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Marvel 1602
Marvel 1602: Spider-Man
A return to the acclaimed universe created by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert kicks off as The Spider has reached manhood in the New World! The young nation has grown peacefully, but Norman Osbourne's treachery finds a way to spoil the peace and put Peter's life on a new course - back to Europe. Jeff Parker [Agents of Atlas] joins artist Ramon Rosanas to begin the final story of the 1602 saga! Collects Spider-Man 1602 #1-5.
120 pages, Hardcover
First published May 26, 2010
28 people are currently reading
574 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Parker
1,176 books128 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
March 27, 2011
Personally, I think this one was the best (that I've read) of the Marvel: 1602 universe. This time around, everything made sense ish when compared to the real Marvel universe. I'm assuming this is the end, because the story line seemed to come full circle. The ending explains (kinda) the events that brought Steve Rogers back in time, and started the whole thing.
Also, I really enjoyed the villains in this one. I thought they were much cooler this time around.
Also, I really enjoyed the villains in this one. I thought they were much cooler this time around.
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November 5, 2018I wish ye was Witchbreed!
Reading this book was a mistake! I should’ve read the graphic novel prior to this one. 😑
•Climax brought back old memories of when I used to watch Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
•I didn’t understand the first 3 chapters.
•Good artwork.
Therefore, I don’t know how many stars to give this 📖
🕷
January 10, 2025
This might just be the best installment in the entire 1602 series—yes, even better than the main one. The story is well-written, leaving no lingering questions while also providing intriguing insights into Rogers, the Captain America of the future. Although the tale exists in a pocket universe under Uatu's possession, it still feels impactful. At its heart, it's a compelling story about Peter Parker's struggle to survive while fulfilling his mission to deliver Osborn to France, all while leaving behind his life in the Americas.
One of the highlights is the reimagining of Spider-Man's villains in a 17th-century setting—they look incredible, eerie, and perfectly suited to the time period. Octopus, in particular, stands out, along with a host of secondary characters who all bring something engaging to the narrative. Guest appearances abound, with unique 1602 versions of characters like Hank Pym, Beast, Kingpin, and Bullseye making memorable contributions.
Unfortunately, the series as a whole still leaves unanswered questions about the fate of the X-Men after the main 1602 series, which remains my only complaint (about the main series, not this graphic novel)
The artwork is stunning, bringing historical settings in France and Italy to life alongside beautifully detailed character designs and costumes. The story's emotional weight is amplified by Peter’s mourning for Virginia, expressed poignantly through the letters he writes to her during his journey. Dr. Octopus is another standout, with his portrayal here being particularly striking and mysterious throughout.
Overall, with its great artwork, strong story, and engaging character moments, this is an excellent addition to the 1602 universe. Highly recommended!
I believed in you. I was a fool.
One of the highlights is the reimagining of Spider-Man's villains in a 17th-century setting—they look incredible, eerie, and perfectly suited to the time period. Octopus, in particular, stands out, along with a host of secondary characters who all bring something engaging to the narrative. Guest appearances abound, with unique 1602 versions of characters like Hank Pym, Beast, Kingpin, and Bullseye making memorable contributions.
Unfortunately, the series as a whole still leaves unanswered questions about the fate of the X-Men after the main 1602 series, which remains my only complaint (about the main series, not this graphic novel)
The artwork is stunning, bringing historical settings in France and Italy to life alongside beautifully detailed character designs and costumes. The story's emotional weight is amplified by Peter’s mourning for Virginia, expressed poignantly through the letters he writes to her during his journey. Dr. Octopus is another standout, with his portrayal here being particularly striking and mysterious throughout.
Overall, with its great artwork, strong story, and engaging character moments, this is an excellent addition to the 1602 universe. Highly recommended!
I believed in you. I was a fool.
September 8, 2018
The best Marvel 1602 book I've read so far.
This is an offshoot of the Marvel 1602 world set up by Neil Gaiman. The world is already flesh out after the original 1602 book Thank u for that Mr. Gaiman . Making this books stand on its own and focus on one superhero The Spider.
