When it comes to Spider-Man there are countless incredible comic book issues that feature the legendary web slinger. In this list, however, we’re looking only at the greatest Spider-Man comic covers of all time. In other words, these issues were selected because on their spectacular cover art and not necessarily because they feature a key moment in Spider-Man’s long (and occasionally tangled) history (although that being said, we have included details on why certain books are considered keys). To keep things simple, we’ve listed the books in order of chronological publication date and included the estimated price and details on why we chose each specific issue.
But nuff’ said! Prepare to get your Spidey senses tingling as swing into the 20 best Spider-Man comic covers ever made.
1. Amazing Spider-Man #50
- Published: July 1967
- Estimated Price: $3,700 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st appearance of Wilson Fisk (aka the Kingpin)
- Why We Picked It: While this issue introduces a classic Spider-Man villain, it’s really this epic cover from John Romita Sr. that makes it stand the test of time, with this iconic image continuing to have an impact over 50 years later, making it a classic comic book cover.
2. Amazing Spider-Man #70
- Published: March 1969
- Estimated Price: $150 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st appearance of Vanessa Fisk (the Kingpin’s wife)
- Why We Picked It: While there are plenty of memorial Spider-Man covers from the late 60s, this under appreciated gem from John Romita stands out for its incredible use of color, style and movement, making it an absolute classic, that’s also surprisingly affordable.
3. Amazing Spider-Man #129
- Published: February 1974
- Estimated Price: $2.4K USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st appearance of the Punisher
- Why We Picked It: While this comic remains a grail book for most collectors, we chose it for the incredible Spider-Man cover, which has been swiped, recreated and reprinted countless times over the decades, in addition to being one of the coolest Punisher comic covers of all time.
4. Amazing Spider-Man #238
- Published: March 1983
- Estimated Price: $450 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st appearance of the Hobgoblin (Roderick Kingsley version)
- Why We Picked It: While this issue introduces one of Peter Parker’s long time foes, it’s really sought after by collectors because of this legendary cover that again has generated dozens of homages and reproductions (including a stunning ASM #800 variant by Mathew Mayhew).
5. Amazing Spider-Man #252
- Published: May 1984
- Estimated Price: $200 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st appearance of black suit Spider-Man
- Why We Picked It: With a cover that recreates Amazing Fantasy #15 (which in itself is a pretty epic cover), this issue is not only an important key, but stands the test of time thanks to the incredible artwork by legendary Marvel penciler Ron Frenz.
6. Marvel Team-Up #141
- Published: May 1984
- Estimated Price: $85 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 2nd appearance of black suit Spider-Man
- Why We Picked It: While there’s some debate over whether this is actually the first appearance of Spidey’s black suit (given that it was published around the same time as ASM #252), we chose this issue simply because of the magnificent cover from Marvel master artist, Arthur Adams, which remains an under appreciated (and undervalued) gem (and could even arguably be considered one of the greatest Daredevil comic covers).
7. Secret Wars #8
- Published: December 1984
- Estimated Price: $200 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Origin of the black symbiote costume (which later bonds with Eddie Brock to become Venom)
- Why We Picked It: While this comic captures a milestone in the history of Peter Parker (and features the untold story of his legendary black suit), it’s really this unforgettable Spider-Man cover from master artist Mike Zeck that makes it such an iconic issue and one we had to include on our list.
8. Web of Spider-Man #1
- Published: April 1985
- Estimated Price: $25 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Debut of third ongoing Spider-Man series
- Why We Picked It: While this comic isn’t exactly a key, it remains a fan favorite due to the jaw dropping cover art by painter Charles Vess, with the image being reproduced and swiped countless times over the years (including more recently in this absolutely stunning Amazing Spider-Man #1 variant by Lucio Parrillo)
9. Spectacular Spider-Man #101
- Published: April 1985
- Estimated Price: $30 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Iconic cover by John Byrne
- Why We Picked It: Another under the radar issue that has only recently started to gain more love among fans, the startlingly use of black and white makes this an absolute masterpiece of a Spider-Man cover that deserves its day in the spotlight.
10. Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21
- Published: June 1987
- Estimated Price: $15 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Marriage of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson
- Why We Picked It: While Spidey getting hitched undoubtedly makes this a key book, we chose it for this list because of the awesome cover by John Romita Jr. There’s also a variant issue that features the newly weds without the costumed heroes, which also remains dearly beloved by webheads.
11. Web of Spider-Man #32
- Published: November 1987
- Estimated Price: $10 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Part 4 of Kraven’s Last Hunt
- Why We Picked It: While this story arc is arguably one of the best in Spider-Man history, we added it to this list because of the epic Mike Zeck cover, which is another classic issue that’s been reprinted and swiped numerous times over the years.
12. Amazing Spider-Man #298
- Published: March 1988
- Estimated Price: $100 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st cameo of Venom
- Why We Picked It: Another important chapter in Venom comic book lore, this issue really stands the test of time due to its artwork, which happens to be the first cover art by Todd McFarlane on the Amazing Spider-Man. Notably this same image would be reproduced by McFarlane for Spawn #298.
13. Amazing Spider-Man #300
- Published: May 1988
- Estimated Price: $1,000 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st full appearance of Venom
- Why We Picked It: While this might be one of the hottest copper age comic books of all time due to the introduction of Venom, it’s also a classic Spider-Man cover that remains a true work of art and one of the most beloved images from Todd McFarlane.
14. Amazing Spider-Man #316
- Published: June 1989
- Estimated Price: $250 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st full cover appearance of Venom
- Why We Picked It: Another classic Todd McFarlane cover, we just had to include this issue on our list. With its sharp colors, beautiful linework and sense of movement, it’s no wonder this has become a hot key. Incidentally, this book also landed on our list of the best Venom comic covers of all time.
15. Spider-Man #1
- Published: August 1990
- Estimated Price: $20 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: New series (polybagged)
- Why We Picked It: While this is a comic that pretty much every collector in the 90s ended up snagging, it’s also a cover that still stands out over the years due to the solid artwork from Todd McFarlane and inclusion of metallic ink (there’s also several other variant versions that are equally awesome).
16. Amazing Spider-Man #361
- Published: April 1992
- Estimated Price: $160 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st full appearance of Carnage
- Why We Picked It: While this is another classic key when it comes to the history of Spider-Man, it’s also a stunning cover thanks to the sharp artwork of the great Mark Bagley.
17. Amazing Spider-Man #36
- Published: December 2001
- Estimated Price: $70 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: September 11th tribute issue
- Why We Picked It: While an all black cover may not seem like an obvious choice for this list, we had to include it due to its impact on Spider-Man legacy. Released shortly after the 9/11 attacks, this issue is both an important piece of comic book history and a testament to the real world heroes of New York City.
18. Amazing Spider-Man #641
- Published: October 2010
- Estimated Price: $15 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Doctor Strange mindwipes the world from remembering that Peter Parker is Spider-Man
- Why We Picked It: While this issue heavily influenced the MCU film Spider-Man: No Way Home, we chose it because of the incredible negative space cover by Marvel artist and painter Paolo Rivera, which is a single image that brings an incredible amount of emotion and depth to the legendary webcrawler.
19. Amazing Spider-Man #656
- Published: May 2011
- Estimated Price: $25 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: Debut of Spider-Man Armor MK II
- Why We Picked It: While Spider-Man has had plenty of different suits over the years, we have a special place in our heart for his bulletproof Mark II armor, which is captured beautifully in this stunning cover by Marcos Martin.
20. Amazing Spider-Man #658
- Published: June 2011
- Estimated Price: $15 USD (Raw High Grade)
- Why It’s a Key: 1st cover appearance of Spider-Man’s Future Foundation costume
- Why We Picked It: Another alternate Spidey costume cover we just had to include on our list, this stunning art by Marko Djurdjevic shows the web slinger in a whole new light and remains a classic, fan favorite image.
So there you have it! Our picks for the 20 best Spider-Man comic covers of all time. Are there any issues you think we missed? Let us know in the comments below! Also be sure to check out our list of the 10 best Spider-man graphic novels.
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