By Wolfie

Arune Singh, acting as the moderator, opened up the panel and began with introductions to the Spider-Man team. Present for the panel were President of Content and Creator Development, C.B. Cebulski; writer Dan Slott; artist Paolo Rivera and Spider-Man editor Tom Brennan which Arune described as hard-working by staying in the office after hours to get those issues out on time. After the round of applause, Brennan jokes, “I deserve it…”

Arune Singh concludes the intros with his self introduction as manager of sales communications which he jokes is just another way of saying ‘marketing.’

Singh then brings up the current storyline status of Amazing Spider-Man and hands the floor to Paolo Rivera. Rivera briefly explains his experience with working on the interior art for the four Amazing Spider-Man issues that make up the arc, “One Moment in Time.” According to him, he had been staying up each night to get the work done. But his answer is met with a positive response from Tom Brennan who comments about how happy he becomes whenever he receives artwork from Rivera. Singh agrees with the sentiment and rounds up another huge applause from the audience.

Singh continues with news of the upcoming arc in August, Origin of Species which follows immediately after O.M.I.T. Dan Slott chimes in and describes “Origin” as the story to wrap up a lot of thing that have been building up during Brand New Day. According to Brennan, all of the villains from the ‘Gauntlet’ will reappear in this new arc and previous storylines will make its way back into the forefront which means that many questions will be answered.

Filling us in with more details, we learn that the “Origin” storyline revolves around the Spider-Man being on the run as he contains something of extreme value to the Osborns as well as the entire world. There isn’t a moment where he’s not under attack and we’ll eventually learn why Spider-Man is the greatest hero in the Marvel Universe.

And with that information, Singh informs the audience that this signifies the end of Brand New Day in October, 2010. He also took the time to congratulate the team for over a hundred issues while Slott gives props to letterer, Joe Caramagna for being the hardest working letterer in comics.

The next segment of the panel consisted of announcements to let us know what the future holds for Spider-Man:

• Stefano Caselli, Marcos Martin, Humberto Ramos (who was a guest on the Spider-Man panel) will be rotating on the new chapter entitled, “Big Time.” This will be released in November and will be on a bi-monthly release schedule. The sole writer was confirmed to be Dan Slott.
• Dan Slott made the announcement that Peter Parker will no longer be unemployed as he will finally have a career and “…live to the potential of who Peter Parker SHOULD be…All these wonderful gifts he can give to the world. If he doesn’t live up to his potential and give the world everything Peter Parker can THAT is being irresponsible….that he has all these great Peter Parker powers and he’s got some huge Peter Parker responsibility.” Humberto Ramos shared his appreciation for working on the book as he had admitted that Spider-Man was his favorite.
• Slott reveals that Big Time will consist of more pages. Each issue will either have a full 30 paged story or the standard 22 with an additional 8 page story featuring Spider-Man characters that tie into the lead storyline. “It will all fit together”, says Slott.
• First issue of Big Time will consist of 39 pages of the lead story by Humberto and a back up 8 pages on top of the 39 pages.
• Singh brings up the new Spider-Girl series with Arana as the title character. This 8 page back-up story ties into the lead story. This will be considered a very important book to the Spider-Man family and not considered a ‘satellite’ story. According to Singh, “Spider-Girl has a very big future with us.”
• Osborn – All new mini series by the talented Kelly Sue DeConnick with art by Emma Rios. Storyline involves Osborn’s time in jail.
• Carnage – This mini series begins in October. Creative team consists of writer, Zeb Wells and artist Clayton Crain. In this storyline, Spider-Man and Iron Man team up to attempt to bring Carnage down.

Once the announcements had ended, it was time for the next part of the panel which consisted of questions from the audience. And when an audience member asked a question, they were rewarded with Black Cat Gel Skins for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Singh had also announced that every audience member will receive an exclusive Spider-Man Marvel button but they can only receive it if they stay for the entire panel. Speaking of Spider-Man, he was present on the panel, as Singh had noted and applauded his tolerance for squatting for long periods.

Now on to some Q and A…

• A fan had asked if any new villains would show up in the new chapter, Big Time.

Dan Slott: “You will see a new villain in Marcos’ first arc, which would be a third arc up…you’re gonna see characters that we haven’t seen in awhile coming back. We’re gonna see classic characters coming back true to form. Some coming back with new sins and we’re going to see new villains too.”

