Issues of Amazing Spider-Man are arguably the most sought-after comics by both collectors and investors.  Prices keep rising as a result, pushing these comics beyond the reach of many.  However, there is an alternative – one that features Spider-Man and is rising rapidly in value.  For budget-conscious collectors and investors looking for value, is now the time to consider Spectacular Spider-Man as a worthy alternative to Amazing Spider-Man?

Amazing vs. Spectacular Comparison

In 1976, Marvel decided that their flagship character, Spider-Man, was growing in popularity enough to merit and sustain a second solo series.  Thus was born Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man.  Trying to compare individual issues of Spectacular Spider-Man to their numerically equivalent issues of Amazing Spider-Man is an apples-to-oranges comparison.  Better comparables are issues of Amazing Spider-Man from the same time period.  Just to keep things fair, let’s take a look at growth in value and see if Spectacular Spider-Man can keep up.

Rapidly Rising First Issue

Our first comparison will be Spectacular Spider-Man #1 from December 1976 vs. Amazing Spider-Man #162 from November 1976.  Why ASM #162?  It’s a key issue, featuring both a fairly early Punisher appearance and a very early Nightcrawler appearance.  In fact, it’s Nightcrawler’s first appearance on his own, outside of Uncanny X-Men.

Being a first issue, we would expect a higher value for Spectacular Spider-Man #1, and with an FMV of $525 vs. Amazing Spider-Man #162’s FMV of $450, we see that this is indeed the case.  However, in December 2020, a 9.8 graded copy of ASM #162 sold for $492.20, while in November 2020, a 9.8 graded copy of Spectacular #1 sold for $242.25.  Flash forward a little over a year and we see the latest sales of 9.8 graded copies going for $576 for ASM #162 and $780 for Spectacular #1.

That’s a 17% increase for the former and a 222% increase for the latter.  Return on investment definitely favors Spectacular #1 in this case, and we would expect as much for a first issue.  However, as we’ll see, early Spectacular Spider-Man key issues are showing better returns than their comparable Bronze Age Amazing Spider-Man key issues.

White Tiger vs. Rocket Racer

Our next comparison is Spectacular Spider-Man #9 from August 1977 – the first appearance of White Tiger in a comic book – and Amazing Spider-Man #172 from September 1977 – the first appearance of Rocket Racer.

Current FMVs for a 9.8 graded copy are $600 and $260 respectively.  However, this price disparity wasn’t the case a year or so ago.  In November 2020, a 9.8 of Amazing Spider-Man #172 sold for $271.50.  By June 2021, the last sale of a 9.8 the price had dropped to $228.  Conversely, a 9.8 of Spectacular Spider-Man #9 sold for $221.28 in December 2020, and then went for $589.20 in October 2021, a 166% ROI in just 10 months, while ASM #172 lost value.

Cloak & Dagger vs. Juggernaut

Our final comparison is Spectacular Spider-Man #64 from March 1982 – the first appearance of Cloak and Dagger – and Amazing Spider-Man #229 from June 1982 – a key issue and fan-favorite featuring everyone’s favorite wall-crawler facing off against the Juggernaut.

A 9.8 of ASM #229 sold in January 2021 for $157.50 and then went for $285 in February 2022, an 81% ROI.  Pretty good return, wouldn’t you say?  But let’s take a look at Spectacular #64.  A 9.8 sold in October 2020 for $302.32.  By February 2022, the price for a copy in the same grade sold for $713.64, a 136% ROI.

A Spectacular Investment

While I would love to say case closed here, it is fair to point out that I took the three most valuable issues of Spectacular Spider-Man and compared them to key, although not the most important or valuable, issues of Amazing Spider-Man.  That’s not the point.  The point is this – while others are focused on Amazing Spider-Man, smart collectors are beginning to turn to Spectacular Spider-Man as not just a cheaper alternative but a worthwhile investment.

The return on investment for issues of Spectacular is just as good, if not better in some cases, as those for ASM.  It’s not just these three keys, either.  Spectacular Spider-Man #22 – 111% return on investment in less than a year.  Spectacular Spider-Man #69 – 109% ROI in less than a year.  Spectacular Spider-Man #99 – 115% ROI in one year.

Many issues of Spectacular are showing great gains.  If you’re a Spider-Man fan, and you find yourself out of the running on key issues of Amazing Spider-Man, consider looking into Spectacular Spider-Man keys.  You’ll find some great books that are climbing in value, won’t hurt your wallet as much, and – most important of all – some great Spider-Man reads.

Are you a Spider-Man fan who has started collecting or investing in Spectacular Spider-Man?  Let us know below.

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not reflect investment advice on behalf of GoCollect.