The Top Ten Most Important Spider-Man Stories of the 1970s

[Mister Mets]

I've asked this about the 80s and the 90s, but what are the most important Spider-Man comics of the 70s?

The first draft of my list.

10. Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #1: Launch of a satellite book. This marks the first time that big events in Peter's life are supposed to happen outside Amazing Spider-Man.
9. Amazing Spider-Man #96-98: Stan Lee pushes against the comics code.
8. Amazing Spider-Man #88-90: Death of popular supporting character overshadowed by later tragedies.
7. Amazing Spider-Man #147-149: This was the original clone saga, and the first time a writer provided an ending to their run.
6. Marvel Team Up #1: It's the first satellite, It's also when Spider-Man starts interacting with the Marvel Universe a lot more, and marks a more heroic/ sympathetic turn for Sandman
5. Amazing Spider-Man #194-195: Black Cat's debut.
4. Amazing Spider-Man #136-137: Harry Osborn Green Goblin saga turns the goblin saga into one of legacy.
3. Amazing Spider-Man #100-102: Stan Lee's run ends/ first Morbius
2. Amazing Spider-Man #129: The Punisher/ the Jackal
1. Amazing Spider-Man #121-122: Everything changes

What would you guys do differently?

[Revolutionary_Jack]

The most important is

Superman versus The Amazing Spider-Man.

That was a huge comic event. It also coronated Spider-Man as the equal of Superman and one of the three big heroes alongside Batman, despite being such a recent character. That comic also sold like gangbusters and was the direct inspiration for Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, since while Dn King and Muhammad Ali didn’t know DC or Marvel continuity they did know that comic and how it sold so that attracted them to do a crossover promo comic with Superman.

Also Spider-Man’s first AU story.

[Mister Mets]

The most important is

Superman versus The Amazing Spider-Man.

That was a huge comic event. It also coronated Spider-Man as the equal of Superman and one of the three big heroes alongside Batman, despite being such a recent character. That comic also sold like gangbusters and was the direct inspiration for Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, since while Dn King and Muhammad Ali didn’t know DC or Marvel continuity they did know that comic and how it sold so that attracted them to do a crossover promo comic with Superman.

Also Spider-Man’s first AU story.

That's a good argument for a story I didn't really consider. I probably wouldn't put it above the first Punisher appearance or the comic that arguably marked the end of the silver age, but third place seems fine.

[Celgress]

That's a good argument for a story I didn't really consider. I probably wouldn't put it above the first Punisher appearance or the comic that arguably marked the end of the silver age, but third place seems fine.

I agree with you completely Mets. While it was a good story its significance doesn't rank above the Night Gwen Stacy Died, or the first appearance of Punisher, or even Spectacular Spider-Man #1 (the first ongoing satellite title).

[Scott Taylor]

Tough decade for Spider-Man, it was overall pretty mundane without a lot of significant stories in spite of having the biggest Spider-Man story of all time. Personally, I enjoyed many of the stories but lots of them feel kind of small compared with the other decades' best and biggest stories.

Popular culture was overall bad for Spider-Man in the 1970s. We had the classic Animated TV series ending right at the start of the decade, a high point for the character, followed by an important role for Spider-Man on Electric Company, which spawned a more "family-oriented" Spider-Man comic book series, too. Meanwhile in the comics we had MTU, PPTSSM and ASM. All good.

Then the big Superman crossover which was decent. Spider-Man was way more popular at the time that one-shot was published but that was to change quickly. The infamously bad live action Spider-Man TV series appeared in Prime Time at right about the same time the brilliant Donner Superman film appeared. No contest, game over for Spider-Man. That Spider-Man series deserved all of its criticism and it pretty much killed Spider-Man in popular culture for a while.

So on topic - Mets has put together the definitive list, I think, and the only edit I have is to add:

New Goblin - Len Wein (ASM 176-180)

[Mister Mets]

Tough decade for Spider-Man, it was overall pretty mundane without a lot of significant stories in spite of having the biggest Spider-Man story of all time. Personally, I enjoyed many of the stories but lots of them feel kind of small compared with the other decades' best and biggest stories.

Popular culture was overall bad for Spider-Man in the 1970s. We had the classic Animated TV series ending right at the start of the decade, a high point for the character, followed by an important role for Spider-Man on Electric Company, which spawned a more "family-oriented" Spider-Man comic book series, too. Meanwhile in the comics we had MTU, PPTSSM and ASM. All good.

