Being a teenager comes with plenty of challenges. Like, just so many hurdles to awkwardly jump over. So combining the joys of high school with the complications of suddenly becoming a superhero makes for a great time. And it’s a time that a new three-book Spider-Man series will explore. Today Nerdist can exclusively announce this new series by author Preeti Chhibber and that it kicks off with Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma! Plus, we have the first look at the cover.
Nicoletta Baldari illustrated the very fun and very cute cover. The cover also features hand-lettering from Jay Roeder.
When the story begins, Peter has only been Spider-Man for a short while. Here’s the official synopsis:
Peter Parker has been swinging and thwipping his way through New York City as Spider-Man for just a few months, and balancing his double life is complicated. He goes to school and tries not to embarrass himself in front of his crush, MJ; he takes photos for the Daily Bugle and tries not to embarrass himself in front of his boss, J. Jonah Jameson; and he fights crime in the evenings and . . . well, he’s kind of always trying to not embarrass himself. Easier said than done when you’re a teen with spider powers you’re still getting used to.On top of all that, the notorious villain the Sandman is acting more strangely than ever, social media seems to be taking a toll on MJ, and someone keeps trying to steal an artifact that’s supposedly powered by alien matter . . . which can’t be good. Something eerie is going on, and Peter is determined to figure out what it is before things go from weird to dangerous.
Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma isn’t Chhibber’s first time writing in the Marvel universe. She writes the Avenger’s Assembly series with illustrator James Lancett, plus she wrote Peter and Ned’s Ultimate Travel Journal for Spider-Man: Far From Home. But this particular project came about in 2019.
Chhibber says, “Waaaay back in March 2019, my editor Emeli Juhlin sent me an email asking if I’d be interested in writing an original Spider-Man trilogy and I promptly lost my mind, then once I had gathered it back up I wrote back an enthusiastic, ‘Yes!’ There were a few iterations of what the project would be, so that took some time to settle between me, Emeli, and our colleagues at Marvel Comics.”
And as far as Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma‘s premise, Chhibber explains, “As for the idea… one era of Spidey I love and have always wanted to explore for kid-lit, especially, is that in between time—after he becomes a hero, but before he really knows how to do it. I also really wanted to have a sweet rom com element to the story, and to give Mary Jane her own focus. She’s a significant POV in the book and the story wouldn’t work without her.”
Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma arrives on July 12, 2022.
Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of A Kid’s Guide to Fandom, available now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
