Writer J.M. DeMatteis, one of the most influential creators in Spider-Man history, will return to Marvel Comics next year to spin a new web of lies, secrets, and revenge in Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin.
The mind behind groundbreaking Spidey tales like Kraven's Last Hunt continues to add to his iconic legacy and the mythos of classic Spider-Man lore following retro stints like Ben Reilly: Spider-Man and Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt. This time, DeMatteis is paired with rising star artist Michael Sta. Maria for a story set during the beginning of Peter Parker’s adventures as Spider-Man.
Still finding his footing as a superhero and dealing with grief over Uncle Ben's death, Peter will find himself entangled in a dark drama involving his best friend's family: the Osborns. The saga will revisit the now classic Spider-Man #-1 and tie up a plot thread that’s been dangling since 1997 involving the tragic truth behind Norman Osborn's research assistant Nels van Adder, the first test subject for the "Goblin formula" which transformed him into Proto-Goblin.
Adder served Norman as part of the "Biogenetic Project Supreme," a scheme meant to test and perfect what would one day become known as the "Goblin Formula." He volunteered as a guinea pig and subsequently transformed into a red-skinned creature; Norman later managed to take a blood sample from him before the former research assistant was thrown into a nearby river and seemingly killed.
Norman Osborn was not the first Goblin! Norman Osborn is the Green Goblin you know. But he is NOT the Original Goblin! It’s time to learn the shocking secrets of the Proto-Goblin, and its dramatic connection to the Osborn family! What role does a young Peter Parker, who has not yet understood his great power and responsibility, play in this unfolding of events?
"I've always been fascinated with Peter Parker’s early days as Spider-Man, a time before he fully understood what it meant to be a superhero," DeMatteis says. "Shadow of the Goblin allows us to take a deep dive into Young Peter's mind and emotions as he makes his way through this exhilarating, and sometimes terrifying, new world."
"We take an equally-deep dive into the dysfunctional dynamic of the Osborn family, seeing how that generational pain sowed the earliest seeds of Norman's Green Goblin identity and left its traumatic imprint on Harry. If you think you know everything there is to know about Peter and the Osborns, think again!"
Check out Paulo Siqueira's and stay tuned for more on Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin before it launches next April.
SPIDER-MAN: SHADOW OF THE GREEN GOBLIN #1 (OF 4)
Written by J.M. DEMATTEIS
Art by MICHAEL STA. MARIA
Cover by PAULO SIQUEIRA
On Sale 4/3