To celebrate Spider-Man’s 60th birthday, this list compiles the best of the best, including the best places to start reading Spider-Man and the top 50 Spider-Man comics.

Where to Start

Brand New Day/The Gauntlet

After the infamous One More Day storyline split up Peter and Mary Jane’s marriage, editor Steve Wacker gathered a team of the best writers and artists in comics to update Spider-Man with new villains and an all new supporting cast of friends. Impressively, this massive group of creators managed to create one of the best and most consistently fun runs of Spider-Man ever.

After a couple of years this team decided to reintroduce the classic Spider-Man villains in the 20 issue “Gauntlet” story. In these issues, the creative team managed to add more depth to previously one note characters like Rhino and Electro in some of the best Spider-Man stories ever.

Brand new day is a great starting point that introduces tons of new Spider-Man villains and builds on all of the classics. A great read for newer fans looking for a slightly older Peter and a modern style.

Start with Amazing Spider-Man #546
OR
Skip to Amazing Spider-Man #612 to start with “The Gauntlet”

Read to Amazing Spider-Man #633
OR
Read to Amazing Spider-Man #647

Ultimate Spider-Man

A modern Spider-Man run that requires no prior knowledge, perfect for fans of a high school Peter Parker. If the early 60s comics are too dated for you and you still want a high school Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man is the comic for you.

This run starts with the origin and introduces revamped versions of all the classic Spider-Man villains, meaning you get to read this Spider-Man and his supporting cast from the very beginning. Writer Brian Michael Bendis masterfully recaptures what made the Stan Lee comics so great, and adds a modern spin. This book is the most bingeable Spider-Man comic ever. Once you’ve read the first couple of issues, you won’t be able to stop.

This series takes place in the Ultimate universe, which was a rebooted version of the marvel universe from the 2000s.

Start with Ultimate Spider-Man #1

Read to Ultimate Spider-Man #160
OR
Read to Ultimate Spider-Man #200

Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski

JMS writes Spider-Man perfectly, always managing to craft incredibly engaging stories that introduce many fantastic new villains and concepts to the Spider-Man world.

This is the perfect comic for fans who want to read more of Peter and MJs relationship (the best couple in comics) and see Spider-Man in some of the most dangerous situations he’s ever encountered. The stakes have never been higher and the characters have never been more interesting.

This run does have brief low points (One More Day) but they are easily outweighed by the incredibly strong stories surrounding them.

Start with Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #30

Read to Amazing Spider-Man #545
(There aren’t actually 500 issues in this run, marvel just numbers things weirdly)

Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Gerry Conway

The Beginning of Spider-Man. This run features Peter Parker learning the struggles that come with growing up. Peter graduates high school, has his first girlfriend, experiences troubling deaths, and meets all his deadliest villains all in this run.

This won’t be perfect for all fans, a lot of the 60s dialogue feels dated and the run reads a lot slower than more modern comics, but it’s worth it.

This run features the first appearances of all of your favorite Spider-Man villains (except Venom) and many of the iconic moments that defined the character. The book really hits it’s stride when John Romita Sr. takes over as artist with issue #39, who has a much more polished style than previous artist Steve Ditko.

Start with Spider-Man’s first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15
Then read Amazing Spider-Man #1
OR
Jump to Amazing Spider-Man #39 for John Romita’s gorgeous art

Read to Amazing Spider-Man #150

Big Time

What if Spider-Man got his life together? In Big Time Spider-Man gets a cushy job developing technology at Horizon Labs and finally doesn’t have to worry about money or finding time to be Spider-Man. Peter’s personal life couldn’t be better, how long can he make it last?

Dan Slott writes fun Spider-Man comics that place Peter in entirely new situations and adds layers to a lot of older villains. Hobgoblin, Jackal, and Spider-Slayer all become more compelling characters throughout this run. While Slott references older comics, this run is still very new reader friendly.

If the melodrama of things never going right for Peter has gotten old for you, check out big time.

