Secret of Spider-Man's renewed bachelorhood revealed in new two-parter

Spider-Man's "Brand New Day" is coming to an end.

For those not in the know, "Brand New Day" was created a couple years ago by Marvel editor Joe Quesada to give us a Spider-Man who was single and unmarried without having him divorce Mary Jane or be a widower. Instead, one small moment in time was changed, and the marriage simply never happened.

How this came to be has been a mystery for the past couple years and has never been revealed - until now. "Amazing Spider-Man" No. 638 is the first of a two-part story that finally reveals what happened to change the status quo of Marvel's flagship character.

The story is considered so important, Quesada is writing it himself, but ironically, it is not a tragedy, catastrophe or super-villain that alters things. In fact, the obstacle that prevents Peter Parker from getting married seems petty - something he has easily overcome countless times.

That's Quesada's point. Just one small pebble in your shoe can become an obstacle that can change your entire life, and all our lives are subject to change and at the mercy of seemingly minor, random events. His often-criticized writing is up to the task - especially when contrasted with the reprinted Peter-and-Mary Jane wedding pages from 23 years ago.

With the end of "Brand New Day" coming right on the heels of this two-parter that explains the event (or non-event) that spawned it, the chatter among comic fans centers on whether Peter and Mary Jane will once again enjoy wedded bliss or the Spider-Man of "Brand New Day" will be the Spider-Man going forward.

Comics Guy believes we will be getting a married Peter and Mary Jane again, but until then, enjoy.

Thor has always been one of the most popular characters in Marvel's "Ultimate" universe, and in a sign that the company will be cranking up its output of Thunder God adventures to capitalize on his movie debut in theaters next summer, Marvel is finally launching "Ultimate Comics Thor" and assigned the dream team of Jonathan Hickman and Carlos Pacheco to it. The series will be notable for another reason that could prove groundbreaking: It will be the first Marvel ongoing to have new issues available digitally and in stores on the same day.

Mark Waid is generally considered one of the top-five writers to ever work on Captain America, so the news that he will be scripting a new "Captain America: Man Out of Time" miniseries makes Comics Guy very happy.

There will be a new "Power Man and Iron Fist" series and it will star a new Power Man since Luke Cage no longer goes by that moniker. The special bond Luke Cage and Iron Fist share is what makes the "PM/IF" brand so revered, so it's going to be tough for the talented Fred Van Lente to pull this off and have fans accept this new character.

Though no one knows what the final outcome of Marvel's "Shadowland" will be, what is certain is that Daredevil will no longer be the "Man Without Fear." Fans have been teased with characters as diverse as Nova, Gambit, Kraven, Black Panther and the Falcon laying claim to the nickname once all the smoke clears.

Since Marvel obviously feels there aren't enough X-titles, relaunches and No. 1s on their shipping schedule - and in part because "X-Men: First Class" hasn't even started shooting yet - there will be a new "X-Men: Generation Hope" ongoing by Kieron Gillen hitting shelves soon.

Marvel has shelved Tom DeFalco's beloved Mayday Parker and replaced her with the former Arana in a new "Spider-Girl" series. So in one fell swoop, they have alienated the Mayday diehards who supported that character for years and downplayed one of Arana's more interesting attributes - her Hispanic heritage. Comics Guy will be surprised if this book makes it to 20 issues.

* Marvel's comics by Orson Scott Card have brought in boatloads of new readers, especially at bookstores for the trades, so "The Formic Wars: Burning Earth" prequel set in his "Ender's Game" universe should bring smiles to many readers and Marvel execs.

* He may be down, but he's not out. Though he has suffered his most crushing defeat, one of the Marvel U's most dangerous villains will be seen again in an "Osborn" miniseries by Kelly Sue Deconnick and Emma Rios

* Neil Patrick Harris will voice Peter Parker in the highly anticipated "Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions" game, which features four versions of the character. There will also be a new "Marvel vs. Capcom 3: FTW" game that will have Thor, Dr. Doom and Super-Skrull joining the fun.

* In what is a perfect choice, Brian Michael Bendis has been named co-producer and writer on the TV version of "Ultimate Spider-Man."

Additionally, there will be cartoons featuring Iron Man, Wolverine and the X-Men on G4TV.

* Though the "Captain America" movie is being set in World War II, the film will include the all-powerful cosmic cube and elements of Asgard, Thor's home, as well. It is unclear how these pieces will fit together.

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