It’s a great month to be a fan of the Amazing Spider-man. He’s tearing up the cinemas with Electro and in the world of comics Peter is back in the spider-suit and at his wise-cracking best. Then in the world of digital comics we are getting not one, but TWO Spider-man Infinite titles with Ultimate Spider-man and Amazing Spider-man: Who Am I?. Last week we spoke to layout artists Geoffo and Mast about the visuals, and this week we catch up with writer Joshua Hale Fialkov about his approach to writing one of the most anticipated Infinite comics yet.

The Spider-man universe is going through a momentous shift with this Amazing Spidey Infinite as a major part of that, what can you tell us about how it fits into the ongoing continuity and were you given free reign or quite a tight brief to work under as a result?

JHF: Well, having Dan [Slott, Amazing Spider-man writer] initiate the project means that I got pretty firm footing from the jump.  I knew that we’d be dealing with Peter, that he’d be just getting back into the swing of things post Superior, and, other than that, I was free to play as I wanted.  Dan and I worked out the major beats, but, he was really generous in letting me play with Spidey however I saw fit.  Mostly, I’m exceedingly cruel to him.

How important a character is Spidey to you personally? Is working on a title as key to the Marvel Universe as Amazing Spidey something you’ve always wanted to do? 

JHF: I love Spider-Man.  He’s one of the most revolutionary figures in all of pop culture.  He was the first time that, as a kid, you felt like you COULD be a superhero.  Not a sidekick, not a companion, but THE Superhero.  And as a kid, I never had any interest in being Robin or Bucky (mostly as they both were dead when I was a kid, but, still…) I wanted to be the big show, and Spidey was the closest we got.

And then, as an adult, I think his life attitude is pretty much how we all cope with existence.  He’s the very model of hope for the best, but expect the worst.  He knows at his core that he’s a flawed man who doesn’t really deserve anything truly good.  But, he keeps aspiring to be better, to grab that brass ring.  That’s something that I feel every day of my life.

In what ways have you been able to utilise the Infinite comic features to help tell the story? Do you leave that up to the artists mostly or do you have input into the way the story unfolds? Are there any particular special features you think in the story that benefit from being told as an Infinite comic and what do you think are the overall benefits to the reader of doing a Spider-man Infinite comic ?

JHF: A lot of that was left in the very capable hands of Geoffo and Mast, who are simply some of the most magnificient storytellers in digital comics.  In terms of benefits, the ability to deliver jokes in a non-traditional way is probably my favorite part.  There’s quite a few jokes that would be pretty good on the printed page, that, with the pacing and reveals that you get with Infinite are homeruns. If I do say so myself.

Have you had a chance to check out the other Infinite comics like Wolverine, Iron man and Deadpool? What did you think of them and how do they compare to Spidey? 

JHF: I’ve been a fan of enhanced digital comics for a long time.  I actually created the first digital graphic novel for the Amazon Kindle a few years ago, so, I’ve been pretty keyed into all of this stuff.  Hell, I started 12 years ago in Webcomics.  But, working in the infinite format is different still.  The script is much more of a running narrative, with less breaks and specific action than in a regular comic book script.  It’s very much a full collaboration between myself, Geoffo and Mast, and then Juan Bobillo on art, as well as Andres on colors, and Cory on letters. It’s like really good jazz music, everyone’s bringing their own thing.

Would you consider embracing Infinite style story telling again – perhaps for your creator-owned work? Are Infinite comics the future for digital comics?

JHF: Oh, absolutely.  It’s so much fun to tell stories this way, and I think it’s a brilliant use of the medium as it evolves.

Amazing Spider-man: Who Am I? will be available from ComiXology and the Marvel Comics app.