Spider-man Peter Parker To Meet Mixed-race Counterpart

Fans of SPIDER-MAN are in for a serious treat this summer. Not only will they get to see the new blockbuster movie, The Amazing Spider-Man, but Marvel Comics have also chosen a unique way to celebrate the comic book hero's 50th anniversary. New York Daily News reports that a new five-issue mini series of the comic, entitled Spider-Men, will bring together the original Spider-Man Peter Parker (who is white) and his modern counterpart, Miles Morales (who is mixed race, Hispanic and black).

The series writer Brian Bendis says "For the 50th anniversary of Spider-Man, what everyone was looking for was a Spider-Man story that mattered. Well, here you go." The introduction of the mixed-race Spider-Man last year provoked some grumblings of complaint, but the original Spider-Man creator Stan Lee gave it the seal of approval, saying that the modern re-working of the character was a positive move and was "our bit to try to make our nation, and the world, color blind is definitely the right thing."

Later this year, The Amazing Spider-Man will also be released and the director Marc Webb is also having his own creative way with the comic book legend. The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Andrew Garfield in the lead role, will look into the history of Peter Parker's family and abandonment as a child. No other Spider-Man movie has done this in any depth and the mystery of his past is likely to be spun out over more than one film.