Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider #1 Preview released

Hitting comic book stores and retailers at the end of the month, Marvel and Newsarama have released a good few preview pages for the first issue of "Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider" - written by Peter David and illustrated by Mark Bagley and featuring the return of Peter Parker/ Spider-Man's recently resurrected "brother" turned enemy Ben Reilly, aka the new Jackal and one-time Spidey himself who is now returning to the identity most associated with his persona.

Featuring a couple of textless pages and a look at variant covers (including the action figure one above), check out more via the source post at Newsarama.

Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider #1 hits shelves on April 26.

Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider set to bring back the Classic Scarlet Spider look

Those who were surprised to learn that recently returned Spider-Man clone Ben Reilly was getting his own series and a new costume following the events of "The Clone Conspiracy" will be surprised even more, as Newsarama reports that Marvel has announced that Ben is also bringing back the ORIGINAL classic Scarlet Spider look sometime after the first arc of his new "Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider" comic book series. Written by Peter David and illustrated by Mark Bagley, Ben's new ongoing will follow after his "Jackal" phase -  but how he reverts to his Scarlet Spider persona is still a mystery especially after what happened in the conclusion of the aforementioned Clone Conspiracy series.

Here's a comparison between the old Scarlet look and the new one that appeared when the new series was announced.

Learn more on Ben's return and how the costume changes take place when "Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider" begins on April 26th.

Peter Parker: the Spectacular Spider-Man series announced by Marvel

Looks like a new ongoing series is slated for our friendly neighborhood wallcrawler later this year, as Marvel has announced via Entertainment Weekly that they are releasing another mainline Spider-Man comic book called "Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man" - a familiar title to those who grew up reading the old 80's Spidey title of the same name. This one will be handled by writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Adam Kubert, and is set to bring Spidey "Back to Basics" after the events of The Clone Conspiracy - which ends this week.

The new book will have a lead-in story this Free Comic Book Day. Zdarsky also talked with Entertainment Weekly on his thoughts about the upcoming series, and it sounds promising.

Get "Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man" when it launches this June.

Marvel announces "Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider" for April

After being revealed as the newest incarnation of The Jackal during the events of the currently ongoing "The Clone Conspiracy" storyline, returning Spider-Man clone character Ben Reilly is set to officially embrace his roots and adopt his Scarlet Spider persona once more as Marvel reveals "Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider" - a new ongoing that features the already announced team of writer Peter David and artist Mark Bagley.

Featuring a new costume that is decidedly mixed in elements and opinion (see Bleeding Cool), Ben Reilly's return to his Scarlet Spider identity won't be a fully heroic one, as he is still set to wrestle with his demons coming fresh from his other persona of The Jackal. " Even Peter David, through an interview with Comic Book Resources, gave a pretty apt description of his thoughts writing the character:

"He has his Scarlet Spider identity on one shoulder, urging him to follow his better angels, and the Jackal on the other hand, trying to get him to return to the path that led him to disaster. He’s trapped in the middle, endeavoring to balance the two. Of all the characters I’ve written who are having identity problems — and God knows, I’ve done a few — Ben is easily the most unhinged."

Reilly won't be the only one highlighting the book, as his brother and other Scarlet Spider Kaine will be there too as a supporting character. How this comeback will affect Peter Parker/ Spider-Man is still a mystery, but expect Ben to swing back into the webs when "Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider" hits shops and newsstands this April!