The Amazing Spider-Man Explained

Schedule:Monthly
Ongoing:y
Superhero:y
Main Char Team:Spider-Man
Creators:Stan Lee
Steve Ditko
Subcat:Spider-Man
Sort:Amazing Spider=Man

The Amazing Spider-Man is an ongoing American superhero comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it was the character's first title, launching seven months after his introduction in the final issue of Amazing Fantasy. The series began publication with a March 1963 cover date and has been published nearly continuously to date over six volumes with only one significant interruption. Issues of the title currently feature an issue number within its sixth volume, as well as a "legacy" number reflecting the issue's overall number across all Amazing Spider-Man volumes. The title reached 900 issues in 2022.

The series began as a bimonthly periodical before being increased to monthly after four issues. It was the character's sole monthly headlining title until Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man launched in 1976.[1] After 441 issues, The Amazing Spider-Man was restarted in 1999 as issue No. 1 of Volume 2. It ran for 58 issues before reverting to the title's overall issue number with #500 in 2003. The series ran essentially continuously over the first two volumes from 1963 until its landmark 700th issue at the end of 2012 when it was replaced by The Superior Spider-Man as part of the Marvel NOW! relaunch of Marvel's comic lines.[2] The title was occasionally published biweekly during the first two volumes, and was published three times a month from 2008 to 2010. After the relaunch of Action Comics and Detective Comics, The Amazing Spider-Man briefly became the highest-numbered active American comic book.

The Amazing Spider-Man returned with volume 3 in April 2014 following the conclusion of The Superior Spider-Man story arc after 31 issues. In late 2015, the series was relaunched with a fourth volume following the 2015 Secret Wars event. After 45 years, the volume was once again relaunched as part of Marvel Legacy, returning to the overall "legacy" numbering with issue No. 789 in late 2017. Less than a year later, the series was relaunched again with a fifth volume as part of Marvel's Fresh Start. For the first time, although the issue numbers were again restarted from #1, the issues also bore the overall "legacy" issue number. A sixth volume commenced in April 2022 to celebrate Spider-Man's 60th anniversary. Since the second volume, the title has had various release schedules, including monthly and bi-weekly, among others.

Publication history

Writer-editor Stan Lee and artist and co-plotter Steve Ditko created the character of Spider-Man,[3] and the pair produced 38 issues from March 1963 to July 1966. Ditko left after the 38th issue, while Lee remained as writer until issue 100. Since then, many writers and artists have taken over the monthly comic through the years, chronicling the adventures of Marvel's most identifiable hero.

The Amazing Spider-Man has been the character's flagship series for his first fifty years in publication, and was the only monthly series to star Spider-Man until Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, in 1976, although 1972 saw the debut of Marvel Team-Up, with the vast majority of issues featuring Spider-Man along with a rotating cast of other Marvel characters. Most of the major characters and villains of the Spider-Man saga have been introduced in Amazing, and with few exceptions, it is where most key events in the character's history have occurred. The title was published continuously until No. 441 (Nov. 1998) when Marvel Comics relaunched it as vol. 2 No. 1 (Jan. 1999), but on Spider-Man's 40th anniversary, this new title reverted to using the numbering of the original series, beginning again with issue No. 500 (Dec. 2003) and lasting until the final issue, No. 700 (Feb. 2013).

1960s

Due to strong sales on the character's first appearance in Amazing Fantasy No. 15, Spider-Man was given his own ongoing series in March 1963.[4] The initial years of the series, under Lee and Ditko, chronicled Spider-Man's nascent career as a masked super-human vigilante with his civilian life as hard-luck yet perpetually good-humored and well-meaning teenager Peter Parker. Peter balanced his career as Spider-Man with his job as a freelance photographer for The Daily Bugle under the bombastic editor-publisher J. Jonah Jameson to support himself and his frail Aunt May. At the same time, Peter dealt with public hostility towards Spider-Man and the antagonism of his classmates Flash Thompson and Liz Allan at Midtown High School, while embarking on a tentative, ill-fated romance with Jameson's secretary, Betty Brant.

By focusing on Parker's everyday problems, Lee and Ditko created a groundbreakingly flawed, self-doubting superhero, and the first major teenaged superhero to be a protagonist and not a sidekick. Ditko's quirky art provided a stark contrast to the more cleanly dynamic stylings of Marvel's most prominent artist, Jack Kirby, and combined with the humor and pathos of Lee's writing to lay the foundation for what became an enduring mythos.

Most of Spider-Man's key villains and supporting characters were introduced during this time. Issue No. 1 (Mar. 1963) featured the first appearances of J. Jonah Jameson[5] and his astronaut son John Jameson,[6] and the supervillain the Chameleon. It included the hero's first encounter with the superhero team the Fantastic Four. Issue No. 2 (May 1963) featured the first appearance of the Vulture[7] and the Tinkerer[8] as well as the beginning of Parker's freelance photography career at the newspaper The Daily Bugle.[9]

The Lee-Ditko era continued to usher in a significant number of villains and supporting characters, including Doctor Octopus in No. 3 (July 1963);[10] [11] the Sandman and Betty Brant in No. 4 (Sept. 1963);[12] the Lizard in No. 6 (Nov. 1963);[13] [14] Living Brain in No. 8 (Jan. 1964); Electro in No. 9 (Mar. 1964);[15] [16] Mysterio in No. 13 (June 1964);[17] the Green Goblin in No. 14 (July 1964);[18] [19] Kraven The Hunter in No. 15 (Aug. 1964);[20] reporter Ned Leeds in No. 18 (Nov. 1964);[21] and the Scorpion in No. 20 (Jan. 1965).[22] The Molten Man was introduced in No. 28 (Sept. 1965) which also featured Parker's graduation from high school.[23] Peter began attending Empire State University in No. 31 (Dec. 1965), which featured the first appearances of friends and classmates Gwen Stacy[24] and Harry Osborn.[25] Harry's father, Norman Osborn first appeared in No. 23 (April 1965) as a member of Jameson's country club but was not named nor revealed as Harry's father until No. 37 (June 1966).

One of the most celebrated issues of the Lee-Ditko run is No. 33 (Feb. 1966), the third part of the story arc "If This Be My Destiny...!", which features the dramatic scene of Spider-Man, through force of will and thoughts of family, escaping from being pinned by heavy machinery. Comics historian Les Daniels noted that "Steve Ditko squeezes every ounce of anguish out of Spider-Man's predicament, complete with visions of the uncle he failed and the aunt he has sworn to save."[26] Peter David observed that "After his origin, this two-page sequence from Amazing Spider-Man No. 33 is perhaps the best-loved sequence from the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko era."[27] Steve Saffel stated the "full page Ditko image from The Amazing Spider-Man No. 33 is one of the most powerful ever to appear in the series and influenced writers and artists for many years to come."[28] and Matthew K. Manning wrote that "Ditko's illustrations for the first few pages of this Lee story included what would become one of the most iconic scenes in Spider-Man's history."[29] The story was chosen as No. 15 in the 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time poll of Marvel's readers in 2001. Editor Robert Greenberger wrote in his introduction to the story that "These first five pages are a modern-day equivalent to Shakespeare as Parker's soliloquy sets the stage for his next action. And with dramatic pacing and storytelling, Ditko delivers one of the great sequences in all comics."[30]

Although credited only as artist for most of his run, Ditko would eventually plot the stories as well as draw them, leaving Lee to script the dialogue. A rift between Ditko and Lee developed, and the two men were not on speaking terms long before Ditko completed his last issue, The Amazing Spider-Man No. 38 (July 1966). The exact reasons for the Ditko-Lee split have never been fully explained.[31] Spider-Man successor artist John Romita Sr., in a 2010 deposition, recalled that Lee and Ditko "ended up not being able to work together because they disagreed on almost everything, cultural, social, historically, everything, they disagreed on characters..."[32]

In successor penciler Romita Sr.'s first issue, No. 39 (Aug. 1966), nemesis the Green Goblin discovers Spider-Man's secret identity and reveals his own to the captive hero. Romita's Spider-Man – more polished and heroic-looking than Ditko's – became the model for two decades. The Lee-Romita era saw the introduction of such characters as Daily Bugle managing editor Robbie Robertson in No. 52 (Sept. 1967) and NYPD Captain George Stacy, father of Parker's girlfriend Gwen Stacy, in No. 56 (Jan. 1968). The most important supporting character to be introduced during the Romita era was Mary Jane Watson, who made her first full appearance in No. 42 (Nov. 1966),[33] although she first appeared in No. 25 (June 1965) with her face obscured and had been mentioned since No. 15 (Aug. 1964). Peter David wrote in 2010 that Romita "made the definitive statement of his arrival by pulling Mary Jane out from behind the oversized potted plant [that blocked the reader's view of her face in issue no. 25] and placing her on panel in what would instantly become an iconic moment."[34] Romita has stated that in designing Mary Jane, he "used Ann-Margret from the movie Bye Bye Birdie as a guide, using her coloring, the shape of her face, her red hair and her form-fitting short skirts."[35]

Lee and Romita toned down the prevalent sense of antagonism in Parker's world by improving Parker's relationship with the supporting characters and having stories focused as much on the social and college lives of the characters as they did on Spider-Man's adventures. The stories became more topical,[36] addressing issues such as civil rights, racism, prisoners' rights, the Vietnam War, and political elections.

