# The Amazing Spider-Man

**The Amazing Spider-Man** is an ongoing American superhero comic book series published by [Marvel Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-comics) that features the character [Spider-Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/spider-man), and it has been the character's flagship title since shortly after his 1962 debut in *Amazing Fantasy* #15.<sup>[1](https://f5022454-cd01-4c00-abb3-35685a26241e.filesusr.com/ugd/6c7a08_27948f8945894f488b4d5165ce87da9b.pdf?index=true)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/1700/spider-mans-origins)</sup> The original volume ran from March 1963 to November 1998 across 441 issues, and the title has been relaunched with new #1s several times since, most recently in 2022 and 2025.<sup>[3](https://www.comics.org/series/1570/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/32866/the_amazing_spider-man)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First issue | *The Amazing Spider-Man* (1963) #1, published March 1, 1963; written by Stan Lee, pencilled by Sol Brodsky and Steve Ditko<sup>[5](https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/6482/amazing_spider-man_1963_1)</sup> |
| Original volume | #1–441, March 1963 to November 1998; rebooted afterward with the 1999 series #1<sup>[3](https://www.comics.org/series/1570/)</sup> |
| Publication schedule | Two issues per month has been the standard model since November 2010; the title reached legacy issue #1000 in 2026<sup>[6](https://www.howtolovecomics.com/2026/09/16/how-amazing-spider-man-reached-issue-1000/)</sup> |
| Signature early villains | Doctor Octopus was the most frequently appearing villain of the first 81 issues, followed by the Kingpin and the Green Goblin<sup>[7](https://coe.psu.ac.th/ad/spidey/asm1.pdf)</sup> |
| Censorship landmark | Issues #96–98 (1971) published drug-related storylines without Comics Code Authority approval, a turning point in American comic book censorship<sup>[8](https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/college_humanities_social_sciences/258/)</sup> |
| Film adaptations | A 2012 reboot directed by Marc Webb earned a 71% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes; its 2014 sequel's underperformance led to the Sony–Marvel Studios sharing deal<sup>[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_amazing_spider_man)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[10](https://time.com/4784729/spiderman-homecoming-sony-marvel-reboot/)</sup> |

## Origin and first volume

Spider-Man first appeared in *Amazing Fantasy* #15 (1962), created by writer [Stan Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/stan-lee) and artist [Steve Ditko](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-ditko), and gained his own series the following year.<sup>[2](https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/1700/spider-mans-origins)</sup> The first issue of *The Amazing Spider-Man*, cover-dated March 1963, contains some of the character's earliest adventures after [Uncle Ben](https://www.edgepedia.org/uncle-ben)'s death: Spider-Man saves the crew of a malfunctioning spacecraft, attempts to join the Fantastic Four, and runs afoul of the Chameleon.<sup>[5](https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/6482/amazing_spider-man_1963_1)</sup> The series quickly became Marvel's highest-selling comic, and Spider-Man became a cultural icon and the company's flagship superhero.<sup>[11](https://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/bitstreams/1efb04c4-d658-4caa-8244-a8d905c38839/download)</sup> The title won the Alley Award for Best Adventure Hero Comic Book in 1964.<sup>[3](https://www.comics.org/series/1570/)</sup>

**The Lee–Ditko era.** Stan Lee is the credited writer for the early run, with Steve Ditko as penciller through issue #38, after which John Romita took over the artwork.<sup>[7](https://coe.psu.ac.th/ad/spidey/asm1.pdf)</sup> A quantitative study of the first 81 issues found that 27 of the series' first 42 villains were introduced during Ditko's tenure, with [Doctor Octopus](https://www.edgepedia.org/doctor-octopus) the most frequently appearing villain at 10 appearances, followed by the [Kingpin](https://www.edgepedia.org/kingpin-character) with 9 and the [Green Goblin](https://www.edgepedia.org/green-goblin) with 8.<sup>[7](https://coe.psu.ac.th/ad/spidey/asm1.pdf)</sup> The same study found that fighting occupied on average about a third of an issue's panels, and that the series was notable for placing a superhero in a world populated by detailed supporting characters who interact with the hero in non-combative ways.<sup>[7](https://coe.psu.ac.th/ad/spidey/asm1.pdf)</sup>

## Cultural impact and the Comics Code

The series is regarded as one of the most important comic books in the history of the medium.<sup>[1](https://f5022454-cd01-4c00-abb3-35685a26241e.filesusr.com/ugd/6c7a08_27948f8945894f488b4d5165ce87da9b.pdf?index=true)</sup> Scholars have used it as a source for American cultural history, examining how its stories of the 1960s and 1970s reflected social anxieties of the time, including the responsible use of science in the Nuclear Age.<sup>[11](https://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/bitstreams/1efb04c4-d658-4caa-8244-a8d905c38839/download)</sup>

**Defying the Comics Code.** In 1971, Marvel published issues #96, #97, and #98 of *The Amazing Spider-Man*, in which Peter Parker's friend [Harry Osborn](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-osborn) suffers a drug overdose, without the approval of the [Comics Code Authority](https://www.edgepedia.org/comics-code-authority), the industry's self-censorship body.<sup>[8](https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/college_humanities_social_sciences/258/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[12](https://elpais.com/cultura/2017/06/07/ka_boom/1496825859_047284.html)</sup> This direct challenge to the Code's editorial guidelines is described as a turning point in the construction of criminal justice ideology in American comic books.<sup>[8](https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/college_humanities_social_sciences/258/)</sup>

