Too Many Spiders!

Last updated
Too Many Spiders!
DateNovember 2000 – April 2001
No. of issues6
Main characters Mayday Parker / Spider-Girl
Gerry Drew / Spider-Man
Page count144 pages
Publisher Marvel Comics
Creative team
Writers Tom DeFalco [1]
Artists Pat Olliffe
Inkers Al Williamson
Original publication
Published in Spider-Girl
ISBN 978-0-7851-2157-2
Chronology
Preceded by Endgame
Followed by Betrayed

Too Many Spiders!, also known as Spider-Girl vs. Spider-Man!? (That's Not True, That's Impossible!), is a graphic novel written by Tom DeFalco, drawn by Pat Olliffe, and published by Marvel Comics 2 as the sixth volume of the American comic book series Spider-Girl , following Mayday Parker / Spider-Girl, the daughter of Peter Parker / Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson, as she faces Gerry Drew / Spider-Man, the erstwhile son of the retired Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Part One, Unfinished Business, was released November 8, 2000; Part Two, Strange Allies!, was released December 13, 2000; Part Three, The Winds of War!, was released January 24, 2001; Part Four, With Friends Like These, was released February 28, 2001; Part Five, The Steel Spider, released March 21, 2001; and Part Six, Too Many Spiders, released April 11, 2001. Preceded by Endgame , it is followed by the story arc Betrayed . [5]

The series received a universally positive critical reception. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Gerry Drew / Spider-Man, introduced over this novel as the young adult son of Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman, was later adapted to the mainstream continuity of Earth-616 in Spider-Woman: Shifting Gears (2015–2017) by Dennis Hopeless. [10]

Premise

The series follows Mayday Parker / Spider-Girl, worn to follow in her father's web-tracks, as she finds herself dealing with an upstart imitator wanting to help himself to her heritage: the dying Gerry Drew / Spider-Man, trained by Darkdevil, while also having encounters with the Avengers of A-Next , exploring the origin of American Dream, [11] and the legacies of the Fantastic Five, the X-Men and the New Warriors. [12] [13] Additionally, after temporarily losing access to her abilities as the result of a strong electric shock, another such shock not only restores Mayday's superpowers but also lets her extend her "adhesion field" through any object she sticks to. [14]

Reception

Too Many Spiders! received generally good reviews, [6] [7] Den of Geek lauding Gerry Drew / Spider-Man's story arc as "a neat character study into the psyche of a dying young man", describing the storyline as having "CW or ABC Family drama written all over it", [8] and Comic Book Resources praising the arc as "act[ing] as a kind farewell for Spider-Kid / Steel Spider". [9]

Collected editions

TitleMaterial collectedPublished dateISBN
Spider-Girl: Too Many Spiders! Spider-Girl (vol. 1) #28–33June 7, 2006 [15] 978-0-7851-2157-2
Spider-Girl: The Complete Collection Volume 2Spider-Girl (vol. 1) #16–32 ( Avenging Allies , Turning Point , Endgame , and Too Many Spiders!)August 6, 2019 978-1-3029-1844-6
Spider-Girl: The Complete Collection Volume 3Spider-Girl (vol. 1) #33–50 (Too Many Spiders!, Betrayed , Duty Calls , and Secret Lives )March 30, 2021 978-1-3029-2371-6

In other media

Gerry Drew / Spider-Man, introduced over Too Many Spiders! as the son of Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman, was adapted to the mainstream continuity of Earth-616 in Spider-Woman: Shifting Gears (2015–2017) by Dennis Hopeless as Jessica's infant son; unlike in Too Many Spiders!, the 616-Gerry Drew is conceived via a sperm donor. [10]

References

  1. Rich, Jesse, & Iverson (March 9, 2010). "Weekly Buyer's Guide – March 9, 2010". IGN . Retrieved June 14, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. IGN Staff (July 12, 2006). "Spider-Girl Continues to Amaze". IGN . Retrieved July 12, 2006.
  3. Carole (September 13, 2025). "May "Mayday" Parker Reading Order (Spider-Girl/Spider-Woman from Earth-982)". Comic Book Treasury. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
  4. DeArmitt, Grant (July 22, 2024). "Marvel had a comic book "that would not die" for more than a decade thanks to its loyal fanbase, according to the editor who ran it". The PopVerse. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Reed, Lee (March 7, 2023). "Spider-Girl & MC2 – Collected Editions Reviews". Omniverse Comics. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Wildman, Zachary (March 13, 2004). "Review: Spider-Girl (Vol. 1) #30". Spider-Fan. Retrieved March 13, 2004.
  7. 1 2 Wildman, Zachary (March 14, 2004). "Review: Spider-Girl (Vol. 1) #33". Spider-Fan. Retrieved March 14, 2004.
  8. 1 2 Buxton, Max (December 14, 2018). "Spider-Man: The Many Spider-Men of the Spider-Verse". Den of Geek . Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  9. 1 2 Pagent, William (August 25, 2023). "Remembering Spider-Kid, Not Spider-Boy, A Very Different Spider-Man Sidekick". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Narcisse, Evan (November 11, 2015). "Spider-Woman Is Going on Maternity Leave". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  11. Herman, Ben (July 4, 2015). "Shannon Carter is living the American Dream". In My Not So Humble Opinion. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  12. DeFalco, Tom; Frenz, Ron Spider-Girl #28–33 (November 2000 – November 2009). Marvel Comics.
  13. Allan, Scoot (June 11, 2023). "10 Strongest Spider-Men Who Aren't Peter Parker". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  14. Jung, Michael (December 17, 2022). "All Of Spider-Girl's Powers And Abilities Explained". Looper . Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  15. DeFalco, Tom; Frenz, Ron (June 7, 2006). "Spider-Girl Volume 6: Too Many Spiders!". Previews World . Retrieved June 7, 2006.