animated feature films — the critically-acclaimed box office hit "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," from 2018, and two upcoming sequels, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" (expected next year) and "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" (slated for 2024).
The films, as well as an ongoing monthly comic book, feature an alternate-universe Spider-Man as the superhero identity of a biracial youth named Miles Morales. The films also offer alternate versions of Peter Parker, as well as other variations on spider-powered heroes.