For the past 50 years, Spider-Man has been great fodder for comic book cover eye candy. Many artists want a kick at the can of drawing an iconic Spider-Man slinging, or perched, on the cover of the Amazing Spider-Man. the best Spider-Man covers show the wall-crawler at his contortion-prone best. A Spider-Man cover is to a comic book artist what hosting Saturday Night Live is to an actor.
For aficionados of classic cover art, check out these high quality decals of best Spider-Man covers from RoomMates.
Best Spider-Man Covers: Choosing the top 25
In a similar vein of our best Spider-Man stories of all time, we chose the best Spider-Man covers by scouring the Internet for lists, giving a heavier weighting to professional publications, though adding in a lot of message board submissions. The results of the definitive top 25 best Spider-Man covers are now available to you, below.
The Top 25 Best Spider-Man Covers
25. Amazing Spider-Man #20
Artist: Steve Ditko
It is fitting that begin this list with the artist that began it all, Steve Ditko. Though Jack Kirby gets credit alongside Steve Ditko for the first Spider-Man cover, Ditko is the artist that truly first brought Spider-Man to life.
This entry, from the earliest run of Amazing Spider-Man, features Spider-Man and a stubbly tailed Scorpion.
It is also a sign of things to come, as you will notice how heavily favored these classic, early covers are compared to some of the detailed, modern Spider-Man covers, perhaps a sign of how ubiquitous the twisting, swinging, lurking Spider-Man has become as cover art, rendering them forgettable.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #20 (BUY)
24. Amazing Spider-Man #28
Artist: Steve Ditko
Amazing Spider-Man #28 is another Ditko masterpiece. Unlike the previous issue, which was pretty standard fare for the era, this one is much more unique. The monochrome Spider-Man and glowing Molten Man really contrast characters while playing up their characteristics.
The cover is also one of the earliest pieces are depicting Spider-Man in darker tones, something that will be much more prominent in the modern era, as artists give him a more stealthier look.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #28 (BUY)
23. Amazing Spider-Man #300
Artist: Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane, with issue #300, launched a whole new generation of Spider-Man cover art fans.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #300 (BUY)
22. Spectacular Spider-Man #79
Artist: Al Milgrom
There was a time when Spectacular Spider-Man was the Spider-Man comic to get, ahead of even Amazing. This is perhaps the beginning of that era. And while Milgrom might not named alongside McFarlane and Ditko, this particular pop-art monochrome cover is perhaps one of the frameable Spider-Man covers ever.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Spectacular Spider-Man #79 (BUY)
21. Amazing Spider-Man #600
Artist: Alex Ross
One of the most recent covers on our list is Amazing Spider-Man #600 featuring none other than Alex Ross. This is one of the few painted Spider-Man covers, and Alex Ross pulls out perhaps some of his best work.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #600 (BUY)
20. Amazing Spider-Man #251
Artist: Ed Hannigan
The Copper Age was great for the Amazing Spider-Man, with the ongoing mystery of the Hobgoblin that thrilled readers for months. This cover is not only great on its own, but also works great at representing this particular run as a whole.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #251 (BUY)
19. Amazing Spider-Man #75
Artist: John Romita Sr.
This definitely is the only cover featuring Spider-Man feeling guilty, but it certainly ranks up there with the best. It also adds another issue in a long line of them for John Romita Sr.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #75 (BUY)
18. Amazing Spider-Man #151
Artist: John Romita Sr.
Another John Romita Jr. classic.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man 151 (BUY)
17. Amazing Spider-Man #136
Artist: John Romita Sr.
John Romita Sr picks up the lead with the most covers on this list. Personally, there are many other Green Goblin/Harry Osborn I prefer, such as Sal Buscema’s Spectacular Spider-Man #200.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man 136 (BUY)
16. Amazing Spider-Man #361
Artist: Mark Bagley
While Bagley never attained the status that McFarlane did, to me his is one the most quintessential Spider-Man artists. His Peter Parker is spot on, both in the 616 and Ultimate universes. This is his first and only entry on the list, and features Carnage’s first cover as well.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #361 (BUY)
15. Spectacular Spider-Man #101
Artist: John Byrne
This is another great monochromatic Spider-Man cover, which went over even better during the black costume years. This John Byrne cover rightfully displaces Amazing #300 in best Spider-Man covers rankings.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Spectacular Spider-Man #101 (BUY)
14. Amazing Spider-Man #90
Artist: John Romita Sr
John Romita Sr strikes again with another iconic Spider-Man cover. It is contains a classic Spider-Man rendering, mystery and speech bubbles along with a simple, bold tag line and the webbed Spider-Man logo. All in all, this a just a classic Silver Age Spider-Man cover, not even considering the importance of the events within the issue.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #90 (BUY)
13. Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #43
Artist: John Romita Jr
JRJR steps out of his father’s spotlight to claim an a top Spider-Man cover in our rankings. John Romita Jr had a long run on various Spider-Man titles, and he improved every decade.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #43 (BUY)
12. Amazing Spider-Man #252
Artist: Ron Frenz
This play on Spider-Man’s first cover, Amazing Fantasy #15, by Ron Frenz features Spider-Man’s first published cover featuring the black symbiote costume (the first official appearance happens in Secret Wars #8, though was released a bit later).
