Spider-Man is heading for an unusually appetizing corner of comics culture at Lucca Comics & Games 2026. Spider-Man: Meals to Astonish, an original Italian Marvel one-shot, pairs the wall-crawler with the culinary world and arrives in Italy through Panini Comics as part of the Meals To Astonish line.
The story is written by Marco Rizzo and drawn by Giuseppe Camuncoli. Chef Cristiano Tomei consulted on the project and appears as a character in the comic, as does C.B. Cebulski. That combination gives the release a particularly event-specific identity: it is not simply a Spider-Man issue with food in the background, but a comic tied directly to the people and programming around Foodmetti at Lucca.
An Italian Spider-Man story with food at its center
“One-shot” is comics shorthand for a self-contained single issue rather than the opening chapter of an ongoing numbered series. In this case, that format makes Spider-Man: Meals to Astonish an approachable festival release: readers can pick it up for a complete story without the supplied details indicating that they need to follow another title first.
The phrase “all-Italian” is significant here because the project’s creative and event identity are closely linked to Italy. Rizzo writes it, Camuncoli provides the interior art, and Tomei’s involvement goes beyond culinary consultation; he becomes part of the comic’s cast. The supplied information does not disclose the plot, stakes, setting, villains, or exactly how Spider-Man and Tomei cross paths, so readers should not assume a particular adventure structure from the food theme alone. What is established is that cuisine is a deliberate creative premise rather than a loose promotional garnish.
That premise is being extended beyond the page at the festival. The story mentions Tomei’s “Panino Primitivo”, and the Foodmetti presentation includes a tasting of that sandwich after a live cooking show. It is a neat piece of cross-media programming: a fictional comic reference is being connected to a real dish prepared in the event space.
Two Lucca-specific cover draws
The regular edition carries a new exclusive cover by Peach Momoko. That image also serves as the key visual for Foodmetti 2026, giving the cover a larger role in the event’s visual presentation. A key visual is the principal piece of promotional art used to represent an event or campaign, rather than merely an alternate package design.
There is also a Gabriele Dell’Otto variant made specifically for Lucca. In comic publishing, a variant is an alternate cover edition of the same issue. The available information identifies the Dell’Otto edition as a Lucca-specific creation, but does not provide print-run details, pricing, purchasing limits, or confirm where each edition will be stocked beyond the stated availability of copies at the Panini Pavilion or on-site for the signing program.
For attendees, the practical distinction is simple: the issue itself is the main reading purchase, while the separate cover treatments may matter to buyers who want art associated with both the Foodmetti program and the Lucca event. Anyone planning around a particular cover should avoid assuming quantities or reservation policies that have not been provided.
Comic readers looking for another graphic-novel development outside the superhero sphere can also see how Black Mirror’s “White Bear” is becoming a graphic novel, a separate project with a very different adaptation focus.
Foodmetti presentation: panel, cooking, tasting
The main presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Foodmetti, Spazio delle Carrozze. Cristiano Tomei, C.B. Cebulski, Marco Rizzo and Giuseppe Camuncoli are listed for the panel.
The session is set to cover how Spider-Man: Meals to Astonish came together before shifting to the cooking demonstration and Panino Primitivo tasting. This provides the clearest opportunity for fans interested in process rather than only autographs: Rizzo and Camuncoli represent the writing and illustration sides, Tomei represents the culinary connection, and Cebulski is part of both the on-stage discussion and the story’s cast.
The event’s structure also clarifies why Foodmetti is more than just a location label. The space is being used as the meeting point for creative discussion, live food preparation, a tasting, and every listed signing. For a comic built around an Italian food angle, that concentrated setup makes the physical event part of the project’s presentation.
Signing schedule and who is attending
Copies for signings are expected to be available at the Panini Pavilion or on-site. The published schedule is as follows:
- October 28, 7–8 p.m.: Cristiano Tomei, C.B. Cebulski, Marco Rizzo and Giuseppe Camuncoli.
- October 29, 10:30–11:30 a.m.: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Marco Rizzo and C.B. Cebulski.
- October 30, 10:30–11:30 a.m.: Giuseppe Camuncoli and Marco Rizzo.
- October 30, 6–7 p.m.: Giuseppe Camuncoli and Peach Momoko.
- October 31, 6–7 p.m.: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Marco Rizzo, Peach Momoko and C.B. Cebulski.
The schedule creates several different choices depending on what an attendee wants signed. The October 28 appearance is the only listed slot including Tomei, so it is the natural choice for someone hoping to connect their copy to the comic’s culinary collaborator. The October 30 evening session is the listed Momoko-and-Camuncoli pairing, while October 31 offers the broadest lineup among the announced signings, bringing Momoko, Rizzo, Camuncoli and Cebulski together.
Camuncoli is listed at every signing, while Rizzo appears on October 28, 29, 30 morning and 31. Cebulski is scheduled for October 28, 29 and 31. Momoko’s published signing appearances are October 30 evening and October 31. Those distinctions matter for visitors with limited time, particularly because the supplied schedule does not mention substitute signers, overflow arrangements, or whether all editions will be available at each session.
Why the collaboration stands out
Licensed superhero comics often travel well across markets, but this project is notable for giving an Italian creative team and a working chef an explicitly visible role in the comic and its launch programming. That does not automatically make it a new ongoing direction for Spider-Man, and no future plans for the Meals To Astonish line are detailed here. It does, however, make the one-shot a focused example of a local creative event shaping a major international character’s presentation.
The cover strategy follows the same logic. Momoko’s artwork works as both the regular-edition cover and the Foodmetti 2026 key visual; Dell’Otto supplies a separate Lucca-targeted variant. Meanwhile, the panel and food event put the writer, artist, culinary consultant and Cebulski in the same setting. Rather than treating a comic signing as the entire attraction, the program builds a small themed experience around the issue.
For Spider-Man readers, the central promise is a new self-contained story from Rizzo and Camuncoli. For visitors interested in the festival’s event side, the October 28 Foodmetti program adds behind-the-scenes discussion, live cooking and an in-story sandwich brought into the real world. And for cover-focused buyers, Momoko’s regular cover and Dell’Otto’s Lucca variant give the issue two distinct visual identities tied to the occasion.
