My feelings on Spider-Man are that if you’re going to read the comics, you should head straight for the original 1962 issues by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. They’re like the Beatles albums; original, distinctive, memorable and a derivation point for the decades of material that followed. I’ve recommended the classic stories here and here, but I also recognise that modern readers may be put off by the 60-year gap since these were first published. The problem with finding a jumping on point in modern Spider-Man comics is the lack of accessibility; the ongoing storyline having since morphed into a decades-long soap-opera, with dozens of interlinked characters, deaths, resurrections, twists and reversals.
It’s frustrating that Marvel have not stepped in and produced a series of quick 5-min summary videos to explain the relationships of all the characters, clones, friends and foes that now populate Peter Parker‘s crowded life. The timeline of Norman Osborn (Green Goblin) alone is enough to make your head spin. Fan wiki’s are available, but are so comprehensive that they may cause more confusion than they clear; eg. Fandom lists 19 different Eddie Brock‘s (Venom/ Anti-Venom), 20 different Felicia Hardy‘s (Black Cat) and 35 Gwen Stacy‘s (hint: the characters from the core Marvel comic continuity are designated Earth-616, you can pretty much ignore all the rest). If you can find it though, I would actually recommend that new readers get their hands on a copy of the Spider-Man Saga one-off, which gives a potted history of the comics published from 2007-2010; an era known as ‘Brand New Day‘ which attempted to streamline the continuity with a back-to-basics status-quo. Although the storyline still seems fairly convoluted, Saga at least gives a convenient intro to key characters such as Black Cat, the new Madame Web, Norah Winters, J Jonah Jameson Sr and the evil Peter Parker clone Kaine. Originally given away for free at comic shops, this booklet was deliberately timed to coincide with the next big relaunch of The Amazing Spider-Man title, from #648 in Nov 2010, under the banner of Big Time.
The brainchild of Spidey-writer Dan Slott; the Big Time era put a neat spin on Peter Parker’s traditional situation by reversing his usual stream of terrible luck. From the kick-off Peter has a successful job in Horizon Science Labs, a burgeoning romance with new girlfriend Carlie Cooper; and as Spider-Man, enjoys the perks of being a high-profile member of premier superteam The Avengers. The first couple of arcs in particular (Big Time and Revenge Of The Spider Slayer) are bright, fun adventures packed with big action and some creative gags. Although the featured Rogues come with a lot of legacy baggage, Slott’s breakneck pacing and the spectacular artwork from respectively Humberto Ramos and Stefano Caselli will sweep along new readers for the ride.
The subsequent issues meander slightly, as they (re)introduce the Fantastic Four into Peter’s life, as well as monstrous vigilante Anti-Venom. By far the most successful of these issues are #655, #656 and in particular #665; all of which are low-key, character-based thrillers with smaller cast and tighter focus on Peter trying to overcome some very personal tragedies. Although the pacing and tone are a bit haphazard in this section of the run, the ongoing soap opera is still compelling, and events do build well to the blockbuster arc starting in Amazing Spider-Man #666, Spider Island.
Spider Island is a big-screen epic of an arc, drawing in a wide cast of Spider-heroes, Avengers, X-Men and the FF. The plotline sees a classic Spider-Man foe covertly unleash an epidemic upon the island of Manhattan which bestows spider-like powers on the entire population; although events quickly spin out of control as many of the afflicted do not share Peter Parker’s sense of great responsibility. Stripping away Peter’s power advantage is a fantastic conceipt, allowing some of the minor supporting cast their moments in the spot-light instead, and forcing Peter to fall back on his STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) know-how to save the day. This is Peter Parker living his best life, and the excitement is infectious. The potent mixture of drama and action would lend itself very well to either a future entry in the Marvel movie franchise or in the Sony PS computer game series. There were numerous tie-in issues to this arc amongst related titles, but none are necessary to understand and enjoy the core story.
Thanks to high action quotient and a wealth of crowd-pleasing character beats, I think Spider Island could be enjoyed by new readers in isolation, although it does work best as the culmination of Slott’s run since the start of Big Time, with call-backs on many plot threads and gags set up throughout those arcs. Although the original issues of this run are now quite pricey (due to first appearances of a few characters and costumes); collections are available, and I’d recommend jumping into these either digitally or in print from your local comic shop. New readers willing to go through a learning curve of characters and continuity will be well rewarded for the investment of time and attention.