Then the big Superman crossover which was decent. Spider-Man was way more popular at the time that one-shot was published but that was to change quickly. The infamously bad live action Spider-Man TV series appeared in Prime Time at right about the same time the brilliant Donner Superman film appeared. No contest, game over for Spider-Man. That Spider-Man series deserved all of its criticism and it pretty much killed Spider-Man in popular culture for a while.

So on topic - Mets has put together the definitive list, I think, and the only edit I have is to add:

New Goblin - Len Wein (ASM 176-180)

What made the new Goblin story important? Was it the length and non-Osborn goblin?

I agree with you completely Mets. While it was a good story its significance doesn't rank above the Night Gwen Stacy Died, or the first appearance of Punisher, or even Spectacular Spider-Man #1 (the first ongoing satellite title).

Thanks.

Do you think Spec was fundamentally different as a satellite title from Marvel Team Up in terms of importance?

[Revolutionary_Jack]

One thing we can agree on, Gerry Conway was absolutely the most important, dominating writer of the 1970s.

He wrote The Night Gwen Stacy Died, The First Clone Saga, the first appearance of the Punisher, he was the editor who created the Spectacular Spider-Man and wrote the opening run. And he wrote Superman versus The Amazing Spider-Man.

And all this in his early-to-mid 20s. And in about five years of that decade.

Conway is probably the only real time a single writer had such a dominating impact on a single decade. In the '60s Stan Lee was important but he was a co-writer with Ditko and later Romita Sr. Then in the 80s, Stern, Defalco, Michelinie form a triumvirate in terms of defining and stamping on that decade. the 90s had...well no one.

The 2000s was the decade of Bendis and JMS, and also Joe Quesada. The 2010s had Bendis again, and Dan Slott, as well as Jason Latour in terms of real influence and impact.

[Scott Taylor]

What made the new Goblin story important? Was it the length and non-Osborn goblin?

For me, it was the treatment of Harry Osborn and MJ in the story. Plus it extended the goblin persona outside of the Osborn family for the first time. Which was ultimately overshadowed by the introduction of Hobgoblin. But I think this story also highlighted the art of Ross Andru more than most, and that he was one of the highlights of the era (I feel he was the "Conway" of the art department).

As I said, the era had a couple of great stories but most of the highs weren't all that high. We have cited the Clone Saga, which really was a dog of a story by most measurements.

[Lee]

I've asked this about the 80s and the 90s, but what are the most important Spider-Man comics of the 70s?

This is a somewhat different question than the one posed in the title. Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #1 is an important Spider-Man comic, but it's not an important Spider-Man story. What criteria are we using?

[Revolutionary_Jack]

We have cited the Clone Saga, which really was a dog of a story by most measurements.

The First Clone Saga is a great story and is in fact considered one of the best Spider-Man stories. It shows up on a number of lists especially recently. Sean Howe's book Marvel An Untold Story, which is mostly on the business side stops to talk of that story and how it has some of the most human and stirring moments overall.

Likewise, it was at the end of the First Clone Saga that Peter and MJ really became a couple, and that set in stone Conway's greatest contribution to Spider-Man mythos, the Peter-MJ love story which became the emotional center of the entire franchise.

In a real sense, Spider-Man continuity hasn't really moved past Conway whereas it has moved past Lee-Romita a great deal...
-- Norman Osborn isn't some good guy deep down inside for instance.
-- Kingpin is not some bond villain knockoff.
-- Peter doesn't live rent-free in Manhattan.
-- Gwen is not the love of Peter's life.

I mean in Conway's run, Peter finds an apartment in Chelsea which becomes his "pad" for more than 10 real-time years in publication history.

[Mister Mets]

This is a somewhat different question than the one posed in the title. Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #1 is an important Spider-Man comic, but it's not an important Spider-Man story. What criteria are we using?

I mainly referred to story so that people don't vote for different parts of an important tale as different entities (IE- Amazing Spider-Man #121 and #122.)

It's mainly a distinction without a difference. Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #1 remains an important story because it has a structural impact on later material, even if the particular events aren't of consequence.

It matters that this kicked off a trend of one book focusing on one aspect of Peter's private life (the college stories) while another focused on something else (the Daily Bugle.)

As a contrast, when Marvel Team-Up kicked off it didn't end team-ups in Amazing Spider-Man. During the first two years of the title's existence, Spider-Man encountered Doctor Strange (Amazing Spider-Man #109), the Hulk (Amazing Spider-Man #119-120), and Luke Cage (Amazing Spider-Man #123) in the main book.

[Scott Taylor]

The First Clone Saga is a great story and is in fact considered one of the best Spider-Man stories. It shows up on a number of lists especially recently. Sean Howe's book Marvel An Untold Story, which is mostly on the business side stops to talk of that story and how it has some of the most human and stirring moments overall.

