A threat that spans dimensions could wipe out every Spider-Man in existence

(Panini Books)

Across the infinite Earths of the Marvel multi-verse, there exist variations in established history where a radioactive spider bit a drastically different version of Peter Parker, or in a world which developed under circumstances far removed from our own.

So we have the likes of Spider-Man Noir (gained his powers during the Great Depression), Spider-Man 1603 (an Elizabethan era hero), Spider-Ham (an anthropomorphic pig), Ultimate Spider-Man (mixed race teenager Miles Morales), and thousands of other varieties, all of which are being hunted down and devoured by a dimension-spanning family known as the Inheritors.

Our Spider-Man, the Peter Parker of Earth 616, has encountered one of these beings before, the insanely powerful Morlun, and barely survived the experience… The release of Cindy Moon, aka Silk, from her confinement in a bunker where she was kept hidden since being bitten by the same spider that gave Peter his powers, has alerted Morlun to her presence, and now neither of them are safe…

Meanwhile, the Superior Spider-Man, aka Doctor Otto Octavius’ mind in Peter’s body, has been plucked from the past to join in this conflict, and resolves to build an army of spider-powered warriors from across the multi-verse, all of whom are prepared to take extreme measures to achieve victory.

The premise of Spider-Verse is bringing together every Spider-Man ever in a desperate battle for survival against the indomitable threat of the Inheritors, but there’s so much more to this crossover than a simple battle to the death.

Not only does it offer an opportunity to catch-up with different versions of Spidey who we haven’t seen for a while, but it cements our Peter Parker’s position as the most important incarnation across reality, and will also tie into the forthcoming Secret Wars crossover epic, which also brings together various parallel dimensions from across the multi-verse.

This volume collects some of the stories leading up to Spider-Verse, but also includes our webslinger’s meeting with the new Ms Marvel, and picks up on various other story threads established in the previous collection.

It’s certainly an exciting time to be reading Spider-Man, and things are only going to get more interesting the closer we get to Spider-Verse.