Spider-Man in comics, films and video games

In the vast world of pop culture, every week there is a universe in which to lose oneself amongst dozens of comics, films, TV series, anime, trading cards, video games, board games and role-playing games. And this is precisely the weekly task of DECODER, the column in "Il Foglio" hosted by Gianluca De Angelis: a guide to navigating this ever-expanding series of universes. This week, however, the recommendations all point in the same direction, focusing on one of the key characters from the world of American comics: Spider-Man, coinciding with the release of the new film about the character in Italian cinemas from 29 July.

In the world of comics, amongst the endless series of extraordinary stories featuring this character, the choice falls on an unconventional volume – but one recommended precisely for that reason: “Spider-Man: La storia della mia vita”, published in Italy by Panini Comics. It’s a story that begins with a very simple yet brilliant question: the character you know, like many Marvel characters, never seems to age… but what would have happened if Spider-Man had aged alongside his readers? Here, in fact, we see Peter grow into an adult, a husband, a father and an elderly man. As he navigates historical moments and events documented in books, you find yourself wondering what price a real person would have paid for living through all those adventures. Highly recommended.

In the world of film and television, the choice clearly falls on “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”, a new film due for release in cinemas on 29 July 2026, starring New York’s web-slinger as he grapples with a host of enemies to face, many of whom are internal struggles. A new instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which, ahead of the apocalyptic and universe-spanning events of “Avengers: Doomsday”, promises to bring the character back to a more urban setting, much to the delight of long-standing fans of this much-loved character.

Finally, the advice from the world of gaming is twofold: we’re talking about “Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man 2”, multi-platform video games developed by Insomniac. These two video games have enjoyed enormous success thanks to their extraordinary recreation of New York – a city inextricably linked to the character of Spider-Man – but also for their gameplay mechanics, their fluid, fast and intuitive movements; their superbly choreographed combat sequences; and a storyline that explored themes such as the handling of power. These are two games well worth playing, now more than ever, even though they were released a few years ago.

And those were this week’s three tips from DECODER. A column created to try and decode the present through pop culture, new popular myths and even its icons. Week after week, instalment after instalment, it weaves together a vast map that charts, more than ever, the infinite nuances and directions of our present. See you next week for another trio of great titles not to be missed.