**Landmark stories.** The death of [Gwen Stacy](https://www.edgepedia.org/gwen-stacy), published in 1973 as "The Night Gwen Stacy Died," is one of the most significant moments in Spider-Man history and has been described as the most heart-wrenching moment in the series' run.<sup>[13](https://time.com/85363/the-amazing-spider-man-2-interviews/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[14](https://share.marvel.com/comics/discover/1130/start-here-spider-man)</sup> In 2021, the series entered the Penguin Classics Marvel Collection, a line of scholarly editions of foundational Marvel comics.<sup>[15](https://apnews.com/article/b11f1cfed5ce829b4cb2291bbd08d277)</sup>

## Publication history and numbering

The original volume ran uninterrupted through issue #441, ending in November 1998.<sup>[3](https://www.comics.org/series/1570/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.howtolovecomics.com/2026/09/16/how-amazing-spider-man-reached-issue-1000/)</sup> Marvel then rebooted the title with a new #1 in 1999; that volume ran through 2013, and Marvel has described *Amazing Spider-Man* as the cornerstone of the [Marvel Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-universe).<sup>[3](https://www.comics.org/series/1570/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[16](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/454/amazing_spider-man_1999_-_present)</sup>

**Relaunches and legacy numbering.** Subsequent volumes ran from 2014–2015, 2015–2018, and 2018–2022.<sup>[17](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/24396/the_amazing_spider-man_2018_-_2022?creatorId=365)</sup> A new volume launched in 2022 to coincide with Spider-Man's 60th anniversary, followed by another in 2025.<sup>[4](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/32866/the_amazing_spider-man)</sup> Since November 2010 the title has generally been published twice a month, and Marvel's return to legacy numbering means that the 2026 issue #1000 represents the thousandth issue counted from the original 1963 series.<sup>[6](https://www.howtolovecomics.com/2026/09/16/how-amazing-spider-man-reached-issue-1000/)</sup>

## Film adaptations

The title's name was used for a 2012 feature film, a reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise directed by [Marc Webb](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-webb) and starring [Andrew Garfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-garfield) as Peter Parker and [Emma Stone](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-stone) as Gwen Stacy.<sup>[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_amazing_spider_man)</sup> The film holds a 71% Tomatometer score from 336 reviews and a 77% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics noting that it revisited many plot points from 2002's *Spider-Man*.<sup>[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_amazing_spider_man)</sup> Its 2014 sequel, *The Amazing Spider-Man 2*, underperformed, and afterward Marvel Studios and Sony reached an agreement that brought Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe beginning with 2016's *Captain America: Civil War* era films such as *Spider-Man: Homecoming*.<sup>[10](https://time.com/4784729/spiderman-homecoming-sony-marvel-reboot/)</sup> The second Garfield film adapted the death of Gwen Stacy from the comics, a storyline the filmmakers noted dated to 1973's "The Night Gwen Stacy Died."<sup>[13](https://time.com/85363/the-amazing-spider-man-2-interviews/)</sup>

## References

1. [The Amazing Spider-Man comic book series overview](https://f5022454-cd01-4c00-abb3-35685a26241e.filesusr.com/ugd/6c7a08_27948f8945894f488b4d5165ce87da9b.pdf?index=true)
2. [Spider-Man's Origins, Marvel Comics reading list](https://www.marvel.com/comics/discover/1700/spider-mans-origins)
3. [GCD :: Series :: The Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series)](https://www.comics.org/series/1570/)
4. [The Amazing Spider-Man (2022 – Present), Marvel Comics](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/32866/the_amazing_spider-man)
5. [The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #1, Marvel Comics](https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/6482/amazing_spider-man_1963_1)
6. [How Amazing Spider-Man Reached Issue #1000, How to Love Comics](https://www.howtolovecomics.com/2026/09/16/how-amazing-spider-man-reached-issue-1000/)
7. [Andrew Davison, "Analysing the Early 'The Amazing Spider-man'", Prince of Songkla University](https://coe.psu.ac.th/ad/spidey/asm1.pdf)
8. [Cary D. Adkinson, "The Amazing Spider-Man and the Evolution of the Comics Code: Case Study in Cultural Criminology"](https://digitalcommons.uncfsu.edu/college_humanities_social_sciences/258/)
9. [The Amazing Spider-Man, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_amazing_spider_man)
10. [Here's Why Hollywood Will Never Stop Making Spider-Man Movies, TIME](https://time.com/4784729/spiderman-homecoming-sony-marvel-reboot/)
11. [With Great Power and Great Responsibility: The Representation of America's Social Anxieties in The Amazing Spider-Man, 1962–1979, NC State University](https://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/bitstreams/1efb04c4-d658-4caa-8244-a8d905c38839/download)
12. [Spider-Man y 'Los vengadores' contra el acoso escolar, El País](https://elpais.com/cultura/2017/06/07/ka_boom/1496825859_047284.html)
13. [How The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Turned Up the Spectacle, TIME](https://time.com/85363/the-amazing-spider-man-2-interviews/)
14. [Start Here: Spider-Man, Marvel Comics reading list](https://share.marvel.com/comics/discover/1130/start-here-spider-man)
15. [Penguin Classics, Marvel to issue new editions of 3 comics, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/b11f1cfed5ce829b4cb2291bbd08d277)
16. [Amazing Spider-Man (1999 - 2013), Marvel Comics](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/454/amazing_spider-man_1999_-_present)
17. [The Amazing Spider-Man (2018 - 2022), Marvel Comics](https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/24396/the_amazing_spider-man_2018_-_2022?creatorId=365)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Comics and sequential art › Comic-book series and issues › Marvel Comics series and storylines › Marvel ongoing series and titles*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license