• Fan asked if the prices would remain the same to which Singh admitted that he didn’t know but Dan Slott assures the fan that with the 39 pages and 8 page back up, it will still remain the normal price (At least for the first issue). $3.99

• The next question was regarding the state of the Venom Symbiote now that Mac Gargan is back.

Dan Slott: “You will see where the symbiote goes kind of in the first issue. So much happens in issue 648, it’s like an idea bomb goes off…you’re gonna see Gargan, you’re gonna have all kinds of classic Spidey villains…you’re gonna see the Avengers guest star, the Fantastic 4 guest star, you’re gonna see Black Cat guest star, you’re gonna see a lot of people…When we did Brand New Day, we really wanted to take Spidey and put him aside and really develop his world. When Big Time starts, everything’s bigger and he’s clearly in the Marvel Universe interacting with the Marvel Universe. You’re gonna see a lot of guest stars in the book, a lot of other Marvel characters playing off and tied to the Avengers, the FF…” At this point, Slott veers off to the upcoming Fantastic 4 storyline entitled, “3” and as he mentioned the possibility of one original member missing, the possibility of Spider-Man fulfilling the 4^th spot in the team is a high probability. He continued to tease the audience that with each member as a possible missing candidate, Spidey would easily fit into their shoes with his super strength, paternal support for Franklin, or even someone with about the same intellect as Reed Richards. He brings up the fact that little Franklin may need support and Brennan jokes, “You heard it first…Spider-Man is a wonderful mother!”

• Based on the recent quotes from Steve Wacker mentioning the possibility of Peter Parker as Spider-Man coming to an end, a fan had asked a question about how much longer Peter Parker will don his Spider-Man costume.

Dan Slott: “Something’s gonna happen…in the first arc, we’re gonna see Peter Parker step up and get this new career and start moving in Peter Parker ways. In the second arc, something is going to happen that’s going to make Spider-Man reevaluate what kind of Spider-Man he wants to be. So when Steve was talking about a different Spider-Man, we’re going to see Spider-Man operate in a way he hasn’t before. And in the third arc, there will be a massive status quo shift. Big things are going to happen on after another in this book.”

• A fan asked a symbiote related question pertaining to a comic with a symbiote called “Toxin” and if he would be used again.

Dan Slott: “There’s Toxin, there’s hybrid…and there’s Anti-Venom. You’re gonna see some symbioty stuff soon.”

• A fan inquired about Carnage and his whereabouts ever since his so-called demise.

Tom Brennan: “We have this great Carnage mini-series coming up…” As the crowd laughs at Brennan’s nudging, Brennan continues with not being able to disclose that information at the moment.

• Another fan asked which guest hero, would have the best arc or storyline in the upcoming arc.

Dan Slott: “There’s a story in the third issue of Marcos’ arc which I don’t want to say what it is but I’m really excited about it.”

Tom Brennan: “…The Spider-Girl series…it is very much tied into what we’re doing and she’s gonna be a big part of Spider-Man’s universe…”

Dan Slott: “There’s a Shadowland Amazing Spider-Man one-shot where it’s him and Shang Chi and there will be a bond between the two of them and we will see Shang Chi show up again in Amazing… and why it’s pretty cool. Why he shows up is pretty cool.”

• A question was asked about Slott’s overall duties, whether or not he would be writing the back-up stories as well. Slott had admitted that he would be overseeing a lot of the back-up stories

• An interesting question was asked regarding Quentin Beck (aka Mysterio) and how he was brought back to life.

Dan Slott: “Whoever said it was Quentin Beck?”

• A Ben Reilly question was brought on the table regarding any future stories that could potentially follow up on the Web of Spider-Man issues featuring Ben.

Arune Singh: “Who wants Ben Reilly back?” This was met with a positive response from the audience.

Tom Brennan: “We’re working on that…it would be the easiest answer I have right now. Certainly, as you just saw, people like Ben Reilly…” Brennan mentions the possibilities for more anthologies.

Dan Slott: “If you really like Ben Reilly, you should pre-order Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions video game from K-Mart and get the Scarlet Spider outfit!”

Arune Singh: “And you should also pick up the trade of that they’re collecting of Clone Saga. They’re actually really affordable…thick, thick trade, full color and you can relive the glory of the Clone Saga.”

• A question was directed to the entire panel as they were asked which character they enjoyed writing about, drawing or editing.

Spider-Man (cosplayer): “Ummm…there’s been so many.”