Issue No. 50 (June 1967) introduced the highly enduring criminal mastermind the Kingpin,[37] [38] who would become a major force as well in the superhero series Daredevil. Other notable first appearances in the Lee-Romita era include the Rhino in No. 41 (Oct. 1966),[39] [40] the Shocker in No. 46 (Mar. 1967),[41] [42] the Prowler in No. 78 (Nov. 1969),[43] and the Kingpin's son, Richard Fisk, in No. 83 (Apr. 1970).[44]

1970s

Several spin-off series debuted in the 1970s: Marvel Team-Up in 1972,[45] and The Spectacular Spider-Man in 1976.[46] A short-lived series titled Giant-Size Spider-Man began in July 1974 and ran six issues through 1975. Spidey Super Stories, a series aimed at children ages 6–10, ran for 57 issues from October 1974 through 1982.[47] The flagship title's second decade took a grim turn with a story in #89-90 (Oct.-Nov. 1970) featuring the death of Captain George Stacy.[48] This was the first Spider-Man story to be penciled by Gil Kane, who would alternate drawing duties with Romita for the next year-and-a-half and would draw several landmark issues.

One such story took place in the controversial issues #96–98 (May–July 1971). Writer-editor Lee defied the Comics Code Authority with this story, in which Parker's friend Harry Osborn, was hospitalized after over-dosing on pills. Lee wrote this story upon a request from the U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare for a story about the dangers of drugs. Citing its dictum against depicting drug use, even in an anti-drug context, the CCA refused to put its seal on these issues. With the approval of Marvel publisher Martin Goodman, Lee had the comics published without the seal. The comics sold well and Marvel won praise for its socially conscious efforts.[49] The CCA subsequently loosened the Code to permit negative depictions of drugs, among other new freedoms.[50]

"The Six Arms Saga" of #100–102 (Sept.–Nov. 1971) introduced Morbius, the Living Vampire. The second installment was the first Amazing Spider-Man story not written by co-creator Lee,[51] with Roy Thomas taking over writing the book for several months before Lee returned to write #105–110 (Feb.-July 1972).[52] Lee, who was going on to become Marvel Comics' publisher, with Thomas becoming editor-in-chief, then turned writing duties over to 19-year-old Gerry Conway,[53] who scripted the series through 1975. Romita penciled Conway's first half-dozen issues, which introduced the gangster Hammerhead in No. 113 (Oct. 1972). Kane then succeeded Romita as penciler, although Romita would continue inking Kane for a time.

Issue 121 (June 1973 by Conway-Kane-Romita) featured the death of Gwen Stacy at the hands of the Green Goblin in "The Night Gwen Stacy Died."[54] [55] [56] Her demise and the Goblin's apparent death one issue later formed a story arc widely considered as the most defining in the history of Spider-Man.[57] The aftermath of the story deepened both the characterization of Mary Jane Watson and her relationship with Parker.

In 1973 Gil Kane was succeeded by Ross Andru, whose run lasted from issue #125 (Oct. 1973) to #185 (Oct. 1978). Issue#129 (Feb. 1974) introduced the Punisher,[58] who would become one of Marvel Comics' most popular characters. The Conway-Andru era featured the first appearances of the Man-Wolf in #124–125 (Sept.-Oct. 1973); the near-marriage of Doctor Octopus and Aunt May in #131 (Apr. 1974); Harry Osborn stepping into his father's role as the Green Goblin in #135–137 (Aug.-Oct.1974); and the original "Clone Saga", containing the introduction of Spider-Man's clone, in #147–149 (Aug.-Oct. 1975).

Archie Goodwin and Gil Kane produced the title's 150th issue (Nov. 1975) before Len Wein became writer with issue No. 151.[59] During Wein's tenure, Harry Osborn and Liz Allen dated and became engaged; J. Jonah Jameson was introduced to his eventual second wife, Marla Madison; and Aunt May suffered a heart attack. Wein's last story on Amazing was a five-issue arc in #176–180 (Jan.-May 1978) featuring a third Green Goblin (Harry Osborn's psychiatrist, Bart Hamilton).

Marv Wolfman, Marvel's editor-in-chief from 1975 to 1976, succeeded Wein as writer and, in his first issue, #182 (July 1978), had Parker propose marriage to Watson, who refused in the following issue.[60] Keith Pollard succeeded Andru as artist shortly afterward and, with Wolfman, introduced the likable rogue the Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) in #194 (July 1979).[61] As a love interest for Spider-Man, the Black Cat would go on to be an important supporting character for the better part of the next decade and remain a friend and occasional lover into the 2010s.

1980s

The Amazing Spider-Man #200 (Jan. 1980) featured the return and death of the burglar who killed Spider-Man's Uncle Ben.[62] Writer Marv Wolfman and penciler Keith Pollard both left the title by mid-year, succeeded by Dennis O'Neil, a writer known for groundbreaking 1970s work at rival DC Comics,[63] and penciler John Romita Jr. O'Neil wrote two issues of The Amazing Spider-Man Annual which were both drawn by Frank Miller. The 1980 Annual featured a team-up with Doctor Strange[64] while the 1981 Annual showcased a meeting with the Punisher.[65] Roger Stern, who had written nearly 20 issues of sister title The Spectacular Spider-Man, took over Amazing with #224 (Jan. 1982).[66] During his two years on the title, Stern augmented the backgrounds of long-established Spider-Man villains and, with Romita Jr., created the mysterious supervillain the Hobgoblin in #238–239 (Mar.–Apr. 1983).[67] Fans engaged with the mystery of the Hobgoblin's secret identity, which continued throughout #244–245 and 249–251 (Sept.-Oct. 1983 and Feb.-April 1984). One lasting change was the reintroduction of Mary Jane Watson as a more serious, mature woman who becomes Peter's confidante after she reveals that she knows his secret identity. Stern also wrote "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man" in The Amazing Spider-Man #248 (Jan. 1984), a story which ranks among his most popular.[68] [69]

By mid-1984, Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz took over scripting and penciling. DeFalco helped establish Parker and Watson's mature relationship, laying the foundation for the characters' wedding in 1987. Notably, in #257 (Oct. 1984), Watson tells Parker that she knows he is Spider-Man, and in #259 (Dec. 1984), she reveals to Parker the extent of her troubled childhood. Other notable issues of the DeFalco-Frenz era include #252 (May 1984), the first appearance of Spider-Man's black costume, which the hero would wear almost exclusively for the next four years' worth of comics; the debut of criminal mastermind the Rose in #253 (June 1984); the revelation in #258 (Nov. 1984) that the black costume is a living being, a symbiote; and the introduction of the female mercenary Silver Sable in #265 (June 1985).

DeFalco and Frenz were both removed from The Amazing Spider-Man in 1986 by editor Jim Owsley under acrimonious circumstances.[70] A succession of artists including Alan Kupperberg, John Romita Jr., and Alex Saviuk penciled the series from 1987 to 1988, and Owsley wrote the book for the first half of 1987, scripting the five-part "Gang War" story (#284–288) that DeFalco plotted. Former Spectacular Spider-Man writer Peter David scripted #289 (June 1987), which revealed Ned Leeds as being the Hobgoblin although this was retconned in 1996 by Roger Stern into Leeds not being the original Hobgoblin after all.

David Michelinie took over as writer in the next issue, for a story arc in #290–292 (July–Sept. 1987) that led to the marriage of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson in Amazing Spider-Man Annual No. 21. The "Kraven's Last Hunt" storyline by writer J.M. DeMatteis and artists Mike Zeck and Bob McLeod crossed over into The Amazing Spider-Man #293 and 294.[71] Issue No.298 (Mar. 1988) was the first Spider-Man comic to be drawn by future industry star Todd McFarlane, the first regular artist on The Amazing Spider-Man since Frenz's departure. McFarlane revolutionized Spider-Man's look. His depiction – "Ditko-esque" poses,[72] large eyes; wiry, contorted limbs; and messy, knotted, convoluted webbing – influenced the way virtually all subsequent artists would draw the character. McFarlane's other significant contribution to the Spider-Man canon was the design for what would become one of Spider-Man's most wildly popular antagonists, the supervillain Venom.[73] Issue No. 299 (Apr. 1988) featured Venom's first appearance (a last-page cameo) before his first full appearance in #300 (May 1988). The latter issue featured Spider-Man reverting to his original red-and-blue costume.

