What are the best and most accessible Spider-Man TPBs?

[Cheesedique]

Can anyone tell me of any good modern spider-man books? I've asked this once before and somone recomended the ultimate collection BOOKS by JMS and while i became a fan of JMS after reading his run on Thor i knew i could never buy those books when i saw than john romita Jr did the artwork, i know a lot of people on here love his art but i cant stand it and im really dying to just read a good Spider-Man story so if anyone could tell me of some good spidey trades to read that DONT feature John Romita Jr as an artist PLEASE let me know

I don't know how familiar you are with the comic history of the character, or the storylines of the last say 5 years, but here are some of my favorites new and old, and all should still be available in trade form..

Red-Headed Stranger
24/7
Kraven's Last Hunt
Kraven's First Hunt
Election Day (Character Assassination arc)
Grim Hunt
Shed
Brand New Day 1-3
Spider-man Legends: Todd McFarlane 1 & 2
Spider-man: Identity Crisis
Origin Of The Hobgoblin (JR Jr. art, but well worth a look)
Revenge Of The Green Goblin
Spider-man: Back In Black books 1 & 2
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man book 2: Mystery Date
Return / Revenge Of The Sinister Six
Spider-man: Noir (book 1)
Spider-man 2099

EDIT: and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention two works that are very hated here, but that I liked--Spider-man / Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do, and Marvel Knights Spider-man #1-12..

[Schmed]

Origin Of The Hobgoblin (JR Jr. art, but well worth a look)

It is JRJr art but his early stuff is really different than his current stuff, so maybe the OP wouldn't even mind it.

[Cheesedique]

It is JRJr art but his early stuff is really different than his current stuff, so maybe the OP wouldn't even mind it.

I like it all, but I could see why someone might be put off by JR Jr.'s recent (last 20 years) work.

[Mr.Natchios]

thanks for all the suggestions everyone ill be sure to check these out. and i was also wondering if anyone though the gaunlet series was worth reading? i saw at least one person put down the grim hunt and i heard its better to read the gauntlet books before picking that up but are they really that necessary to read?

[Ramage]

So....basically everything has been recommended. Shark even says to just read it ALL since Brand New Day.

My two cents--I really loved the Back IN Black and Civil War era stories. But those weren't introductory books. Those books work best if you've read and know Spider-man well and want to follow him down a road you've never been down before.

[Cheesedique]

thanks for all the suggestions everyone ill be sure to check these out. and i was also wondering if anyone though the gaunlet series was worth reading? i saw at least one person put down the grim hunt and i heard its better to read the gauntlet books before picking that up but are they really that necessary to read?

I suppose it is (mainly the Electro and Sandman stories) but to me it didn't really add up to much as an arc.

I don't know what some of the trades reprint to make the story coherent, but you could supplement reading some of these with Wikipedia or something just to know fully what's going on..

[sirvk]

Can anyone tell me of any good modern spider-man books? I've asked this once before and somone recomended the ultimate collection BOOKS by JMS and while i became a fan of JMS after reading his run on Thor i knew i could never buy those books when i saw than john romita Jr did the artwork, i know a lot of people on here love his art but i cant stand it and im really dying to just read a good Spider-Man story so if anyone could tell me of some good spidey trades to read that DONT feature John Romita Jr as an artist PLEASE let me know

Some good, modern Spider-Man trades without any Jr Jr art? I have a few recommendations

• Spider-Man: With Great Power – Great, highly underrated origin story with a twist. Published in 2008.
• Spider-Man: Blue – Re-telling of Gwen's death
• Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus: Year One – Spider-Man and Doc Ock's first meeting
• Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt – This isn't really modern, but its not from the 70's either. Very good story.
• Spider-Man/Human Torch – A look at their friendship through the years.
• Spider-Man: A Day in the Life – Contains some of the best Spider-Man stories ever written and quite recent
• Marvel Knights: Spider-Man – Get the hardcover that contains the first 12 issues by Mark Millar. An exciting saga full of twists and turns.

thanks for all the suggestions everyone ill be sure to check these out. and i was also wondering if anyone though the gaunlet series was worth reading? i saw at least one person put down the grim hunt and i heard its better to read the gauntlet books before picking that up but are they really that necessary to read?

It depends, if you want to read the new Spider-Man trades as they come out I would recommend them as they are good stories that revitalize the rogue's gallery. However, if you want to just read some good, modern Spider-Man trades but have no plans on making it an ongoing thing then I wouldn't bother as there are a lot of better trades out there you could be spending your money on.

However, if you want to start collecting Spider-Man, now is a good time to get on board. To save money and avoid Jr Jr's art, you should get the five Gauntlet trades, Grim Hunt, Origin of the Species and the recently released Big Time trade.

Don't worry about One Moment In Time as it isn't necessary.

[DK-Y2Y]

Hey guys,

I asked some weeks ago of some good Marvel comics. Today I got the full House of M with all its spin-offs. I really loved the prelude. I ordered Marvels today,and I am going to buy Marvels soon.

I am pretty much now interested in the Marvel Universe. Out of all the characters, I really like Spider-Man.

Can you anyone recommend me some of the best Spider-Man graphic novels or even some trade paperbacks. And is Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Power and Responsibility good?

[D. Perez]

I can highly suggest Ultimate Spider-man, so yeah I say that's a good start. Just remember it all happens in the ultimate universe and not the regular one

[sirvk]

Hey guys,

I asked some weeks ago of some good Marvel comics. Today I got the full House of M with all its spin-offs. I really loved the prelude. I ordered Marvels today,and I am going to buy Marvels soon.

I am pretty much now interested in the Marvel Universe. Out of all the characters, I really like Spider-Man.

Can you anyone recommend me some of the best Spider-Man graphic novels or even some trade paperbacks. And is Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Power and Responsibility good?

Yes, Ultimate Spider-Man is a great place to start.

Like D. Perez said, it is set in a different universe so the Spider-Man in Ultimate isn't the same one that is in House of M.

Its a wonderful re-imagining and there are 24 odd trades out there so you've got a lot ahead of you.

[sirvk]

Anybody picked up the Big Time hardcover yet?

If so, does it have any extras in it? Say interviews or sketches?

[Otis]

Asking this to see if i'm missing any good one.
Throw up your favourites in the thread.

[David Walton]

Asking this to see if i'm missing any good one.
Throw up your favourites in the thread.

Birth of Venom is a nice trade that sports some great Defalco/Frenz and Michelinie/McFarlane work.

Son of the Goblin has the first Harry as the Goblin two-parter, as well as SSM 189 and 200. Great stuff, though a bit incomplete.

Death of the Stacys covers...well, the death of the Stacys, but it also has a nice intro by Gerry Conway and the fallout to Captain Stacy's death. And Iceman!

Kraven's Last Hunt. 'Nuff said.

I'd recommend at least the first volume of the Complete Epic Clone Saga, as it has several great stories, not the least of which is The Lost Years.

[Otis]

Have all of those.

I'd say people should get: Origin of Hobgoblin & Death of Jean DeWolff for two awesome reads.

[Lee H]

Out of the ones that haven't been mentioned already:

All of the new paperback Marvel Masterworks (or the Essentials, whatevs)

Peter Parker, Spider-Man: A Day in the Life

Spider-Man/Human Torch: I'm With Stupid (digest format, or the full size hardcover without the subtitle)

Spider-Man Visionaries: Kurt Busiek vol 1

Spider-Man Visionaries: Roger Stern vol 1