It’s a great time to be a Spider-Man fan!

In this edition of the Indispensable Spider-Man, we look at issues roughly between 1982 and 1985, which contains some of Spider-Man’s best stories.  Nothing Stops the Juggernaut.  The Kid Who Collected Spider-Man.  The Owl vs. The Octopus.  Secret Wars.  The First Hobgoblin Saga.  All these stories rank consistently and high in many person’s list, and make this one of the best Spider-Man chronology periods.

Again, to recap, here’s the criteria we use to whittle down the reading list:

• What are considered the best issues in the main Spider-Man chronology are central
• Any issues that change the status quo for significant portion of time are included as well
• Very important issues are marked with two asterisks (**), while issues that are part of those storylines, without the major event, are also included and marked with a diminutive one asterisk (*). Search for “**” in this below to further pare down the list.

Spider-Man Chronology from 1982-1985 : What You Need To Know

What makes the cut of the indispensable 1982-1985 Spider-Man Chronology

The introduction of the Hobgoblin and the arrival of the black symbiote suit definitely make the cut, along with Roger Stern classics such “Nothing Stops the Juggernaut” and “The Boy Who Collected Spider-Man!”.  And that’s just in Amazing Spider-Man.  In Spectacular Spider-Man, we see the introduction of Cloak and Dagger as well as the unravelling of Peter’s relationship with Deb Whitman.

Creators of the 1982-1985 Spider-Man Chronology era

Roger Stern is the major addition to this era, as puts forth such high ranking classics in a comparably short run.  He is flanked by Romita Jr on art in Amazing, while in Spectacular, Bill Mantlo and Al Milgrom pen most of those issues.  Secret Wars ends this run of Spider-Man Chronology, which is brought to you be Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck.

Titles of the 1982-1985 Spider-Man Chronology era

Amazing Spider-Man and the Spectacular Spider-Man remain the core of the Spider-Man chronology. Marvel Team-Up begins its end run.

Events of the 1982-1985 Spider-Man Chronology era

Cloak and Dagger make their first appearance, and while they never take an indispensable role in Spider-Man’s stories, they appear every so often enough to make this important.  Deb Whitman and Peter break up after she suspects he’s Spider-Man.  Spider-Man then begins a relationship with the Black Cat, and reveals his identity to her after her recovery from the beating she received while battling Doctor Octopus.  To add to the love triangle that defines this Spider-Man chronology, Mary Jane Watson returns to New York and Peter’s life.

Collections of the 1982-1985 Spider-Man Chronology era

The options begin to grow in terms of reprints for this era, as so many classic stories increase the demand for these books:

Essential Spider-Man, Vol. 10
Essential Spider-Man – Volume 11
Essential Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Vol. 3 (Marvel Essentials) (v. 3)
Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (Marvel Essentials, Vol. 4)

Other Trade Paperbacks

Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin
Secret Wars
Spider-Man Visionaries – Roger Stern, Vol. 1 (v. 1)

The Indispensable Spider-Man Chronology 1982-1985

Please, help us make this list better by contributing your thoughts on what should be included. We would love to pared own this list even further, though we don’t want you to miss out on some great runs. Drop us a line in the comments for changes to this Spider-Man Chronology, which will be reflected in our larger Spider-Man Chronology list here:

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