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Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson says his upcoming Midnight Spider-Man, which reboots Spidey's origin as a David Crobenberg-esque body horror story, will deal directly with the modern perception of the ultra-wealthy and the social realities of a world where economic equality is the norm, calling it an "anti-Epstein class" comic.

In Midnight Spider-Man, drawn by artist ScieTronc, Peter Parker is subjected to experiments by billion dollar corporation Oscorp, who mutate him into a man/spider hybrid similar to Jeff Goldblum in aforementioned director David Cronenberg's remake of The Fly. Oscorp's exploitation of Peter is intentionally meant to reflect the idea that some of society's richest people victimize others with seemingly no consequences thanks to their limitless financial resources.

"This is like, without even really trying to. I do think this book has kind of turned into my anti-Epstein class kind of thing where the monster is the creepy billionaire," Johnson says in an interview with Cryptid Creator Corner. "It's just a scary concept right now. The degree of power that the wealthiest among us has is a scary thing. And to not use that in some kind of way when you're telling a story about power and responsibility,  I just don't see how you can tell that story now and not touch on that in some way."

However, Johnson assures fans that the book won't be all real world political commentary, with the horror elements taking the spotlight in Peter Parker's journey to becoming a much more literal Spider-Man while also trying to tame his new animal instincts and use his newfound powers for the greater good.

"I don't want to make it sound like Midnight Spider-Man is a work of propaganda. It's not. But I

I do think that when you're making art, it should reflect the times in some kind of way," Johnson explains. "I come from music. I was a musician before I was a writer. And Nina Simone said something like that. She said something like I believe it's the responsibility of every artist to reflect the times. And I don't think that needs to be a hard fast rule. It's art. We can do whatever we want with it. But I do think that that's a noble cause, and I think it's very commonly what happens, and that's what I set out to do in my own work." 

Midnight Spider-Man #1 goes on sale on October 7 alongside Midnight Fantastic Four #1 and Midnight X-Men #1.

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