Behind the Scenes of Spider-Man Total Universe

Spider-Man has been dazzling audiences with his selfless heroics, incredible acrobatics, and unforgettable supporting cast for over 60 years. This complex and immersive legacy is part of what the wallcrawler’s many fans love about him, but for newcomers, it can be more than a little intimidating. How do you summarize such a legacy into a single volume that anyone can understand and appreciate? I interviewed Patrick A. Reed, author of the upcoming book Spider-Man Total Universe, about just that. At 800 pages, you might expect Spider-Man Total Universe to be comprehensive. Not quite! While it does cover just about every major development and character debut since Spidey himself first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15, Reed describes the book as more of a “mixtape” or a “road map that shows the essential landmarks and some can’t-miss sites that I want to steer people toward.” To create that road map, you first need to find an author who already knows Spider-Man inside and out. Reed certainly fits that bill. The Stack Sign up to The Stack to receive Book Riot Comic’s best posts, picked for you. “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know Spider-Man,” he told me via email. After a childho...