| Schedule: | Monthly |
| Genre: | Superhero |
| Ongoing: | y |
| Publisher: | Marvel Comics |
| Date: | January 2012 – August 2013 |
| Issues: | 22 (#1–22), 1 Annual and 1 Special |
| Letterers: | Joe Caramagna |
| Subcat: | Spider-Man |
| Sort: | Avenging Spider-Man |
Avenging Spider-Man is the title of an American comic book series that was published monthly by Marvel Comics from 2012 to 2013, featuring the adventures of the fictional superhero Spider-Man. The events in the story take place in the primary continuity of the mainstream Marvel Universe along with the events of The Amazing Spider-Man and later The Superior Spider-Man. This was the first ongoing series to feature Spider-Man as the main character besides The Amazing Spider-Man since the cancellation of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and the second volume of Sensational Spider-Man in December 2008 following the conclusion of the "One More Day" storyline. Avenging Spider-Man has also been instrumental in Marvel's shift towards including codes to receive free digital copies of the comic with purchased print comic books.
The format of the series was very similar to the Marvel Team-Up comic book where Spider-Man teams up with another character in every issue. The first and second volumes of Marvel Team-Up primarily (but not exclusively) featured Spider-Man whereas Avenging Spider-Man exclusively features Spider-Man.
Marvel announced the publication in June 2011.[1] The first issue was released 9 November 2011, with Zeb Wells as the writer, Joe Madureira as the penciller, and Ferran Daniel as the colorist.[2] The first issue outsold both issues of The Amazing Spider-Man released in November and was the sixth best selling comic book of the month.[3]
The first three issues of the series contained a code for a free digital copy of the comic book,[4] which is the first time any publisher has provided free digital copies as part of the print copy of the comic book.[5] The free digital copy with purchase was extended to include the fourth issue, but Marvel changed from using a sealed poly-bag to protect the code to using a sticker so potential readers could look at the book before purchasing.[6] The response to the free digital code in the first issue was so positive that Marvel announced they would include free digital codes in comic books in their Ultimate line of comics starting in January 2012.[7] The free digital copy with purchase, still using the sticker to protect the code, was extended to the fifth, sixth, and seventh issues before all Marvel comics priced at $3.99 started receiving free digital codes in June 2012 (issue eight) due to the success of the free digital codes in Avenging Spider-Man and the Ultimate line of comics.[8] [9]
It was announced in April 2013 that Avenging Spider-Man was to end in July of the same year, with Superior Spider-Man Team-Up taking its place. It would retain the creative team of writer Christopher Yost and artists Paolo Rivera and Marco Checchetto.[10]
| Issue | Guest character(s) | Villain(s) or Threat | Writer | Artist | Release date | Reception | Sales rank | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Hulk | Moloids | Zeb Wells | Joe Madureira | 9 November 2011 | 7.0/10[11] 5.0/5[12] | 6th | ||
| 2 | Ra'ktar/Molans | 7 December 2011 | 7.5/10[13] 3.0/5[14] | 13th[15] | |||||
| 3 | 18 January 2012 | 8.0/10[16] 4.5/5[17] | 23rd[18] | ||||||
| 4 | Hawkeye | Sidewinder III and Serpent Society agents | Greg Land | 15 February 2012 | 7.0/10[19] 2.0/5[20] | 33rd[21] | |||
| 5 | Captain America | Serpent Society | Leinil Yu | 28 March 2012 | 9.0/10[22] 5.0/5[23] | 36th[24] | |||
| 6 | Daredevil and Punisher | The Hand | Greg Rucka and Mark Waid | Marco Checchetto | 11 April 2012 | 8.5/10[25] 4.5/5[26] | 27th[27] | Story continued in Punisher vol. 8 #10[28] [29] and Daredevil vol. 3 #11.[30] [31] | |
| 7 | She-Hulk | Bastet | Kathryn Immonen | Stuart Immonen | 9 May 2012 | 7.5/10[32] 4.5/5[33] | 60th[34] | ||
