Marvel Comics announced today that a new Marvel NOW! Spider-Man title, Superior Spider-Man, will replace Amazing Spider-Man in the Marvel lineup after ASM issue #700 ships on Dec. 26th.  While most of the Marvel NOW! announcements have involved a giant game of musical chairs with writers, artists, and characters move from one book (or family of books) to another, writer Dan Slott will remain on the lead Spider-Man book.  The name of that title will change, but the writer will be the same even after the apocalyptic events of Amazing Spider-Man #700.

 

The writer will be one of the very few constants in the switch from ASM to Superior Spider-Man, which Slott told USA Today, will be a much darker book: "The one thing that does not go with this new Spider-Man is 'Friendly Neighborhood,' no that’s gone."  But Slott provided no details on the nature of the events in ASM #700 that caused Spidey to veer towards darkness and despair.

 

Ryan Stegman will be the artist on the first three story arc, "Hero or Menace," which pretty much sums up the tone of the new series.  ASM illustrators Humberto Ramos and Giuseppe Camuncoli will handle the subsequent story arcs.  Stegman is tweaking Spidey’s costume adding points to the ends of his gloves to give the character a more aggressive look.