Tom Brennan: “I’m gonna have to pass on that one and let you guys decide.”

C.B. Cebulski: “I liked Paperdoll…I thought that she was great.”

Dan Slott: “You will see Paperdoll again soon.”

Paolo Rivera: “I kind of really like the Punisher. I never liked Punisher before but as soon as I got to draw him…he was a villain but he was like someone you could depend on…”

Humberto Ramos also added his favorites to the list with Spider-Man on top followed by Hobgoblin. Dan Slott expressed his admiration for Joe Kelly’s interpretation of Hammer Head as well as other writers version of a lot of popular characters. Tom Brennan mentioned this excitement for the development of the Kraven Family as well as the Spider family and Arune Singh added Osborn to the mix while also praising James Franco for his performance as Harry Osborn.

• A female fan had sincerely asked about the status of the Spider-Girl (Mayday Parker) one-shot coming out soon and if she would ever be involved in the 616 Marvel Universe.

Tom Brennan: ‘”Spider-Girl – The End’ coming out at the end of this month is unfortunately the swan song for May Parker. She was a character that every in Marvel loved…it was the right time to end it. The new Spider-Girl in the books will not be May Parker. That said, two quick things, I think a round of applause for Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz…and if you really want to see May Parker again, it’s not impossible and the best way to do it is for all of you to buy the heck out of this Spider-Girl – The End. Sell it out, buy every single copy and hopefully we’ll be able to bring her back.

At this point Singh confirmed from Steve Wacker that the issues, especially those with extra content, will be $3.99 and twice a month.

• This next inquiry had the fan asking for any hints regarding Peter Parker’s new line of work.

Spider-Man (cosplayer): “Yeah, whaddya’ gonna have me do?”

Tom Brennan joked, “You’re gonna be the new assistant editor on Spider-Man”

Dan Slott: “Let’s just say it’s his dream job. Peter Parker gets his dream job. But it’s Peter Parker…we’re gonna put things on his head, so you know, wealth and fame he’s ignored, maybe not anymore…He’s Pete…even if things are going great in column A, he’s going to screw something up in column B because he does. And even if things are the best over here he’s really going to mess up something over there…but for once he’s going to get his career in shape…A CAREER! He’s going to have more resources…so expect to see Pete now with more money to spread around. He’s gonna build better stuff…Pete’s gonna get some cool new toys.”

• A fan asked if there were characters that they didn’t get to use but really want to. Dan answered immediately.

Dan Slott: “Prowler, I love Prowler. I have so many stories in motion and in play and I STILL can’t write him! Because there’s so much stuff coming and so much stuff building but I’m gonna get to Prowler eventually…I love Prowler.

Humberto Ramos: “I love Cardiac.”

An unexpected question arose regarding the Amazing Spider-Man issue featuring President Obama on the cover and if McCain had won, would he have been on the cover instead?

The fan continued with a little background data on what each of the former candidates were reading when they were kids, claiming that Obama was a Batman fan and McCain, a Spider-Man fan. Brennan corrected him on the information revealing that Obama actually did read Spider-Man comics when he was young and that motivated Marvel to proceed with the issue and cover. Brennan adds that if it had been any other candidate that had won, he was pretty sure Marvel would have given them the same treatment. Slott adds his two cents with saying that in an interview, Obama mentioned that he collected both Spider-Man and Conan.

There were other questions that also covered the Osborn Legacy and Norman himself but the fans were encouraged to check out the Osborn mini series.

In the light of the new costumes that were being displayed on the screen, a fan had taken the liberty to ask about the black and green costume that Spidey was sporting and wondering if it would be THE costume. Slott, informs everyone that it’s A costume but not his main one which means that we’ll get to see a myriad of attire from our favorite webhead. Slott couldn’t provide any more details other than encourage the fans to read the book when it come out.

After that question, Singh had shared news about receiving exclusive comic con Marvel pins after the end of the panel but people had to stick around until the end in order to receive them. After this little announcement, the Q & A session continued…

• We found this next question to be an interesting one as we shared the same kind of inquiry a couple years ago. A fan had asked if it was a good idea for Peter to share his identity with the world back in the Civil War issues.

Dan Slott: “It excited you guys at the time didn’t it? It was really cool wasn’t it? I think we have some really exciting stories out.”

The same fan had also asked about what the participants in the panel hope to see in the new upcoming Spider-Man movie.

