An Unused Spider-Man Design From 1995 Is Making Its Marvel Comics Debut

New Spider-Man Ben Reilly gets his own limited series, with a variant cover featuring an unused sketch from 1995 by superstar artist Dan Jurgens.

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Warning: contains preview pages for Ben Reilly: Spider-Man #1!

This January, Ben Reilly, the clone of Spider-Man, will spin off into his own limited series, appropriately titled Ben Reilly: Spider-Man. Spinning out of the “Beyond” arc currently running through The Amazing Spider-Man, the series will be written by J.M. DeMatteis and illustrated by David Baldeon. The first issue will ship with a range of variant covers—including one based on an unused sketch from 1995 by former Spider-Man artist Dan Jurgens.

In the 1990’s, Marvel published the now-infamous “Clone Saga,” running through the Spider-Man family of titles. During the event, it was revealed that Ben Reilly—who everyone thought was a clone of Peter Parker, was in fact the real Peter and fans had been reading the adventures of a clone for nearly 20 years. This did not sit well with fans, but the publisher proceeded on, launching Sensational Spider-Man in 1996. The first seven issues were written and illustrated by Dan Jurgens, then known for his work on Superman. Fan outrage continued, and before long, Marvel backpedaled on the “Clone Saga’s” revelations, revealing that Ben Reilly was in fact the clone all along. Reilly has made sporadic appearances since but returned in a grand fashion in recent issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, filling in as Spider-Man for an injured Peter Parker. This January, Reilly once again gets a solo title, and Marvel celebrates with a series of variant covers, one of which goes back 27 years.

In a first look provided to AIPT, Marvel has given readers a glimpse at Ben Reilly: Spider-Man #1’s variant covers. The highlight of the first look, however, is a sneak peek at Dan Jurgens’ cover. Jurgens revealed that when he was first approached for the Sensational Spider-Man book in 1995, editorial decided on a new costume for Spider-Man and invited him and classic Spider-Man artist Mark Bagley to submit designs. Bagley’s redesign won out—but Jurgens was not bitter at all, feeling Bagley’s design deserved it. Jurgens’ proposed Spider-Man redesign sketch went into the vaults, never to be seen until now. Interestingly enough, Marvel dropped hints that Jurgens’ redesign from 1995 may play a role in the new book as well.

When Dan Jurgens was asked to write and illustrate Sensational Spider-Man, he was on fire. Jurgens was one of the masterminds behind the “Death of Superman” story, which had brought unprecedented media attention to the industry. Zero Hour, a major DC crossover event, was fresh in fan’s minds too. In the eyes of many, this made Dan Jurgens the perfect creator to breathe new life into Spider-Man.

While Ben Reilly’s time as Spider-Man was cut short due to fan outrage and poor editorial planning, he is getting a chance to the spotlight this January. It is appropriate that artist Dan Jurgens is receiving attention as well for his contributions to Ben Reilly’s story and his unique redesign of the classic Spider-Man costume.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/ben-reilly-spiderman-costume-dan-jurgens-design-1995/