Start with Amazing Spider-Man #648

Read to Amazing Spider-Man #700
OR
Read to Superior Spider-Man #31
OR
Read to Amazing Spider-Man #800

Amazing Spider-Man by Roger Stern

Roger Stern writes a perfect Peter. Never have Spider-Man comics felt so poetic and sweet. These stories are beautiful and illustrate everything that makes Spider-Man special.

Roger Stern’s use of villains is inspired, he adds depth to the Vulture, reworks the Black Cat, and his use of the Juggernaut is particularly clever. Each of these villains brings out something different in Peter and create some of the most compelling Spider-Man comics ever.

The writing here can be dense and dated but will still be much less challenging than the Stan Lee comics from the 60s. Perfect for fans looking for Spider-Man comics with weight and heart.

Start with Amazing Spider-Man #224

Read to Amazing Spider-Man #252

The Top 50 Spider-Man Comics

1. The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man (Amazing Spider-Man #248)
2. The Death of Gwen Stacy (Amazing Spider-Man #121-122)
3. The Master Planner Saga (Amazing Spider-Man #31-33)
4. Kraven’s Last Hunt (Web of Spider-Man #31-32, Amazing Spider-Man #293-294, Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132)
5. Amazing Fantasy #15
6. Coming Home (Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #30-35)
7. Harry Osborn is on Drugs (Amazing Spider-Man #96-98)
8. The Cat Came Back (Amazing Spider-Man #226-227)
9. Dying Wish (Amazing Spider-Man #698-700)
10. New Ways to Die (Amazing Spider-Man #568-573)
11. Daydreamers (Amazing Spider-Man #246)
12. Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut (Amazing Spider-Man #229-230)
13. Power and Responsibility (Ultimate Spider-Man #1-7)
14. Harry Becomes the Goblin (Amazing Spider-Man #136-137)
15. Rage of the Rhino (Amazing Spider-Man #617 and 625)
16. My Own Worst Enemy (Superior Spider-Man #1-5)
17. Back in Black (Amazing Spider-Man #539-543)
18. The Original Hobgoblin Saga (Amazing Spider-Man #238-239, #244-245 and #249-251, Spectacular Spider-Man #43, #47-48 and #85.)
19. The Conversation (Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #38)
20. Best of Enemies (Spectacular Spider-Man #189 and 200)
21. Life Story (Spider-Man: Life Story #1-6 and Annual #1)
22. How Green was My Goblin (Amazing Spider-Man #39-40)
23. Superior Spider-Man #9
24. Venom (Amazing Spider-Man #300)
25. Flowers for Rhino (Spider-Man’s Tangled Web #5-6)
26. Election Day (Amazing Spider-Man #584-588)
27. Doomed Affairs (Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #49-50)
28. Spider-Man: Blue (Spider-Man: Blue #1-6)
29. Big Time (Amazing Spider-Man #648-651)
30. Spider-Man: Civil War (Amazing Spider-Man #532-538)
31. Learning Curve (Ultimate Spider-Man #8-12)
32. The Sinister Six (Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1)
33. To Have and to Hold (Sensational Spider-Man Annual #1)
34. Spider-Man/Human Torch (Spider-Man/Human Torch #1-5)
35. The ORIGINAL Clone Saga (not the bad one) (Amazing Spider-Man #139-150)
36. No One Dies (Amazing Spider-Man #655-656)
37. Spidey #1-12
38. Cracked Hourglass (Spectacular Spider-Man #308-309)
39. Shed (Amazing Spider-Man #630-633)
40. Sidetracked (Ultimate Spider-Man #28)
41. Spectacular Spider-Man #310
42. The Wedding (Amazing Spider-Man annual #21)
43. Spider-Man No More (Amazing Spider-Man #50)
44. Ultimate Spider-Man #200
45. Confessions (Ultimate Spider-Man #13)
46. My Dinner With Jonah (Spectacular Spider-Man (2017) #6)
47. Keemia’s Castle (Amazing Spider-Man #615-616)
48. Happy Birthday (Amazing Spider-Man(1999) #57-58 and 500)
49. Gang War (Amazing Spider-Man #112-115)
50. Unscheduled Stop (Amazing Spider-Man #579-580)