Spider-Man has been one of Marvel Comics’ most popular heroes for years. While DC was busy putting godlike characters into their comics as the main characters, Marvel wanted to create relatable heroes, and Spider-Man was the most relatable of them all. He was a teenage outcast, someone that the bullies targeted, but who ended up with superhuman powers that he used to help people by living up to his Uncle Ben’s life lessons about power and responsibility. Peter is very different now, an adult with more people who respect him, but still someone who has had a long life of being pushed around, which allows him to live with past trauma consistently.
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Spider-Man’s first appearance was in 1962, so with over six decades of comic books and storylines, it might seem daunting for new readers to know which issues to pick up that show why the character is so special. Here is a look at five comics that new readers could read to quickly get up to date on the history of The Amazing Spider-Man.
5) Amazing Fantasy #15
There are some classic comics that fans should read to catch up on Spider-Man, but the one everyone should read is the one that started it all. Released in 1962, Amazing Fantasy #15 was Spider-Man’s first-ever Marvel Comics appearance, created by the team of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. This issue introduced Peter Parker as a high school nerd who the bullies pushed around.
A radioactive spider bit Peter, and he gained superpowers, which went to his head. He sought celebrity status and allowed a thief to escape, which in turn led to the death of his beloved Uncle Ben. This was the one issue that shows why Spider-Man chose to become a hero, why he has the belief system he does, and why he always carries past trauma with him every step of the way.
4) The Death of Jean DeWolff
Spider-Man’s biggest problem throughout his life is losing his loved ones. His Uncle Ben died when Spider-Man chose to let a thief run free. Gwen Stacy died when he couldn’t save her from the Green Goblin. Gwen’s dad died when he couldn’t save him from Doctor Octopus. His best friend, Harry Osborn, died, and Peter blamed himself. If you just read one story about Spider-Man losing someone he cared about, read The Death of Jean DeWolff.
At a time when most police officers thought Spider-Man was a vigilante they needed to arrest, Captain Jean DeWolff was one of the few who trusted him, and they worked closely together. This storyline is a mystery. Someone killed Jean DeWolff, and Spider-Man has to figure out who did it and why, and then decide what to do about it. Based purely on the quality of the story told, this was the best of the Spider-Man death plots in Marvel Comics.
3) Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 Back To Basics
It might be best for new readers who want to get into Spider-Man comics to start with something newer so they can get involved in his current storylines. This might be best served by reading Spider-Man: Back to Basics by Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley. This is a great jumping point for new readers because the series puts Spider-Man back into conflict with some of his best villains and also shows a great deal of his personal relationships with family and friends.
This was initially a way to get Spider-Man slightly rebooted after Dan Slott’s long run on the title, and served as a way to reboot the series, which is where it remains in canon to this day. Anyone who wants to jump in and start reading to the present should start here and just read to the present day.
2) Brand New Day
Spider-Man: Brand New Day often gets lumped in with Spider-Man: One More Day when discussing the worst Marvel events of all time. That is not really fair. One More Day was the terrible event where Peter and Mary Jane gave up their marriage in a deal with Mephisto to save Aunt May’s life. It was also where Spider-Man ended up in a huge mess during the Civil War storyline, and just spiraled out of control.
However, Dan Slott’s run on Amazing Spider-Man was actually quite good, as he took the storyline he was given and did his best with the change in status quo. Starting with the new “origin” without his Mary Jane storylines, Slott sends Spider-Man on several fun adventures, introduces Superior Spider-Man, and does a lot of great things before finally handing the story off to Nick Spencer.
1) Spider-Man: Life Story
If anyone wants to read a fantastic Spider-Man comic storyline and learn a lot about his history, but in a different context, it doesn’t get much better than Spider-Man: Life Story. This series, as well as the equally brilliant Fantastic Four: Life Story, exists in a world where the sliding Marvel timeline doesn’t exist, which means that the characters age normally as the years pass.
This means Spider-Man still got his powers in the 1960s, as he did in the comics. Many things change here, but the most important thing is that Peter gets older as the series goes on. It still focuses on several big moments, from the Clone Wars to Secret Wars to the Civil War. However, Spider-Man and all the other heroes continue to age. This is a great way to see many of Spider-Man’s most significant moments from a new perspective, and it all ends with Peter Parker in his 70s, the last remaining hero of his generation.
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