View source for Marvel Comics 2

{{Short description|Marvel Comics imprint}}
{{Infobox publisher
|name    = Marvel Comics 2
|founded = 1998
|defunct = 2011
|parent  = [[Marvel Comics]]
|country = United States
|url     = {{URL|www.marvel.com}}
}}
'''Marvel Comics 2''' was an [[Imprint (trade name)|imprint]] from [[Marvel Comics]] whose [[comic book]]s depict an alternative future timeline for the [[Marvel Universe]]. The imprint was spun off from the events of ''[[What If (comics)|What If?]]'' #105 (February 1998), which was the first appearance of the character [[Mayday Parker|Spider-Girl]], [[Spider-Man]]'s daughter from an alternative future. This Earth has been designated as '''Earth-982'''.<ref name=nar>{{cite news|last1=McMillan|first1=Graeme|last2=Marston|first2=George|title=Ultimate Ends: 11 Defunct MARVEL Publishing Lines|url=http://www.newsarama.com/15662-leaving-an-imprint-10-defunct-marvel-publishing-lines.html#s4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705061206/http://www.newsarama.com/15662-leaving-an-imprint-10-defunct-marvel-publishing-lines.html#s4|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 5, 2013|access-date=22 November 2016|work=Newsarama|publisher=PUrch|date=May 20, 2015|page=4}}</ref>

==Publication history==
[[File:A-Next (MC2 Universe superheroes).png|thumb|upright|The MC2 Universe's superheroes, based on the Marvel Comics' main canon's characters. Cover art of ''Avengers Next'' #1 (November 2006). Art by [[Mike Wieringo]].]]
The MC2 Universe was conceived by writer/editor [[Tom DeFalco]] as a possible alternate future for the Marvel Universe,<ref name=nar/> set in the present day, with the first appearances of most Marvel heroes having taken place fifteen years earlier than in main continuity. The goal of the line was to produce comic books that were more accessible to a wider audience than Marvel's main line of books and were not entrenched in years of continuity, which was later repeated with the ''[[Ultimate Marvel]]'' imprint.

Three MC2 titles were launched in October 1998 as twelve-issue maxiseries:<ref name="Interview1">[http://www.comicboards.com/spidergirl/view.php?trd=061119024401 Interview with Tom DeFalco on the MC2 Imprint at ComicBoards.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927024530/http://www.comicboards.com/spidergirl/view.php?trd=061119024401 |date=2007-09-27 }}</ref>
*''[[Mayday Parker|Spider-Girl]]'', starring the daughter of Spider-Man.
*''[[A-Next]]'', featuring a new team of Avengers who come together after the original Avengers disbanded.
*''[[J2 (comics)|J2]]'', starring the [[Juggernaut (character)|Juggernaut]]'s son, a heroic teenager.

''A-Next'' and ''J2'' ended after twelve issues and were replaced by:
*''[[Fantastic Five]]'', featuring the expanded [[Fantastic Four]].
*''[[Wild Thing (comics)|Wild Thing]]'', starring [[Wolverine (character)|Wolverine]] and [[Elektra (character)|Elektra]]'s daughter.

''Spider-Girl'' meanwhile continued publication. However, with the collapse of a deal to sell the comics in [[Kmart (United States)|Kmart]] and [[Target Corporation|Target]] both ''Fantastic Five'' and ''Wild Thing'' were canceled after five issues, leaving ''Spider-Girl'' as the only title in the MC2 Universe still published.<ref name="Interview1"/><ref>[http://www.comicboards.com/spidergirl/view.php?rpl=040119152408 Comicboards.com: The inside track... (Tom DeFalco discussing why ''Fantastic Five'' and ''Wild Thing'' were cancelled)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925213754/http://www.comicboards.com/spidergirl/view.php?rpl=040119152408 |date=2006-09-25 }}</ref> A few spin-off [[Limited series (comics)|limited series]] were launched during the time Spider-Girl was published, such as ''[[Darkdevil]]'' and ''Spider-Girl Presents [[Buzz (Marvel Comics)|The Buzz]]''.

The Spider-Girl title was nearly canceled several times due to low sales. Each time, campaigns by Tom DeFalco and fans of the title prevented cancelation. Fans created a webpage, savespidergirl.com, to help gain support for the book. In an effort to boost sales on the title, Marvel reprinted ''Spider-Girl'' in small "[[Digest-sized]]" [[Trade paperback (comics)|trade paperbacks]].

