''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
and magazine series starring
Spider-Man and published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
.
Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''
The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...
'', Marvel felt the character could support more than one title. This led the company in 1968 to launch a short-lived magazine, the first to bear the ''Spectacular'' name. In 1972, Marvel more successfully launched a second Spider-Man ongoing series, ''
Marvel Team-Up
''Marvel Team-Up'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The series was originally published from March 1972 through February 1985, and featured Spider-Man as ...
'', in which he was paired with other Marvel heroes. A third monthly ongoing series, ''Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man'', debuted in 1976.
Magazine (1968)
''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' was initially a two-issue magazine published by Marvel in 1968, as an experiment in entering the black-and-white comic-magazine market
successfully pioneered by
Warren Publishing
Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren, who published his first magazines in 1957 and continued in the business for decades. Magazines published by Warren include '' After Hours'', '' Creepy'', '' Eerie'', '' F ...
and others. It sold for 35 cents when standard comic books cost 12 cents and ''Annual''s and ''Giant''s 25 cents. It represented the first Spider-Man spin-off publication aside from the original series'
summer ''Annual''s, begun in 1964.
The first issue (
cover-date
The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unu ...
d July 1968) featured a painted, color cover by
men's adventure
Men's adventure is a genre of magazine that was published in the United States from the 1940s until the early 1970s. Catering to a male audience, these magazines featured pin-up girls and lurid tales of adventure that typically featured wartime fe ...
-magazine artist Harry Rosenbaum, in acrylic paint on illustration board, over layouts by ''
The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...
'' artist
John Romita Sr.
John V. Romita (; born January 24, 1930) is an American comic book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and for co-creating characters including the Punisher and Wolverine. He was inducted into the Will Eis ...
The 52-page
black-and-white
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
Spider-Man story, "Lo, This Monster!", was by writer
Stan Lee,
penciler Romita Sr. and
inker Jim Mooney
James Noel Mooney (August 13, 1919 – March 30, 2008) was an American comics artist best known for his long tenure at DC Comics and as the signature artist of Supergirl, as well as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, both during wha ...
. A 10-page origin story, "In The Beginning!", was by Lee, penciler
Larry Lieber
Lawrence D. Lieber (; born October 26, 1931) (Scroll down) is an American comic book artist and writer best known as co-creator of the Marvel Comics superheroes Iron Man, Thor, and Ant-Man; for his long stint both writing and drawing the Marvel ...
and inker
Bill Everett
William Blake Everett (; May 18, 1917 – February 27, 1973) was an American comic book writer-artist best known for creating Namor the Sub-Mariner as well as co-creating Zombie and Daredevil with writer Stan Lee for Marvel Comics. He was alleg ...
.
The feature story was reprinted in color, with some small alterations and bridging material by
Gerry Conway
Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, t ...
, in ''
The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...
'' #116–118 (Jan.–March 1973) as "Suddenly...the Smasher!", "The Deadly Designs of the Disruptor!", and "Countdown to Chaos!" (with additional inking by Tony Mortellaro on the latter two). These versions were themselves reprinted in ''Marvel Tales'' #95–97 (Sept.-Oct. 1978).
The second and final issue (Nov. 1968) also sported a painted cover and the interior was in color as well. Lee, Romita and Mooney again collaborated on its single story, "The Goblin Lives!", featuring the
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known incarnation Norman Osborn, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, is generally regarded as one of the a ...
. A next-issue box at the end promoted the planned contents of the unrealized issue #3, "The Mystery of the TV Terror". A version of the Goblin story, trimmed by 18 pages, was reprinted in ''The Amazing Spider-Man Annual'' #9 (1973), and portions of the "TV Terror" costume were reused for the costume of the
Prowler
Prowler may refer to:
* "Prowler", a song by Iron Maiden from ''Iron Maiden'', 1980
* Prowler (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics superhero
* ''The Prowler'' (1951 film), a film starring Van Heflin
* "The Prowler" (''Australian Playhouse''), an e ...
.