| 8 | Doctor Strange and Silver Sable | Doctor Doom | Dan Slott and Ty Templeton | Matthew Clark | 20 June 2012 | 5.5/10[35] 2.5/5[36] | 51st[37] | Epilogue to "Ends of the Earth" and further description of Web of Spider-Man #72. | |
| 9 | Captain Marvel | Blackbird Security | Kelly Sue DeConnick | Terry Dodson | 11 July 2012 | 9.0/10[38] 3.5/5[39] | 49th[40] | First appearance of Robyn Hood. This issue chronologically follows first appearance of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel, but is published one week prior. | |
| 10 | Robyn Hood | 1 August 2012 | 7.5/10[41] 3.0/5[42] | 63rd[43] | |||||
| 11 | Aunt May | Copperhead | Zeb Wells | Steve Dillon | 29 August 2012 | 6.5/10[44] 4.0/5[45] | 66th | Fight with Copperhead is only 2 pages. As part of 50th anniversary of Spider-Man's first appearance the story is primarily Peter and May reminiscing about Uncle Ben. | |
| 12 | Deadpool | Peter's dreams/imagination | Kevin Shinick | Aaron Kuder | 12 September 2012 | 9.0/10[46] 3.5/5[47] | 52nd[48] | ||
| 13 | Hypno-Hustler | 10 October 2012 | 8.9/10[49] 4.0/5[50] | 76th[51] | |||||
| 14 | Devil Dinosaur and Moon-Boy | Fire-breathing velociraptors | Cullen Bunn | Gabriele Dell'Otto | 7 November 2012 | 7.4/10[52] 4.0/5[53] | 76th[54] | Takes place in the Savage Land. | |
| 15 | Brainchild | 5 December 2012 | 7.5/10[55] 5.0/5[56] | 75th[57] | |||||
| 15.1 | Bridge story between The Amazing Spider-Man
| Chris Yost | Paco Medina | 26 December 2012 | 3.0/5[58] 4.5/5[59] | 53rd | First issue of Avenging Spider-Man to star Superior Spider-Man instead of Peter Parker as Spider-Man. | ||
| 16 | Wolverine and the X-Men | Giant hybrid garden spider / human / mutant | 16 January 2013 | 7.0/10[60] 3.0/5[61] | 73rd[62] | The hybrid was created by Jackal, who is seen in a final page cameo, later established as Gwen Warren. | |||
| 17 | Future Foundation | Death's Head and Time Variance Authority | 27 February 2013 | 8.7/10[63] 5.0/5[64] | 71st[65] | Superior Spider-Man steals the captive Sandman from the Baxter Building and takes him to a hidden underwater lab. | |||
| 18 | Thor | Electro | Marco Checchetto | 13 March 2013 | 8.4[66] 3.5/5[67] | 74th[68] | Superior Spider-Man captures Electro and places him in containment next to Sandman in his hidden underwater lab. | ||
| 19 | Sleepwalker | Fearworm | 10 April 2013 | 8.5/10[69] 2.5/5[70] | 74th[71] | ||||
| 20 | Secret Avengers | Chameleon and The Saints | 8 May 2013 | 6.4/10[72] 4.0/5[73] | 79th[74] | ||||
| 21 | 29 May 2013 | 7.3/10[75] 2.5/5[76] | 83rd | Superior Spider-Man transports the unconscious Chameleon to his hidden underwater lab. | |||||
| 22 | Punisher | Mysterion and Hobgoblin | David Lopez | 12 June 2013 | 6.9/10[77] 3.5/5[78] | 80th[79] | Superior Spider-Man captures Mysterion and places him in containment with Sandman, Electro, and Chameleon in his hidden underwater lab. | ||
| Annual | The Thing | Energy field enhancing aggressive tendencies | Rob Williams | Brad Walker | 31 October 2012 | 8.2/10[80] 3.5/5[81] | 94th | ||
| Avenging Spider-Man: My Friends Can Beat Up Your Friends | Avenging Spider-Man #1-5 | June 2012 | ||
| Avenging Spider-Man: The Good, The Green, and The Ugly | Avenging Spider-Man #7, 9-10, 12-13 | February 2013 | ||
| Avenging Spider-Man: Threats & Menaces | Avenging Spider-Man #14-15, Avenging Spider-Man Annual #1, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #39, Spider-Man vs. Vampires #1 and material from Amazing Spider-Man #692 | May 2013 | ||
| Superior Spider-Man Team-Up: Superiority Complex | Avenging Spider -Man #16-19, 15.1 | July 2013 | ||
| Superior Spider-Man Team-Up: Friendly Fire | Avenging Spider-Man #20-22, Superior Spider-Man Annual #1, Daredevil (vol. 3) #22 | January 2014 | ||
| Avenging Spider-Man: The Complete Collection | Avenging Spider-Man #1-15, Annual #1; Punisher (vol. 8) #10; Daredevil (vol. 3) #11; Amazing Spider-Man Annual #39; Spider-Man vs. Vampires #1 and material from Amazing Spider-Man #692 | April 2019 | ||
| Superior Spider-Man Companion | Avenging Spider-Man #15.1, 16-22; Daredevil (vol. 3) #22; Superior Spider-Man Team Up #1-12; Scarlet Spider (vol. 2) #20; Inhumanity: Superior Spider-Man #1 | January 2019 |