Peter Parquah whose been bitten by a Magical Spider I guess in the last part of 1602 Is all grown up and manage to take control of his developing power. Meanwhile Osborne commits crimes to the Natives losing Peter something dear to him and is sent back to England to his trial with Peter to keep and eye of him.
All the Marvel stablemates appear in a alternate new world. If you're not much of a Spiderman fan I guess your gonna take awhile to know whose who.
This is an offshoot of the Marvel 1602 world set up by Neil Gaiman. The world is already flesh out after the original 1602 book Thank u for that Mr. Gaiman . Making this books stand on its own and focus on one superhero The Spider.
Peter Parquah whose been bitten by a Magical Spider I guess in the last part of 1602 Is all grown up and manage to take control of his developing power. Meanwhile Osborne commits crimes to the Natives losing Peter something dear to him and is sent back to England to his trial with Peter to keep and eye of him.
All the Marvel stablemates appear in a alternate new world. If you're not much of a Spiderman fan I guess your gonna take awhile to know whose who.
May 30, 2018
This was my favorite of the 1602 Universe other than the original Neil Gaiman volume (and honestly I think I liked this one just as much.)
The 1602 Spiderman has a seafaring adventure and we get to see new versions of Doc Ock, Kingpin, Bullseye, Giant Man and the Wasp, the Lizard, the Green Goblin and more. Even Marion Jane puts in an appearance. The art was nice as well. This one really showed that the 1602 Universe did have potential, but unfortunately that potential was only reached here. Still a good read for fans of the 1602 Universe, but even Spiderman fans who haven't read 1602 would probably enjoy this one as a cool What If story.
The 1602 Spiderman has a seafaring adventure and we get to see new versions of Doc Ock, Kingpin, Bullseye, Giant Man and the Wasp, the Lizard, the Green Goblin and more. Even Marion Jane puts in an appearance. The art was nice as well. This one really showed that the 1602 Universe did have potential, but unfortunately that potential was only reached here. Still a good read for fans of the 1602 Universe, but even Spiderman fans who haven't read 1602 would probably enjoy this one as a cool What If story.
September 29, 2016
ক্লাসিক স্পাইডারম্যান। তার প্রতি ভালবাসা একটুও কমেনি। আগা থেকে গোড়া পর্যন্ত উপভোগ করেছি।
March 30, 2022
(3,9 of 5 for Shakespearan good neighbour Spidey)
This story follows 1602 - New World, so try not to read it before as I do. It works quite fine, but you'll miss some connections. 1602 Spider-Man is not Gaiman's 1602, but it's better than the Fantastic Four one. It works more with the "alternative history" of the 17th century so it does not feel like a simple "reskin". But it still follows the "classic Spider-Man" trope. For better or worse. But ultimately it is a fun read. Suiting more to the superhero genre fans, but other readers may enjoy it too - it's not heavily dependent on universe knowledge, the previous 1602 books are enough.
This story follows 1602 - New World, so try not to read it before as I do. It works quite fine, but you'll miss some connections. 1602 Spider-Man is not Gaiman's 1602, but it's better than the Fantastic Four one. It works more with the "alternative history" of the 17th century so it does not feel like a simple "reskin". But it still follows the "classic Spider-Man" trope. For better or worse. But ultimately it is a fun read. Suiting more to the superhero genre fans, but other readers may enjoy it too - it's not heavily dependent on universe knowledge, the previous 1602 books are enough.
January 3, 2024
8/10:
This is such a solid story that takes a real in-depth look at the Spider-Man of Marvel 1602! We get some character growth, analysis, and a solid conclusion, the origins of iconic villains in new and exciting ways (Green Goblin, Lizard, Doc Ock, Bullseye, Kingpin, etc.), and a story that brings some interesting insights to this universe (namely how the blood of Spider-Man led to the creation of Ant-Man and Captain America).