Both issues of the magazine were reprinted in their entirety (albeit reduced to comic size) in the collection ''Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man'' #7 (), then again in ''
Marvel Epic Collections: The Amazing Spider-Man'' #4 in 2019. The first issue was reprinted again in 2002 as ''The Spectacular Spider-Man Facsimile'', exactly as it was originally presented.
Volume 1 (1976–98)
Titled ''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'' on its December 1976 debut, and shortened to simply ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' with #134 (Jan. 1988), this was the second ''
Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly ...
'' monthly comic-book spin-off series, after ''
Marvel Team-Up
''Marvel Team-Up'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The series was originally published from March 1972 through February 1985, and featured Spider-Man as ...
'', which also featured Spider-Man. The monthly title ran 264 issues (including a #-1 issue) and 14 ''Annual''s until November 1998.
The series was launched by writer/editor
Gerry Conway
Gerard Francis Conway Thomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, t ...
and artist
Sal Buscema
Sal Buscema (; ; born Silvio Buscema, January 26, 1936) is an American comics artist, primarily for Marvel Comics, where he enjoyed a ten-year run as artist of '' The Incredible Hulk'' and an eight-year run as artist of ''The Spectacular Spider-M ...
and
Mike Esposito. Conway explained the concept and origin of the series:
Buscema drew the title until mid-1978. After Buscema's departure, a succession of artists (including
Mike Zeck
Michael J. Zeck (born September 6, 1949), is an American comics artist. He is best known for his work for Marvel Comics on such series as ''Captain America'', ''Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars'', '' Master of Kung-Fu'', and ''The Punisher'' as we ...
,
Jim Mooney
James Noel Mooney (August 13, 1919 – March 30, 2008) was an American comics artist best known for his long tenure at DC Comics and as the signature artist of Supergirl, as well as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, both during wha ...
,
Ed Hannigan
Ed Hannigan (born August 6, 1951) is an American comics artist, writer, and editor for both Marvel Comics and DC Comics.
Career
Ed Hannigan's first credited comics story was published in Marvel Comics' licensed ''Planet of the Apes'' #5 (Feb. ...
,
Marie Severin
Marie Severin (; August 21, 1929 – August 29, 2018) was an American comics artist and colorist best known for her work for Marvel Comics and the 1950s' EC Comics. She is an inductee of the Will Eisner Comics Hall of Fame and the Harvey Awards ...
and
Greg LaRocque
Greg LaRocque (born February 24, 1954) is an American comics artist best known for his work on the ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''The Flash''.
Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, LaRocque worked as an assistant teacher at the Professional I ...
) penciled the series for approximately five years.
Frank Miller
Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...
, who would later become the artist on ''
Daredevil'', first drew the character in ''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'' #27. Scripting initially alternated between Conway and
Archie Goodwin until mid-1977, when
Bill Mantlo
William Timothy Mantlo (born November 9, 1951) is an American comic book writer, primarily at Marvel Comics. He is best known for his work on two licensed toy properties whose adventures occurred in the Marvel Universe: ''Micronauts'' and ''Ro ...
took over. During this era of ''Spectacular'', the stories focused more on Parker's campus life as an undergraduate student/teacher's assistant at Empire State University and giving more attention to his colleagues than to the more long-running supporting characters in ''Amazing''. Mantlo's first run on the title featured frequent appearances by the
White Tiger
The white tiger or bleached tiger is a leucistic pigmentation variant of the Mainland tiger. It is reported in the wild from time to time in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, in the Sunderbans region and ...
, Marvel's first
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
superhero, and the first appearance of the supervillain
Carrion. He used the series to wrap up unresolved plot elements from ''The
Champions
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
'' comic book series and concluded his first run with a crossover with ''
Fantastic Four'' #218 (May 1980). Mantlo was succeeded by
Roger Stern
Roger Stern (born September 17, 1950) is an American comic book author and novelist.
Biography
Early career
In the early 1970s, Stern and Bob Layton published the fanzine ''CPL'' (''Contemporary Pictorial Literature''), one of the first platfor ...
, who wrote for the title from #43 (June 1980) to 61 (December 1981). When Stern departed to write for ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Mantlo returned to scripting ''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man''; Mantlo's second tenure at the title lasted until April 1984. Mantlo's second run introduced the superhero duo
Cloak and Dagger
"Cloak and dagger" was a fighting style common in the Renaissance involving a knife hidden beneath a cloak. The term later came into use as a metaphor, referring to situations involving intrigue, secrecy, espionage, or mystery.
Overview
In " Th ...
, created by Mantlo and Hannigan in ''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'' #64 (March 1982), and included a story arc which took place from issues #73–79 (Dec. 1982 – June 1983), in which
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''Th ...
and the
Owl
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
competed for control of the New York underworld, Octopus almost destroys New York with a nuclear device and the Black Cat is critically injured. Issue #86 (January 1984) was part of the "Assistant Editors Month" event and featured a story drawn by
Fred Hembeck
Fred Hembeck (born January 30, 1953) is an American cartoonist best known for his parodies of characters from major American comic book publishers. His work has frequently been published by the firms whose characters he spoofs. His characters are ...
.
Al Milgrom
Allen L. Milgrom (born March 6, 1950) is an American comic book writer, penciller, inker and editor, primarily for Marvel Comics. He is known for his 10-year run as editor of ''Marvel Fanfare''; his long involvement as writer, penciler, and inker ...
took over scripting as well as art on the title with issue #90 (May 1984) and worked on it through issue #100 (March 1985). Milgrom imbued the book with a more whimsical tone, for example, pitting Spider-Man against the Spot, a supervillain who was so ridiculous that he gave Spider-Man fits of laughter.
Jim Owsley
Christopher James Priest (born James Christopher Owsley, June 30, 1961) is an American writer of comic books who is at times credited simply as Priest. He changed his name legally circa 1993. He was the first black writer-editor in mainstream co ...
, then-editor of the Spider-Man books, disapproved of this approach and had Milgrom replaced as writer by newcomer
Peter David
Peter Allen David (born September 23, 1956), often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films and video games.Buxton, Marc (March 29, 2014)"From 'Future Imperfect' to '2099': Peter David's Greatest Hits" Co ...
in 1985. David and artist
Rich Buckler
Rich may refer to:
Common uses
* Rich, an entity possessing wealth
* Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling
** Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting
Places United States
* Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated comm ...
, said Owsley, had the series "focusing on stories with a serious, 'grown-up' tone and more complex themes". The most notable story arc of the David/Buckler era is "
The Death of Jean DeWolff
"The Death of Jean DeWolff" is a four-part story arc featuring the popular Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. It comprises the comics ''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'' #107–110 (October 1985 – January 1986). The story was writ ...
" (#107–110 (Oct. 1985–Jan. 1986)), in which Spider-Man's ally, NYC Police Captain
Jean DeWolff
Jean DeWolff is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a New York City police detective, and a supporting character in stories featuring the superhero Spider-Man. Introduced in ''Marvel Team-Up'' ...
– a supporting character in the Spider-Man comics since 1976 – is murdered by the vigilante/serial killer the
Sin-Eater
A sin-eater is a person who consumes a ritual meal in order to spiritually take on the sins of a deceased person. The food was believed to absorb the sins of a recently dead person, thus absolving the soul of the person. Sin-eaters, as a cons ...
. This multi-part story guest-starred
Daredevil. The storyline "
Fearful Symmetry: Kraven's Last Hunt" by writer
J.M. DeMatteis and artists
Mike Zeck
Michael J. Zeck (born September 6, 1949), is an American comics artist. He is best known for his work for Marvel Comics on such series as ''Captain America'', ''Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars'', '' Master of Kung-Fu'', and ''The Punisher'' as we ...
and
Bob McLeod crossed over into ''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'' #131 and 132.
With issue #134 (Jan. 1988), the "Peter Parker" part of the title was removed and the series became simply ''The Spectacular Spider-Man''. The logo changed from a distinctive design to using the same design as that of ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and the 1968 ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' magazine; this logo did not change until issue #218 (Nov. 1994). Sal Buscema returned as the regular artist, staying with the title from early 1988 to late 1996; throughout the series' run, Buscema drew over 100 issues, making him by far the series' most frequent contributor.
After his story arc "Return of the Sin-Eater" (#134–136 (Jan.–March 1988)), Peter David was removed as writer. Editor Owsley said editor-in-chief
Jim Shooter
James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor and publisher for various comic books. He started professionally in the medium at the age of 14, and he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comic ...
"disliked Peter's work intensely". David, in a 2005 interview, believed, "I was fired off ''Spider-Man'' because it was felt at the upper editorial level that a novice comic-book writer shouldn't be handling the adventures of Marvel's flagship character". Former series writer Gerry Conway, who additionally wrote ''
Web of Spider-Man
''Web of Spider-Man'' is the name of two different monthly comic book series starring Spider-Man that have been published by Marvel Comics since 1985, the first volume of which ran for 129 issues between 1985 and 1995, and the second of which ran ...
'' from 1988 to 1990, returned to ''Spectacular'', after which he left both books to become a story editor on the TV series ''
Father Dowling Mysteries''. Conway stated in 1991 that "I understand the character a lot better now than I did when I was nineteen. And one of the nice things about the Marvel characters is that you can keep them fresh by changing them just a bit." His 1988–1991 run on ''Spectacular'' included such story arcs as the "Lobo Brothers Gang War", and the conflict between ''
Daily Bugle
The ''Daily Bugle'' (at one time ''The DB'') is a fictional New York City tabloid newspaper appearing as a plot element in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The ''Daily Bugle'' is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, mos ...
'' editor
Joe Robertson and his former friend, the
albino
Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino.
Varied use and interpretation of the term ...
criminal
Tombstone. He used his joint duty as ''Web of Spider-Man'' writer to tie together storylines in the two separate titles and strengthen the continuity between them.
Throughout their run, Conway and Buscema collaborated using the
Marvel method, occasionally working out details of the plot over the phone.
J. M. DeMatteis
John Marc DeMatteis (; born December 15, 1953) is an American writer of comic books, television and novels.
Biography
Early career
J. M. DeMatteis's earliest aspirations were to be a rock musician and comic book artist. He began playing in ban ...
became the regular writer in mid-1991, injecting a grim, psychological tone into the series. DeMatteis began his run with the story arc "The Child Within" (#178–184 (July 1991–Jan. 1992)), featuring the return of the
Harry Osborn version of the
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known incarnation Norman Osborn, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, is generally regarded as one of the a ...
. As written by DeMatteis, Harry sank further into insanity and gained the same super-strength possessed by
his father, battling Spider-Man again in #189 (June 1992), before being killed in #200 (May 1993). In an undated 2000s interview, DeMatteis said, "I really loved the two years on ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' that I wrote with Sal Buscema drawing. Talk about underrated! Sal is one of the best storytellers and a wonderful collaborator. I loved that run." During this period, Spider-Man editor
Danny Fingeroth
Daniel Fingeroth (; born September 17) is an American comic book writer and editor, best known for a long stint as group editor of the Spider-Man books at Marvel Comics.
Early life
Fingeroth was born in New York City, New York.
Career As a write ...
would hold conferences in New York with all the Spider-Man creative staff, allowing them to brainstorm ideas and discuss future storylines.
DeMatteis left the book in mid-1993 to write ''The Amazing Spider-Man''.
Steven Grant had a brief run before the book was set adrift with a succession of fill-in issues which ran through late 1994, when former ''Amazing Spider-Man'' writer
Tom DeFalco
Tom DeFalco (born June 26, 1950) is an American comic book writer and editor well known for his association with Marvel Comics, with long runs on ''Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thor'', and ''Fantastic Four''.
Career
While in college, DeFalco "wrote fo ...
took over. By this time, all the Spider-books were being affected by the controversial "
Clone Saga
The "Clone Saga" is an extended comic-book storyline published by Marvel Comics, revolving around the superhero Spider-Man and clones of him, as well as of other characters. The second and best-known story arc of this name ran from October 1994 t ...
" that culminated with ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #226 (July 1995), and Fingeroth convinced DeFalco that the series needed a regular writer to help guide the crossover story.
This story revealed (though it was later reversed) that the Spider-Man who had appeared in the previous 20 years of comics was a clone of the real Spider-Man. This tied into a publishing gap after #229 (Oct. 1995), when the title was temporarily replaced by ''
The Spectacular Scarlet Spider
''The Spectacular Scarlet Spider'' is a short-lived comic book series starring Ben Reilly as the Scarlet Spider. The series was published by Marvel Comics for four issues in November and December 1995 in between ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' issue ...
'' #1–2 (Nov.–Dec. 1995), featuring the "original" Peter Parker. The series picked up again with #230 (Jan. 1996). Initially newcomer
Todd Dezago
Todd Dezago (born 1961) is an American comic book writer best known for his collaborations with artist Mike Wieringo on ''The Sensational Spider-Man'' and their creator-owned fantasy series '' Tellos''.
Early life
Todd Dezago was raised in Rhineb ...
wrote the scripts for DeFalco's plots, since DeFalco was already writing two other series and wanted to groom DeZago to be the long-term writer on ''Spectacular Spider-Man''.
Todd Dezago then wrote for a year before DeMatteis returned through May 1998. DeMatteis later commented, "We did some nice stories, like the one about
Flash Thompson
Eugene "Flash" Thompson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 196 ...
's childhood. But, in general, I don't hold that last run...very dear to my heart."
Luke Ross succeeded Sal Buscema as the artist and remained until the series ended, but there was no regular writer for the last half-year with
Glenn Greenberg
Glenn Greenberg (born New York City) is an American journalist and comic book and fiction writer. At the beginning of his career, he became a regular Marvel Comics writer, penning stories for ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'', '' The Rampaging Hulk'', ...
, Roger Stern,
John Byrne and
Howard Mackie
Howard Mackie (born January 22, 1958) is an American comic book editor and writer. He has worked almost exclusively for Marvel Comics and is best known as the co-creator of the Danny Ketch version of the Ghost Rider character.
Early life
Mackie ...
all contributing during this time. The final issue was #263 (Nov. 1998).
Volume 2 (2003–05)
''Spectacular Spider-Man'' (vol. 2) titled without the definite article "The", is a 27-issue monthly series published from September 2003 to June 2005. Each issue was written by
Paul Jenkins (except #23–26, by
Samm Barnes
Sara "Samm" Barnes is a television and comics writer, as well as a television producer.
Biography
Though born in Great Britain to Michael and Bridget Barnes, Barnes was raised in Canada, first in Ottawa, then Toronto and finally Vancouver.
Her pu ...
). The book's primary pencillers were
Humberto Ramos
Humberto Ramos (born 27 November 1970) is a Mexican comic book penciller, best known for his work on American comic books such as '' Impulse'', '' Runaways'', '' The Spectacular Spider-Man'', ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and his creator-owned serie ...
and
Mark Buckingham.
The comic included the storyline ''
Spider-Man: Disassembled'' in which Spider-Man met a new enemy called the Queen who wanted him as her mate. Her kiss caused him to slowly mutate into a giant spider who metamorphosed into human form with enhanced strength and agility, along with organic webbing and a psychic link with insects and arachnids.
This comic also included the sequel to "
Sins Past
Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man. A college student and the daughter of George Stacy and Helen Stacy, s ...
", "
Sins Remembered", in which Peter went to Paris to meet
Sarah Stacy and resolved the issues between them.
''Spectacular Spider-Man Adventures''
''Spectacular Spider-Man Adventures'' was a title published by
Panini Comics
Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, which also produces collectable stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy. The company publishes comic books in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany, Hung ...
in the United Kingdom from November 1995 to September 2005, although the ''Adventures'' portion of the title was often dropped from the cover page. It featured a mix of reprinted American material, as well as originally produced British material. ''Spectacular'' was aimed at a younger audience than Panini's other Spider-Man reprint title ''
Astonishing Spider-Man
''The Astonishing Spider-Man'' was a comic book series published fortnightly in the United Kingdom by Panini Comics as part of Marvel UK's 'Collectors Edition' line. It reprinted selected Spider-Man stories and material from the American comic ...
'' and was loosely based on the continuity of the
1990s animated series.
Volume 3 (2017–18)
''Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (vol. 3) was published from June 2017 to December 2018. After the first six issues, the series reverted to legacy numbering with issue #297 as part of the line-wide
Marvel Legacy
Marvel Legacy is a 2017–18 relaunch of a line of American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is concurrent with All-New, All-Different Marvel and Marvel NOW! 2.0.
Publication history
On April 22, 2017, Marvel Comics announced Marvel ...
relaunch. The series' original creative team had
Chip Zdarsky as writer, with
Adam Kubert
Adam Kubert (; born 1959) is an American comics artist known for his work for publishers such as Marvel Comics and DC Comics, including work on ''Action Comics'', '' Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine'', ''The Incredible Hulk'', ''Ultimate Fantas ...
providing the artwork.
Notable recurring characters included Teresa Durand,
J. Jonah Jameson,
Johnny Storm
The Human Torch (Jonathan "Johnny" Storm) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and artist Jack Kirby's reinvention of a si ...
, and original character Rebecca London.
Various issues, as well as the one ''Annual'', were illustrated by guest artists; Kubert's final issue as artist was #307, excluding covers. Zdarsky left the series with issue #310. The series ended with issue #313, the final three issues being a tie-in to the ''
Spider-Geddon
''Spider-Geddon'' is a 2018 comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics featuring multiple alternative versions of Spider-Man that had appeared in various media, and his supporting cast. In this sequel to ''Spi ...
'' crossover event written by Sean Ryan.
Collected editions
* ''
Essential Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man''
** Volume 1 collects issues #1–31, 568 pages, May 2005,
** Volume 2 collects issues #32–53, ''Annual'' #1–2, 592 pages, February 2006,
** Volume 3 collects issues #54–74, ''Annual'' #3, 536 pages, March 2007,
** Volume 4 collects issues #75–96, ''Annual'' #4, 576 pages, August 2009,
** Volume 5 collects issues #97–114, ''Annual'' #5, 576 pages, July 2011,
* ''Spider-Man: The Original Clone Saga'' includes #25–31, 149, 162–163, ''Annual'' #8, 496 pages, July 2011,
* ''Spider-Man by Roger Stern Omnibus'' includes #43–61, 85, ''Annual'' #3, 1296 pages, April 2014,
* ''Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin''
** First printing includes #85, 160 pages, May 1993,
** Second printing includes #43, 47–48, 85, 256 pages, December 2011,
* ''Spider-Man: The Complete Alien Costume Saga''
** Book 1 includes #90–95, 488 pages, August 2014,
** Book 2 includes #96–100, ''Annual'' #4, 504 pages, May 2015,
* ''Life in the Mad Dog Ward'' – includes #133, 144 pages, November 2013,
* ''Tombstone'' – includes #137–150, 368 pages, June 2016,
* ''The Amazing Spider-Man: The Death of Jean DeWolff''
** First printing collects #107–110, 96 pages, April 1991,
** Second printing collects #107–110, 134–136, 168 pages, March 2013,
* ''
Secret Wars II
''Secret Wars II'' is a nine-issue comic book limited series and crossover published from 1985 to 1986 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Marvel's then editor-in-chief Jim Shooter and primarily pencilled by Al Milgrom.
The series was a ...
Omnibus'' includes ''Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'' #111, 1,184 pages, May 2009,
* ''Spider-Man vs. Silver Sable Vol. 1'' includes #128–129, 144 pages, January 2006,
* ''
The Amazing Spider-Man – Fearful Symmetry: Kraven's Last Hunt'' includes #131–132, 164 pages, December 1991,
* ''
The Evolutionary War Omnibus'' includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man Annual'' #8, 472 pages, September 2011,
* ''
Atlantis Attacks
"Atlantis Attacks" was a comic book superhero crossover storyline which ran through most of the summer annuals published by Marvel Comics in 1989 and 2020.
The storyline is a complicated, multi-layered crossover regarding the return of the seve ...
