The darkest chapter of Peter Parker’s entire life has been thrust back into the spotlight, and this time it is only making things harder for the people closest to him.

After a series of brutal if otherwise ordinary encounters for the titular hero of Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin #3, the young Wall-Crawler is finally ready to return home for the night. While Peter is proud of the work he has done as Spider-Man, he knows that being out so late has only left his Aunt May worrying about his safety. And, with the tragic death of Uncle Ben still looming directly over both of their heads, it is no surprise when the only greeting Aunt May has for Peter is a stern, silent glare.

Written by J.M. DEMATTEIS Art by MICHAEL STA. MARIA Colors by CHRIS SOTOMAYOR Letters by VC’s JOE CARAMAGNA Main cover art by PAULO SIQUEIRA & RACHELLE ROSENBERG Variant cover art by GREG & TIM HILDEBRANDT

Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin brings readers back to the titular hero’s earliest era when he was still getting used to both his powers and the “great responsibility” that they ultimately left him to carry. At this stage in Peter’s career as Spider-Man, Uncle Ben had only been deceased for a matter of months, if not weeks, adding several other layers of emotional trauma to undercut his astonishing new powers. This period also saw Aunt May take on staunchly defensive, occasionally obsessive tendencies, all of which were born out of an innate desire to prevent any further harm from befalling her loved ones.

While Peter has already embarked upon his career as a superhero in the pages of Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin, the series does take place prior to Norman Osborn’s transformation into the Green Goblin. Instead of honing in on the events leading up to Norman’s emergence as a villain, Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin shifts its focus towards an entirely new character in the form of Nels Van Adder. As it turns out, Van Adder was something of a “Proto-Goblin,” as his ties to Oscorp and the strange experiments he underwent transformed him into a hulking, red menace who is very clearly not the true villain of his own story.

Although Van Adder is a new character for the series, Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin does feature appearances from plenty of other classic characters. Fans of the era will be happy to see Peter interacting with the likes of Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn long before their own respectively tragic turns. Likewise, fans of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery will be delighted by his interactions with villains such as Sandman, even if the young hero is just as quick to talk his enemies down as he is to sling any webs in their direction.

Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin #3 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.

Source: Marvel Comics