Spider-Man: Chapter One

[Spiderfang]

Spider-man: Chapter One by John Byrne, can anyone explain to me what this is exactly? Is it a re-telling of the origin story? Is it a stand-alone spider-man one-shot? Pre/post-clone saga?

[WebSlingWonder]

It was an attempt in the late 90s to revamp Spider-Man's origins for the new millennium. They asked John Byrne to do it because of his experience with Superman. But it was not a success and was mostly ignored after two years.

[Snoop Dogg]

Lee and Ditko: And so, 'twas mere circumstance that led Peter Parker to the innocuous spider bite that would set him on the path to become... THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN!

Chapter One: OH GOD HUGE EXPLOSION EVERYONE IS DEAD BURNING FLESH OH GOD RADIATION AAAAHHH MY SKIN IS FALLING O-- Oh, good thing that Parker kid's ok!

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Spider-man: Chapter One by John Byrne, can anyone explain to me what this is exactly? Is it a re-telling of the origin story? Is it a stand-alone spider-man one-shot? Pre/post-clone saga?

Read today, it's basically a kind of uber-streamlined retelling of the Lee-Ditko stories with the disadvantage of being more dated and less timeless than the original Lee-Ditko run. I recommend people read the Lee-Ditko originals instead.

In actual fact, Chapter One was intended and sold as a legit continuity reboot of Spider-Man. This was supposed to be, and intended to be, the new origin all stories afterward would refer to and was part of Byrne's happily-foiled evil plan to condemn and damn Peter to high school forever.

[Spiderfang]

Read today, it's basically a kind of uber-streamlined retelling of the Lee-Ditko stories with the disadvantage of being more dated and less timeless than the original Lee-Ditko run. I recommend people read the Lee-Ditko originals instead.

In actual fact, Chapter One was intended and sold as a legit continuity reboot of Spider-Man. This was supposed to be, and intended to be, the new origin all stories afterward would refer to and was part of Byrne's happily-foiled evil plan to condemn and damn Peter to high school forever.

So this reboot basically began and ended with the one volume yeah? I wouldn't mind getting a copy just for the novelty of it.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

So this reboot basically began and ended with the one volume yeah? I wouldn't mind getting a copy just for the novelty of it.

It's actually incomplete. Byrne was contracted to do a Spider-Man Chapter Two that presumably went up to the Master Planner (now retooled into a story where Peter doesn't graduate high school somehow) but sales, fan reaction and so on, ultimately led them to junk it.

[WebSlingWonder]

There is a complete collection that collects issues #0-12 if you want to collect it!

[Prof. Warren]

So this reboot basically began and ended with the one volume yeah? I wouldn't mind getting a copy just for the novelty of it.

It definitely has novelty appeal. It's not good but the fact that it has gone ignored makes it easier to enjoy on its own terms.

[bat39]

I actually have a soft corner for Chapter One, since its among the earliest Spider-Man comics I read as a kid, shortly after watching the first movie.

It's actually incomplete. Byrne was contracted to do a Spider-Man Chapter Two that presumably went up to the Master Planner (now retooled into a story where Peter doesn't graduate high school somehow) but sales, fan reaction and so on, ultimately led them to junk it.

I actually didn't know this, and I'm not sure if its entirely true. Not the Chapter Two part, but the idea that it was meant to be a reboot. Chapter One was simply meant to be a Year One-style retelling of the early Lee-Dikto stories, while otherwise keeping continuity intact.

[Ultimate Captain America]

It's actually incomplete. Byrne was contracted to do a Spider-Man Chapter Two that presumably went up to the Master Planner (now retooled into a story where Peter doesn't graduate high school somehow) but sales, fan reaction and so on, ultimately led them to junk it.

I have made a google search for the combined exact terms "John Byrne" and "Spider-Man Chapter 2". Only 2 results. Just 2. One of them is a list of comics released in April 2011, including "John Byrne's Next Men #5" and "Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates #3 death of Ultimate Spider-Man chapter 2" (in short, a false positive). The other is a fan fiction.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

I actually didn't know this, and I'm not sure if its entirely true. Not the Chapter Two part, but the idea that it was meant to be a reboot. Chapter One was simply meant to be a Year One-style retelling of the early Lee-Dikto stories, while otherwise keeping continuity intact.

Byrne's intent was that his retellings be the new updated origins and foundation for a new reboot he had pitched and planned. Chapter One was sold as being canonical for a hot few seconds before people realized that it would be worse than having decades of continuity and so on.

I wouldn't say Byrne's retelling is "Year One style". Year One was an actual new origin and reboot told in the Post-Crisis continuity, whereas what Byrne did was take the Lee-Ditko comics, change the art and dialogues, and streamline and shorten several stor ies so that they were now kinda merged. The L-D run was standalone barring a 2-Parter here and there, whereas Byrne introduced the "annoying" idea where the next villain was introduced in the second half of an issue that dealt with the previous villain and so on. Byrne also added touches like Ben brings Peter a computer instead of a microscope (why Byrne thought these two things are replaceable is bizarre...a PC can't magnify and show minute microbes and so on, it doesn't fit with Peter's background in biology and chemical engineering which Ditko so elegantly introduced).

[Alan2099]

There was an odd period after it came out where certain modern stories could only have worked if Chapter One was in continuity, but besides that it was mostly ignored, and for many good reasons.

It was really weirdly paced where a villain would appear in the second half of a book and that story would get resolved in the first half the next issue and so on and so forth.

There were a lot of changes made that just didn't work. Peter and Otto's origins were tied together with the lab exploding and then the spider crawling over to Peter in the rubble and biting him. Sandman and Norman were made relatives because Ditko drew them both with the same hairstyle.

There was also a lot of character redesigns and they all sucked. Electro got it especially had. Vulture's outfit because a weird tuxedo jacket thing. I never understood that one.

There was one really minor change I did like though. Instead of working for communists, Chameleon was working for Dr. Doom. That's how they both were able to use that same trick of broadcasting messages through Peter's Spider-senses.

[Mister Mets]

It was an attempt in the late 90s to revamp Spider-Man's origins for the new millennium. They asked John Byrne to do it because of his experience with Superman. But it was not a success and was mostly ignored after two years.

It literally got ignored while it was still being published. The anthology Webspinners had a story about the Chameleon and the flashbacks to his first encounter with Spider-Man were to the Lee/ Ditko issue rather than to Chapter One.

[Mister Mets]

There is a complete collection that collects issues #0-12 if you want to collect it!

In fairness, the '98 relaunch does seem to do okay in trades. At the very least, Byrne and Romita Jr are exceptional artists.

[WebSlingWonder]

It literally got ignored while it was still being published. The anthology Webspinners had a story about the Chameleon and the flashbacks to his first encounter with Spider-Man were to the Lee/ Ditko issue rather than to Chapter One.

Yeah that's a shame too haha