Omnibus'' includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man Annual'' #9, 552 pages, March 2011,
* ''Spider-Man: The Cosmic Adventures'' includes #158–160, 192 pages, March 1993,
* ''Acts of Vengeance Omnibus'' includes #158–160, 744 pages, March 2011,
* ''Spider-Man: Son of the Goblin'' includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #189 and 200, 144 pages, July 2004,
* ''
Maximum Carnage
"Maximum Carnage" is a 14-part comic book crossover published in Marvel Comics' ''Spider-Man'' family of titles in 1993. It featured Spider-Man, Venom, and a host of other superheroes teaming up to face Venom's murderous offspring Carnage and hi ...
'' includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #201–203, 336 pages, December 2006,
* ''Spider-Man and the New Warriors: Hero Killers'' includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man Annual'' #12, 232 pages, March 2012,
* ''Spider-Man: The Complete Clone Saga Epic''
** Book 1 includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #217, 424 pages, April 2010,
** Book 2 includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #218–221, 480 pages, June 2010,
** Book 3 includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #222–224, 464 pages, September 2010,
** Book 4 includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #225–227, 480 pages, December 2010,
** Book 5 includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #228–229 and ''Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special'' #1, 472 pages, February 2011,
* ''Spider-Man: The Complete Ben Reilly Epic''
** Book 2 includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #230, 424 pages, November 2011,
** Book 3 includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #231–233, 432 pages, January 2012,
** Book 4 includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #234, 464 pages, April 2012,
** Book 5 includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #235–239, 464 pages, July 2012,
** Book 6 includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #240–241, 448 pages, November 2012,
* ''Spider-Man: Revelations'' includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #240, 112 pages, October 1997,
* ''Spider-Man: Spider-Hunt'' includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #254–256, 272 pages, June 2012,
* ''Spider-Man: Identity Crisis'' includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #257–258, 200 pages, May 2012,
* ''Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives'' includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #259–261, 184 pages, May 2011,
* ''Spider-Man: The Gathering of Five'' includes ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #262–263, 248 pages, January 2014,
* ''The Spectacular Spider-Man''
** Vol. 1: ''The Hunger'' collects ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (vol. 2) #1–5, 120 pages, December 2003,
** Vol. 2: ''Countdown'' collects ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (vol. 2) #6–10, 120 pages, May 2004,
** Vol. 3: ''Here There Be Monsters'' collects ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (vol. 2) #11–14, 144 pages, October 2004,
** Vol. 4: ''Disassembled'' collects ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (vol. 2) #15–20, 136 pages, December 2004,
** Vol. 5: ''Sins Remembered'' collects ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (vol. 2) #23–26, 96 pages, May 2005,
** Vol. 6: ''The Final Curtain '' collects ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (vol. 2) #21–22 and 27, 144 pages, October 2005,
* ''Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man''
** Vol 1: ''Into The Twilight'' collects ''Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (vol. 3) #1–6 and material from ''Free Comic Book Day 2017 (Secret Empire)'' #1, 144 pages, December 2017,
** Vol 2: ''Most Wanted'' collects ''Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #297–300, 112 pages, April 2018,
** Vol 3: ''Amazing Fantasy'' collects ''Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #301–303 and ''Annual'' #1, 112 pages, August 2018,
** Vol 4: ''Coming Home'' collects ''Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #304–310, 112 pages, December 2018,
** Vol 5: ''Spider-Geddon'' collects ''Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #311–313, ''Spider-Geddon: Spider-Man Noir Video Comic'' #1 and ''Spider-Geddon: Animated Video Comic'' #1, 112 pages, February 2019,
See also
*
List of Spider-Man titles
* ''
Peter Parker: Spider-Man''
*
''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' (TV series)
References
External links
''The Spectacular Spider-Man''at the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
*
''The Trades'' (Aug. 14, 2002): "Peter David: An Apropos Conversation"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spectacular Spider-Man
Spider-Man titles
1968 comics debuts
1968 comics endings
1976 comics debuts
1998 comics endings
2003 comics debuts
2005 comics endings
Comics by Archie Goodwin (comics)
Comics by Roger Stern