Other notable issues of the Michelinie-McFarlane era include #312 (Feb. 1989), featuring the Green Goblin vs. the Hobgoblin; and #315–317 (May–July 1989), with the return of Venom. In July 2012, Todd McFarlane's original cover art for The Amazing Spider-Man No. 328 sold for a bid of $657,250, making it the most expensive American comic book art ever sold at auction.[74]

1990s

With a civilian life as a married man, the Spider-Man of the 1990s was different from the superhero of the previous three decades. McFarlane left the title in 1990 to write and draw a new series titled simply Spider-Man. His successor, Erik Larsen, penciled the book from early 1990 to mid-1991. After issue No. 350, Larsen was succeeded by Mark Bagley, who had won the 1986 Marvel Tryout Contest[75] and was assigned a number of low-profile penciling jobs followed by a run on New Warriors in 1990. Bagley penciled the flagship Spider-Man title from 1991 to 1996.[76] During that time, Bagley's rendition of Spider-Man was used extensively for licensed material and merchandise.

Issues #361–363 (April–June 1992) introduced Carnage,[77] a second symbiote nemesis for Spider-Man. The series' 30th-anniversary issue, No. 365 (Aug. 1992), was a double-sized, hologram-cover issue[78] with the cliffhanger ending of Peter Parker's parents, long thought dead, reappearing alive. It would be close to two years before they were revealed to be impostors, who are killed in No. 388 (April 1994), scripter Michelinie's last issue. His 1987–1994 stint gave him the second-longest run as writer on the title, behind Stan Lee.

Issue No. 375 was released with a gold foil cover.[79] There was an error affecting some issues and which are missing the majority of the foil.[80]

With No. 389, writer J. M. DeMatteis, whose Spider-Man credits included the 1987 "Kraven's Last Hunt" story arc and a 1991–1993 run on The Spectacular Spider-Man, took over the title. From October 1994 to June 1996, Amazing stopped running stories exclusive to it, and ran installments of multi-part stories that crossed over into all the Spider-Man books. One of the few self-contained stories during this period was in No. 400 (April 1995), which featured the death of Aunt May – later revealed to have been faked (although the death still stands in the MC2 continuity). The "Clone Saga" culminated with the revelation that the Spider-Man who had appeared in the previous 20 years of comics was a clone of the real Spider-Man. This plot twist was massively unpopular with many readers,[81] and was later reversed in the "Revelations" story arc that crossed over the Spider-Man books in late 1996.

The Clone Saga tied into a publishing gap after No. 406 (Oct. 1995), when the title was temporarily replaced by The Amazing Scarlet Spider #1–2 (Nov.-Dec. 1995), featuring Ben Reilly. The series picked up again with No. 407 (Jan. 1996), with Tom DeFalco returning as writer. Bagley completed his 5½-year run by September 1996. A succession of artists, including Ron Garney, Steve Skroce, Joe Bennett, Rafael Kayanan and John Byrne penciled the book until the final issue, No. 441 (Nov. 1998), after which Marvel rebooted the title with vol. 2, No. 1 (Jan. 1999).

Relaunch and the 2000s

Marvel began The Amazing Spider-Man relaunching the 'Amazing' comic book series with (vol. 2) #1 (Jan. 1999).[82] [83] Howard Mackie wrote the first 29 issues. The relaunch included the Sandman being regressed to his criminal ways and the "death" of Mary Jane, which was ultimately reversed. Other elements included the introduction of a new Spider-Woman (who was spun off into her own short-lived series) and references to John Byrne's miniseries , which was launched at the same time as the reboot. Byrne also penciled issues #1–18 (from 1999 to 2000) and wrote #13–14, John Romita Jr. took his place soon after in October 2000. Mackie's run ended with The Amazing Spider-Man Annual 2001, which saw the return of Mary Jane, who then left Parker upon reuniting with him.

With issue No. 30 (June 2001), J. Michael Straczynski took over as writer[84] and oversaw additional storylines – most notably his lengthy "Spider-Totem" arc, which raised the issue of whether Spider-Man's powers were magic-based, rather than as the result of a radioactive spider's bite. Additionally, Straczynski resurrected the plot point of Aunt May discovering her nephew was Spider-Man,[85] and returned Mary Jane, with the couple reuniting in The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #50. Straczynski gave Spider-Man a new profession, having Parker teach at his former high school.

Issue No. 30 began a dual numbering system, with the original series numbering (#471) returned and placed alongside the volume two number on the cover. Other longtime, rebooted Marvel Comics titles, including Fantastic Four, likewise were given the dual numbering around this time. After (vol. 2) #58 (Nov. 2003), the title reverted completely to its original numbering for issue No. 500 (Dec. 2003).[82] Mike Deodato, Jr. penciled the series from mid-2004 until 2006.

That year Peter Parker revealed his Spider-Man identity on live television in the company-crossover storyline "Civil War",[86] [87] in which the superhero community is split over whether to conform to the federal government's new Superhuman Registration Act. This knowledge was erased from the world with the event of the four-part, crossover story arc, "One More Day", written partially by J. Michael Straczynski and illustrated by Joe Quesada, running through The Amazing Spider-Man #544–545 (Nov.-Dec. 2007), Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man No. 24 (Nov. 2007) and The Sensational Spider-Man No. 41 (Dec. 2007), the final issues of those two titles. Here, the demon Mephisto makes a Faustian bargain with Parker and Mary Jane, offering to save Parker's dying Aunt May if the couple will allow their marriage to have never existed, rewriting that portion of their pasts. This story arc marked the end of Straczynski's work on the title.

Following this, Marvel made The Amazing Spider-Man the company's sole Spider-Man title, increasing its frequency of publication to three issues monthly, and inaugurating the series with a sequence of "back to basics" story arcs under the banner of "Brand New Day". Parker now exists in a changed world where he and Mary Jane had never married, and Parker has no memory of being married to her, with domino effect differences in their immediate world. The most notable of these revisions to Spider-Man continuity are the return of Harry Osborn, whose death in The Spectacular Spider-Man No. 200 (May 1993) is erased; and the reestablishment of Spider-Man's secret identity, with no one except Mary Jane able to recall that Parker is Spider-Man (although he soon reveals his secret identity to the New Avengers and the Fantastic Four). Under the banner of Brand New Day, Marvel tried to only use newly created villains instead of relying on older ones. Characters like Mister Negative and Overdrive both in Free Comic Book Day 2007 Spider-Man (July 2007), Menace in No. 549 (March 2008), Ana and Sasha Kravinoff in No. 565 (September 2008) and No. 567 (October 2008) respectively, and several more were introduced. The alternating regular writers were initially Dan Slott, Bob Gale, Marc Guggenheim, and Zeb Wells, joined by a rotation of artists that included Steve McNiven, Salvador Larroca, Phil Jimenez, Barry Kitson, Chris Bachalo, Mike McKone, Marcos Martín, and John Romita Jr. Joe Kelly, Mark Waid, Fred Van Lente and Roger Stern later joined the writing team and Paolo Rivera, Lee Weeks and Marco Checchetto the artist roster. Waid's work on the series included a meeting between Spider-Man and Stephen Colbert in The Amazing Spider-Man No. 573 (Dec. 2008).[88] Issue No. 583 (March 2009) included a back-up story in which Spider-Man meets President Barack Obama.[89] [90]

2010s and temporary end of publication

Mark Waid scripted the opening of "The Gauntlet" storyline in issue No. 612 (Jan. 2010).[91] The Gauntlet story was concluded by Grim Hunt (No. 634–637) which saw the resurrection of long-dead Spider-Man villain, Kraven the Hunter. The series became a twice-monthly title with Dan Slott as sole writer at issue No. 648 (Jan. 2011), launching the Big Time storyline.[92] [93] Eight additional pages were added per issue. Big Time saw major changes in Spider-Man/Peter Parker's life, Peter would start working at Horizon Labs and begin a relationship with Carlie Cooper (his first serious relationship since his marriage to Mary Jane), Mac Gargan returned as Scorpion after spending the past few years as Venom, Phil Urich would take up the mantle of Hobgoblin, and the death of J. Jonah Jameson's wife, Marla Jameson. Issues 654 and 654.1 saw the birth of Agent Venom, Flash Thompson bonded with the Venom symbiote, which would lead to Venom getting his own series Venom (volume 2). Starting in No. 659 and going to No. 665, the series built-up to the Spider-Island event which officially started in No. 666 and ended in No. 673. Ends of the Earth was the next event that ran from No. 682 through No. 687. This publishing format lasted until issue No. 700, which concluded the "Dying Wish" storyline, in which Parker and Doctor Octopus swapped bodies, and the latter taking on the mantle of Spider-Man when Parker apparently died in Doctor Octopus' body. The Amazing Spider-Man ended with this issue, with the story continuing in the new series The Superior Spider-Man.[94] [95] Despite The Superior Spider-Man being considered a different series to The Amazing Spider-Man, the first 33 issue run goes towards the legacy numbering of The Amazing Spider-Man acting as issues 701–733. In December 2013, the series returned for five issues, numbered 700.1 through 700.5, with the first two written by David Morrell and drawn by Klaus Janson.[96]

