http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/ennew_afp/afpe...comicsspiderman

Spiderman outs himself to the press 1 hour, 46 minutes ago

NEW YORK (AFP) - For a comic book hero, it's the ultimate taboo.

In the latest edition of the Marvel comic "Civil War" on sale, Spiderman does the unthinkable and removes his Spidey mask to publicly reveal his hidden identity.

"I'm proud of who I am, and I'm here right now to prove it," the legendary webslinger tells a press conference called in New York's Times Square, before pulling off his mask and standing before the massed ranks of reporters as newspaper photographer Peter Parker.

"Any questions?" Parker asks in the final panel of the issue, amid a barrage of camera flashes.

In a statement, Marvel trumpeted the revelation as "arguably the most shocking event in comic book history."

The seven-issue "Civil War" series, launched in May, sees Marvel's writers taking on the topical issue of civil liberties.

Following a showdown between a group of superheroes and supervillains in which hundreds of innocent civilians are killed, the government passes the Super-Hero Registration Act, requiring all superheroes to reveal their identities and register as "living weapons of mass destruction."

Marvel's roster of invincible crime fighters is split into two bitterly opposed factions, with one camp -- championed by the likes of Spiderman -- in favour of the new law and the other, including Captain America and his ilk, refusing to relinquish anonymity.

"It's about which side you are on and why you think you are right," said Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Joe Quesada.

Woah!

LMAO, when I started reading this I thought Spiderman was going to reveal he was gay.

LMAO, when I started reading this I thought Spiderman was going to reveal he was gay.

LMAO! Thats what I thought too!

Oh no. That is the unthinkable. Now the whole world will know. I love Spiddy and guess he feels the pressure to settle down maybe.

im reading Civil War, it's alright.

I don't get the lineups of characters though on each side. I dont get Iron Man leading the "reveal ourselves" side. He's always been closeted, and gone to great lengths to preserve that. Captain America I could have seen on this side, but I guess they switched it up for shock value? It doesn't work for me.

But Spider-Man being on the side of the registration is just wrong. He's always kept his secret to keep enemies from targeting his family. It's been a driving force in his story since the beginning.

Wow-that is kind of a surprise.

I agree with Drew-it does feel forced and not logical given who Spidey is but it is a good twist I guess.

I thought it meant he was gay too.

I just saw this on Yahoo news and several other places-I guess this is a big deal!!

I wish Spidey would separate himself from Iron Man all together. His whole allignment with the New Avengers is dragging him down. Get his ass out of the Stark building, stop hooking Aunt May up with that butler, and return Spider-Man to the gritty streets where he belongs.

Dumb.

LMAO, when I started reading this I thought Spiderman was going to reveal he was gay.

That could be "the most shocking event in comic book history", but Spiderman revealing his indentity... I don't know.

IMHO, that's dumb! I also thought he kept his identity a secret to protect others. Nevertheless, this should be intriguing for comic book readers.