One popular Marvel Comics artist has been tasked with bringing Beyoncé, Pedro Pascal, and numerous other superstars into the Spider-Verse. Commissioned as a marketing effort for the upcoming film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the series of portraits reimagines each celebrity as a Spider-Variant of their own. Broadly, comic book movies have varied relationships with the comics that inspire them. However, the animated Spider-Verse franchise is open about the love and appreciation the filmmakers have for the comics medium, and working with Marvel Comics artist Kris Anka for these celebrity Spidersonas is further proof.
Starting last weekend, the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse social media accounts began sharing the portraits across TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. So far, Anka’s series comprises 20 pieces, and there is no information regarding any future additions. Spanning global talents such as A-List athletes, musicians, actors, digital creators, and filmmakers, it seems that anyone’s favorite could be behind the mask.
The full list of Spider-Celebrities includes Stephen Curry, Jamie Foxx, Tiffany Haddish, Anitta, Son Heung-min, Bad Bunny, Guillermo del Toro, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Nick Jonas, Kumail Nanjiani, Serena Williams, Rihanna, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, LeBron James, Rubius, Beyoncé, Pedro Pascal, Naomi Osaka, Metro Boomin, and two of the film’s stars, Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld. On top of that, a few Spider-Pets also snuck their way into a few of the portraits.
Celebrity Spidersonas Span the Gap Between Spider-Verse Comics and Film
Kris Anka already has a working relationship with the animated Spider-Man films as a character designer for Across the Spider-Verse, but Anka is best known for his work in comics. Even now, Anka appears to be the lead designer for the X-Men’s 2023 Hellfire Gala, having teased designs for Emma Frost and the crowned Black Queen of Hellfire Trading, Lourdes Chantel. In comics and film, Anka’s designs are colorful, fun, and have a stylish tinge to them. These elements are most obvious in Rihanna’s Spidersona, whose portrait features a Spider-Man twist on her Super Bowl 2023 look, which in itself was an homage to the late fashion titan André Leon Talley.
Anka’s Spidersona portrait series is an exception rather than the trend when it comes to the relationship between comic creators and their film adaptations. Legendary comic writers and artists are the source of this globally beloved medium and have inspired some of the most financially successful and critically acclaimed films of all time. However, the recognition and compensation given to these creators by these films often leave much to be desired. Famously, Ed Brubaker has claimed that he made more money in residuals for his cameo in Captain America: The Winter Soldier than he did for creating the character and story arc behind the film itself.
While a collaborative relationship between comics creators and filmmakers such as Kris Anka’s with Across the Spider-Verse is a rarity, it hopefully signals the beginning of a shifting trend. In a similar move to Sony, DC Studios has begun openly advertising the specific comics that serve as inspiration for its upcoming slate of films under James Gunn and Peter Safran. Greater recognition for comics creators would be a great boon to what is often considered a niche industry in the US. Further, increased collaboration between comics artists and comic films may result in other iconic creations such as this series of celebrity Spider-Verse portraits.
Source: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse