Warning: SPOILERS for Edge of Spider-Verse #4The craziest Spider-Man variant is no longer Spider-Ham; the cartoon Porky Pig-esque character is dethroned in the latest Spider-Verse story by a far more mobile Spider-hero. “Peter Parkedcar” is the latest character to debut in Dan Slott’s new Edge of Spider-Verse series, a storyline that brings multiple Spider-Man variants together to save the fabric of the universe itself. Edge of Spider-Verse #4 proves four wheels are better than two feet when the Amazing Spider-Mobile fights what can only be described as the Cars universe equivalent of a God: a Walk sign.
The Spider-Verse, first appearing in 2014, is home to plenty of fan-favorite Spider-Man variants including Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy (also known as the Ghost Spider), Spider-Man 2099 and many more. The new series introduces Spider-UK (the British Spider-Man variant), Sun-Spider (a superhero with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome), Spider-Rex (a dinosaur) and dozens of others. The issues are connected by Madame Web, who seeks to recruit the Spider-Heroes to stop the Spider-Verse from unraveling for good.
In Edge of Spider-Verse #4’s story “Drive You Crazy” written by Dan Slott with art by Ty Templeton, Peter Parkedcar lives in a world populated by sentient automobiles. Car versions of J Jonah Jameson and even Peter’s Aunt May appear on the road, ready to greet “The Great Driver”: a glowing Walk sign who demands oil in exchange for driving his followers “…along the one true highway!” Peter Parkedcar is immediately suspicious and quickly changes into the Amazing Spider-Mobile. Eventually the Great Driver is revealed to be Mr. Reo Speedbuggy, the Mysterio of this universe.
Aside from being part of a zany Cars universe that worship drivers as Gods, Peter Parkedcar’s Spider-Man attire borrows from a piece of rather infamous Spider-Man history. The Spider-Mobile was created in response to Batman’s Batmobile – editors desired a car for Peter that would allow the company to sell additional toys – and was promptly derided not only by fans, but by Peter himself. As a New Yorker, Peter had little need for a car, and his inexperience behind the wheel caused the superhero to promptly drive the new car into the river. Today, the Spider-Mobile is little more than a joke to fans and Spider-Man alike.
Peter Parkedcar may experience severe difficulties fighting alongside his more bipedal Spider-Man variants. He won’t be able to enter most buildings or grab items, but he is undoubtedly faster on land than his other counterparts. Parkedcar has appeared before in an earlier Spider-Verse story (driven by Miles Morales, no less), but this is the first time his detailed backstory has appeared in comics. Spider-Ham is no longer the strangest Spider-Man variant in the Spider-Verse, thanks to the wheeled webslinger Peter Parkedcar, the Amazing Spider-Mobile.