Mythos: Spider-Man #1

Find out how Spider-Man's super hero career began in a fully-painted recounting of the origin of the original hard-luck hero.

In MYTHOS: SPIDER-MAN, the classic origin is revisited once again. Written by Paul Jenkins with pencils by Paolo Rivera, this new take on the story gives a reimagining of how Spider-Man came into being. Using elements from all over Spidey's long history, the story is a fresh look at how Peter Parker became the Amazing Spider-Man.

In MYTHOS, we'll see some of the characters that are just as important as the wall crawler himself. Friends like Mary Jane and Harry Osborn fill the halls at Midtown High and Aunt May and Uncle Ben offer their love and sage advice. Just as in the original telling, Uncle Ben regales to Peter the one principle that Peter would base his entire crime fighting life on--with great power comes great responsibility. In all versions of Spider-Man's genesis, this one piece of fatherly influence has been what makes Peter Parker a better man and a better hero.

With some familiar elements and some you may not expect, MYTHOS will remind you of just who Peter Parker is, and why after 45 years we are still captivated by a web slinging hero who has just as many problems as we do.

Relive the birth of a hero in MYTHOS: SPIDER-MAN by Paul Jenkins and Paolo Rivera

School is rough for Peter Parker. The students ignore him while he is there. He leaves and no one even notices. Back at home Aunt May prepares a plate of wheat pancakes for her nephew. As Peter just stares at his food Uncle Ben asks him what is wrong. Peter comments on the food and Uncle Ben says he wasn't talking about the food. Peter comments about how rough school is for him, and the bully named Flash Thompson. Uncle Ben tries to comfort Peter by telling him that Flash is really scared of Peter's intellect and high grades, then says a variation on Spider-Man's famous advice: "If you have power, then you have responsibility."

Later Peter and his class attend a scientific demonstration on ionized radiation. While Peter is asking questions on the effects of the ionized radiation a spider wanders though the radioactive beam becoming infused with radiation, lands on Peter's hand, and gives him a bite. Peter staggers out of the building and notices that the bite wound on his hand is glowing. He wanders across a street right in the path of a speeding car. The car blares its horn and before Peter knows what is going on he finds himself on a fire escape two stories up.

The next morning Aunt May and Uncle Ben are looking for Peter to help him get ready for school but he is nowhere to be found. Peter is blocks away in a bike helmet and pads spinning webs and swinging from building to building. He discovers that he has the proportional strength and speed of a spider, clear vision, and the ability to walk on walls along with his ability to spin webs from his hands. He then dwells on a way to use his new abilities to make money.

Creating a Spider-Man costume for himself he locates a manager and gets bookings on a variety of Television shows. While collecting his cut from the taping of a late-nite tv show he sees a man running through the parking structure carrying a purse and a pearl necklace. The man runs past Peter and he doesn't even try to stop him. The security guard asks why he didn't even try and Peter responds that they haven't been there for him all those years, so why should he be there for them.

Costumed, Peter swings home where his Aunt May and Uncle Ben have been wondering where he has been getting all of his money. At home he is greeted by police officers at his front door. The cop tells him that with all of the money lying around the house there was a break-in and his Uncle was shot and killed. Hurt and angry peter suits back up and swings across the city to an abandoned warehouse where the criminal is holding up. He wrestles the criminal to the floor and recognizes his face from the parking structure earlier. Enraged Peter drags the criminal up the side of the building telling him that he should have killed him when he had the chance. Peter holds the thug over the side of the building threatening to kill him while asking him to tell him that he has all the power. When the thug agrees and says it peter tells him that he should kill him right then, but he has a responsibility even to him. Peter leaves the criminal wrapped in webbing from a light-post for the cops to find. Later comes his Uncle's funeral and a period of mourning. Spider-Man is born.