When Marvel’s Spider-Man swung on to the pages of Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962, no one could have guessed how the wall-crawler would revolutionize the comics industry for decades to come. With hundreds of comic issues and numerous movies under his belt, Spider-Man has become a household name in nearly every part of the world. His red and blue suit are instantly recognizable, and his story of tragedy and responsibility has been told dozens of times over. One of the more popular forms of Spider-Man related media in the past fifteen years has been the big screen adaptations of the web-slinger, of which there have been eight up to this point. It’s pretty common knowledge that all eight of these films aren’t exactly connected, however, the character has been rebooted a couple of different times since the first Spider-Man movie featuring Tobey Maguire that was released in 2002. In recent years, British actor Tom Holland has been playing Spider-Man as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) being pretty well-received by fans. Now with the third film in the series on the horizon, news of a massive crossover has been circulating all over the internet. Reports from The Hollywood Reporter in recent weeks have said that numerous characters from past Spider-Man films will return for the newest installment, leading many to speculate that both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man will make an appearance. This would be reminiscent of the highly successful Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) film, which saw all kinds of Spider-Men from different dimensions come together in one movie. With the movies taking so many different chances and adapting so many different stories, it’s enough to make a more casual fan wonder just how exciting the source material is. And as exciting as it may be to dive into Spider-Man’s source material, it can also be a pretty daunting task considering there are nearly sixty years worth of comics to comb through. Well we’re going to make that process a little bit easier for you, by giving you some of the best Spider-Man comics to get started with so you can build a greater appreciation for New York City’s favorite teenage arachnid.
Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Great Power
When it comes to Spider-Man stories, there’s no better place to start from than the beginning. Spider-Man was introduced to the world in Amazing Fantasy #15, before he had his own solo series. For the first time, everyone got to know awkward high school student Peter Parker and watched as he got bitten by a radioactive spider and soon learned the importance of responsibility after his Uncle Ben was tragically killed. This collection contains that very first Spider-Man comic, along with the first seventeen issues of the Amazing Spider-Man series. Here we are introduced to Spider-Man’s most recognizable villains, such as Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Sandman. It’s classic Spider-Man at his best, with masterful storytelling from the legendary Stan Lee and the gorgeous art of Steve Ditko pairing perfectly with one another to make for the most iconic comic books of the 20th century. You can grab yourself a piece of history right here.
Spider-Man: Death of the Stacys
If there’s one thing that Spider-Man’s character is known for, it’s tragedy. It seems that for every quip and lighthearted moment that the web-slinger has, there’s an equally heart-wrenching moment that comes along to put things into perspective and give Peter Parker’s actions a sense of weight. That weight of responsibility was at arguably its heaviest when Spider-Man was faced with the death of his girlfriend’s dad, and then not too long after that, the death of that same girlfriend. These two deaths were both remarkably traumatizing for Spider-Man and shaped how protective of his loved ones he would be for years to come. On top of being a pivotal point of development for Peter Parker’s character, The Night Gwen Stacy Died is perhaps one of the most iconic Spider-Man stories to ever be produced by Marvel. It’s essential reading for any budding comic reader, and you can pick up your own copy right here.
Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage
Some of Spider-Man’s best stories are when he’s set against insurmountable odds but still comes out on top in the end. It’s a testament to his versatility, and it always makes for an inspiring story that people can look back on during hard times. One of the more ambitious Spider-Man comic events comes in the form of the Maximum Carnage series that saw Spidey’s most sadistic villain, Carnage, build his own gang of supervillains and wreak havoc through New York. This particular comic series is also a pretty big crossover for the webhead, as he enlists the help of other big superheroes such as Captain America, Cloak, and Dagger. The most exciting aspect of this series is its focus on the characters of Carnage and Venom, fan favorite villains that will soon be seeing film adaptations in the upcoming film, Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021). These toothy miscreants boast the most frightening and simultaneously sick designs in comics, and the Maximum Carnage series commits plenty of pages showing off their nightmarish appearances. It’s a great series for people looking to see how Spider-Man does in a teamup, and you can take a look for yourself right here.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales Vol. 1 (2016)
In recent years, Spider-Men other than Peter Parker have been introduced in the comics and built their own following of devoted fans. With events like Spider-Verse, there have been more Spideys in the comics than you could shoot a web at, but one that has stood the test of time since their introduction is Miles Morales. Miles’ first appearance was in the Ultimate Marvel line of comics, a series that took place in an alternate universe different from the Marvel universe that had been created up to that point. This comic run saw a lot of fan favorite characters get modernized or altered in one way or another, and Spider-Man was no exception. Where other characters got new costumes or origin stories however, Peter Parker was not so lucky. Very early on in the Ultimate Marvel Spider-Man series, Peter Parker was dramatically killed, and Miles Morales took over as New York’s resident wall-crawler. As the Ultimate Marvel series drew to a close however, people wanted to know what would happen to their new favorite Spider-Man. Well, to the delight of fans everywhere, Miles Morales was added to the regular Marvel universe and was able to interact with all of the other characters we know and love, including a very much alive Peter Parker. Since Miles was added to the current Marvel comics continuity, he’s been featured in many other forms of Spider-Man related media, including the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) film, and the more recent Spider-Man video games. His popularity is certainly on an upward trend that only seems to be going higher, and his first volume of issues in the normal Marvel universe is a reflection of that. You can see what all the excitement is about by picking up that first volume right here.
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As far as comic book characters go, Spider-Man stands as one of the most recognizable and easily accessible. Many of his stories are relatable, engaging, and most importantly exciting. He’s become an integral part of the Marvel brand, but for people that know him from his many movies, the comics can be seen as intimidating, uncharted territory. With a little bit of help though, anyone can find a Spider-Man comic that appeals to them and gives them everything they’re looking for in a story. Hopefully these recommendations will do exactly that for you, and act as a jumping off point for you to find even more amazing Spidey comics. For more news on pop culture and everything entertainment, check back here at its-bananas.
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