Spider-Island is returning for a slice of Battleworld in “Secret Wars,” and it’s bringing MC2 Spider-Girl with it.

Earlier today, a seriously slick cabal of creative teams sat down with Comic Vine to talk about Marvel’s latest addition to the Battleworld lineup: Spider-Island, which will be split into two tales – the adventure of “Spider-Island” and the drama of the MC2 universe. Present company included Christos Gage and Paco Diaz spinning the new Spider-Island story, while the legendary Tom Defalco, Sal Buscema and Ron Frenz return to pen a world where the former Spider-Girl mourns her father alongside the beloved uncle he lost.

Spider-Island

Whew. So starting with Spider-Island, what is this about? And how close is it to the original?

“It reminded me of the old-school WHAT IF? tales.” Christos Gage explained, “Accordingly, it was pretty logical to start from a place where the good guys lost and the Queen runs Spider-Island…

“It takes place in a Manhattan where the Spider-Queen (villain of the original “Spider-Island” story) triumphed. She rules an island of people her Spider-Virus turned into huge mutant man-spiders, with her Spider-King (a transformed Captain America) by her side. Pretty much every human being in her kingdom is a spider-monster, loyal to her…except a stubborn resistance force of uninfected, led by Flash Thompson, a.k.a. Agent Venom.

“Flash is tormented by his failure in the final, decisive battle of New York’s champions against the Queen, in which he was unable to save his hero, Spider-Man, who was lost in the fight and is presumed dead. Though the Venom symbiote is vulnerable to the Queen’s sonic powers, Flash is determined to redeem himself, or die trying. And he has a plan…a way to turn old allies from pawns of the Queen into free-thinking beings. But in this world, there’s no cure for the Spider-Virus. It’s too late. The only option is to transform the subjects into something else…and that’s how Capwolf, Lizard Hulk and other bizarre twists on familiar characters come into the story!”

Gage continued, explaining the tone he and Paco Diaz will bring to Spider-Island:

“There’s definitely a post-apocalyptic feel to it…that came about naturally, since 99% of New Yorkers have been turned into giant spiders. But I also didn’t want it to be super-depressingly dark. Spider-Man stories, to me, have an element of hope to them, and I wanted to preserve that. Hopefully there is also a tone of, ‘I can’t believe they did that!’ So, although it’s been ages since I watched them, maybe a feel of such classic movies as “Escape From New York” and” The Warriors”…where you’re in an environment where everyone is out to get you.”

MC2 Spider-Girl/ Spider-Woman

And also included in each of the heavy five-dollar issues will be a look into the “patch” of Battleworld that makes up MC2. The whole gang was happy to speak to the future of Mayday Parker and seem eager to return.

“I loved all the time I spent with May and the MC2 Universe,” Tom Defalco proclaimed, “it is a real and unexpected pleasure to have the chance to see my old friends again…  I love the characters and it is a privilege to work with master craftsmen like Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema.”

Ron Frenz agreed. “The BEST thing about working on Spider-girl and shaping the MC2 universe as a whole has been the wonderfully creative partnership with the Legendary Tom DeFalco! I couldn’t ask for a BETTER ‘other half’ of my brain.”

So what exactly is the MC2 Patch up to? Where is Mayday’s head at?

“This story will fit in after the events of Spider-Verse,” Tom confirmed. “May will be dealing with the loss of her father and her decision to change her name to Spider-Woman–a decision that may not exactly go as planned.”

“The newly christened Spider-Woman and her alternate universe Uncle Ben are the entre’ characters to the wonderment that is our MC2 universe,” Ron explained. “Spider-Girl will indeed be dealing in every way with her new status quo (and the loss of her father)… May’s world has undergone a seismic shift thanks to Dan Slott and Editor Nick Lowe. We’re just hanging on for dear life and waiting to see what Spider-Girl and her fellow A-Next characters have to say about it. We’ll be dealing with the MC2 versions of characters that are about to explode on the worldwide stage.”

“You’ll see Hope Pym (who I’m told will be appearing in the upcoming ANT-MAN MOVIE) who made her first appearance in A-NEXT…” Defalco confirmed, “plus a few more familiar faces.”

Stay tuned for any more News about the Spider-Books coming out of Secret Wars; most of these storylines aim to go beyond the usual constraints and get a little crazy, as Christos Gage teases:

“I know what some of the other “Secret Wars” stories are about, and the common thread they have is a lack of limits. You can go nuts and let your imagination run wild… I just threw off the shackles.”

Until it’s released this summer, you can indulge in the solicitation below:

SPIDER-ISLAND #1 & #2
Written by CHRISTOS GAGE & TOM DEFALCO
Penciled by PACO DIAZ & RON FRENZ
Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
· The Spider-Queen has turned Manhattan into an island of Spider-Madness and Peter Parker has lost, thanks to Spider-Scribe CHRISTOS GAGE (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN) & rising star artist PACO DIAZ (WOLVERINE, SCARLET SPIDERS).
· With Spider-Man defeated and captive, does Flash Thompson, A.K.A. VENOM stand a chance?
· All this, plus visit the MC2 patch of BATTLEWORLD! Mayday Parker and her Spider-Family are back courtesy of classic Spider-Girl team TOM DEFALCO, RON FRENZ & SAL BUSCEMA!
40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99