Via io9, Marvel have announced a new “Spider-Man: India” series, written by Nikesh Shukla with art by Abhishek Malsuni. The comic will pick up after the conclusion of ‘End of Spider-Verse,’ and follow Earth-50101’s Spider-Man (Pavitr Prabhakar) as he returns to his hometown of Mumbai. “When a mysterious science professor promises that his new research can activate people’s ‘lizard brains,’ Pavitr is going to find himself facing a dangerous new super-threat — and a ruthless businessman pulling the strings.”
Pavitr was created by writer/artist Jeevan J. Kang, with co-writers Sharad Devarajan and Suresh Seetharaman, and first appeared in 2005’s “Spider-Man: India” miniseries. He has appeared in the various ‘Spider-Verse’ crossovers since 2014, including the 2015-2016 series “Web Warriors,” but had not starred in another solo series until now.
Writer Nikesh Shukla is a British Indian author best known for editing the essay compilation The Good Immigrant. He has written at length about his love for Spider-Man, explaining reading the comics made him feel less lonely as a child. Last year, he penned a brief Pavitr Prabhakar story in “Edge of Spider-Verse” #3, which artist Abhishek Malsuni contributed to. Malsuni himself hails from New Delhi, and has also penciled various Top Cow, Dynamite, and Zenescope comics.
The new “Spider-Man: India” #1 will be released in June, with cover art by Sumit Kumar (“Man-Bat,” “Justice League Dark”). It will coincide with Pavitr Prabhakar’s film debut in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, releasing in theaters June 2. Dan Slott and Mark Bagley’s ‘End of Spider-Verse’ will continue in the meantime in the adjectiveless “Spider-Man” series.
