In Prince George, B.C., the Famous Players Six theatre faced a dilemma when they did not receive the promotional posters for the movie “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” To resolve the issue, employee and artist Drake Landon took matters into his own hands.
Due to a shipping error, the theatre missed out on the official posters for the latest Spider-Man release. Consequently, Landon, a 19-year-old employee, was tasked by his manager to create a replacement poster inspired by the internet meme character Spooderman.
Spooderman is a popular internet meme featuring a simplistic, MS Paint-style parody of Marvel’s Spider-Man that originated around 2012. Despite being able to draw the actual Spider-Man, Landon opted to sketch Spooderman in line with the “Brand New Day” design of the character.
Beneath his hand-drawn movie poster, Landon included a brief message apologizing for the absence of the authentic posters and any inconvenience caused to moviegoers. The unique Spooderman poster caught the attention of patrons like Adam Woodrow, who found it “awesome” during a visit with his son Rogan to Famous Players.
Rogan snapped a photo of Landon next to his creation, which gained significant traction online across various platforms, including the Marvel Studios subreddit with over 54,000 upvotes. Encouraged by the positive feedback, some have suggested that Landon should illustrate all movie posters at the theatre or consider selling his distinctive Spooderman drawings.
While Landon appreciates the recognition, he shared that he typically enjoys drawing robots, intricate machinery, and weapons in his free time. He humbly attributes the credit to the original idea of Spooderman and its creator from years ago.
Despite the online acclaim, Landon’s father, Craig, expressed immense pride in his son’s artistic talents and the attention they have garnered. Cineplex plans to replace Landon’s Spooderman poster with the official “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” poster but intends to find a new spot within the theatre for the hand-drawn rendition.
Looking ahead, Landon hopes to produce prints of his now-famous poster for wider circulation.