This is such a solid story that takes a real in-depth look at the Spider-Man of Marvel 1602! We get some character growth, analysis, and a solid conclusion, the origins of iconic villains in new and exciting ways (Green Goblin, Lizard, Doc Ock, Bullseye, Kingpin, etc.), and a story that brings some interesting insights to this universe (namely how the blood of Spider-Man led to the creation of Ant-Man and Captain America).
August 23, 2019
Well, This was a brilliant Marvel 1602 sequel story! It did a lot of justice to the original story from Neil Gaiman. The story ensures that you only want to continue reading. (This was certainly the case with me.) To make a long story short: This story demands more! Preferably with the same writer and artist.
April 20, 2025
the genuine disregard this story has for women is staggering.
August 15, 2013
Spider-Man, Spider-Man does whatever a- Or is that Ye old Spider-Man, Ye old Spider-Man? I’m not funny. I know this. But I try. My poor attempts at humor aside I have read the original Marvel 1602 so I was fully aware of what kind of world I was in for. Pair that with the fact I thoroughly enjoy Spider-Man this was easily a smart purchase in the enjoyment area.
The story itself follows Peter (otherwise known as the Spider) starts his life in the new world. But very soon as if with these things life goes off track. Familiar villains and friends alike are once again introduced in different ways. Some with different forms. And as is with the original Marvel 1602 there are many references to more modern era storylines. I spied a particularly funny one to me to do with the Venom saga.
This collection is a good read and I would say worth your time and your money.
For more book reviews please check me out at Musekicker's Reading Place.
The story itself follows Peter (otherwise known as the Spider) starts his life in the new world. But very soon as if with these things life goes off track. Familiar villains and friends alike are once again introduced in different ways. Some with different forms. And as is with the original Marvel 1602 there are many references to more modern era storylines. I spied a particularly funny one to me to do with the Venom saga.
This collection is a good read and I would say worth your time and your money.
For more book reviews please check me out at Musekicker's Reading Place.
December 17, 2016
A continuation of the masterful 1602 by Neil Gaiman. Produced by a different creative staff. It was OK. Same world, same characters, a few new introduced. But it lacked the shine of 1602. Worth a read to see a different take on Marvel characters but I guess I was hoping for more.
And he took Hank McCoy away from me! After Mr. Gaiman gave him back. Sigh.
And he took Hank McCoy away from me! After Mr. Gaiman gave him back. Sigh.
October 22, 2022
[ACTUAL RATING: 4.5 - rounded up]
While not perfect, I found this to be the strongest of all the MARVEL 1602 series so far due to how much it references previous series and the originality in how it reinterprets Spider-Man's supporting cast for the 1602 universe.
Please Note: While I will not be getting into spoilers for SPIDER-MAN, I will have to mention a couple of details about the original MARVEL 1602 series as well as NEW WORLD that would be considered spoilers.
CHARACTERS/STORY
One of the bigger downsides of MARVEL 1602: SPIDER-MAN is that you really need to read the somewhat lackluster NEW WORLD series in order to fully understand the setup for this new adventure. FANTASTICK FOUR is a mostly skippable series unless you are really interested in reading that before this.
In spite of being something of a direct sequel to NEW WORLD, SPIDER-MAN manages to succeed in pretty much all the ways that it's predecessor failed. I did wish that Peter and Virginia had more than a minute to be an item before a dramatic event sends Peter on a globe-trotting adventure to England, France, and Venice, but it was cool to see how both of these characters have grown into young adulthood together. I also appreciated that there was finally some connection to the 1602 X-Men characters although it is mostly reduced to references along with one of the X-Men (or Witchbreed as they are called in the 1602 universe) serving a very minor role in this story. There are some rather horrifying interpretations of Dr. Octopus, The Lizard, and The Green Goblin, but I liked how well they fit into this alternate universe and time period. There are some other fun characters that I don't want to spoil, but overall, I felt that this had by far the strongest cast of time-displaced Marvel characters (out of the sequel/spinoff series anyway), a much broader adventure, and exciting action sequences that were actually much better than what the original 1602 offered.
