In today's Amazing Spider-Man #61, a new creative team - Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness - take charge of for the new story arc, "8 Deaths Of Spider-Man."
The Marvel Universe's latest Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Doom, approaches Spider-Man and tells him that a young Doctor Strange struck a bargain with the immovable Crimson God Cyttorak to use his Crimson Casket as a means of protecting Earth from supernatural threats.
However, Strange had to agree to besting the Eight Scions of Cyttorak, the restless, spoiled Godlings eager to prove themselves worthy of their father's throne, on a yearly basis. The hero found a loophole by arming himself with the Sacred Reeds of Raggador, meaning that if he fell, he'd be repeatedly reborn...in other words, he'd never lose.
Doom is too important for such a menial task and assigns Spider-Man to be his champion. Peter Parker has no other choice than to agree with New York under threat and manages to defeat Cyntros by overloading the Blackheart Hole in the monster's mouth.
Alas, in doing so, Spidey undergoes the process of Spaghettification, a concept we're sure you'll remember from Loki season 2. Poor Peter is torn apart in picoseconds, but for him, it feels more like...96 hours.
Resurrected, the wall-crawler is left understandably shaken up. Doctor Strange shows up to comfort his old friend but warns him that to defeat the rest of the Scions, Spider-Man will likely have to die again. And again. And five more times after that. Why? Because the fate of Earth is at stake.
Spider-Man has died before, but this is a particularly terrible demise and it sounds like the worst is yet to come for him. On the plus side, Doom's spell has given him a mastery over the mystic arts, meaning he should be a match for the villainous group in future issues.
Check out some pages from Amazing Spider-Man #61 below.
In the aftermath of Blood Hunt, Doctor Doom took on the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme and there are some duties he’d rather delegate. Who better to face the Scions of Cyttorak the Destroyer, the ruler of Crimson Cosmos, than your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man? Spider-Man might be a little under-qualified for the task at hand, but Doctor Doom gifts him a new magical armor - and eight extra lives to go with it. That should be enough, right? Peter Parker sure hopes so.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #61
Written by JOE KELLY
Art and Cover by ED MCGUINNESS
On Sale 11/13