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1st appearance Green Goblin (Norman Osborn); 1st Hulk meets Spider-Man; Steve Ditko cover & art; Comic Book Impact rating of 9 (CBI)


Amazing Spider-Man #14 made comics history with the first appearance of the Green Goblin, introducing Spider-Man to his Joker, his Luthor, his Red Skull — that is, his true archvillain. Every hero needs one, and the Green Goblin would go on to become one of the all-time greats. The identity and backstory of this compelling nemesis would go on to decades of complementing Spider-Man's recurring themes of loss, tragedy, and the simple day-to-day difficulties of life.

The wild plot throws in a film production and the return of the Enforcers as the Goblin's henchmen, in addition to Spidey stumbling into his first encounter with the Incredible Hulk. Of course, this issue also means that we're seeing the first appearance of Norman Osborn underneath the scheming Green Goblin's mask. Osborn himself would span decades under his own name as one of Marvel's most hated villains. It's yet another reason that this classic issue remains one of the most important and beloved of all Marvel keys.
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