Even though this was the most satisfying entry into the 1602 universe, I do have to say that there is still an open-endedness about the conclusion that some may find frustrating, especially when it comes to a couple of the new Avengers characters (whom I did not mention, since I think their inclusion was a nice surprise).
THE ART
While it might not necessarily be as distinct as the oil painted style of Gaiman's original MARVEL 1602, I probably enjoyed the visuals in SPIDER-MAN the most out of all the 1602 series to so far. The art is consistent, it's detailed, and I found the character design to be superb. Spider-Man in particular sports an entire wardrobe that is both fitting for the time period, but also holds distinctly true to his overall aesthetic and color scheme. I also just liked the look of Peter's face more in this series, perhaps in part because he is older, but I've also thought that previous interpretations of his 1602 self looked a little off for some reason. After finishing this series, I kind of wished that the entire comic line had been done by this art team.
CONCLUSION
As a Spider-Man story through and through, this series is an absolute must read for fans of the character who also read MARVEL 1602, though it is too bad that they will also need to read through NEW WORLD in order to fully understand this story (you could skip it if you really want to, but the opening issue will be somewhat jarring if you do that).
(+) Some of the best visuals in the entire comic line
(+) Character designs were the best we've gotten to date
(+) Broader storyline that brings Peter to multiple countries
(+) Lots of great characters and references from previous 1602 series
(+) Some awesome new 1602 interpretations of classic Marvel characters
(-) No real sense of closure (at least for some of the side characters)
(-) NEW WORLD is sort of required reading to fully understand this series
While not perfect, I found this to be the strongest of all the MARVEL 1602 series so far due to how much it references previous series and the originality in how it reinterprets Spider-Man's supporting cast for the 1602 universe.
Please Note: While I will not be getting into spoilers for SPIDER-MAN, I will have to mention a couple of details about the original MARVEL 1602 series as well as NEW WORLD that would be considered spoilers.
CHARACTERS/STORY
One of the bigger downsides of MARVEL 1602: SPIDER-MAN is that you really need to read the somewhat lackluster NEW WORLD series in order to fully understand the setup for this new adventure. FANTASTICK FOUR is a mostly skippable series unless you are really interested in reading that before this.
In spite of being something of a direct sequel to NEW WORLD, SPIDER-MAN manages to succeed in pretty much all the ways that it's predecessor failed. I did wish that Peter and Virginia had more than a minute to be an item before a dramatic event sends Peter on a globe-trotting adventure to England, France, and Venice, but it was cool to see how both of these characters have grown into young adulthood together. I also appreciated that there was finally some connection to the 1602 X-Men characters although it is mostly reduced to references along with one of the X-Men (or Witchbreed as they are called in the 1602 universe) serving a very minor role in this story. There are some rather horrifying interpretations of Dr. Octopus, The Lizard, and The Green Goblin, but I liked how well they fit into this alternate universe and time period. There are some other fun characters that I don't want to spoil, but overall, I felt that this had by far the strongest cast of time-displaced Marvel characters (out of the sequel/spinoff series anyway), a much broader adventure, and exciting action sequences that were actually much better than what the original 1602 offered.
Even though this was the most satisfying entry into the 1602 universe, I do have to say that there is still an open-endedness about the conclusion that some may find frustrating, especially when it comes to a couple of the new Avengers characters (whom I did not mention, since I think their inclusion was a nice surprise).
THE ART
While it might not necessarily be as distinct as the oil painted style of Gaiman's original MARVEL 1602, I probably enjoyed the visuals in SPIDER-MAN the most out of all the 1602 series to so far. The art is consistent, it's detailed, and I found the character design to be superb. Spider-Man in particular sports an entire wardrobe that is both fitting for the time period, but also holds distinctly true to his overall aesthetic and color scheme. I also just liked the look of Peter's face more in this series, perhaps in part because he is older, but I've also thought that previous interpretations of his 1602 self looked a little off for some reason. After finishing this series, I kind of wished that the entire comic line had been done by this art team.
