The Amazing Spider-Man #252

May 1984 · Marvel

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★ Pre-first appearance — Venom★ Key event — Spider-Man

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $116

CGC 9.8 $2,205

CGC 9.6 $404

CGC 9.4 $286

CGC 9.2 $237

CGC 9.0 $182

CGC 8.5 $182*

Show all 22 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 $182*

CGC 7.5 $151

CGC 7.0 $150*

CGC 6.5 $138*

CGC 6.0 $111*

CGC 5.5 $99*

CGC 5.0 $82*

CGC 4.5 $62*

CGC 4.0 $50*

CGC 3.5 $41*

CGC 3.0 $30*

CGC 2.5 none in existence

CGC 2.0 $20*

CGC 1.5 $20*

CGC 1.0 none in existence

CGC 0.5 $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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Trivia · 8 facts

First published appearance of Spider-Man's black symbiote costume (cover-dated May 1984; on sale January 31, 1984), which the character wore almost exclusively for roughly the next four years of comics.
Written by Tom DeFalco (script) and Roger Stern (plot); penciled by Ron Frenz with inks by Brett Breeding; cover by Ron Frenz and Klaus Janson; colored by Glynis Oliver; edited by Danny Fingeroth under editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.
The black costume concept was purchased by Marvel in 1982 from fan Randy Schueller of Norridge, Illinois, who submitted the idea through a Marvel reader contest; Mike Zeck subsequently refined the visual design.
Published before Secret Wars #8 (cover-dated December 1984), which retroactively showed how Spider-Man obtained the suit on Battleworld — a deliberate editorial decision to generate reader curiosity about the ongoing Secret Wars series.
The cover is a direct compositional homage to the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962), Spider-Man's debut issue, rendered by Ron Frenz.
The story's title is 'Homecoming!' and includes cameo appearances by the Avengers (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hawkeye, Wasp, Captain Marvel/Monica Rambeau) as well as Curt Connors, Black Cat, J. Jonah Jameson, Robbie Robertson, and Aunt May.
The issue launched the multi-title 'Alien Costume Saga,' which ran through Amazing Spider-Man #252–263, Spectacular Spider-Man #90–100, Marvel Team-Up #141–150, and Web of Spider-Man #1, spanning May 1984 to April 1985.
The issue has been reprinted numerous times, including: a 1988 Marvel graphic novel (The Amazing Spider-Man: The Saga of the Alien Costume), the trade paperback Spider-Man: The Birth of Venom, The Complete Alien Costume Saga TPB, a 2019 Facsimile Edition, and a 2025 Marvel Archive Edition gallery hardcover.