Likewise, it was at the end of the First Clone Saga that Peter and MJ really became a couple, and that set in stone Conway's greatest contribution to Spider-Man mythos, the Peter-MJ love story which became the emotional center of the entire franchise.

In a real sense, Spider-Man continuity hasn't really moved past Conway whereas it has moved past Lee-Romita a great deal...
-- Norman Osborn isn't some good guy deep down inside for instance.
-- Kingpin is not some bond villain knockoff.
-- Peter doesn't live rent-free in Manhattan.
-- Gwen is not the love of Peter's life.

I mean in Conway's run, Peter finds an apartment in Chelsea which becomes his "pad" for more than 10 real-time years in publication history.

All sad. The Clone Saga is worth reading for historical relevance, and the writing is good, but conceptually it was dumb. Lee missed Gwen, was getting grief from fans over her death, and forced Conway to bring her back. Gwen should never have been greenlit to come back as a clone, it was ill-conceived and ended up giving us the many low points of the 1990s ultimately.

The biggest weakness of the original Clone Saga is that it felt like an unfinished story, raising way more questions than it answered. Marvel felt that way, too, as they had Archie Goodwin step in to make sense of it all best he could. When he wrote the story, Conway was a bitter man at that point, and was done with Marvel. He left more dangling chads in that story than an election in Florida!

Conway is largely the reason why Spider-Man continuity can't move past Conway. Not because he was such a great writer that no one can top him ever - after all he wrote the Kangaroo story - but because basically no one was paying enough attention during his era to keep what he was doing in check. I mean, Stan was barely aware he was going to kill Gwen! We got the best Spider-Man story ever out of it so I won't complain. But thats a double-edged sword because it catapulted him to Spider-sainthood, regardless of the kangaroos and Parallel Lives (I hate this story, too) he would later write.

Are you really going to die on the Clone Saga hill, here, generalissimo?

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Gwen should never have been greenlit to come back as a clone, it was ill-conceived and ended up giving us the many low points of the 1990s ultimately.

The fact is that the First clone saga wasn't addressed for 20 years, the Jackal was missing and gone, and aside for an annual to Spectacular Spider-Man by Conway a decade later, there was no follow-up to the Gwenclone.

It's unfair and unjust and inaccurate to blame the second clone saga on Conway's original story, since in the immediate aftermath that story didn't have any deep effect on continuity issues.

Just because 90s Clonistas misread Conway's original story and the overall intent does not mean that it's Conway's fault.

I mean, Stan was barely aware he was going to kill Gwen!

That's Stan Lee in CYA mode. He knew the story beforehand but he later forgot because of his "faulty memory" or so on. Most likely, he either didn't care or didn't think it would be a big deal. If Stan Lee truly cared about Gwen he would have gone out of his way to bring her back and keep her in the limelight, like for instance the newspaper strip on which he had total control over.

Roy Thomas had to write a public letter to confirm that Stan Lee knew the story because the impression Lee's actions gave was him throwing a young writer under the bus all for the sake of looking cool to people at his college lecture tours. As a company, and as EIC, Thomas (who was Lee's closest associate at Marvel) had to call him out.

Parallel Lives

Not published in the 70s, my dude. Although 80s Conway is interesting what with the Tombstone Saga and of course Parallel Lives.

[Celgress]

...Do you think Spec was fundamentally different as a satellite title from Marvel Team Up in terms of importance?

Yes, as it was the first ongoing satellite title that focused on Spidey & co rather than a gimmick (who would team up). It gave less seen characters and aspects of Peter's dual life a place to shine by being more fully developed.

[Shadowcat]

One thing we can agree on, Gerry Conway was absolutely the most important, dominating writer of the 1970s.

He wrote The Night Gwen Stacy Died, The First Clone Saga, the first appearance of the Punisher, he was the editor who created the Spectacular Spider-Man and wrote the opening run. And he wrote Superman versus The Amazing Spider-Man.

And all this in his early-to-mid 20s. And in about five years of that decade.

Conway is probably the only real time a single writer had such a dominating impact on a single decade. In the '60s Stan Lee was important but he was a co-writer with Ditko and later Romita Sr. Then in the 80s, Stern, Defalco, Michelinie form a triumvirate in terms of defining and stamping on that decade. the 90s had...well no one.

The 2000s was the decade of Bendis and JMS, and also Joe Quesada. The 2010s had Bendis again, and Dan Slott, as well as Jason Latour in terms of real influence and impact.

I’d add Mantlo, and Peter David to that list of influential writers in the 80’s, and move Michelinie to the 90’s.