A five-issue limited series set in the MC2 Universe titled ''[[Last Hero Standing]]'' was printed. In 2006, Marvel released another limited series set in the MC2 Universe titled ''[[Last Planet Standing]]''. The series was intended to wrap up all the loose ends in the MC2 Universe and destroy it at the series' conclusion. As a result, ''Spider-Girl'' was slated to be canceled at issue 100, where the character would die.<ref>[http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/LastHero/presscall.html Newsarama.com: SPIDER-GIRL/LAST PLANET STANDING PRESS CONFERENCE] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929111849/http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/LastHero/presscall.html |date=2007-09-29 }}</ref> Due to backlash from DeFalco and fans, Marvel quashed the move and announced the relaunching of ''Spider-Girl'' under the title of ''[[Amazing Spider-Girl]]''.<ref>[http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=76665 Newsarama.com: SPIDER-GIRL RETURNS IN AMAZING SPIDER-GIRL] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070605185137/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=76665 |date=2007-06-05 }}</ref> The "Amazing" title lasted until early 2009, when the book was again canceled due to low sales. A third title, ''The Spectacular Spider-Girl'', was then launched. Initially a digital exclusive, the ''Spectacular'' book was incorporated into the ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man Family|Amazing Spider-Man Family]]'' anthology magazine. After ''Amazing Spider-Man Family'' and its successor, ''[[Web of Spider-Man]]'', folded, a final four-issue ''Spectacular Spider-Girl'' mini-series was produced, allowing many of the long-running plot threads from the book to be tied up. The final MC2-oriented story to date, a one-shot called ''Spider-Girl: The End'', was published in 2010, which gave the title character a happy ending while leaving the door open for further adventures.

In 2008, a prequel strip, ''[[Mr. and Mrs. Spider-Man]]'', was launched in the pages of ''Amazing Spider-Man Family''. DeFalco confirmed on the official Spider-Girl boards that this strip would serve as the definitive continuity of the MC2 Spider-Man timeline. However, the ''Mr. and Mrs. Spider-Man'' strips were quickly ended so the ''Spider-Man Family'' title could make room for the relaunched Spider-Girl book.

[[American Dream (comics)|American Dream]] has appeared in both her own 2008 limited series and the 2011 five-issue limited series ''Captain America Corps'', marking the first time an MC2 character has met or teamed up with characters from the mainstream Marvel universe.

Spider-Girl returns in the ''[[Spider-Verse]]'' storyline in 2014, where she enters [[Earth-616]]. During the same event, the MC2 Peter Parker is killed by [[Daemos]].<ref>''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' (vol. 3) #8 (December 2014)</ref> Following ''[[Spider-Geddon]]'', it is revealed that [[The Other (comics)|the Other]] chose Peter as its host, thus resurrecting him.<ref>''[[Spider-Geddon]]'' #5 (February 2019)</ref>

The MC2 Universe also appears in the [[Secret Wars (2015)|Secret Wars]] event in the Spider-Island tie-in backup, and in late 2022, a new serialized adventure starring Mayday was launched on the [[Marvel Unlimited]] Infinity Comics app, with the story penned by Stephanie Williams, rather than DeFalco, a first for the series.

==Comments on style==
DeFalco explained in an interview his views on the MC2 imprint:<ref>[http://www.comicboards.com/spidergirl/view.php?trd=061119024401 "Tom D/Avengers Next interview in the Pulse"]. Comicboards.com {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927024530/http://www.comicboards.com/spidergirl/view.php?trd=061119024401 |date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref>

{{blockquote|''The Pulse'': "A lot of people characterize the MC2 universe as having an 'old school' feel. Why do you think "modern" comic readers want to read something that feels like the best of the Silver Age?"
''DeFalco'': "We are 'old school' because A) our heroes act like heroes…B) we don’t believe in [[Decompression (comics)|decompression]]…C) we tell single-issue stories with subplots that build from issue to issue… and D) there’s a lot of action and angst in every issue."}}

