The live-action adaptation of Spider-Man Noir is coming to Prime Video, and Nicolas Cage will reprise his role as the alternate version of the Friendly Neighbourhood superhero.
It was in 2009 when Marvel Comics started creating a line of Marvel Noir comics that included Spider-Man Noir.
Unlike regular Marvel comics, the noir line takes place in an alternate universe where stories of familiar Marvel characters are reinterpreted to feature a hardboiled / crime noir atmosphere set during the Great Depression era in the US.
Here are the Spider-Man Noir comics you should read, created by David Hine and Fabrice Sapolsky, alongside artists Carmine Di Giandomenico (who drew the first stories) and Marko Djurdjević (costume designer).
Spider-Man Noir Volume 1 (2009)
Set on Earth-90214 during the Great Depression of winter 1932, New York City has become plagued by numerous criminal gangs.
Here, Daily Bugle photojournalist Ben Urich befriends Peter Parker after seeing him joining a rally with his aunt, May Parker, following the death of his uncle, Ben Parker.
Peter firmly believes that Goblin and his people killed Uncle Ben. Because he lacks money to attend school, Peter starts working for Urich.
He then tries to catch Goblin for his wrongdoing in a warehouse of stolen antiques when a spider bites him.
After passing out and dreaming of a spider god who promises to give him powers, he wakes up with spider-like abilities.
Peter uses his newfound abilities to seek justice for Uncle Ben, expose the Goblin’s evil deeds, and fight against the crime and corruption in his city.
Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without a Face (2009-2010)
Taking place about eight months after Spider-Man Noir, Eyes Without a Face sees Peter living his everyday life as a photojournalist and helping Aunt May at her soup kitchen.
This time, he gets the help of his friend, Mary Jane Watson, at the soup kitchen. However, Peter also meets Felicia Hardy and develops a relationship with her, though she insists they’re only friends.
Peter and his friend, Joseph 'Robbie' Robertson, start to investigate Dr. Otto Octavius's lab on Ellis Island.
Together with his assistant, Dr. Curt Connors, they’re believed to be conducting strange experiments on mind control for the US government.
Spider-Geddon (2019)
Set in the 1940s, Peter starts investigating the weapons sales between Herman Schultz and the Nazis.
With the help of Felicia Hardy, the two work together to fight crimes, with the latter assuming the identity of the masked vigilante White Widow.
Spider-UK arrives and asks Peter for help with an important mission: to stop the Inheritors from using cloning technology so that they can return to the living.
However, the Web Warriors arrive too late. Peter tries to stop the Inheritor, called Morlun, by using a grenade and sacrificing himself, which leads to his death.
Spider-Verse Volume 3 No. 5 (2020)
Peter's resurrection occurs in Spider-Verse Volume 3 No. 5. After his supposed death in Spider-Geddon, he wakes up alive in a web cocoon.
He’s back on his native Earth-90214 after hearing that the spider god tells him his mission is unfinished.
Here, he starts working as a private investigator with a new look and a more stereotypical 1930s dialect.
Miles Morales then arrives and works with Peter to retrieve the spider-god’s idol from the Nazis to repair the trans-dimensional Web of Life and Destiny.
However, there’s a catch. Removing the idol from Marvel Noir's Earth will remove the spider-god’s protection.
Now, if Peter dies, it will be permanent.
Spider-Man Noir Volume 2 (2020)
After working with Miles Morales, people start to realise Spider-Man is back.
Peter then re-establishes his connection with Aunt May and Mary Jane Watson, who believe a miracle brought him back from the dead.
Now that they know that Peter is working as a vigilante, Aunt May advises him to do it with honour.
He then gets the help of J. Jonah Jameson to have access to the police crime scenes so that he can start investigating the death of Holly Babson, a waitress at The Black Cat.
This leads him to fly to Europe with Holly’s sister and museum curator, Huma Bergmann, to investigate the cicada gemstone that Holly held when she died.
However, Huma later reveals herself as the goddess Inanna, who combines the cicada stone with the M’Kraan crystal to open a portal to the Underworld.
As MGM+ and Prime Video are set to delve deeper into Spider-Noir's life, which of these Spider-Man Noir comics do you plan to read?
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