Essential Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man

    (Marvel, 2005-2007)
™ and © 1976-1979, 2005 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Back when it was unusual for Marvel heroes to appear in more than one title each month, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man, was kind of a novelty. Its immediate and enduring success proved that the same hero could carry multiple titles—a fact that people raised in the days of eight different Spider–Man or X–Men titles may take for granted. The series tried to focus more on the man behind the mask, Peter Parker, than its forerunner, The Amazing Spider-Man, and much of the action occurred on the Empire State University campus (where Peter, Mary Jane Watson, and Flash Thompson went to school). Still, it was a good bet that our hero would don his red and blue tights each issue to fight crime. The Tarantula, the Vulture, and the Man–Beast were among the many foes to interrupt his studies.

The Essential format enables readers who missed the original issues to enjoy them years later, in black and white. Writers included Bill Mantlo and Gerry Conway; Sal Buscema was the primary artist.

— Andy Richardson
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