Ultimate Spider-Man #1 Swings to a Second Printing

The first issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, from writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Marco Checchetto, is swinging back to print. Marvel Comics on Wednesday published the first printing of Ultimate Spider-Man #1, the debut title of the new Ultimate Comics line — and the new Ultimate Universe. The publisher has announced that a second printing of the issue will return to shops with Ultimate Spider-Man #2 on February 21 and will receive a new second printing variant cover by R.B. Silva (Rise of the Powers of X).

Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) #1 introduces an older Peter Parker who is married to Mary Jane and the father to two children, Richard and May Parker. Spoiler alert: on Earth-6160, Peter loses his Aunt May to a tragic twist of fate — but his beloved Uncle Ben, whose death inspires Peter to use his great power responsibly in most universes, is still alive when a radioactive spider bites an adult Peter.

"This is a Peter Parker who not only didn't get bit by a spider when he was a teenager, but a Peter Parker who also never lost his Uncle Ben," said editor Wil Moss. "Now that he has become Spider-Man when he's a full-grown adult, how will having Ben in his life affect who he is as a hero? It's a fundamental shift in the Spider-Man mythos, and Jonathan and Marco are really going to surprise you with how it affects Spider-Man's journey as a hero, I guarantee."

Hickman and Checchetto's Ultimate Spider-Man made its way to retailers with a standard cover by Checchetto and variants by David Marquez (Avengers), Mateus Manhanini (Marvel G.O.D.S.), Tony Daniel (Uncanny Spider-Man), Nic Klein (Incredible Hulk), Elizabeth Torque (Uncanny X-Men), Ryan Stegman (Superior Spider-Man Returns), J. Scott Campbell (Mary Jane & Black Cat), and Mark Bagley (2000's Ultimate Spider-Man).