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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.

Of course, Norman Osborn also makes his first appearance as the Goblin's eventual alter ego. (Stan Lee and Steve Ditko would still argue for a while over Stan's idea that this new villain would be revealed as someone close to Peter Parker.) Osborn himself would end up spanning decades as one of Marvel's most beloved bad guys. This enduring classic issue (which also features Spidey's first encounter with the Hulk) remains one of the most important and beloved of all Marvel keys.
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