Spectacular Spider-Man (2nd Series)

    (Marvel, 2003–2005)
™ and © Marvel Entertainment Group

Essentially picking up where the “canceled” Peter Parker series left off, the new Spectacular Spider-Man brings back the familiar (not to mention popular) creative team of Jenkins and Ramos. Fan-favorite Venom is in on hand, terrorizing the populace with a form of vampirism that involves sucking the adrenaline from unwitting innocents.

Venom’s hunger for the substance is unquenchable; his trademark anger has been replaced by frustration, loneliness, and fear; and he seems more savage and more powerful than ever. Curiously, other than some business regarding the symbiotic relationship with Eddie Brock, the issue never really addresses how these changes in the character came to pass. Also puzzling is the random nature in which Spider-Man finds Venom. He apparently stumbles upon the formerly angry alien by swinging around the city, using his spider-sense as a type of radar mechanism. True, the two are psychically linked, but finding Venom seemed all too easy, nevertheless.

Fans of classic super-hero art will be turned off by Ramos’ cartoonish “Amerimanga” (an art form he helped pioneer) stylings, and the panel-to-panel action is hard to follow at times. Also, this doesn’t really feel like a debut issue. It lacks the accessibility, the logic, the background info, and the starting-from-ground-zero vibe of a good, strong first issue.

Marvel’s penchant for rebooting titles gets more and more annoying with every launch, and that’s never been more evident than it is here.

— Brett Weiss
Jump to issue:
  NotesWriterArtist
#1

September, 2003
Cover Price: $2.25
15 copies available from $2.00 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#1 (Newsstand Edition by Humberto Ramos)

September, 2003
Cover Price: $2.25
1 copy available for $49.99 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#2

September, 2003
Cover Price: $2.25
13 copies available from $1.40 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#3

October, 2003
Cover Price: $2.25
6 copies available from $1.20 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#4

November, 2003
Cover Price: $2.25
6 copies available from $1.25 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#5

December, 2003
Cover Price: $2.25
3 copies available from $1.40 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#6

January, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
11 copies available from $2.00 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#7

January, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
13 copies available from $1.60 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#8

February, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
9 copies available from $1.60 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#9

March, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
7 copies available from $1.23 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#10

April, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
9 copies available from $2.00 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#11

May, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
11 copies available from $2.00 		Paul JenkinsDamion Scott
#12

May, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
10 copies available from $2.00 		Paul JenkinsDamion Scott
#13

June, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
11 copies available from $1.20 		Paul JenkinsDamion Scott
#14

July, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
10 copies available from $2.00 		Paul JenkinsPaolo Rivera
#15

August, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
1 copy available for $5.00 		Paul JenkinsMichael Ryan
#16

August, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
6 copies available from $1.60 		Paul JenkinsMichael Ryan
#17

September, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
5 copies available from $1.20 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#18

October, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
6 copies available from $1.20 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
#19

November, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
5 copies available from $1.40 		Paul JenkinsPaco Medina
#20

December, 2004
Cover Price: $2.25
8 copies available from $1.20 		Paul JenkinsPaco Medina
#21

January, 2005
Cover Price: $2.25
12 copies available from $1.60 		Paul JenkinsTalent Caldwell
#22

February, 2005
Cover Price: $2.25
25 copies available from $0.88 		Paul JenkinsTalent Caldwell
#22 (Newsstand Edition by Talent Caldwell)

February, 2005
Cover Price: $2.25
1 copy available for $2.00 		Paul JenkinsTalent Caldwell
#23

March, 2005
Cover Price: $2.25
9 copies available from $1.60 		Samm BarnesScot Eaton
#24

March, 2005
Cover Price: $2.25
11 copies available from $1.80 		Samm BarnesScot Eaton
#25

April, 2005
Cover Price: $2.25
10 copies available from $2.00 		Samm BarnesScot Eaton
#26

May, 2005
Cover Price: $2.25
6 copies available from $1.40 		Samm BarnesScot Eaton
#27

June, 2005
Cover Price: $2.99
9 copies available from $2.20 		Paul JenkinsMark Buckingham
Book #2


Cover Price: $11.99
4 copies available from $11.99 		Paul JenkinsHumberto Ramos
Book #3


Cover Price: $9.99
1 copy available for $6.50 		Paul JenkinsDamion Scott, Paolo Rivera
Book #5


Cover Price: $9.99
2 copies available from $14.99 		Samm BarnesScot Eaton
Book #6


Cover Price: $14.99
2 copies available from $17.00 		Paul JenkinsMark Buckingham, Talent Caldwell