SDCC ’23: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN gets caught in a GANG WAR this Fall

During today’s Marvel’s Next Big Thing panel at San Diego Comic Con, Marvel announced an upcoming crossover that will place Spider-Man and many of the publisher’s other street-level heroes in the middle of a battle between New York’s super-criminals. Amazing Spider-Man: Gang War will run for five months beginning in November, and will encompass eight issues of Amazing Spider-Man, five issues of Miles Morales: Spider-Man, and a slew of one-shots and tie-in miniseries.

Here’s how Marvel describes the event:

Spinning out of Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr.’s hit run of Amazing Spider-Man, GANG WAR will see a war erupt between the gang lords of New York City, causing chaos throughout the Big Apple. Villains are fighting villains. Criminals are fighting criminals. Hobgoblin, Mr. Negative, the Owl, Shotgun, Diamondback, A.I.M., H.Y.D.R.A., and more battle with and against each other for NYC supremacy. For Peter Parker, “going on patrol” isn’t enough.. and he declares his own war on super-crime. It’s General Spidey at the helm, leading a group of heroes that includes fellow Spider-Man Miles Morales, She-Hulk, Daredevil, and Spider-Woman. Their goal: take down the super-gangs in under 48 hours. But what does Mayor Luke Cage and the city’s strong anti-vigilante laws have to say about it? Will Jackpot gamble on getting involved? And is Shang-Chi a friend or foe? They better all figure it out before two classic villains make a game-changing return!

Amazing Spider-Man writer Zeb Wells will spearhead the storyline in the main ASM title and in a tie-in ASM: Gang War First Strike one-shot in November, on which Wells will be joined by artist Joey Vasquez. Artists on the issues of Amazing Spider-Man tying into the storyline include Ed McGuinness and John Romita Jr. The Miles Morales: Spider-Man installments of the story will come from ongoing series writer Cody Ziglar, with art on the early chapters by Partha Pratim and Federico Vicentini.

What’s a Marvel event without tie-in miniseries, though, and Gang War‘s got those, too. A four-issue Spider-Woman series by Steve Foxe and Carola Borelli will pull Jessica Drew into the action. Meanwhile, Luke Cage, Daredevil, and the Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu will all get their own Gang War miniseries from the creative teams of Rodney Barnes & Ramon F. Bachs, Erica Schultz & Sergio Davila, and Greg Pak and an unannounced artist, respectively.

The new storyline is the second Spider-Man story to bear the name “Gang War.” The original “Gang War” story ran for five issues in the late ’80s, from Amazing Spider-Man #284 through 288. That storyline featured five New York gangs run by criminals from Hobgoblin to Hammerhead all going to war for control of the city, with Spidey in the middle. I guess every 35 years or so the gangs of Marvel’s New York go to war. It happens.

Check out a full list of crossover titles for November and December, along with cover art, below. Amazing Spider-Man: Gang War launches with a First Strike in November.

Amazing Spider-Man Gang War: First Strike #1 
Written by Zeb Wells
Art by Joey Vasquez
Cover by John Romita Jr. 

PRELUDE TO GANG WAR! 
The super-crime landscape of New York has been on edge. This issue, they jump over that edge. What incites the war?! Who hired Shotgun and took out Tombstone? What, if anything, can Spider-Man do about it? Everything you need to know before GANG WAR officially kicks off next month is HERE. 

Luke Cage: Gang War #1 
Written by Rodney Barnes
Art by Ramon F. Bachs
Cover by Caanan White

GANG WAR: FIRST STRIKE!  
In the wake of the Anti-Vigilante Act, Luke has been trying to save the city from behind a desk. But a meeting with old friend DANNY RAND reminds him of the good old days when problems could be punched in order to solve them. As New York descends into a GANG WAR, Luke must use every power he has to protect the innocent and save his city! 

Spider-Woman #1 
Written by Steve Foxe
Art by Carola Borelli
Cover by Leinil Francis Yu 

GANG WAR: FIRST STRIKE!  
The Web of Destiny restored Spider-Woman’s life, but even CAPTAIN MARVEL and MADAME WEB can tell something’s changed. Now SPIDER-MAN wants to recruit her for a new team because VIPER has engineered a deadly union between HYDRA and DIAMONDBACK that’s about to tear the city apart, bringing forth a new foe powerful enough to destroy the city while burning Spider-Woman’s world to the ground. DON’T MISS OUT on this action-packed premiere that features CAPTAIN MARVEL, SPIDER-MAN, VIPER and DIAMONDBACK…and introduces a terrifying new force of evil in SPIDER-WOMAN’s world! 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #12 
Written by Cody Ziglar
Art by Partha Pratim
Cover by Federico Vicentini

GANG WAR: FIRST STRIKE! 
SPIDER-MAN is on the hunt to find a terrifying new foe before they sink their fangs into Miles’ best friends. Only the vampire hunter BLADE and his daughter, BLOODLINE, may know the secret of the villain’s past – but are the vampire hunters keeping secrets of their own? And what is Hobgoblin secretly scheming while Spidey is completely overwhelmed? Last issue before GANG WAR! 

Amazing Spider-Man #37 
Written by Zeb Wells
Art by Ed McGuinness
Cover by Ed McGuinness 

GANG WAR: FIRST STRIKE! 
Rek-Rap returns! Spider-Man’s fun-house reflection might just be the thing to help the wall-crawler out of the darkness he can’t seem to shake. Well, Rek-Rap MIGHT help if he weren’t targeted by the scariest new Spidey-Villain in decades! GANG WAR IS COMING! 

Amazing Spider-Man #38 
Written by Zeb Wells
Art by Ed McGuinness
Cover by Ed McGuinness 

GANG WAR: FIRST STRIKE! Can Spider-Man and Rek-Rap both survive the repulsive REPO?! THE LAST ISSUE BEFORE GANG WAR! 

Amazing Spider-Man #39 
Written by Zeb Wells
Art by John Romita Jr.
Cover by John Romita Jr. 

GANG WAR STARTS HERE! 
Super-crime is running rampant, and Spider-Man can’t solve just one problem at a time. So Spidey builds a team to take down ALL the super-criminals of NYC in 48 hours. Good luck, Spidey. 

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #13 
Written by Cody Ziglar
Art by Federico Vicentini
Cover by Federico Vicentini 

AMAZING TEAM-UP AS THE GANG WAR RAGES ON!!! 
New York is under siege as super villains and criminal gangs violently carve the city up like pie. Miles Morales’ job? Save all of Brooklyn from destruction! But there are too many fires for the Spider-Man to put out on their own. The most unlikely super-allies will rise on BOTH sides. And while Miles has his hands full fighting criminals and escaping Scorpion and the anti-super Cape Killers taskforce, HOBGOBLIN is making his big move!!! 

Deadly Hands of Kung Fu: Gang War #1 
Written by Greg Pak
Art by TBD
Cover by TBD
Foil Variant Cover by Benjamin Su

Daredevil: Gang War #1 (of 4)
Written by Erica Schultz
Art and Cover by Sergio Davila

GANG WAR TIE-IN!
Elektra Natchios, former assassin turned Daredevil, has been recruited by Spider-Man to stop New York City from tearing itself apart from gang rule as every mobster and super villain in town go to war! And Elektra is the only thing standing in the way of Hell’s Kitchen’s annihilation at the hands of a dangerous new gang—the HEAT—whose violent schemes from the pages of DAREDEVIL unfold!

Miss any of our earlier SDCC ’23 coverage? Find it all here!