One of the Spider-Verse side stories took on a tone of the old Tales from the Crypt horror comics of old. It told the story of a young boy, Patton Parnel, who lived with his abusive uncle Ted. While he was inquisitive, he was also cruel. He tortured animals, perhaps as a way to deal with how his uncle beat him.
During a school field trip to Alcorp, his classmate and neighbour Sara Jane (who he secretly spied on while at home) took him aside and they snuck away from the group. It turns out Sara Jane was a young animal activist and wanted to break into the Alcorp labs to free test animals. They find all kinda of various creatures, and Patton’s attention is grabbed by a large red spider. He reaches into it’s enclosure to free it, but it bites him. It’s now when security catches them and throws them out.
The next day Patton realizes he has an insatiable hunger, and he eats a live mouse they had at school. Eating the animal seems to trigger changes in Patton, and his hunger increases. He catches a cat by ensnaring it in webs from his wrists, and later lures a boy and his dog to his house who he also catches. When his uncle comes home, Patton attacks him as well, and webs him up.
When Sara Jane stops by later, Patton tries to kiss her, and then he bites her on the neck. Patton then transforms before her eyes, sprouting fangs, extra eyes, two additional arms and two more legs! However, before Patton is able to attack Sara Jane further, Morbius the Inheritor appears and easily stops him. Tearing off Patton’s jaw and an arm, Morbius states that he can tell Patton has just recently become a spider totem. He won’t make a great meal for the Inheritor, but he’ll make a decent appetizer, and with that Morbius drains Patton of his life energy, killing him.
Sara Jane runs home, apparently safe. But the next morning she wakes up to a pain from the bite in her neck. To her horror, hundreds of baby spiders pour from the wounds, crawling over her skin!
Positively Jim 