EXCLUSIVE! The 50th anniversary of the cult-fave Spider-Man title — featuring the Tarantula!
Marvel in May will be publishing two Facsimile Editions: the latest in its 1968 Silver Surfer run — which you can read about here — and 1976’s Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #1, featuring the Tarantula, who just happens to be slated to appear in this summer’s MCU flick Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Dig the solicitation info, which will be officially released by Marvel later this month:
PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #1 FACSIMILE EDITION
Written by GERRY CONWAY
Penciled by SAL BUSCEMA
Cover by SAL BUSCEMA
The landmark first issue of Spider-Man’s second solo series! In the sensational seventies, Spidey fans just couldn’t get enough of their favorite super hero in the pages of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and MARVEL TEAM-UP – so the web-head got another long-running series, with Peter Parker getting top billing! But fear not, there’s plenty of costumed action as Spidey shows exactly why he deserves to be called SPECTACULAR in a clash of the arachnids with the deadly Tarantula! It’s one of the all-time great Marvel comic books, boldly re-presented in its original form, ads and all! Reprinting PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #1.
32 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
On sale 5/13
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Several thoughts:
— Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #1 was released in September 1976, so this is a nice little early 50th anniversary celebration. (There was a Facsimile released in 2022, as well, reader Adam Frey points out.)
— I have always loved the Tarantula’s design. He’s been leaked as a villain in Brand New Day, and I hope they stay close to his badass outfit.
— I imagine this was planned before the recent death of Sal Buscema, but it’s a nice tip of the web, nonetheless.
— Obligatory Price Comparison: An unslabbed, VF+/NM original recently sold on eBay for $50.
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MORE
— 1968’s SILVER SURFER #3: Marvel Sets Date for FACSIMILE EDITION Featuring MEPHISTO’s Debut. Click here.
— MARVEL to Re-Release 1977 MEMORY ALBUM CALENDAR for 2027. Click here.
February 16, 2026
I remember being initially disappointed because this book was called Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man. So I thought it would be more about Peter Parker and his supporting cast, characters I really enjoyed. Still it was a lot of fun and I bought it fairly consistently for a while.
February 16, 2026
Whew. This one’s a reprint of a reprint (the prior edition was in 2022), so my wallet gets a break!
February 16, 2026
I wish they’d print every issue at least once before repeating themselves. I don’t need this one at all.
February 16, 2026
Wow, I totally forgot about that. Good point!
February 16, 2026
I missed out on the far cheaper True Believers copy so there will be fifty copies waiting for young trick or treaters this Halloween. I am disappointed that Marvel passed on the Classic Sgt Fury/Captain America team up from Sgt Fury #13 for Memorial Day, maybe for July?
February 17, 2026
>> Classic Sgt Fury/Captain America team up from Sgt Fury #13
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Since you brought this issue up before and I have become aware of it, I can’t agree more with you. They should have re-released Jack’s bicentennial treasury too!
February 17, 2026
I just want to note that by my current count, Marvel has done 156 facsimile reprints and DC is only at 148. (This count includes announced but not released issues through May of 2026. DC’s May ’26 solicits aren’t out yet but I counted TDKR #4 and Year Two part 4.) My count covers everything under the “facsimile” banner since 2020 or so (whenever both companies started doing these regularly) and does *not* count multiple subsequent printings or the non-facsimile reprints like True Believers and Dollar Comics.
* DC might arguably be at 146 since I included a) the Treasury-sized Untold Legend of the Batman, which isn’t really a facsimile but a jumbo collection of three issues, and b) the “faux-simile” of Batman #428, which does include original ads but alters a few pages.
Anyway, Marvel is in the lead, but DC is quickly catching up given that they do 4-6 facsimiles per month now. I’d expect DC will take over by the end of the summer at this rate.
I am aware that there’s some convention-exclusive facsimiles out there that go back well earlier than 2020. Trying to identify and catalog all of those is going to be too much work, so I’m going with the current facsimile model only.