Spider-Man's Tangled Web was an American superhero comic book series starring Spider-Man and his supporting cast published by Marvel Comics for 22 issues from June 2001 to March 2003. The title was an anthology series, where various creative teams not usually associated with Spider-Man could display their take on the character.

Creation

The series was devised by Joe Quesada and Axel Alonso shortly after they became Marvel Comics' editor-in-chief and senior editor respectively. Creators for the series were directed to focus more on the characters connected to Spider-Man rather than focusing on the character himself. A similar approach had previously been tried with Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man in 1999–2000. However, Alonso's contacts from his work with DC Comics and their Vertigo imprint attracted a number of acclaimed creators to the series, including Darwyn Cooke, Garth Ennis, Duncan Fegredo, Jim Mahfood, Ted McKeever, Peter Milligan, Paul Pope and Greg Rucka. While the series was nominally set in the Marvel Universe, the creative teams were given considerably leeway in terms of how strongly they adhered to continuity.

Publishing history

The series' title was initially styled as Tangled Web for the first four issues, with Spider-Man's name not featured on the cover. From #5 it was changed to Spider-Man's Tangled Web. Issue #1 was the subject of a recall due to the incorrect paper stock being used for the cover. A second print run was ordered with the correct paper stock, thus making a collector's item of the rarer first print. Sales on the series lagged behind the other Spider-Man titles throughout its run, and it was finally cancelled in 2003 to make way for the new The Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 2 comic by Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos.

Stories

Collected editions

Reception

In an overall series review before #20, Wizard rated Spider-Man's Tangled Web as 'B-', noting the format was "both the strength and weakness" of the title. Screen Rant considered it a title that was cancelled too early. Wizard listed "Severance Package" as one of their 'Top 10 Books of the Last Decade'. "Severance Package" was named as one of the '10 Best Spider-Man & Kingpin Comics' by Comic Book Resources. Wizard also described "I was a Teenage Frogman" as "tepid". "'Twas the Fight Before Christmas" was listed in Screen Rant's '10 Marvel Comics That Could Inspire Another MCU Holiday Special' "Flowers for Rhino" was one of the most acclaimed stories from the series; Screen Rant named it among the '10 Best Comic Issues Of The 2000s' featuring Spider-Man; it was listed at 49th on Comic Book Resources' '50 Greatest Spider-Man Stories Master List'. and was named as one of the '10 Weirdest Spider-Man Comics' by Tilt Magazine, writer David Gelmini describing it as "an enjoyably offbeat insight into the psyche of the most imbecilic member of the Sinister Six". Comic Book Resources would also list it as a fine example of a villain-centric Spider-Man story.