John Dodge is an MTV Writer for CBR who specializes in movies, television, comics, and pop culture. He has a deep knowledge of franchises like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, and DC Comics, along with a passion for indie and horror titles. An expert on obscure productions from the ’80s and ’90s, John is known for his encyclopedic recall of cult classics like Beetleborgs.
The following contains major spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #18, on sale December 24 from Marvel Comics.
Two of Spider-Man's oldest enemies are coming together to try and save the day, where Peter Parker can't.
In a preview of Amazing Spider-Man #18 (by Joe Kelly, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Marcio Menyz, and VC's Joe Caramagna) from Marvel Comics, readers see J. Jonah Jameson walking into his office while poring over the recent, drastic shifts in demeanor from both the titular hero and Peter Parker. Luckily for him, Norman Osborn is already waiting in Jameson's office to give him all the details, in exchange for some much-needed help.
Amazing Spider-Man #18
- Written by JOE KELLY
- Art by JOHN ROMITA JR.
- Inks by SCOTT HANNA
- Colors by MARCIO MENYZ
- Letters by VC's JOE CARAMAGNA
- Design by JAY BOWEN
- Main cover art by JOHN ROMITA JR., SCOTT HANNA, and MARCIO MENYZ
- Variant covers by LEE BERMEJO; CORIN HOWELL & RACHELLE ROSENBERG; SIMONE DI MEO; JEREMY WILSON; and BENJAMIN SU
J. Jonah Jameson was introduced all the way back in 1962's Spider-Man #1 in Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's opening story of the same name. After growing up in the abusive household of a decorated war hero, Jameson set out to uncover and maintain the truth wherever it lies as a journalist. Jameson eventually purchased the Daily Bugle, where Peter Parker would later be employed as a journalist.
Over the course of much of his comic book career, Jameson has been one of Spider-Man's biggest detractors. In fact, Jameson was directly responsible for the rise of some of Spider-Man's earliest villains, whose creations he bankrolled in an effort to see the Wall-Crawler brought to justice for his purported crimes.
This long-standing hatred for Spider-Man made it all the more surprising when Jameson eventually owned up to the damage his past smear campaigns against the hero had done and became one of the Wall-Crawler's most important allies. Of course, this change of heart came only after decades of working alongside Peter Parker, all on top of learning his secret identity.
Similarly, Norman Osborn has been one of Spider-Man's worst enemies for decades, thanks to his actions and secret identity as the Green Goblin. At least, that was up until Norman was freed from his "sins" during a fateful encounter with the villainous Sin Eater. Though this kicked off a particularly convoluted Spider-Man story, it did prove to give Norman the room for self-reflection he needed to begin turning things around.
Since the real Spider-Man was launched across the cosmos during a battle with the enigmatic Hellgate, Norman Osborn has been keeping the streets of New York City safe under the guise of Spider-Man in Peter's absence. At the same time, Ben Reilly has been playing the role of Peter Parker, much to the chagrin of just about everyone who knows or has crossed paths with "Peter" in the past few months.
Amazing Spider-Man #18 goes on sale December 24 from Marvel Comics.
English (US) · 