==Bibliography==

===Titles===
* ''What If'' (volume 2) #105 (Marvel Comics, February 1998)
* ''Spider-Girl'' #0–100, (Marvel Comics, October 1998 – July 2006)
** ''Spider-Girl'' #½ (Marvel Comics/[[Wizard Entertainment]], 1999)
** ''Spider-Girl'' Annual 1999 (Marvel Comics, 1999)
* ''A-Next'' #1–12 (Marvel Comics, October 1998 – September 1999)
* ''J2'' #1–12 (Marvel Comics, October 1998 – September 1999)
* ''Fantastic Five'' (volume 1) #1–5 (Marvel Comics, October 1999 – February 2000)
* ''Wild Thing'' #1–5 (Marvel Comics, October 1999 – February 2000)
** ''Wild Thing'' #0 (Marvel Comics/Wizard Entertainment, 1999)
* ''Spider-Girl presents The Buzz'' #1–3 (Marvel Comics, July 2000 – September 2000)
* ''DarkDevil'' #1–3 (Marvel Comics, November 2000 – January 2001)
* ''Last Hero Standing'' #1–5 (Marvel Comics, June 2005)
* ''Last Planet Standing'' #1–5 (Marvel Comics, July 2006)
* ''Amazing Spider-Girl'' #0–30 (Marvel Comics, October 2006 – March 2009)
* ''Amazing Spider-Man Magazine'' "#0" (prose story, Marvel Comics, April 2007)
* ''Avengers Next'' #1–5 (Marvel Comics, November 2006 – January 2007)
* ''Fantastic Five'' (volume 2) #1–5 (Marvel Comics, July 2007 – September 2007)
* ''American Dream'' #1–5 (Marvel Comics, May 2008 – July 2008)
* ''Amazing Spider-Man Family'' #1-8 (Marvel Comics, October 2008 - September 2009)
* ''Web of Spider-Man'' (volume 2) #1-7 (Marvel Comics, December 2009 - June 2010)
* ''Spectacular Spider-Girl'' #1–4 (Marvel Comics, May 2010 – August 2010)
* ''Spider-Girl: The End'' One shot (Marvel Comics, September 2010)
* ''Captain America Corps'' #1-5 (Marvel Comics, June 2011)
* ''Amazing Spider-Man'' (volume 3) #8 (backup story, Marvel Comics, 2014)
* ''Spider-Island (2015)'' #1–5 (backup stories, Marvel Comics, 2015)
* ''Spider-Girls'' #1–3 (Marvel Comics, 2018)
* ''Spider-Verse Unlimited Infinity Comic'' #26-29 (Marvel Comics, November-December 2022)
* ''Avengers Unlimited Infinity Comic'' #37-38 (Marvel Comics, March 2023)

==Collected editions==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Title !! Material collected !! ISBN !! Release date
|-
| ''Spider-Girl: A Fresh Start''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #1–2
| {{ISBNT|978-0785107200}}
|1998-31-12
|-
| ''Spider-Girl''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #0–8
| {{ISBNT|978-0785108153}}
|2001-05-11
|-
| ''Last Hero Standing''
| ''Last Hero Standing'' #0–5
| {{ISBNT|978-0785118237}}
|2005-12-10
|-
| ''Last Planet Standing''
| ''Last Planet Standing'' #0–5
| {{ISBNT|978-0785119982}}
|2006-18-10
|-
| ''Amazing Spider-Girl'' vol. 1: ''Whatever Happened to the Daughter of Spider-Man?''
| ''The Amazing Spider-Girl'' #0–6
| {{ISBNT|978-0785123415}}
|2007-30-05
|-
| ''Avengers Next'': ''Rebirth''
| ''Avengers Next'' #1–5
| {{ISBNT|978-0785125181}}
|2007-13-06
|-
| ''Amazing Spider-Girl'' vol. 2: ''Comes the Carnage!''
| ''The Amazing Spider-Girl'' #7–12
| {{ISBNT|978-0785123422}}
|2007-28-11
|-
| ''Fantastic Five'': ''The Final Doom''
| ''Fantastic Five vol. 2'' #1–5
| {{ISBNT|978-0785127925}}
|2008-09-01
|-
| ''Amazing Spider-Girl'' vol. 3: ''Mind Games''
| ''The Amazing Spider-Girl'' #13–18
| {{ISBNT|978-0785125587}}
|2008-28-05
|-
| ''American Dream'': ''Beyond Courage''
| ''American Dream'' #1–5
| {{ISBNT|978-0785131847}}
|2008-15-10
|-
| ''Amazing Spider-Girl'' vol. 4: ''Brand New May''
| ''The Amazing Spider-Girl'' #19–24
| {{ISBNT|978-0785129745}}
|2008-24-12
|-
| ''Amazing Spider-Girl'' vol. 5: ''Maybreak''
| ''The Amazing Spider-Girl'' #25-30
| {{ISBNT|978-0785131878}}
|2009-01-07
|-
| ''Spectacular Spider-Girl'': ''Who Killed Gwen Reilly?''
| ''Spider-Man Family'' #1–8, ''Web of Spider-Man'' #1–4
| {{ISBNT|978-0785143192}}
|2010-24-03
|-
| ''Spectacular Spider-Girl'': ''The Last Stand''
| ''Spectacular Spider-Girl'' #1–4, ''Spider-Girl: The End'', and material from ''Web of Spider-Man'' #5–7
| {{ISBNT|978-0785148999}}
|2010-24-03
|-
| ''Captain America Corps''
| ''Captain America Corpsl'' #1-5
| {{ISBNT|978-0785155638}}
|2011-21-12
|-
| ''Spider-Girl: The Complete Collection Vol. 1''
| ''What If? (1989)'' #105, ''Spider-Girl'' #1-15 and #½, ''Spider-Girl Annual '99''
| {{ISBNT|978-1302912482}}
|2018-07-08
|-
| ''Spider-Girl: The Complete Collection Vol. 2''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #16-32
| {{ISBNT|978-1302918446}}
|2019-06-08
|-
| ''Spider-Girl: The Complete Collection Vol. 3''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #33-50
| {{ISBNT|978-1302923716}}
|2021-30-03
|-
| ''Spider-Girl: The Complete Collection Vol. 4''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #51-67
| {{ISBNT|978-1302934798}}
|2022-12-04
|}