CONCLUSION
As a Spider-Man story through and through, this series is an absolute must read for fans of the character who also read MARVEL 1602, though it is too bad that they will also need to read through NEW WORLD in order to fully understand this story (you could skip it if you really want to, but the opening issue will be somewhat jarring if you do that).
(+) Some of the best visuals in the entire comic line
(+) Character designs were the best we've gotten to date
(+) Broader storyline that brings Peter to multiple countries
(+) Lots of great characters and references from previous 1602 series
(+) Some awesome new 1602 interpretations of classic Marvel characters
(-) No real sense of closure (at least for some of the side characters)
(-) NEW WORLD is sort of required reading to fully understand this series
December 4, 2021
In the early 17th century, England of the Elizabethan era is under attack by a mysterious force and after Queen Elizabeth's death, the superheroes will have to assemble and fight for a reason.
What propelled me to pick this limited series? A few things attracted me. One is some quality staff was involved in publishing this series. Neil Gaiman wrote, Andy Kubert penciled, and Joe Quesada was editor-in-chief. Then, the plot was super-interesting; the idea of imagining Marvel's biggest superheroes 400 years back in England and the New World.
It was a carefully written story with major characters redefined in a different scenario. And then the continuity of 1602 in three different sequels helped the characters get to develop to understand the aftermath of the original source. My favorite character in the story was Doctor Strange and Peter Parker had the best character development.
The reader has to read Marvel 1602 with its three sequels. The first sequel is New World focusing on Hulk and Ironman; the second is Fantastick Four, and the last one is Spider-Man. In total there are 23 issues, each has at least 24 pages.
What propelled me to pick this limited series? A few things attracted me. One is some quality staff was involved in publishing this series. Neil Gaiman wrote, Andy Kubert penciled, and Joe Quesada was editor-in-chief. Then, the plot was super-interesting; the idea of imagining Marvel's biggest superheroes 400 years back in England and the New World.
It was a carefully written story with major characters redefined in a different scenario. And then the continuity of 1602 in three different sequels helped the characters get to develop to understand the aftermath of the original source. My favorite character in the story was Doctor Strange and Peter Parker had the best character development.
The reader has to read Marvel 1602 with its three sequels. The first sequel is New World focusing on Hulk and Ironman; the second is Fantastick Four, and the last one is Spider-Man. In total there are 23 issues, each has at least 24 pages.
November 7, 2019
Um, just stop with the first run of 1602. Honestly. Okay so this wasn't bad, that's being too harsh. I made a mistake of going straight into this run after the Neil Gaiman arc. It's interesting and seeing Spider-Man in the 1600s is and interesting conceit. But all the depth and drama from the first arc are gone here. I mean maybe that's something that tends to happen with Spiderman, and levity is something his storylines have always done well. But in this run, with "thunder lizards" tromping through the Roanoke Colony and a conflicted Hulk doing a little too much soul searching, it just doesn't totally work. Also using Norman Osborne to symbolize the horrible things that European colonists did to the indigenous populations of the Americas feels like taking an easy way out. "If it hadn't been for this one bad guy we wouldn't have gotten off on the wrong foot." It would be a nice world if that were true, but trying to add it to this world of 1602 just felt cheap. I have nothing against Jeff Parker, but man I missed Neil on this one.
January 22, 2019
This 1602 stuff is such a blast! I loved this.
Even though it takes place in old timey times, at it’s heart, it’s still a silver age spiderman book! The vibe is perfect. I especially love how the old timey dialogue is still the same kind of stuff Spiderman would say, just... ya know... old timey.
The art was really cool. I especially love how horrifying the monstrous villains looked. This has that Grimm’s edge to it, where people meet ghastly ends. We’ve really gotten tame over the years, haven’t we? Spider-Man isn’t exactly a killer, per-se... but he’s ok with badguys dying.
