Marvel Comics has released only three comics today: Midnight X-Men, Midnight Fantastic Four, and Midnight Spider-Man. The horror-themed line is the publisher's response to DC Comics' Absolute titles, though fans are understandably sceptical about becoming invested in an Ultimate Universe that lasted only two years.
Each series puts a wild new spin on the characters fans know and love, with Midnight Spider-Man going to some very dark places. However, following the comic's midnight launch, some readers have taken issue with an admittedly bizarre panel by artist ScieTronc.
When the young Peter Parker meets the Midnight Universe's Felicia Hardy, she's shown in a revealing low-cut top. That's arguably par for the course with this character, but things take an odd turn when we're shown events from the point of view of Black Cat's breasts.
There have been some grumbles about the fact that Peter is a teenager and Felicia is an adult in this scenario. Still, the biggest sticking point for many fans is the decision to, in their opinion, use such an unnecessarily sexualised piece of imagery with a female character.
Perhaps this is just Midnight Spider-Man leaning into horror movie tropes—look at Elvira, for example—but this could become as infamous as that panel showing a miniaturised Hank Pym standing between Janet Van Dyne's breasts in the pages of The Avengers.
In Midnight Spider-Man, a young Peter Parker is transformed into a hideous spider hybrid by the ruthless Oscorp Corporation in their pursuit of eternal life. When Oscorp begins to use the secrets unlocked by his mutation to create more human-animal hybrids, Peter embraces his grotesque new form to stop them.
In Midnight X-Men, the shadows of New York City are stalked by vampires and the mutant empyres. The sword of Damocles hangs over the peace between these two species and the factions within them. An outright war is brewing, and the unturned will be caught in the crossfire.
Then, in Midnight Fantastic Four, an obsessive scientist delves into the secrets of the universe, perhaps best left unknown to mankind, leaving himself and three others warped in strange and horrifying ways. What horrible secrets lie in the new dimensions they have discovered? And can humanity survive the discovery?
Check out this controversial Midnight Spider-Man panel below.
A young man is transformed into a hideous spider hybrid by the ruthless Oscorp Corporation in their pursuit for eternal life. When Oscorp begins to use the secrets unlocked by his mutation to create more human-animal hybrids, he must embrace his grotesque new form to fight back.
MIDNIGHT SPIDER-MAN #1
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
Art by SCIETRONC
Cover by STEVE BEACH
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