2014 relaunch

In January 2014, Marvel confirmed that The Amazing Spider-Man would be relaunched on April 30, 2014, starting from issue No. 1, with Peter Parker as Spider-Man once again.[97] The first issue of this new version of The Amazing Spider-Man was, according to Diamond Comics Distributors, the "best-selling comic book... in over a decade."[98] Issues #1–6 were a story arc called "Lucky to be Alive", taking place immediately after "Goblin Nation", with issues No. 4 and No. 5 being a crossover with the Original Sin storyline. Issue No. 4 introduced Silk, a new heroine who was bitten by the same spider as Peter Parker. Issues #7–8 featured a team-up between Ms. Marvel and Spider-Man, and had backup stories that tied into "Edge of Spider-Verse". The next major plot arc, titled "Spider-Verse", began in Issue No. 9 and ended in No. 15, features every Spider-Man from across the dimensions being hunted by Morlun, and a team-up to stop him, with Peter Parker of Earth-616 in command of the Spider-Men's Alliance. The Amazing Spider-Man Annual No. 1 of the relaunched series was released in December 2014, featuring stories unrelated to "Spider-Verse".

The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows

In 2015, Marvel started the universe wide Secret Wars event where the core and several other Marvel universes were combined into one big planet called Battleworld. Battleworld was divided into sections with most of them being self-contained universes. Marvel announced that several of these self-contained universes would get their own tie in series and one of them was , an alternate universe where Peter Parker and Mary Jane are still married and give birth to their child Annie May Parker, written by Dan Slott. Despite the series being considered separate from the main Amazing Spider-Man series, the original 5 issue run is counted towards its legacy numbering acting as No. 752-756.

2015 relaunch

Following the 2015 Secret Wars event, a number of Spider-Man-related titles were either relaunched or created as part of the "All-New, All-Different Marvel" event. Among them, The Amazing Spider-Man was relaunched as well and primarily focused on Peter Parker continuing to run Parker Industries and becoming a successful businessman operating worldwide.[99] It also tied with Civil War II (involving an Inhuman named Ulysses Cain who can predict possible futures), Dead No More (where Ben Reilly [the original Scarlet Spider] revealed to be revived and as one of the antagonists instead), and Secret Empire (during Hydra's reign led by a Hydra influenced Captain America/Steve Rogers, and the dismissal of Parker Industries by Peter Parker to stop Otto Octavius). Starting in September 2017, Marvel started the Marvel Legacy event which renumbered several Marvel series to their original numbering. The Amazing Spider-Man was put back to its original numbering for #789. Issues #789 through 791 focused on the aftermath of Peter destroying Parker Industries and his fall from grace. Issues #792 and 793 were part of the Venom Inc. story. Threat Level: Red was the story for the next three issues which saw Norman Osborn obtain and bond with the Carnage symbiote. Go Down Swinging saw the results of the combination of Osborn's goblin serum and Carnage symbiote creating the Red Goblin. Issue No. 801 was Dan Slott's goodbye issue.

2018 relaunch

In March 2018, it was announced that writer Nick Spencer would be writing the main semi-monthly The Amazing Spider-Man series beginning with a new No. 1, replacing long-time writer Dan Slott, as part of the Fresh Start relaunch that July.[100] The first five-issue story arc was titled 'Back to Basics.' During the Back to Basics story, Kindred, a mysterious villain with some relation to Peter's past, was introduced, and Peter resumed his romantic relationship with Mary Jane once more. The first major story under Spencer was Hunted which ran through issues 16 through 23, the story also included four ".HU" issues for issues 16, 18, 19, and 20. The end of the story saw the death of long-running Spider-Man villain Kraven the Hunter, being replaced by his clone son, The Last Son of Kraven.

2020s

Issue 45 kicked off the Sins Rising story which saw the resurrected Sin-Eater carry out the plans of Kindred to cleanse the world of sin, particularly that of Norman Osborn. The story concluded with issue 49, issue 850 in legacy numbering, seeing Spider-Man and Green Goblin team up to defeat Sin-Eater. Last Remains started in issue 50 and concluded in issue 55, the story saw Kindred's plans come to fruition as he tormented Spider-Man. The story has also seen five ".LR" for issues 50, 51, 52, 53, and 54 which focused on The Order of the Web, a new faction of Spider-People consisting of Julia Carpenter (Madame Web), Miles Morales (Spider-Man), Gwen Stacy (Ghost-Spider), Cindy Moon (Silk), Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman), and Anya Corazon (Spider-Girl) . The story also revealed that Kindred is Harry Osborn. Last Remains also received two fallout issues called Last Remains Post-Mortem.

Nick Spencer concluded his run with the Sinister War story which wrapped up in No. 74 (legacy numbering 875). The story saw several retcons to the Spider-Man mythos including that Kindred was Gabriel and Sarah Stacy all along, the fact that the Stacy twins were actually genetically engineered beings using Norman Osborn and Gwen Stacy's DNA, that the Harry Osborn that returned in Brand New Day was actually a clone, and that Norman had made a deal with Mephisto where he sold Harry's soul to the demon. The story ended with the deaths of the Harry clone, Gabriel, and Sarah and the real Harry's soul being freed from Mephisto's grasp.

After Spencer left the book, Marvel announced the "Beyond" era of Spider-Man would start in #75. The book would be moving back to the format it had during Brand New Day where it would have a rotating cast of writers including Kelly Thompson, Saladin Ahmed, Cody Ziglar, Patrick Gleason, and Zeb Wells. The book would also be released three times a month. "Beyond" would focus on Ben Reilly taking up the mantle of Spider-Man once again but backed by the Beyond corporation. Peter also falls ill and cannot be Spider-Man so he gives Ben his blessing to carry on as the main Spider-Man. However, following the conclusion of the storyline in #93, Peter has resumed active duties as Spider-Man, while Ben suffers a mental breakdown after losing his memories and becomes the villain Chasm.

2022 relaunch

In January 2022, it was announced that writer Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. would be working on a relaunched The Amazing Spider-Man, bringing the number of volumes for the title to its sixth, with the series beginning in April 2022 as a semi-monthly publication. The relaunch encompasses both a legacy numbering of #900 as well as the 60th anniversary for the character. The relaunch took place months after a mysterious event that left Peter on bad terms with the superhero community and ended his relationship with Mary Jane. He ends up taking a job at Oscorp and begins working closely with Norman Osborn (who becomes the heroic Gold Goblin) and starts dating Black Cat. The volume's first crossover event was entitled Dark Web, with Chasm having teamed up with Madelyne Pryor to bring limbo to Earth.

It's later revealed that Benjamin Rabin, the emissary of the Mayan god of mischief Wayeb', sent Peter and Mary Jane to an alternate dimension to conduct a ceremony that would allow Wayeb to control the Earth. Peter was sent back to his Earth, while due to the alternative passage of time, Mary Jane and Paul, Rabin's son in that dimension, spent four years in the realm together and adopted two children. When Peter eventually rescued them, Mary Jane refused to part with her new family. Rabin then planned to sacrifice Mary Jane to resurrect Wayeb, but is ultimately stopped by Ms. Marvel sacrificing herself, but not before Rabin reveals that Paul and Mary Jane's kids were illusions created by him and ceased their existence. Mary Jane becomes the superheroine Jackpot using the bracelet acquired from the other dimension as Black Cat breaks up with Peter shortly before Janice Lincoln and Randy Robertson's wedding. The second crossover event was entitled Gang War, where Peter led a team of street-level superheroes to stop a massive war between New York's gangs led by Madam Masque, Tombstone, and Beetle. During an encounter with Kraven the Hunter, Peter temporarily becomes infected by Norman Osborn's sins and becomes the villainous Spider-Goblin. Eventually, Norman's sins return to him and he resumes being the Green Goblin. While fighting Spider-Man, the goblin reveals that he implanted a trigger phrase within Peters's mind that would bring forth the Spider-Goblin persona. Norman then sends Spider-Goblin to attack the Sinister Six, who he brutally defeats, but is stopped from killing them due to the intervention of Chasm.

In June 2024, it was announced that Wells would be concluding his run later that year, with Romita Jr returning for art and featuring Spider-Man in his final confrontation with Tombstone.[101]

The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man

In July 2024, it was announced that following the conclusion of Wells' run, a 10-issue event would begin publication in the Fall called The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man. The series will be written by Joe Kelly and Justina Ireland and illustrated by Ed McGuinness and Gleb Melnikov.[102]

Contributors

Vol. 1 (1963–1998, 2003–2014, 2017–2018)

Writers

YearsWriterIssues
1963–1972, 1973, 1980, 1984Stan Lee
  1. 1-100, #105-110, #116-118, #200 (epilogue), Annual #1-5, #18
1971-1972Roy Thomas
  1. 101-104
1972–1975Gerry Conway
  1. 111-149, Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1
1975–1978Archie Goodwin
  1. 150, #181, Annual #11
1975–1978Len Wein
  1. 151-181, Annual #10
1976–1978, 1981, 1983Bill Mantlo
  1. 181, #222, Annual #10-11, #17
1978–1980Marv Wolfman
  1. 182-204, Annual #13
1978Jim Starlin
  1. 187
1980, 1987-1994David Michelinie
  1. 205, #290-292, #296-352, #359-375, #377-388, Annual #21
1980, 1982–1984, 2009-2010Roger Stern
  1. 206, #224-227, #229-252, #580, #627-629, Annual #16-17
1980-1982Dennis O’Neil
  1. 207-219, #221, #223, Annual #14-15
1980Jim Shooter
  1. 208
1980Mark Gruenwald
  1. 208
1981Michael Fleisher
  1. 220
1981, 1987, 1994-1995J. M. DeMatteis
  1. 223, #293-294, #389-406
1982Jan Strnad
  1. 228
1984–1987, 1992–1993, 1996–1998Tom DeFalco
  1. 251-261, #263, #265, #268-285, #365, #375, #407-439, #-1
1985Bob Layton
  1. 262
1985Craig Anderson
  1. 264
1985–1987Peter David
  1. 266-267, #278, #289
1985Louise SimonsonAnnual #19
1986Jo Duffy
  1. 278
1987Jim Owsley
  1. 284-288
1987Ann Nocenti
  1. 295
1987Jim ShooterAnnual #21
1991–1993Al Milgrom
  1. 353-358, #371-372
1993Steven Grant
  1. 376-377
1995Todd Dezago
  1. 404-405
1998John Byrne
  1. 440-441
1998-2003J. Michael Straczynski
  1. 442-499 (vol. 2 #1-58)
2003-2007J. Michael Straczynski
  1. 500-545
2008–2013, 2017-2018Dan Slott
  1. 546–548, #559–561, #564, #568–573, #581–582, #590–591, #600, #618–621, #647–660, #662–676, #678–700, #789-801; #679.1, #699.1
2008-2010Marc Guggenheim
  1. 549-551, #564-567, #574, #584-588, #608-610, #647
2008Bob Gale
  1. 552-554, #558, #562-564, #647
2008-2010Zeb Wells
  1. 555-557, #577, #583, #630-633, #636, #647
2008-2010Joe Kelly
  1. 575-577, #595-599, #606-607, #611-612, #617, #625, #634-637
2009-2012Mark Waid
  1. 578-579, #583, #592-594, #601, #612-614, #623-624, #642-646, #647, #677
2009-2011Fred Van Lente
  1. 589, #602-605, #615-616, #622, #626, #647, #654, #659-660
2010Tom Peyer
  1. 623-624
2010Joe Quesada
  1. 638-641
2011–2013, 2017-2018Christos Gage
  1. 661-662, #664, #695-697, #790, #794-795
2012Christopher Yost
  1. 679.1, #680-681
2013Joe Keatinge
  1. 699.1
2014David Morrell
  1. 700.1-700.2
2014Joe Casey
  1. 700.3-700.4
2014Brian Reed
  1. 700.5

Pencilers

YearsPencilerIssues
1963–1966Steve Ditko
  1. 1–38, Annual #1-2
1966–1974, 1992, 2003John Romita Sr.
  1. 39-75, #82-88, #93–95, #106–119, #132, #365, #500, Annual #3-4
1968Larry LieberAnnual #5
1968Don Heck
  1. 57, #59-63, #66
1969–1970, 1980Jim Mooney
  1. 68-69, #71, #80, #84-87, #207
1969-1970John Buscema
  1. 72-73, #76-81, #84-85
1970–1973, 1975-1976Gil Kane
  1. 89-92, #96–105, #120–124, #150, Annual #10
1973–1978Ross Andru
  1. 125–131, #133–149, #151–153, #156–180, #182–185
1976–1979, 1985–1986Sal Buscema
  1. 154-155, #181, #198-199, #266, #272
1978-1981Keith Pollard
  1. 186, #188, #191-195, #197, #200-205
1978Jim Starlin
  1. 187
1979-1980John Byrne
  1. 189-190, #206, Annual #13
1979Al Milgrom
  1. 196
1980–1984, 1987, 1998, 2003–2004, 2008-2009John Romita Jr.
  1. 208, #210-218, #223–227, #229–236, #238–250, #290-291, #432, #500-508, #568-573, #584–585, #587-588, #600, Annual #16
1980Alan Weiss
  1. 209
1980-1981Frank MillerAnnual #14-15
1981Luke McDonnell
  1. 219
1981, 1985Bob McLeod
  1. 220, #267
1981, 1987Alan Kupperberg
  1. 221, #285-286, #288-289
1981-1983Bob Hall
  1. 222, #237
1982–1986Rick Leonardi
  1. 228, #253-254, #279, #282
1983Ed HanniganAnnual #17
1984–1986, 1996Ron Frenz
  1. 248, #251-252, #255–261, #263, #265, #268-277, #280-281, #283-284, Annual #18, Annual ‘96
1985Bob Layton
  1. 262
1985Paty Cockrum
  1. 264
1985Mary WilshireAnnual #19
1986Tom Morgan
  1. 274, #289
1986James Fry
  1. 274
1986Mike Harris
  1. 278
1986–1987Brett Breeding
  1. 280, #284
1986Mark BeachumAnnual #20
1987, 1989-1991Erik Larsen
  1. 287, #324, #327, #329-344, #346-350
1987-1988Alex Saviuk
  1. 292, #296-297
1987Mike Zeck
  1. 293-294
1987Cindy Martin
  1. 295
1988-1990Todd McFarlane
  1. 298-323, #325, #328
1991-1996Mark Bagley
  1. 345, #351-358, #361-365, #368–375, #378–404, #407–415
1992Chris Marrinan
  1. 359-360
1992Jerry Bingham
  1. 366-367
1992Scott McDanielAnnual #26
1993Jeff Johnson
  1. 376-377
1995Darick Robertson
  1. 405
1995Angel Medina
  1. 406
1996, 2006-2007Ron Garney
  1. 416-417, #529, #532-543
1996-1997Steve Skroce
  1. 418-421, #425-428
1997–1998Joe Bennett
  1. 422-424, #429-431, #434-436, #-1
1997–1998Tom Lyle
  1. 433, Annual ‘97-‘98
1998Rafael Kayanan
  1. 437, #439-441
1998Scott Kolins
  1. 438
2004-2006Mike Deodato
  1. 509-528
2006Tyler Kirkham
  1. 530-531
2007, 2010Joe Quesada
  1. 544-545, #638-641
2008Steve McNiven
  1. 546-548
2008Salvador Larroca
  1. 549-551
2008-2009Phil Jimenez
  1. 552-554, #565-567, #595
2008-2010Chris Bachalo
  1. 555-557, #575-576, #630-633
2008-2009Barry Kitson
  1. 558, #574, #577, #583, #586, #590-591, #594, #602, #604
2008–2011, 2018Marcos Martin
  1. 559-561, #578-579, #618-620, #655-657, #800-801
2008–2009, 2011Mike McKone
  1. 562-563, #581-582, #592-594, #606-607, #660
2008-2009Paulo Siqueira
  1. 564, #589, #596, #598-599
2008Mark Pennington
  1. 566
2008Andy Lanning
  1. 567
2009-2010Paolo Rivera
  1. 577, #638-641
2009-2010Lee Weeks
  1. 580, #627-629
2009Klaus Janson
  1. 582
2009–2010, 2013Marco Checchetto
  1. 597-599, #608-610, #636-637, #699.1
2009Stephen Segovia
  1. 599
2009Mario Alberti
  1. 601
2009Robert Atkins
  1. 603
2009-2011Javier Pulido
  1. 605, #615-617, #620, #658, #661
2009Adriana Melo
  1. 607
2009-2010Luke Ross
  1. 608-610
2010Eric Canete
  1. 611
2010Paul Azaceta
  1. 612-614, #623-624, #642-646
2010Ken Niimura
  1. 612
2010Max Fiumara
  1. 617, #625, #647
2010Michael Lark
  1. 621, #634-637
2010Joe Quinones
  1. 622
2010Javier Rodriguez
  1. 624
2010Michael Gaydos
  1. 626
2010, 2012Emma Rios
  1. 631-633, #677
2011–2013, 2018Humberto Ramos
  1. 648-651, #654.1, #667–672, #676, #678–679, #684–685, #692–694, #699–700, #800
2011-2012Stefano Caselli
  1. 652-654, #657, #659-660, #666, #673, #682-683, #686-687
2011Ty Templeton
  1. 657
2011Nuno Plati
  1. 657
2011Reilly Brown
  1. 661-662
2011–2013, 2018Giuseppe Camuncoli
  1. 663-665, #674-675, #680-681, #688-691, #695-697, #700, #800
2011, 2018Ryan Stegman
  1. 665, #792-793
2012Matthew Clark
  1. 679.1
2013Richard Elson
  1. 698
2013Valentine De Landro
  1. 699.1
2014Klaus Janson
  1. 700.1-700.2
2014Timothy Green
  1. 700.3-700.4
2014Sean Chen
  1. 700.5
2017-2018Stuart Immonen
  1. 789–791, #794, #797–800
2018Mike Hawthorne
  1. 795-796, #800
2018Nick Bradshaw
  1. 800

Vol. 2 (1999–2003)

Writers

YearsWriterIssues
1999-2001Howard Mackie(vol. 2) #1-13, #15-29
2000John Byrne
  1. 13-14
2001-2003J. Michael Straczynski
  1. 30-58

Pencilers

YearsPencilerIssues
1999-2000John Byrne(vol. 2) #1-18
2000Erik Larsen(vol. 2) #19-21
2000-2003John Romita Jr.(vol. 2) #22-27, #30-58
2001Joe Bennett(vol. 2) #28
2001Lee Weeks(vol. 2) #29

Vol. 3 (2014–2015)

Writers

YearsWriterIssues
2014-2015Dan Slott
  1. 1-18
2015Gerry Conway
  1. 16.1-20.1

Pencilers

YearsPencilerIssues
2014-2015Humberto Ramos(vol. 3) #1-6, #8, #16-18
2014-2015Giuseppe Camuncoli(vol. 3) #1, #7-9, #12–15
2015Olivier Coipel(vol. 3) #9-11
2015Carlo Barberi
  1. 16.1-20.1

Vol. 4 (2015–2017)

Pencilers

YearsPencilerIssues
2015-2017Giuseppe Camuncoli
  1. 1–5, #9–16, #19–24
2016Matteo Buffagni
  1. 6-8
2016R.B. Silva
  1. 17-18
2017Stuart Immonen
  1. 25-31
2017Greg Smallwood
  1. 32

Vol. 5 (2018–2022)

Writers

YearsWriterIssues
2018-2021Nick Spencer
  1. 1-74; #18.HU-20.HU; #50.LR-54.LR
2020-2021Matthew Rosenberg
  1. 50.LR-54.LR
2021Ed Brisson
  1. 68-69
2021Christos Gage
  1. 74
2021-2022Zeb Wells
  1. 75-76, #86, #93; #92.BEY
2021-2022Kelly Thompson
  1. 77-78, #91-92
2022Jed MacKay
  1. 87-88, #92; #78.BEY, #92.BEY
2022Cody Ziglar
  1. 79-80, #84-85; #80.BEY, #92.BEY
2022Saladin Ahmed
  1. 81-82
2022Patrick Gleason
  1. 83, #89-90
2022Geoffrey Thorne
  1. 88.BEY

Pencilers

YearsPencilerIssues
2018-2020Ryan Ottley
  1. 1-5, #11-13, #16, #23-25, #30-31, #37, #41-43, #49
2018-2021Humberto Ramos
  1. 6-10, #17-18, #20, #22, #25, #49, #74
2018Steve Lieber
  1. 6-7
2019Michele Bandini
  1. 9-10
2019Chris Bachalo
  1. 14-15
2019Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque
  1. 16
2019Gerardo Sandoval
  1. 19, #21
2019-2022Patrick Gleason
  1. 25, #32-34, #50-52, #55, #61-62, #75-76, #83, #93
2019Kev Walker
  1. 25-28
2019Francesco Manna
  1. 29
2020, 2022Jan Bazaldua
  1. 35-36, #88.BEY
2020Iban Coello
  1. 38-40
2020José Carlos Silva
  1. 40
2020Kim Jacinto
  1. 44
2020, 2022Bruno Oliveira
  1. 44; #92.BEY
2020-2022Mark Bagley
  1. 45, #48–49, #53–54, #56–57, #60, #64, #66–69, #74, #89-90, #93; #92.BEY
2020-2021Marcelo Ferreira
  1. 46-47, #58-59, #67-69, #72-74
2021Federico Vicentini
  1. 63-65, #70-72
2021Federico Sabbatini
  1. 65, #71
2021-2022Carlos Gómez
  1. 67-69, #72-74, #81, #87; #80.BEY
2021Ze Carlos
  1. 68-69, #72-74
2021Travel Foreman
  1. 75
2021-2022Sara Pichelli
  1. 77-78, #91-93
2021-2022Jim Towe
  1. 78, #88.BEY
2022Elenora Carlini
  1. 78.BEY
2022Michael Dowling
  1. 79-80, #86, #88
2022Jorge Fornes
  1. 82
2022Paco Medina
  1. 84-85; #80.BEY
2022Ivan Fiorelli
  1. 80.BEY
2022Fran Galán
  1. 91-92; #92.BEY
2022José Carlos Silva
  1. 92
2022Luigi Zagaria
  1. 92.BEY

Vol. 6 (2022–present)

Writers

YearsWriterIssues
2022–presentZeb Wells
  1. 1-18, #21-present
2022-2023Dan Slott
  1. 6, #31
2022Daniel Kibblesmith
  1. 6
2022Jeff Loveness
  1. 6
2023Joe Kelly
  1. 19-20
2023Celeste Bronfman
  1. 31
2023Cale Atkinson
  1. 31
2023Albert Monteys
  1. 31
2023Steve Foxe
  1. 31

Pencilers

YearsPencilerIssues
2022–presentJohn Romita Jr.
  1. 1-5, #7-8, #11-13, #21-26, #31, #39-44, #49, #55-
2022-2024Ed McGuinness
  1. 6, #15-18, #27-30, #37-38, #50-54
2022-2023Patrick Gleason
  1. 9, #32-36
2022Nick Dragotta
  1. 10
2023Michael Dowling
  1. 14
2023Kyle Hotz
  1. 14
2023Terry Dodson
  1. 14, #19-20
2023Ryan Stegman
  1. 14
2023Ze Carlos
  1. 31
2023Emilio Laiso
  1. 31
2024Carmen Carnero
  1. 45-46
2024Todd Nauck
  1. 47-48, #51-54

Collected editions

Black-and-white

Major story arcs

Collections

See also

See main article: List of The Amazing Spider-Man issues.

See main article: List of Spider-Man titles.

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (1976 - 1998) Comic Series Marvel . 2024-06-13 . www.marvel.com . en.
  2. Web site: Marvel NOW! Q&A: Superior Spider-Man . Morse . Ben . October 10, 2012 . Marvel Comics . https://web.archive.org/web/20121225081932/http://marvel.com/news/story/19523/marvel_now_qa_superior_spider-man#ixzz28x0lcuK0 . December 25, 2012 . live . October 10, 2012 . mdy-all.
  3. Book: DeFalco, Tom . Tom DeFalco . Gilbert . Laura . 1960s . Marvel Chronicle A Year by Year History . . 2008 . London, United Kingdom . 87 . 978-0756641238 . Deciding that his new character would have spider-like powers, [Stan] Lee commissioned Jack Kirby to work on the first story. Unfortunately, Kirby's version of Spider-Man's alter ego Peter Parker proved too heroic, handsome, and muscular for Lee's everyman hero. Lee turned to Steve Ditko, the regular artist on Amazing Adult Fantasy, who designed a skinny, awkward teenager with glasses..
  4. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 91: "Thanks to a flood of fan mail, Spider-Man was awarded his own title six months after his first appearance. Amazing Spider-Man began as a semi-monthly title, but was quickly promoted to a monthly."
  5. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 91
  6. . . Ditko Steve . Spider-Man . The Amazing Spider-Man . 1 . March 1963.
  7. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 92: "Introduced in the lead story of The Amazing Spider-Man No. 2 and created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the Vulture was the first in a long line of animal-inspired super-villains that were destined to battle everyone's favorite web-slinger."
  8. Book: HCA Heritage Comics Auction Catalog . Heritage Capital Corporation . Dowell, Gary . Holman, Greg . Halperin, James L. . October 2006 . 9781599670935 .
  9. Lee, Stan . Ditko, Steve . Ditko, Steve . Duel to the Death with the Vulture! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 2 . May 1963.
  10. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 93: "Dr. Octopus shared many traits with Peter Parker. They were both shy, both interested in science, and both had trouble relating to women...Otto Octavius even looked like a grown up Peter Parker. Lee and Ditko intended Otto to be the man Peter might have become if he hadn't been raised with a sense of responsibility"
  11. Lee, Stan . Ditko, Steve . Ditko, Steve . Spider-Man Versus Doctor Octopus . The Amazing Spider-Man . 3 . July 1963.
  12. Lee, Stan . Ditko, Steve . Ditko, Steve . Nothing Can Stop...The Sandman! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 4 . September 1963.
  13. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 95
  14. Lee, Stan . Ditko, Steve . Ditko, Steve . Face-to-Face With...the Lizard! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 6 . November 1963.
  15. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 98
  16. Lee, Stan . Ditko, Steve . Ditko, Steve . The Man Called Electro! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 9 . February 1964.
  17. Lee, Stan . Ditko, Steve . Ditko, Steve . The Menace of... Mysterio! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 13 . June 1964.
  18. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 101: "When the Green Goblin soared into the webhead's life, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko didn't bother to discuss his secret identity. They just knew they had an interesting character to add to Spider-Man's growing gallery of villains."
  19. Lee, Stan . Ditko, Steve . Ditko, Steve . The Grotesque Adventure of the Green Goblin! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 14 . July 1964.
  20. Lee, Stan . Ditko, Steve . Ditko, Steve . Kraven the Hunter! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 15 . August 1964.
  21. Lee, Stan . Ditko, Steve . Ditko, Steve . The End of Spider-Man! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 18 . November 1964.
  22. Lee, Stan . Ditko, Steve . Ditko, Steve . The Coming of the Scorpion! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 20 . January 1965.
  23. Lee, Stan . Ditko, Steve . Ditko, Steve . The Menace of the Molten Man! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 28 . September 1965.
  24. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 111: "Gwen Stacy, the platinum blonde ex-beauty queen of Standard High, met Peter Parker on his first day in college in this issue."
  25. Lee, Stan . Ditko, Steve . Ditko, Steve . If This Be My Destiny! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 31 . December 1965.
  26. Book: Daniels, Les . Les Daniels . Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics . . 1991 . New York City . 129 . 9780810938212.
  27. Book: David . Peter . Peter David . Greenberger . Robert . Robert Greenberger . The Spider-Man Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles Spun from Marvel's Web . . 2010 . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . 29 . 978-0762437726 .
  28. Book: Saffel, Steve . Spider-Man the Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon . . 2007 . London, United Kingdom . 978-1-84576-324-4 . A Legend Is Born . 22.
  29. Book: Manning, Matthew K. . Gilbert . Laura . 1960s . Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging . . 2012 . London, United Kingdom . 34 . 978-0756692360.
  30. Book: Greenberger . Robert . 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time . Marvel Comics . December 2001 . New York City . 67.
  31. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 117: "To this day, no one really knows why Ditko quit. Bullpen sources reported he was unhappy with the way Lee scripted some of his plots, using a tongue-in-cheek approach to stories Ditko wanted handled seriously."
  32. News: Confidential Videotaped Deposition of John V. Romita . United States District Court, Southern District of New York: "Marvel Worldwide, Inc., et al., vs. Lisa R. Kirby, et al." . 45 . Garden City, New York . October 21, 2010.
  33. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 119: "After teasing the readers for more than two years, Stan Lee finally allowed Peter Parker to meet Mary Jane Watson."
  34. David and Greenberger, p. 38
  35. Saffel "A Legend is Born", p. 27
  36. Manning "1960s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 46: "Stan Lee tackled the issues of the day again when, with artists John Romita and Jim Mooney, he dealt with social unrest at Empire State University."
  37. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 122: "Stan Lee wanted to create a new kind of crime boss. Someone who treated crime as if it were a business...He pitched this idea to artist John Romita and it was Wilson Fisk who emerged in The Amazing Spider-Man #50."
  38. Lee, Stan . . . Spider-Man No More! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 50 . July 1967.
  39. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 119: "The first original super-villain produced by the new Spider-Man team of Stan Lee and John Romita was the Rhino."
  40. Lee, Stan . Romita, John Sr. . Esposito, Mike . The Horns of the Rhino! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 41 . October 1966.
  41. DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 121
  42. Lee, Stan . Romita, John Sr. . Romita, John Sr. . The Sinister Shocker! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 46 . March 1967.
  43. Lee, Stan . . . The Night of the Prowler! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 78 . November 1969.
  44. Lee, Stan . Romita, John Sr. . Esposito, Mike . The Schemer! . The Amazing Spider-Man . 83 . April 1970.
  45. [Peter Sanderson|Sanderson, Peter]
  46. Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 177: "Spider-Man already starred in two monthly series: The Amazing Spider-Man and Marvel Team-Up. Now Marvel added a third, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, initially written by Gerry Conway with art by Sal Buscema and Mike Esposito."
  47. Book: Goodgion, Laurel F. . Young Adult Literature in the Seventies: A Selection of Readings . Jana Varlejs . 1978 . Lanham, Maryland . . 0-8108-1134-0 . 348 .
  48. Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 55: "Captain George Stacy had always believed in Spider-Man and had given him the benefit of the doubt whenever possible. So in Spider-Man's world, there was a good chance that he would be destined to die."
  49. Saffel "Bucking the Establishment, Marvel Style", p. 60: "The stories received widespread mainstream publicity, and Marvel was hailed for sticking to its guns."
  50. Daniels, pp. 152 and 154: "As a result of Marvel's successful stand, the Comics Code had begun to look just a little foolish. Some of its more ridiculous restrictions were abandoned because of Lee's decision."
  51. Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 59: "In the first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man to be written by someone other than Stan Lee, Roy Thomas was faced with the mammoth task of not only filling the vaunted writer's shoes but also solving the bizarre cliffhanger from the last issue."
  52. Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 61: "Stan Lee had returned to The Amazing Spider-Man for a handful of issues after leaving following issue No. 100 (September 1971). With issue No. 110. Lee once again departed the title into which he had infused so much of his own personality over his near 10-year stint as regular writer."
  53. Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 62: "[''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #111] marked the dawning of a new era: writer Gerry Conway came on board as Stan Lee's replacement. Alongside artist John Romita, Conway started his run by picking up where Lee left off."
  54. Sanderson "1970s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 159: "In June [1973], Marvel embarked on a story that would have far-reaching effects. The Amazing Spider-Man artist John Romita Sr. suggested killing off Spider-Man's beloved Gwen Stacy to shake up the book's status quo."
  55. Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 68: "This story by writer Gerry Conway and penciler Gil Kane would go down in history as one of the most memorable events of Spider-Man's life."
  56. David and Greenberger p. 49: "The idea of beloved supporting characters meeting their deaths may be standard operating procedure now but in 1973 it was unprecedented...Gwen's death took villainy and victimhood to an entirely new level."
  57. Saffel "Death and the Spider", p. 65: "Death struck again, with repercussions that would ripple through comics from that day forward."
  58. Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 72: "Writer Gerry Conway and artist Ross Andru introduced two major new characters to Spider-Man's world and the Marvel Universe in this self-contained issue. Not only would the vigilante known as the Punisher go on to be one of the most important and iconic Marvel creations of the 1970s, but his instigator, the Jackal, would become the next big threat in Spider-Man's life."
  59. Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 85: "To signify the start of this new era Spider-Man's new regular chronicler writer Len Wein would come onboard with this issue."
  60. Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 103: "As new regular writer Marv Wolfman took over the scripting duties from Len Wein and partnered with artist Ross Andru, Peter Parker decided to make a dramatic change in his personal life."