I was surprised by how well this tugged at the heart strings. There was some loss, some expressions of love, and tangible tension. Characters were mostly interesting and complex. I’m not ready to let this 1602 Marvel-verse go!
Even though it takes place in old timey times, at it’s heart, it’s still a silver age spiderman book! The vibe is perfect. I especially love how the old timey dialogue is still the same kind of stuff Spiderman would say, just... ya know... old timey.
The art was really cool. I especially love how horrifying the monstrous villains looked. This has that Grimm’s edge to it, where people meet ghastly ends. We’ve really gotten tame over the years, haven’t we? Spider-Man isn’t exactly a killer, per-se... but he’s ok with badguys dying.
I was surprised by how well this tugged at the heart strings. There was some loss, some expressions of love, and tangible tension. Characters were mostly interesting and complex. I’m not ready to let this 1602 Marvel-verse go!
March 6, 2023
Full review / all my reviews available on my blog
It’s straight up Spider-Man, 400 years ago. Octavius, Lizard, Goblin, Fisk. All the villains you’d expect in about to the ways you’d expect them.
It’s enjoyable, but not exactly groundbreaking.
My one (strong dislike) is replacing Virginia Dare with Mary Jane Watsonne. So not necessary… a problem with comics.
It’s straight up Spider-Man, 400 years ago. Octavius, Lizard, Goblin, Fisk. All the villains you’d expect in about to the ways you’d expect them.
It’s enjoyable, but not exactly groundbreaking.
My one (strong dislike) is replacing Virginia Dare with Mary Jane Watsonne. So not necessary… a problem with comics.
October 13, 2017
Graphic Novel Book Club:
Sadly, while I was really excited to read the 1602 series/universe all as one, I was not very impressed by the actual use of the characters, plotlines, and especially side series. A lot of it felt like really big shoutouts being tenuously connected so that old fans would understand but the new reader wouldn't understand what was going on at all.
Sadly, while I was really excited to read the 1602 series/universe all as one, I was not very impressed by the actual use of the characters, plotlines, and especially side series. A lot of it felt like really big shoutouts being tenuously connected so that old fans would understand but the new reader wouldn't understand what was going on at all.
May 25, 2020
A delightful and very clever spiderman comic set in the alternative Marvel 1602 timeline originally created by Neil Gaiman. I loved the author's take on Peter, Mary Jane, the Kingpin, Octavius, the green goblin, etc. It was a quick and clever and very entertaining story.
September 26, 2020
This was basically a retelling of Sinister Six, with Pym and Wasp thrown in to advance the science plot of it all. I thought it was pretty good overall. Nothing is going to match the original collection, but I thought this was a much better story than the New World collection.
March 31, 2021
This seemed too dependent on knowing background information. I forgot who succeeded Elizabeth I, and that he was a horrible person. I'm not hugely into comics, so it seemed like some references I missed.
April 8, 2023
Una aventura europea de Spider-Man que introduce como puede a muchos de los personajes Marvel que no habían dado aún con sus huesos en el siglo XVII y que se salva por el frenético ritmo bondiano de la historia. Como epílogo un apéndice apresurado para dar carpetazo al universo Marvel Isabelino.
October 15, 2024
3⭐. Still not great, but this had the most interesting story of all the 1602 spin-offs. Like the Norman Osborne interaction the most. Also, why does his mask look exactly the same though- how on earth did he make that in Jamestown in 1602?
August 19, 2017
I still really like the whole premise of the 1602 books, but none of them can touch the main book!
December 27, 2019
Spider-man goes back to Europe after a devastating loss and faces more foes and Marian 1602 style
May 25, 2020
A pretty rollicking conclusion to the 1602 saga.
November 24, 2023
Glad I came back to 1602 to read this one. It's largely a return to form.
December 23, 2024
Best are of the series so far.
October 22, 2025
this was alright! it felt perhaps a bit too heavy on villains? it's also a little funny that Peter doesn't really save the day,, Henri does.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2026
Excellent. Really well written and interesting. Highly recommend
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews