For the past ten years, Spider-Man has been entertaining audiences of different backgrounds and interests. He's been involved with two film reboots, starred in 7 Live-action films, featured in the first Sony animated film to win an Oscar, made the jump to Broadway, and was in one of the most successful PlayStation video games of all-time.
Meanwhile, in the comics, he's been jumping across the Multi-verse, had his brain swapped with Doc Ock, split into two separate beings, and much more. So, with 2019 slowly coming to an end, we decided to take a look back at the ten best Spider-Man comic book stories of the past decade.
10 10) Spidey
We all know that Spider-Man started as just another High School nerd before being bitten by a radioactive spider. It's a story that's been well exhibited in the movies and comics. So, Robbie Thompson and a group of various artists decided to take him once again back to his roots in this fresh update of Spider-Man's early years.
While nowhere as good as what Brian Micheal Bendis and Mark Bagley did with Ultimate Spider-Man, Spidey manages to tell a light-hearted tale of the web-swinger taking on the various villains he's faced over the past 57 years. It's funny, never takes himself too seriously, and, above all else, is just a fun time. It's worth picking up if you're familiar with Tom Holland's version of Spider-Man
9 9) Hunted
Back in the '80s, Kraven decided to take Spider-Man down one last time in Kraven's Last Hunt. The tale is often considered the darkest chapter in Spider-Man history. Hunted revisits this tale with Kraven once again going on one last hunt for Spider-Man, this time with his cloned son and some of NY's wealthiest, minus Tony Stark.
While nowhere as good as Kraven's Last Hunt, Hunted still manages to capture the essence of the old comic perfectly. Nick Spencer tells a tale where Spider-Man works with some of his foes to survive, while also having to deal with the flu, making every encounter tense and exciting. While it ends on a bit of a cliche, it's still a good tale.
8 8) Peter Parker: Amazing Fantasy
With Spider-Man, JJ, and his sister Teresa (long story) are on the run, the group must go back to the past to save their future. In it, Spidey teams up with his teenage self to take down the Green Goblin. While the plot can feel a bit disjointed, with Teresa having her problems to deal with, it's the two Spider-Men and their conflicts with Osborn and each other that's the highlight.
The action is excellent, the story is a ton of fun, and the art manages to perfectly mix Steve Ditko's work and the artwork from the '60s cartoon.
7 7) Peter Parker #6
Peter Parker and J. Jonah Jameson never got along. With JJ's constant rants and slander attempts against Spider-Man to his continuous belittling of Peter, Jameson can't stand the two. Even when they became Brothers-in-Law, Jameson hated that web-swinging menace. However, in Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #6, JJ finally gets an interview with Spidey, and the two are able to vent out about their hatred for one another.
Without wishing to spoil anything, Let's say this issue does something that turns their whole relationship on its head. Chip Zdarsky's script is on top of the game, with him diving into the half-century-long feud between them and making us realize that the two have a lot more in common that we're lead on.
6 6) Ultimate Spider-Man: Miles Morales
After the Ultimate version of Peter Parker kicked the bucket, someone had to step in to replace him. When a radioactive spider bites a meek 13-year-old Black/Latino kid, he'll be the one to step up. Miles Morales's first adventure manages to feel both familiar and new.
He's not the cocky street kid he was in Spider-Verse, nor is he the nerdy kid like Peter. He's a boy that has to deal with his life at school, the parents and uncle, and all the struggles that come with being a mixed kid in Brooklyn. Miles may have started as a controversial figure, but he's grown into the fan-favorite that lead his own movie in 2018.
5 5) Life Story
Super Heroes don't age much, as time goes on. This new story by Chip Zdarsky examines what would happen with Spider-Man if he grew over the past 57 years. We see Spider-Man as a kid in the '60s, an adult in the '70s through the '90s, and as an old man in the 2000's.
Like the best works, Zdarsky embraces the history of Spider-Man while not being afraid to turn it on its side. Life Story also isn't afraid to touch on the real-world issues that plagued each decade, like having to deal with the events of 9/11. It may be recent, but it's a classic in the making.
4 4) Spider-Island
It's never a dull moment in the life of Spider-Man. It's especially true when everyone around him is starting to act like him. When New Yorkers begin to gain the same abilities as Spider-Man, it looks like things will calm down for the web-swinger. However, when people start turning into spider monsters, Spidey has to find a cure and save the city.
Featuring the same great dialog and storytelling that Dan Slott has become known for, and the great artwork by Humberto Ramos, Spider-Island is a long, crazy ride through NY.
3 3) Big Time
Big Time isn't the deepest or hard-hitting story to face Peter Parker, but it is just 100% unadulterated fun. After saving NY from Doc Ock, things aren't looking up for Peter. Not only is the Daily Bugle shutting down, but he's also got no job or a place to sleep.
However, things start to turn when his mother-in-law introduces him to Max Modell. Not only did he meet one of his heroes, but he also gets a job working for Max. But when Hobgoblin comes back, Spidey has to stop him. Typical Parker Luck. Dan Slott's script and characterization are on full display. It's funny, light-hearted, and beautifully drawn.
2 2) No One Dies
When Marla Jameson, the wife of JJ, is killed, Spider-Man once again blames himself for what happens. He has dreams of the worst things that have happened to him and vows never to let anyone die again. Spider-Man has always been haunted by death, and this one is no different.
Spidey does everything to make things right, and seeing him do whatever it takes makes for an emotional roller coaster ride. The artwork deserves special mentions, as it creates some genuinely haunting imagery.
1 1) Spider-Verse
It was the comic that inspired the 2018 film. When an evil group of Inheritors starts killing Spider-Men across the multi-verse, Spider-Man must lead a team of different versions of himself to take them down. It's not an easy task, as each Spider-Person has his/her own agenda and way of dealing with the Inheritors. But, Peter Parker will have to step up and show people that not only his he the best of them all, but he's their only hope.
The constant back-and-forth of each Spider-Man leads to some significant interactions and conflicts within the group. The story is continuously engaging, the artwork by Oliver Coipel is phenomenal, and every version of Peter Parker is never dull. Plus, you get Peter Porker, '60s Spider-Man, cartoon Ultimate Spider-Man, and Toei Spider-Man. What more could you want? But seriously Sony, please include Toei Spider-Man in the Spider-Verse sequel. The world needs to see a Spider-Man piloting a giant robot.