©Marvel Comics

The original Marvel 1602 was a critically acclaimed eight issue mini-series from 2003 written by Neil Gaiman and penciled by Andy Kubert. It presents an alternate history (officially known as Earth-311) where characters recognizable from the modern Marvel Universe have appeared centuries earlier in the Elizabethan era. (Read a detailed synopsis here.) The success of 1602 spawned a number of sequel series: 1602: New World (2005), Marvel 1602: Fantastik Four (2006), and Spider-Man 1602 (2009-2010).

Peter Parquagh is the young apprentice of Sir Nicholas Fury, the royal spymaster of Queen Elizabeth I. He is sent to America to escort the young Virgina Dare to England, and he gets caught up in a series of intrigues involving the likes of Count Doom of Latveria and Carlos Javier and his school for “Whichbreed” (aka mutants). As you might have guessed, he eventually gets bitten by a strange arachnid, gains powers, and assumes a costumed identity as The Spider.

Spider-Man 1602 introduces Baron Victor Octavius, an Italian nobleman suffering from the plague. The Baron attempted to cure himself using octopus blood, and although this seemed to work, it also had the unforeseen side effect of changing him into a monstrous human/octopus hybrid.

Baron Octavius ©Marvel Comics

Attempting to reverse the transformation, Octavius has begun experimenting on both normal humans and Whichbreed, and he eventually sets his sights on The Spider. His plans are thwarted, however, by natrual philosopher Henri Le Pym, who was being blackmailed into helping the Baron research a cure for his mutated condition.

The fifith and final issue of Spider-Man 1602 came out this past February, and the collected story is due out in hardcover this June.