Published Apr 3, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT
CBR senior staff writer Brian Cronin has been writing professionally about comic books for over fifteen years now at CBR (primarily with his “Comics Should Be Good” series of columns, including Comic Book Legends Revealed). He has written two books about comics for Penguin-Random House – Was Superman a Spy? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed and Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? And Other Amazing Comic Book Trivia! and one book, 100 Things X-Men Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, from Triumph Books. His writing has been featured at ESPN.com, the Los Angeles Times, About.com, the Huffington Post, Vulture and Gizmodo. He features legends about entertainment and sports at his website, Legends Revealed and other pop culture features at Pop Culture References. Follow him on Twitter at @Brian_Cronin and feel free to e-mail him suggestions for stories about comic books that you'd like to see featured at brianc@cbr.com!
After the dramatic success of the DC side of the Superman/Spider-Man crossover event last month, Marvel is all set to release the other side of the crossover with its Spider-Man/Superman #1 special due out on April 22nd.
Like Superman/Spider-Man, this new book will also feature a number of backup stories beyond the initial story by Brad Meltzer and Pepe Larraz, and Marvel has provided CBR with an exclusive first look at a page from one of those stories, featuring a matchup with Steel versus the Hobgoblin by Louise Simonson and Todd Nauck.
Who are the creative teams for the backup stories in Spider-Man/Superman?
Marvel revealed the following creative teams and characters being used in a press release a while back:
THWIP, THWIP AND AWAY! Brad Meltzer and Pepe Larraz pit SPIDER-MAN and SUPERMAN against LEX LUTHOR and NORMAN OSBORN as their greatest villains exploit some of their greatest weaknesses!
In the shadow-laden 1930s, SPIDER-MAN NOIR encounters the original GOLDEN AGE SUPERMAN as told by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin!
Industry powerhouse Geoff Johns delivers his first Marvel story in over 20 years, teaming up with frequent collaborator and fellow superstar Gary Frank! A crisis ensues as the hit creative team bring the Super- and Spider-families against each together at the summons of MYSTERIO… but is their true foe an ally out of control?!
SYMBIOTE hordes invade Metropolis as a new War of the Realms ignites in Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman's epic reunion starring Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor, Wonder Woman, and more!
Co-creator of STEEL Louise Simonson and artist Todd Nauck hammer out the tale of John Henry Irons' clash with the HOBGOBLIN.
Current AMAZING SPIDER-MAN scribe Joe Kelly and artist Humberto Ramos deliver a campus crossover between GWEN STACY and LANA LANG!
SPIDER-MAN (MILES MORALES) teams up with SUPERMAN in a tale by Miles’ legendary co-creators, Brian Michael Bendis, who recently made his grand return to Marvel, and Sara Pichelli!
GHOST-SPIDER and SUPERGIRL form an unbreakable bond on a high-stakes adventure by current ALL-NEW SPIDER-GWEN: THE GHOST-SPIDER scribe Stephanie Phillips and superstar artist Phil Noto!
Masterful super hero storytellers Jeph Loeb and Jim Cheung reunite to put their own spin on a Spider-Man/Superman team-up!
What is the exclusive look at the Steel/Hobgoblin story?
Image via MarvelHere is the first look at the Steel/Hobgoblin battle by Louise Simonson and Todd Nauck. Louise Simonson has a very important role in the history of Superman and Spider-Man. She was the first woman to be the regular writer on a Superman comic book series (Superman: Man of Steel) and she was also the first woman to be the regular writer on a Spider-Man comic book series (Web of Spider-Man). In fact, she was the first woman to write a Spider-Man story PERIOD when she wrote Marvel Team-Up Annual #7 in 1984.
Simonson also co-created Steel with artist Jon Bogdanove (who she first worked with at Marvel in the pages of Power Pack). Todd Nauck has also done a number of stories for both Marvel and for DC. So Simonson and Nauck are well-suited to do a Marvel/DC crossover (similarly, Simonson's superstar artist husband, Walter Simonson, who has also done a lot of great work for both Marvel and DC, provided a variant cover honoring this story).
The pairing of Steel and Hobgoblin makes perfect sense, since Steel was a replacement hero when Superman was believed to be dead, while the Hobgoblin was a replacement villain when Green Goblin was believed to be dead.
Spider-Man/Superman is out on April 22nd.
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