  61. Manning "1970s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 107: "Spider-Man wasn't exactly sure what to think about his luck when he met a beautiful new thief on the prowl named the Black Cat, courtesy of a story by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Keith Pollard."
  62. Martini . Frank . Marv Wolfman's Bicentennial Battles . . 69 . 44–47 . . December 2013 . Raleigh, North Carolina.
  63. Manning "1980s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 115: "Acclaimed writer Denny O'Neil had returned to Marvel and...took over as the regular writer on The Amazing Spider-Man from issue No. 207 (August [1980]) until the end of 1981."
  64. Manning "1980s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 114: "Writer Denny O'Neil and artist Frank Miller...used their considerable talents in this rare collaboration that teamed two other legends – Dr. Strange and Spider-Man."
  65. Manning "1980s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 120: "Writer Denny O'Neil teamed with artist Frank Miller to concoct a Spider-Man annual that played to both their strengths. Miller and O'Neil seemed to flourish in the gritty world of street crime so tackling a Spider/Punisher fight was a natural choice."
  66. Manning "1980s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 126: "Writer Roger Stern moved from the helm of Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man to sit behind the wheel as the new regular writer of The Amazing Spider-Man with this issue."
  67. Manning "1980s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 133: "Writer Roger Stern and artists John Romita Jr. and John Romita Sr. introduced a new – and frighteningly sane – version of the [Green Goblin] concept with the debut of the Hobgoblin."
  68. David and Greenberger, pp. 68–69: "Writer Roger Stern is primarily remembered for two major contributions to the world of Peter Parker. One was a short piece entitled 'The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man'...[his] other major contribution was the introduction of the Hobgoblin."
  69. Web site: The Greatest Roger Stern Stories Ever Told! . Brian . Cronin . May 10, 2010 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20111026034402/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/05/22/the-greatest-roger-stern-stories-ever-told/ . October 26, 2011 . live . February 20, 2012 . Stern and guest-artist Ron Frenz tell the heartfelt tale of a little boy who might be Spider-Man's biggest fan. Spidey visits the boy and has a nice talk with him (and naturally, there is a twist to the tale). . mdy-all.
  70. Web site: Oswald: Why I Never Discuss Spider-Man . Christopher J. . Priest . May 2002 . DigitalPriest.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20120722130102/http://lamerciepark.com/legacy/comics/spidey.html . July 22, 2012 . live . April 14, 2013 . The catalyst for my demise was my firing Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz off of Amazing Spider-Man. . mdy-all.
  71. DeFalco "1980s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 231: "The six-issue story arc...ran through all the Spider-Man titles for two months."
  72. Web site: Spider-Man fictional character . . 25 January 2021 . 12 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201212050756if_/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Spider-Man-comic-book-character . live.
  73. Manning "1980s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 169: "In this landmark installment [issue No. 298], one of the most popular characters in the wall-crawler's history would begin to step into the spotlight courtesy of one of the most popular artists to ever draw the web-slinger."
  74. Web site: Amazing Spider-Man No. 328 Cover Art by Todd McFarlane sells for a record $657,250 . Karanvir . Singh . July 30, 2012 . BornRich.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20130402232454/http://www.bornrich.com/spider-man-cover-art-sells-record-657250.html . April 2, 2013 . live . April 14, 2013 . mdy-all.
  75. Saffel "Taking Stock: The 1990s" pp. 185–186
  76. http://www.comics.org/search/advanced/process/?target=sequence&method=icontains&logic=False&keywords=&order1=date&order2=&order3=&start_date=&end_date=&title=&feature=&job_number=&pages=&script=&pencils=Mark+Bagley&inks=&colors=&letters=&story_editing=&genre=&characters=&synopsis=&reprint_notes=&story_reprinted=None&notes=&pub_name=&pub_notes=&brand=&brand_notes=&indicia_publisher=&is_surrogate=None&ind_pub_notes=&series=Amazing+Spider-Man&series_year_began=&series_notes=&tracking_notes=&issue_count=&is_comics=None&format=&color=&dimensions=&paper_stock=&binding=&publishing_format=&issues=&volume=&issue_title=&variant_name=&issue_date=&indicia_frequency=&price=&issue_pages=&issue_editing=&isbn=&barcode=&issue_notes=&issue_reprinted=None&is_indexed=None Mark Bagley's run on The Amazing Spider-Man
  77. Cowsill, Alan "1990s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 197: "Artist Mark Bagley's era of The Amazing Spider-Man hit its stride as Carnage revealed the true face of his evil. Carnage was a symbiotic offspring produced when Venom bonded to psychopath Cletus Kasady."
  78. Cowsill "1990s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 199
  79. Cowsill "1990s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 203
  80. Web site: Comic Printing Errors . . https://web.archive.org/web/20130615010822/http://scoop.diamondgalleries.com/Home/4/1/73/1012?articleID=47490 . June 15, 2013 . dead . April 17, 2013 . mdy-all.
  81. The Illusion of Change . Peter . David . July 3, 1998 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20130305180911/http://www.peterdavid.net/2012/12/24/the-illusion-of-change/ . March 5, 2013 . live . April 17, 2013 . [Marvel] came up with the Spider-Man clone. Free of any of the baggage the character had accrued since the death of Gwen, he was supposed to reconnect the audience to Spider-Man. The problem is, all writing is a magic trick. You try to pull fast ones on the audience so that they don't look too closely. In this case, it was easy to cast Marvel as Bullwinkle, announcing his intention to pull a rabbit out of his hat, and the fans as a skeptical Rocky loudly proclaiming, 'That trick never works!' And it didn't. Because fans don't like to be treated as if they're stupid. . mdy-all.
  82. Web site: The Marvel 500s: How Many Are There? . Comic Book Resources . James . Hunt . August 5, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130623235852/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=17588 . June 23, 2013 . live . April 14, 2013 . mdy-all.
  83. Cowsill "1990s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 246: "This new series heralded a fresh start for the web-slinger's adventures."
  84. Cowsill "2000s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 262: "J. Michael Straczynski and artist John Romita Jr. took the helm in this issue to create some of the best Spider-Man stories of the decade."
  85. . . Hanna, Scott . Interlude . The Amazing Spider-Man . 2 . 37 . January 2002.
  86. Straczynski, J. Michael . . . The War at Home . The Amazing Spider-Man . 532 . July 2006.
  87. Straczynski, J. Michael . Garney, Ron . Reinhold, Bill . The Night the War Came Home Part Two . The Amazing Spider-Man . 533 . August 2006.
  88. Cowsill "2000s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 316: "The issue [#573] also saw TV star Stephen Colbert team up with Spider-Man in a back-up story written by Mark Waid and drawn by Patrick Olliffe."
  89. Cowsill "2000s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 319: "With President Obama about to be inaugurated, Marvel produced a special variant issue of The Amazing Spider-Man complete with...a five-page back-up strip co-starring the President, written by Zeb Wells and drawn by Todd Nauck."
  90. News: Obama, Spider-Man on the same comic-book page . David . Colton . January 7, 2009 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20121023171207/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2009-01-07-obama-spiderman-comic_N.htm . October 23, 2012 . live.
  91. Cowsill "2010s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 327: "Written by Mark Waid and drawn by Paul Azaceta, the two-part opening mixed the real-world drama of the economic meltdown with some Spidey action."
  92. Cowsill "2010s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 334: "Spidey's adventures were about to take an exciting new direction as Dan Slott became the title's sole writer."
  93. Web site: CCI: The Marvel: Spider-Man Panel . Josh . Wigler . July 25, 2010 . Comic Book Resources . https://web.archive.org/web/20131020210035/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=27464 . October 20, 2013 . live. Archive requires scrolldown
  94. News: Marvel's Peter Parker in Perilous Predicament . Matt . Moore . . December 26, 2012 . December 29, 2012 . December 26, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121226165546/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/marvels-peter-parker-perilous-predicament-18066448#.UN9OHonjmJK . live . mdy-all.
  95. Web site: Events in landmark Spider-Man issue have fans in a frenzy . Henry . Hanks . December 31, 2012 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20130604141800/http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/26/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/spidey-700-controversy . June 4, 2013 . live . mdy-all.
  96. Web site: Marvel in December: Welcome Back, Peter Parker, Bye Kaine . Steve . Morris . September 12, 2013 . The Beat . https://web.archive.org/web/20131126035518/http://comicsbeat.com/marvel-in-december-welcome-back-peter-parker-bye-kaine/ . November 26, 2013 . live . November 25, 2013.
  97. News: Exclusive: Peter Parker to return from death in Amazing Spider-Man #1 this April . Sacks . Ethan . . New York . January 12, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140712234030/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/comics/exclusive-spider-man-alter-ego-peter-parker-return-death-article-1.1575793 . July 12, 2014 . live . January 13, 2013.
  98. Web site: April 2014 comics sales: Amazing Spider-Man #1 best-selling issue of 21st Century . John Jackson . Miller . May 9, 2014 . Comichron.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20140719150815/http://blog.comichron.com/2014/05/april-2014-comics-sales-amazing-spider.html . July 19, 2014 . live.
  99. News: Peter Parker 'Stepped Up' As High Tech Tycoon In Amazing Spider-Man . Chris . Arrant . June 30, 2015 . Newsarama . https://web.archive.org/web/20150906003627/http://www.newsarama.com/24993-peter-parker-stepped-up-as-high-tech-tycoon-in-amazing-spider-man.html . September 6, 2015 . live.
  100. Web site: June 23, 2018 . Amazing Spider-Man Being Relaunched By Spencer & Ottley . 23 June 2018 . Comic Book Resources.com.
  101. Web site: George Marston . 2024-06-18 . Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr will end their Amazing Spider-Man run this fall with "Spidey's most brutal battle" . 2024-06-19 . gamesradar . en.
  102. Web site: Ross . Patrick . 2024-07-03 . Marvel teases 'The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man' for this fall . 2024-07-04 . aiptcomics.com . en-us.

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