The ART OF DAKOTA ALEXANDER Meets SPIDER-MAN WEEK: THE MANY LOVES OF PETER PARKER… — Welcome to SPIDER-MAN WEEK: THE MANY LOVES OF PETER PARKER, our second-ever theme week that’s solely driven by our artist pals: Kerry Callen, Des Taylor, Walt Grogan (who did that fab banner), Chris Franklin, Dakota Alexander, Franco, Bill Morrison, and special guest Mark Chiarello. For more on this groovy feature, click here. — Dan — By DAKOTA ALEXANDER It was a heavy moment for Marvel Comics. A scene of unprecedented shock as readers in 1973 read the tragic final pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #121, “The Night Gwen Stacy Died.” Fans expressed deep grief, surprise, and a sense of unfairness that Gwen was killed. No matter the reaction, however, it was clear that this was a moment that would, for better or worse, change superhero comics forever. And after meditating on how to depict my version of this iconic moment in the tumultuous life of our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, I found myself looking into my own past, so to speak. Many of you may not know this, but from about 2016 to 2020, I almost exclusively made comic art in the style of Japanese Ukiyo-e. I have been living in Japan since 2006 (20 years this September) and I speak fluent Japanese. I have always been a massive fan of Ukiyo-e, as well as comics, so I took major comics characters and did my own “Elseworlds” versions of them in the style of Japanese art popular from the 17th to the 19th centuries. As it happens, one of my pieces was a version of Gwen’s Stacy’s death. I have since redrawn some of the original piece, as well as re-colored it. Hope you like it. Translations: Title: “The Spider-Man and the Jade Demon” Text: “The Spider-Man is a hero of the people. Understanding that great power requires great responsibility. He fights for his most beloved. Despite his valiant efforts, he is unable to save her life.” Note: For anyone interested, my art moniker, “Drums of the Serpent,” is essentially my name in kanji. 打 DA (hit) 故 KO (drum) 蛇 TA (snake). — Want more MANY LOVES OF PETER PARKER? Click here. Want more of THE ART OF DAKOTA ALEXANDER? Come back next week! — MORE — WHAT IF SPIDER-MAN Got a DC WHO’S WHO Entry in the 1980s. Click here....