Marvel is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the beloved series of speculative stories…
Marvel this summer will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original What If? series — it debuted in November 1976 — with a series of one-shots spread throughout the Marvel Universe.
One of them immediately jumped out at me: What If…? Spider-Man #1, written by Kraven Last Hunt’s J.M. DeMatteis, which asks the question, “What If… Kraven Survived His Last Hunt?”
The ish, with art by Yildiray Cinar — replacing Mike Zeck and Bob McLeod, who handled those duties for the original 1987 Spider-Man crossover classic — is due July 29. The cover will be by Lucas Werneck.
Prices have not been set yet, but here’s the complete lineup:
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MORE
— DC and MARVEL Team Up to Re-Release Entire JLA/AVENGERS Series as Facsimile Editions. Click here.
— 1968’s SILVER SURFER #3: Marvel Sets Date for FACSIMILE EDITION Featuring MEPHISTO’s Debut. Click here.
February 25, 2026
What if…? is a book that’s had an odd cyclicalness to it in modern times. It’s been remarked that a shocking number of classic issues (“What If Bucky Had Lived?”) have come true in some fashion in the main Marvel U.
In the case of the Kraven story, Marvel already did a What If of it back in the early 90s (with…Kraven eating Peter’s corpse). Still, this is DeMatteis revisiting the story, so maybe it’ll be a big improvement.
February 25, 2026
“In the case of the Kraven story, Marvel already did a What If of it back in the early 90s (with…Kraven eating Peter’s corpse). Still, this is DeMatteis revisiting the story, so maybe it’ll be a big improvement.”
Right: That’s what makes it noteworthy!