Spider-Man Week: Ranking Every ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #1 Cover
by Austin Gorton
As previously discussed, comic book #1 issues were, once upon a time, exceedingly rare. For the first several decades of the modern comic book industry’s existence, it was in the best interest of the comic book publishers to maintain the numerical continuity of series, making them more likely to retitle rather than renumber a book when it changed direction or brought on a new character. But that changed over time, and nowadays, series get rebooted with a new first issue almost annually. To that end, as with Daredevil, Spider-Man is a character who managed to hold off the relaunching craze until deep into the 1990s, after which the new #1 issues started to come with exponential frequency. But which of the seven Amazing Spider-Man #1s released to date (I’m only looking at the “main” covers and not variants, because I am just one man) has the best cover? That’s what we’re here to find out.
#7 – Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #1 (1999)
Art by John Byrne
The first new Amazing Spider-Man #1, released as part of John Byrne’s post-Chapter One soft-reboot of the character, kicks off an era that is not terribly well-regarded. Accordingly, the cover to this issue is pretty blah, with way too many floating heads covering things up while featuring a terrible Scorpion redesign (which somehow manages to be too different from the classic look yet also not ridiculously-90s enough to justify the change).
#6 – Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 3) #1 (2014)
Art by Humberto Ramos
No knock on Ramos, who is generally an outstanding Spider-Man artist. But this volume launched in the wake of the conclusion of Superior Spider-Man, the series which saw Doctor Octopus’ mind take over Peter Parker’s body and operate as Spider-Man. Thus, the desire to underscore that this Spider-Man is once again Peter Parker himself is understandable. But without that context, the end result is the first issue of a Spider-Man comic in which we don’t actually see Spider-Man in all his glory on the cover.
#5 – Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #1 – 2018
Art by Ryan Ottley
Collage covers are a go-to technique for modern #1 issues (when a character already has an established Rogues Gallery and supporting cast to feature, vs. the old days when a new #1 was the genuine start of something new). But this assortment of villains and allies suffers from some awkward staging (why are all the villains different sizes?) that ultimately obscures, rather than enhances, the title character.
#4 – Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 7) #1 – 2025
Art by Pepe Larraz
A much better version of the modern collage cover, with a stronger sense of design, as all the villains are converging on Spider-Man with multiple levels of depth to their formation. As with the Ottley cover, it does suffer a bit from downplaying Spidey himself, while also making it look like he’s leading the villainous charge moreso than running from it.
#3 – Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 6) #1 – 2022
Art by John Romita Jr.
JRJr is one of the signature Spider-Man artists of all time, and a worthy choice to cover the first issue of the volume launched in Spidey’s 60th anniversary year. It’s a dynamic image that puts Spider-Man front and center, with the “thwip” sound effect giving a touch of the classic. Only the somewhat awkward positioning of the front foot keeps it from ranking higher.
#2 – Amazing Spider-Man #1 – 1963
Art by Jack Kirby
Spidey’s very first #1 – only his second appearance – leans on a guest appearance from established Marvel superstars the Fantastic Four to help entice readers who may have missed Spider-Man’s first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 (which, if it was being included in these rankings, would likely nab the #1 spot running away). While commercially understandable, it results in the title character playing second fiddle (or, at best, co-fiddle) on the cover of his first solo series, which is enough to overcome the cover’s otherwise classic and nostalgic feel to keep it out of the top spot.
#1 – Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 4) #1 – 2015
Art by Alex Ross
Saying Alex Ross strikes the right balance between classic and contemporary is almost cliché, but that’s because it’s mostly true. Echoing the sharp, upper left angle of the logo from the first #1 to a greater degree than any other subsequent volume, combined with a classic, dynamic image of Spidey racing through the skyline of New York, channels the history of the character. At the same time, the collage elements (without overshadowing the central figure) and slightly off-kilter perspective give it a modern touch. The combination results in the best Amazing Spider-Man #1 cover yet.
