The Amazing Spider-Man is a 1999 superhero comic book from Marvel Comics, a long runner that ran until 2013.
It is the second series to use the Amazing Spider-Man title, and was folded back into Legacy numbering following the 58th issue in 2003. Despite the renumbering, Marvel generally treats issue #545 onwards as a continuation of this series, not a revival of the original 1963 title.
The series is notable for being helmed by a series of writers—Howard Mackie, John Byrne, J. Michael Straczynski, Zeb Wells, and Dan Slott—and a variety of artists; with Mackie's run in particular crossing over with the concurrently running Peter Parker: Spider-Man and being published alongside The Spectacular Spider-Man (Vol 1).
As the turn of the millennium approaches, Spider-Man struggles to deal with the aftermath of the Clone Saga—chiefly the triumphant return of his long-though-dead nemesis Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin. As new villains crawl out of the woodwork and old ones make resurgences, the apparent death of his wife Mary Jane upends Peter's life even more.
Stepping into the twenty-first century, encounters with the enigmatic Ezekiel and vicious Morlun change everything Spider-Man thought he knew about his powers, the Civil War forces Peter to make some hard choices that have drastic repercussions, and Norman Osborn's rise to power threatens to make superheroes an endangered species. Just as Peter starts coming into his own as an employee of Horizon Labs, one of his earliest enemies makes a move that will change Peter's life for the worse.
Runs and storylines with their own pages:
- Revenge of the Green Goblin (#25)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (J. Michael Straczynski) (#30-#58, #500-#545)
- Brand New Day (#546-#647)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (Dan Slott) (#648-#700.1)
The Amazing Spider-Man provides examples of the following tropes:
- Age-Gap Romance: Fifteen-year-old Mattie Franklin attempts to initiate one with the twenty-something Peter Parker, forcibly kissing him as he tries to give her CPR before declaring that Mary Jane's apparent death means they're destined to be together.
- Brought Down to Normal: Senator Ward tears the Venom symbiote off Eddie Brock in #22, leaving him powerless until it returns to him.
- Continuity Overlap: Howard Mackie's run in the 1990s was heavily interwoven with the concurrently published Peter Parker: Spider-Man and The Spectacular Spider-Man, with storylines often alternating between the issues of the series.
- Despair Event Horizon: Peter becomes depressed after Mary Jane seemingly dies in a plane crash in #13, finding himself just going through the motions as Spider-Man.
- Driven to Suicide: Anne Weying, Eddie Brock's ex-wife, commits suicide in #19, out of paranoia that the Venom symbiote is coming to take over her and turn her into a monster again. Eddie blames Spider-Man, who'd unwittingly swung past Anne's apartment wearing his black suit, but it was Eddie transforming into Venom right in front of her to chase Spider-Man away that pushed her over the edge.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: The series introduces a number of major status quo changes—such as the revelation that Peter's powers are supernatural in origin, Peter obtaining organic webbing after a run-in with the Queen, Peter leaving his life as a struggling freelance photographer and part-time teacher behind to work at Horizon Labs, Eddie Brock becoming Anti-Venom, and Flash Thompson becoming Agent Venom.
- Super Costume Clothier: Issue #502 introduced Leo Zelinsky tailor to heroes and villains alike, though to prevent fights from starting in his store he see heroes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and villains on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He's less "high end fashion designer" and more "small business owning old fashioned tailor" but he is one of the few people on either side of the hero / villain divide who can fix things like pants that can be worn by a 7 foot tall brawler with skin made of rocks or who can patch holes in the cape of Dr Victor Von Doom.
- Tear Off Your Face: Peter once ripped part of Norman Osborn's face off when he stuck to it with his stickum' powers during American Son. It's not how Stan Lee imagined it being used, but awesome regardless.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Following getting amnesia in Venom: The Finale, Eddie Brock relapses into being a supervillain and even joins the Sinister Six. However, their mockery of the symbiote's mundane weaknesses leads to him turning on and trying to kill them—even eating a chunk out of the Sandman.
