Is Byrnes “Chapter One” Official Spidey Continuity?
Once upon a time, Marvel cared greatly about “Official” continuity, but these days, things are far more flexible. During the dismal couple of years that Byrne and Mackie basically controlled Spidey, they used Chapter One to re-write Spidey’s early years… for no obvious good reason. Unlike Untold Tales (which slipped between the gaps) and Ultimate Spidey (which truly started afresh), they published a patch-up retelling, which added nothing but confusion to Spidey’s past. Despite stiff resistance from Spidey fans, Byrne and Mackie attempted to add the stamp of authority to their clumbsy reinvention by bringing aspects of Chapter One into the modern tales. Most long-term fans just tried to ignore the whole fiasco, and waited until it just faded like a bad dream… which it mostly has. I, and many other students of Spidey just try to pretend it never happened.
