When the Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment in 2009 – a year after Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe – several corners of the Internet reacted by posting fanart and memes of Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man, who are arguably their respective company's mascots. Wired even said the pair were "about to become step-brothers."
Thirteen years later, Marvel is celebrating Spider-Man's 60th anniversary, and Mickey is joining the party in two limited, special edition variant covers to the recent Amazing Fantasy #1000.
But of course, these two are the best of friends – so Spidey is also getting hype for Disney's 100th anniversary in 2023.
To celebrate these two anniversaries, anyone at Disney's D23 Expo 2022 who attends the 'Marvel Comics: Celebrating 60 Years of the Amazing Spider-Man' panel with Marvel's executive Spider-editor Nick Lowe and editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski will receive both comic variants. Then they can get the issues signed by Lowe, Cebulski, and artists Zeb Wells and Humberto Ramos.
Wells's Amazing Fantasy #1000 cover shows Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto staring in awe as Spider-Man holds up a 100th birthday Disney cake. Ramos's cover shows Captain America, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Black Panther, and Spider-Man surrounding Mickey Mouse, who holds a Spider-Man 60th-birthday cake.
Although these variants won't be for sale, Marvel has been celebrating Spider-Man's 60th birthday all year, and will even launch a new Spider-Man ongoing series written by Dan Slott and illustrated by Mark Bagley. In the lead-up, the publisher is claiming it will end the Spider-Verse as we know it, with a whole slew of new Spideys joining the fray of variant Web-Slingers. But we'll see what "end" ultimately means ... because cash cow and comic books.
D23 Expo 2022 takes place September 9-11 in Anaheim, California. The 'Marvel Comics: Celebrating 60 Years of the Amazing Spider-Man' panel happens Saturday, September 10 at 2 p.m. PT on the backlot stage, and the Amazing Fantasy #1000 signing takes place Saturday, September 10 at 5:30 PT in Talent Central.
Amazing Fantasy #1000 is available now.
While you're celebrating 60 years of Spidey, check out the best Spider-Man stories of all time.
