If you’ve ever attempted to start reading Spider-Man, you’ll know its a long and grueling task just to decide where to jump in. There are decades worth of comics featuring the Web-Slinger out now, and since Marvel comics use a rolling continuity, the universe has never had a true reboot. This makes it extremely difficult to decide just what issue is a good start, and not the middle of an ongoing run. That’s why today I’m bringing you exactly what you need to know to jump in.
First thing is first. You need to decide what you’re looking for in your journey. You can jump into Peter Parker’s story in a couple different spots and get a good experience, or you can read from the beginning of his story starting at a couple of different points. We will start with the origins first.
The important thing here is whether you’re looking to read nearly one thousand issues, or just a couple hundred to get caught up. Marvel comics decided, in 2000, that they wanted to create a new universe to start some stories over again in a more modern setting. This new Universe was labeled the “Ultimate” universe, giving us new versions, in some ways, of our favorite characters. The best part about starting Peter’s journey here is that the Ultimate Comics rarely waste time on “filler”. The story is stream-lined in a way that allows nearly no room for slow points. It moves quickly and introduces you to the brand new origins of most Villains you’ve come to know and love. The main narrative of the story remains the same as it was in its original state, leaving just enough room to make it feel new and exciting. It will give you a good amount of reading, however this version of Peter Parker won’t make it into the new Universe post Secret Wars(2015).
The other way to get into the story from the beginning is going all the way back. That’s right, you can always go back to 1962 when Spider-Man was First introduced in “Amazing Fantasy” #15, and then continue reading in “Amazing Spider-Man” #1 from 1963. This is the lengthy route, and without Marvel Unlimited it is unlikely you’ll be able to read it all. If you can however, you’re in for nearly 1000 issues of Peter Parker in all his glory. From the first bite to where his story currently resides in the new Universe Post Secret Wars. The beauty of reading the entirety of his story here is that it will give you the absolute best and worst. From the clone sagas that people despise, to the truly great stories like “Vengeance Of Venom”. However if you’re planning to go that route, I don’t think you’ll need much help from this guide. So lets move on to where you can jump in to some more modern stories from the original 616 universe.
The Hero Watch 