In what is certainly not a PR move designed to deflect attention away from the horrific injuries and other safety concerns surrounding Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, producers of the insanely expensive (a record-setting $60 million) Broadway musical have released to Vogue magazine a series of fairly pricey-looking images by renowned bankrupt photographer Annie Liebovitz. The pictures feature the main cast in elaborate costumes and surreal environments, and contain our first look at the musical version of Carnage, who seems to be taking a break from his day job entertaining children at Disney Land.

Despite the fact that it's directed by Broadway icon Julie Taymor (The Lion King) and features superheroes singing original songs by U2, Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark looks like less of a musical than Joel Schumacher's Batman films. Spider-Man himself appears more or less exactly as he does in every incarnation of the character across all mediums, and Green Goblin and Mary Jane Watson also look appropriately evil and sexily imperiled, respectively.

Then there's Carnage, whose costume certainly looks like an accident waiting to happen. Somehow, they went to all the trouble of redesigning the Spider-Man villain only to come up with something that looks like it should be dancing the cabbage patch during half-time at a sports event. The mascot-sized head looks so top-heavy, it's not hard to imagine the performer losing his balance and toppling off the stage and into the orchestra pit. But we like Mary Jane's dress.

With stunts that have Spider-Man swinging at speeds of 40 M.P.H., plus design elements including shadow puppets, forced perspective and enormous set pieces, Spider-Man Turn off the Dark appears to rather appropriately balance on the line between over-the-top amazingness and unspeakable vulgarity. As such, anticipation for opening night has never been higher.

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[Via Moviefone]