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The following contains spoilers for Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1, on sale from Marvel Comics.
Spider-Man spends most of Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1 (by B. Earl, Taboo, and Juan Ferreyra) swinging through a nightmarish dreamscape. Reminiscent of somewhere between a Vincent Vango and Edvard Munch painting, nothing here is from the real world, and everything is dark and deadly. Even his costume takes on a more abstract and eviler look as his eyes now trail a jagged, fiery glow, and the details of his costume are sharp and gothic.
In the real-world Peter Parker is visiting LA and working with colleague Crystal Cantawnee to crack the mystery of some super-science tech. On his way to the lab, Peter has another dream but is thrust back into reality just as some kids are being chased in the woods by a giant black bear, thought extinct in that area of California. It strikes Peter as odd, but he helps the kids escape and subdues the massive bear with his trusty webbing.
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Spider-Man continuously finds himself randomly transported to this nightmare world, popping in and out of conscious and subconscious “waking” dreams. Every time he enters the mysterious realm it becomes more deadly and horrifying. Throughout the issue, Peter keeps encountering spiral designs, almost as if they’re marking a gateway of sorts. In one of the dreams, Peter is aged decades and encounters an anthropomorphic crow character that holds him at gunpoint. As Peter stares at the gun, he sees another spiral in the barrel. The crow-man tells him that change is coming in the form of an old being, and that being will bring a new beginning.
Spider-Man isn’t a stranger to spirals. At first glance, they appear very similar to the spiral design of Absolute Carnage. But given that there are no other clues in the issue pointing at Cletus Kasady, the story seems to be pointing to a very different villain. There are several clues that are similar to themes from Native American culture. Throughout the issue, Peter is studying an ancient rock that appears to have some kind of tribal symbols on it. Add to that the symbolic totems of the crow-man and the bear Spider-Man encountered earlier, it would seem the story is on the trail of the Demon Bear previously treaded by Dani Moonstar and the New Mutants.
What is the X-Men's Demon Bear?
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Created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod, the Demon Bear was a deadly spirit that took the form of a massive, monstrous bear. First appearing in a dream in 1983’s New Mutants #3, the Demon Bear eventually terrorized the New Mutants in one of Claremont’s most iconic runs of his X-Men career. Thought to have killed Moonstar’s parents, Dani was the demon’s focus until she and the team finally defeated the monster. Later in the issue, Peter is at a dinner gala when he suddenly gets the answer to the project he and Crystal have been working on, and he rushes to the lab to share his discovery. On his way there the dream world creeps back in and has seemingly upped its game, throwing hideous creature after creature in Spider-Man’s way.
Peter finally reaches the lab, and just as they implement the critical project data, another spiral appears on the screen. A gateway opens, and the nightmarish Demon Bear emerges, claws out, fangs sharper than ever, and blood-red eyes aglow with fire. The question still remains whether this is the same Demon Bear the New Mutants fought. If this is the same creature, Spider-Man is going to have his hands more than full, and calling in the New Mutants, and maybe the X-Men as well, might not be a bad idea.