The Most Essential Spider-Man Graphic Novels Ever (According to Our Readers)
Out of the innumerable Spider-Man graphic novels out there, spanning decades of classic web-slinger adventures to modern masterpieces, we recently reached out to our readers to figure out which Spider-Man graphic novels are the most essential for new readers. In this article, we uncover the most popular choices.
With the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, we’ve been thinking back and pondering the big question: What are the most essential Spider-Man graphic novels that every Spidey-fan should read? Rather than derive our own subjective list, we instead reached out to our readers across all of our social media (namely X, Facebook, and BlueSky) to cast a wider net of fan-favorite story-lines. After receiving plenty of responses, we’ve compiled all of the most mentioned responses — and one graphic novel quite easily takes the #1 spot!
Whether you’re a seasoned Spidey-fan or you’re a seasoned fan seeking an adventure you may have missed the first time around, here’s what our readers consider the most essential Spider-Man graphic novels.
Spider-Men
From by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Sara Pichelli, Spider-Men has cemented its place in the character’s esteemed history for marking the first meeting between the mainstream Earth-616 Peter Parker and Miles Morales from the Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610) — after Mysterio creates a rift between dimensions. Suffice it to say, the arc was a monumental success, and remembered today as a lesson in how to make an ambitious crossover storyline.
Following its initial launch in 2012, Spider-Men got a sequel with Spider-Men II in 2017.
Spider-Man: The Death of Jean DeWolff
A four-part story arc, The Death of Jen DeWolff is told within Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #107–110 by Peter David, penciled by Rich Buckler, and inked by Brett Breeding, Josef Rubinstein, Kyle Baker and Pat Redding. Unbelievably, it was just Peter David’s second professional comic writing story.
The storyline is noted for pushing Spider-Man’s no kill mantra to its upper limits. In the arc, he and Daredevil hunt down Sin-Eater, a shotgun-wielding vigilante who kills NYPD Captain Jean DeWolff.
Superior Spider-Man (Vol. 1)
Mentioned a couple of times in the replies to our question is Superior Spider-Man. The storyline was conceived by Dan Slott, although Christos Gage penned the majority of the scripts. The series’ excellent artwork comes from Ryan Stegman, Humberto Ramos, and Giuseppe Camuncoli.
Superior Spider-Man boasts an ambitious concept: Peter Parker, Spider-Man himself, is killed off. However, Spidey remains, replaced with his nemesis Otto Octavius, who swapped consciousnesses with Parker. A couple of our readers cited Volume 1 as the stand-out graphic novel: “Superior Spider-Man Vol.1 (When Doc Ock takes over Spidey’s body.) is fantastic!” one person wrote.
Spider-Man (The original run)
It’s impossible to include a list like this without mentioning the masterpiece that is the original Spider-Man run from Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. It’s essential reading for any comic book reader, laying the groundwork for the myriad storylines, interpretations, and the Spider-Man brand in general. It all started here, growing into a global multimedia phenomenon.
Spider-Man Blue
A limited, 6-issue run, Spider-Man Blue is written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Tim Sale — the legendary duo behind such works as Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: Hush, and so much more. The storyline takes place on Valentine’s Day, where Peter Parker records an audio tape looking back at his early days — including the loss of his first love Gwen Stacy. This melancholic storyline is short but remarkably powerful and sentimental.
Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt
Coming in unequivocally in first place is Kraven’s Last Hunt, the legendary 1987 Spider-Man storyline written by J.M. DeMatteis and illustrated by Mike Zeck. In this graphic novel, Kraven the Hunter ambushes and shoots Spider-Man, burying him alive. He then dons a replica of the black costume to become a more ruthless vigilante.
The Kraven’s Last Hunt storyline is collected across Web of Spider-Man #31–32, The Amazing Spider-Man #293–294, and Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #131–132. It is regarded as one of the finest works in comic book history — and a worthy first place for the question we asked our readers!
What’s your favorite Spider-Man storyline? Give us all your opinions in the comments down below!
