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1st appearance of Spider-Woman; COMIC BOOK IMPACT rating of 7 (CBI)
Pennsylvania Dutch Copy
Marvel Spotlight #32 features the origin and first appearance of Spider-Woman (no relation). Originally created by writer Archie Goodwin as a one-off character, the issue did surprisingly well and writer Marv Wolfman was tasked to take on the new heroine. Wolfman gave Spider-Woman the alter-ego of Jessica Drew, a combination of his daughter’s first name and the last name of fictional detective Nancy Drew. Her second appearance saw a retcon of her origin to that more of a traditional super-hero, as she took on the nefarious Hydra. Fluctuating sales and creative differences led to the writers killing Spider-Woman off after a fifty-issue run, upsetting fans around the world. Although she was later resurrected, Spider-Woman's appearances in comics would be scarce for the next 10 years, often not even in costume. The year 2005 saw a major revival of the character when writer Brian Michael Bendis featured Spider-Woman as a member of "the New Avengers,” where she would become prominent in comics for the next decade and a key figure for 2009's Secret Invasion storyline. Due to her major resurgence, a solo series for the character was in high demand, and she was ranked #20 in IGN's Top 50 Avengers even after being a member for just over a decade. Although she shares no connection in origin or powers to Marvel’s most popular web-slinger, Spider-Woman has teamed up with Spider-Man on many occasions and there are plans to feature her in the sequel to 2018's highly praised "Into the Spider-Verse.” With the MCU gearing up for the movie adaption of the Secret Invasion storyline, Spider-Woman is likely going to become a household name in the next few years, driving up the value of her first appearance for collectors and aficionados alike.


Artists Information

Gil Kane was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day versions of the superheroes Green Lantern and the Atom for DC Comics, and co-created Iron Fist with Roy Thomas for Marvel Comics. He was involved in such major storylines as that of The Amazing Spider-Man #96–98, which, at the behest of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, bucked the then-prevalent Comics Code Authority to depict drug abuse, and ultimately spurred an update of the Code. Kane additionally pioneered an early graphic novel prototype, His Name Is... Savage, in 1968, and a seminal graphic novel, Blackmark, in 1971. In 1997, he was inducted into both the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame and the Harvey Award Jack Kirby Hall of Fame.

John Romita was one of the driving forces behind Marvel's Silver Age, he took up the reins on Spider-Man following the departure of Steve Ditko with issue #38. Romita's run on Spider-Man would be long and significant, introducing characters including Mary Jane Watson, the Kingpin and many others. He would be a major contributor to the entire Marvel line throughout the 1970s including designing the look of The Punisher.

James Noel Mooney was an American comics artist best known for his long tenure at DC Comics and as the signature artist of Supergirl, as well as a Marvel Comics inker and Spider-Man artist, both during what comics historians and fans call the Silver Age of comic books. He sometimes inked under the pseudonym Jay Noel.