Invasion of the Spider-Slayers

"Invasion of the Spider-Slayers" is a six-part storyline printed in Marvel's Amazing Spider-Man title in 1992-1993, featuring Spider-Man against a series of Spider-Slayers created mainly by Alistair Smythe.

Basic plot

In an act of revenge against Spider-Man for the death of Spencer Smythe, Alistair created his version of Spider-Slayers. He unleashed several slayers which included a small arachnid that worked as a tracking device, a six-tentacled amoeboid, a towering humanoid slayer with multiple personality disorder, a black widow, tarantula, and a scorpion. Alistair constructed several of the slayers with the "assistance" of inmates he liberated from a private sanitarium, goading Spider-Man into several battles that inadvertently involved others such as Scorpion (Gargan) and Black Cat.

Spider-Man finally decided to take the fight to Alistair where he was forced to fight the final slayer -- Alistair Smythe. Smythe had encased himself in a full-body biorganic carapace, augmenting his strength, speed, agility and restoring his ability to walk, becoming what he dubbed the Ultimate Spider-Slayer. After a rough battle, Spider-Man finally defeated him. Smythe was taken into custody and the inmates returned to the sanitarium.

Read order

Part 1 - Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1 #368

Part 2 - Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1 #369

Part 3 - Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1 #370 -- "Life Stings"

Part 4 - Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1 #371

Part 5 - Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1 #372 -- "Arachnophobia Too!"

Part 6 - Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1 #373 -- "The Bedlam Perspective"

Other media

This storyline inspired LJN's 1993 video game, "" for Nintendo's Game Boy as well as the episodes "The Spider Slayer" and "Return of the Spider Slayers" of the Spider-Man animated series also the SNES and Sega Genesis games based on the animated series featured the Spider-Slayers.