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #252 (BUY)
11. Amazing Spider-Man #67
Artist: John Romita Jr
Not only are the pencils so perfect that this cover would look great even it where just the breakdowns, the use of color was pitch-perfect, especially in Silver Age times, where coloring options weren’t as broad as they are today.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #67 (BUY)
Top 10 Best Spider-Man Covers
10. Web of Spider-Man #1
Artist: Charles Vess
Another great black costume cover, this time in painted format courtesy of Charles Vess.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Web of Spider-Man #1 (BUY)
9. Amazing Spider-Man #601
Artist: J. Scott Campbell
For someone who has never penciled a full issue of Spider-Man, J. Scott Campbell has done a number of beautiful covers that surpass many created by longtime Spider-Man artists. He also created what could be argued the second most iconic Mary Jane Watson pose (next to her first appearance “Jackpot” pose).
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #601 (BUY)
8. Spectacular Spider-Man (1968 Magazine) #2
Artist: John Romita Sr
Painted and by Romita Sr: a killer combination. Great covers is what keeps this short lived Spider-Man in magazine format series alive in the minds of fans.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine #2 (BUY)
7. Amazing Spider-Man #500
Artist: J. Scott Campbell
J. Scott Campbell strikes another classic cover. Someone get this guy on Amazing Spider-Man now.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #500 (BUY)
6. Amazing Spider-Man #122
Artist: J. Scott Campbell
While conceptually Romita Sr’s Death of Captain Stacy a much nicer cover on its own, the sheer weight of the events depicted on this issue trump most anything else, giving this a much higher ranking. You’ll see many more reproductions of this cover, giving it and edge.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #122 (BUY)
Top 5 Best Spider-Man Covers
5. Amazing Spider-Man #50
Artist: John Romita Sr
An iconic cover to one of Spider-Man’s greatest stories focusing on Peter’s eternal struggle whether to quit Spider-Man, this definitely deserves its top 5 ranking.
Get this cover as a giant, removable wall decal from RoomMates:
Spider-Man Walking Away Comic Cover Giant Wall Decal
4. Web of Spider-Man #32
Artist: Mike Zeck
The best Spider-Man covers also depict an important event in his history, so it’s no wonder we see a cover depicting the all-time great Kraven’s Last Hunt storyline scoring so high.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Web of Spider-Man #32 (BUY)
3. Amazing Spider-Man #55
Artist: John Romita Sr
Dock Ock’s ugly mug isn’t enough to shy us away from this great cover. Simple, clean lines and a great framing device is a welcome departure from other covers from the era in Spider-Man (or any era, really).
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #55 (BUY)
2. Amazing Spider-Man #33
Artist: Steve Ditko
“If this be my destiny” is perhaps the best Spider-Man storyline, which concludes with a often-homaged scene of Spider-Man rising from the rubble, which is depicted on this cover. Not only does the cover stand on its own, but the fact that it represents such a memorable scene within the issue is what propulses to the top of the charts.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #33 (BUY)
1. Amazing Spider-Man #39
Artist: John Romita Sr
This Green Goblin cover has often been imitated, and this image of Spider-Man, unmasked, being dragged through the air now singlehandedly represents his early battles with his nemesis.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Spider-Man #39 (BUY)
Honorable Mentions: Amazing Fantasy #15 and Spider-Man #1
Artist: Jack Kirby / Steve Ditko
Because these covers have been so often reproduced, they somehow got shunted from the top 25, due to vote splitting with other versions (Amazing #252 and Spider-Man #13, respectively). They deserve at least an honorable mention among the best Spider-Man covers.
Best Spider-Man Covers Issue:
Amazing Fantasy #15 (BUY)
Spider-Man #1 (BUY)
Artist: Todd McFarlane