Humberto Ramos: “A new MJ.”

Dan Slott: “3D! I can’t wait to see the Spider-Man movie in 3D! I will never leave the theater, I will just sit there…”

Spider-Man: “More comedic timing…”

Singh: “I wanna see the new Mary Jane.”

After this response, it prompted more of the panelists to want to see  “Someone HOT to play Mary Jane.” This encouraged the crowd to heartily and loudly agree.

Paolo Rivera: “I would like Miranda Care to play Mary Jane.”

Dan Slott: “…And a REALLY HOT Aunt May.”

Arune Singh: “I just want James Franco back…”

• Now this was both an expected and unexpected question if you know what I mean. A fan wanted to know if there were any plans to bring back Gwen Stacy.

Dan Slott: “Umm…more decomposing.”

• Looks like another appeal for the Scarlet Spider legacy as another fan had asked if we would ever see that costume ever again.

Dan Slott: “In Spider-Man – Shattered Dimensions video game if you pre-purchase the game…”, Dan added, “You are gonna see A Spider-Man costume and maybe some more that you like. It will be different…”

Tom Brennan: “Also check out the trade for the Spider-Man Clone Saga that came out last year, the new series by Tom DeFalco and Todd Nauck..Scarlet Spider is all over that and you never know…”

• More Osborn inquiries as a fan wanted the panelists to spill some details on the upcoming Osborn mini-series.

Singh reasoned and joked that they couldn’t say too much about future events since they were liable to get into some trouble

Tom Brennan: “…And if you pick up American Son which is wrapping up this month you’ll find that Norman is playing a bigger part…”

• Now that Kraven is back, a fan wanted to know how involved he would be in Spider-Man’s world.

Arune Singh: (Regarding the Man with no Fear teasers) “….Kraven was one of the candidates.”

Tom Brennan: “We’re certainly didn’t bring him back to have him off camera for a long time again. He’s back and he’s more dangerous than ever…only one person can kill him and…he won’t…”

• After learning about the hero team ups that were coming up, a fan wanted to inquire if there were any super-villain team ups coming up soon.

Dan Slott: “Yeah” (Slott holds up 6 fingers to indicate a familiar team up from the past)

• A fan asked what part of Peter’s past they find exciting and that they are going to bring back.

Dan Slott: “There is a kind of promise that Peter made in Amazing Spider-Man #1 and will be touched on in the second issue of Humberto’s run. We’re using the whole history of the character. You’re going to see all kinds of things and throwbacks to other stories and how they’re affecting the present so I love the whole history of Spider-Man…cool stuff.”

• Of course a fan asked the infamous question…the question that we all wanted to ask. “What’s coming up with Mary Jane and Peter?”

Dan Slott: “MJ is the one person in the world, the one normal person in Peter’s like that knows his double life and because of that she’s going to be one of the most important people in his world. But why that is…pick up One Moment in Time.”

Tom Brennan: Pick up One Moment in Time…it’s one of the greats.

• This last fan in line had asked the panelists who their least favorite character was.

Dan Slott: “I for the longest time was sick of the Vulture, like Adrian Toomes because he was old when Spider-Man was a sophomore in high school…”

Though Slott had mentioned his dislike for the Vulture, he later admitted that he grew to like him over learning about the many things that he was capable of doing. He also added that there were no bad characters in the Marvel universe.

Humberto Ramos: “I have problems working on technology…with all the machinery brings me a lot of trouble.”

And with this answer, Ramos had expressed some frustration over working on Galactus.

Paolo Rivera: “You know what’s really hard to draw…is pigeons.” (this earned laughter from the audience since they knew what he was referring to)

Tom Brennan: “You make them look so good.”

• This question was pertaining to the panelists thoughts on the mini series, Spider-Man Noir.

Dan Slott: “It’s great, David Hine is a god.”

The last question was on the subject of all the Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions plugs that Dan Slott had inserting into his responses. The last fan inquired about whether or not the Dimensions storyline would be tied into the current comic universe of Spider-Man to which Slott said no, nevertheless he did think it was a cool idea.

And with that, Singh ended the Spider-Man Panel and reminded the audience to go pick up their exclusive Marvel pins when they exit the room.

As you can see, there a plenty of exciting things about to happen in Spider-Man’s universe and the only way you’ll find out even more is when you start investing in solicits!

Now down below are the images from the slide show. Enjoy!