===Digest size paperbacks===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Title !! Material collected !! ISBN !! Release date
|-
| ''Spider-Girl'' vol. 1: ''Legacy''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #0–5
| {{ISBNT|978-0785114413}}
|2004-01-04
|-
| ''Spider-Girl'' vol. 2: ''Like Father Like Daughter''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #6–11
| {{ISBNT|978-0785116578}}
|2004-15-12
|-
| ''Spider-Girl'' vol. 3: ''Avenging Allies''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #12–16 &''Spider-Girl Annual '99''
| {{ISBNT|978-0785116585}}
|2005-13-04
|-
| ''Spider-Girl'' vol. 4: ''Turning Point''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #17–21 and #½
| {{ISBNT|978-0785118718}}
|2005-21-09
|-
| ''Spider-Girl'' vol. 5: ''Endgame''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #22-27
| {{ISBNT|978-0785120346}}
|2006-25-01
|-
| ''Spider-Girl Presents'' ''Juggernaut Jr'' vol. 1: ''Secrets and Lies''
| ''J2'' #1-6
| {{ISBNT|978-0785120476}}
|2006-29-03
|-
| ''Spider-Girl'' vol. 6: ''Too Many Spiders!''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #28-33
| {{ISBNT|978-0785121565}}
|2006-21-06
|-
| ''Spider-Girl Presents'' ''A-Next'' vol. 1: ''Second Coming''
| ''A-Next'' #1-6
| {{ISBNT|978-0785121312}}
|2006-23-08
|-
| ''Spider-Girl Presents'' ''Fantastic Five'' vol. 1: ''In Search of Doom''
| ''Fantastic Five'' #1-5
| {{ISBNT|978-0785121329}}
|2006-20-09
|-
| ''Spider-Girl'' vol. 7: ''Betrayed''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #34-38
| {{ISBNT|978-0785121572}}
|2006-15-11
|-
| ''Spider-Girl'' vol. 8: ''Duty Calls''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #39-44
| {{ISBNT|978-0785124955}}
|2007-18-04
|-
| ''Spider-Girl Presents'' ''The Buzz” and “DarkDevil''
| ''The Buzz'' #1–3, ''DarkDevil'' #1–3
| {{ISBNT|978-0785126010}}
|2007-05-09
|-
| ''Spider-Girl'' vol. 9: ''Secret Lives''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #45-50
| {{ISBNT|978-0785126027}}
|2007-31-10
|-
| ''Spider-Girl Presents'' ''Wild Thing'' ''Crash Course''
| ''Wild Thing'' #0–5
| {{ISBNT|978-0785126065}}
|2007-05-12
|-
| ''Spider-Girl'' vol. 10: ''Season of the Serpent''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #52-59
| {{ISBNT|978-0785132134}}
|2009-11-02
|-
| ''Spider-Girl'' vol. 11: ''Marked for Death''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #60-66
| {{ISBNT|978-0785137412}}
|2009-08-12
|-
| ''Spider-Girl'' vol. 12: ''The Games Villains Play''
| ''Spider-Girl'' #67-72
| {{ISBNT|978-0785144823}}
|2010-24-03
|}

===''[[Epic Collection|Epic Collections]]''===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Title !! Material collected !! ISBN !! Release date
|-
|''Spider-Girl'' vol. 1: ''Legacy''
|''What If? (1989)'' #105, ''Spider-Girl'' #1-15 and #½, ''Spider-Girl Annual '99''
| {{ISBNT|978-1302957957}}
|2024-26-03
|-
|''Spider-Girl'' vol. 5: ''Keeping The Faith''
|''Spider-Girl'' #68-84
| {{ISBNT|978-1302959821}}
|2024-19-11
|-
|''Spider-Girl'' vol. 6: ''Family Ties''
|''Spider-Girl'' #85-100; ''Spider-Man Family'' #1
|{{ISBNT|978-1302966089}}
|2025-18-11
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{MC2}}
{{Marvel Multiverse}}
{{Marvel Comics}}

[[Category:Marvel Comics 2| ]]
[[Category:Marvel Comics imprints]]
[[Category:Marvel Comics dimensions]]