Spider-Man: Life Story Annual #1 explores the life of J. Jonah Jameson

Cover of Spider-Man: Life Story Annual #1
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Back in 2019, writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Mark Bagley teamed up for Spider-Man: Life Story, a limited series which approached Peter Parker's life and career as Spider-Man as if it had continued in real-time for nearly sixty years since his 1962 debut. Now, the creative team will reunite for another telling of Spider-Man's career, Life Story style – this time from the perspective of none other than J. Jonah Jameson.

(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Zdarsky and Bagley will look back at Jameson's life and career (in other words his 'life story') through the lens of his obsession with Spider-Man in August's Spider-Man: Life Story Annual #1.

"J. Jonah Jameson will do whatever it takes to make the world see that Spider-Man is nothing but a threat and a menace. Will the decades of his obsession bear fruit for Jonah … or be his destruction?" reads Marvel's synopsis for Spider-Man: Life Story Annual #1.

"Just like the original series, this special issue will offer a thought-provoking retrospective of the entire history of Spider-Man as if he had aged in real time since his 1962 debut, reframing Spider-Man's greatest adventures, his tragic romance with Gwen Stacy, and his most iconic villains against the backdrop of key moments from each decade," it continues. "And now, readers will see Spider-Man's groundbreaking history told from a different point of view…"

Interestingly enough, Zdarsky is the writer who had Peter Parker reveal his identity as Spider-Man to Jameson in the mainstream Marvel Universe in 2017's Spectacular Spider-Man #6, which has drastically changed the relationship between the two characters since.

"Working on the original Spider-Man: Life Story was a dream come true for me," Zdarsky states in the annual's announcement. "But the problem with the miniseries was that I didn't have the room to properly tell the life story of one of my all-time favorite characters: J. Jonah Jameson! Getting the chance to revisit this universe with Mark again has been an absolute blast!"

Spider-Man: Life Story Annual #1 is due out August 4, with a cover from Zdarsky himself, seen here. Stay tuned to Newsarama for Marvel's full August 2021 solicitations later this month.

Keep up with all the Wall-Crawler's upcoming adventures with our listing of all the Spider-Man comic book projects planned for 2021 and beyond.

George Marston

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)

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