The Amazing Spider-Man #263
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAmazing Spider-Man #263 serves as the closing chapter of the black costume's first year, a period-defining arc that seeded the eventual creation of Venom. Beyond its costume-era significance, the issue delivers two narrative milestones in a single story: the introduction of Normie Osborn — Harry's newborn son and grandson of the original Green Goblin — who would go on to become the Red Goblin decades later, and the first full appearance of Spider-Kid (Ollie Osnick), a lovable underdog whose journey from Doctor Octopus fanboy to aspiring hero gave the Copper Age title a rare, warm-hearted coming-of-age subplot. The issue also marks the moment Peter Parker transitions into a non-symbiote version of the black costume, tailored for him by the Black Cat, cementing that visual identity for the remainder of the era.
In "The Spectacular Spider-Kid!", a shy, overweight boy with a secret crush on Doc Ock takes a bold step by crafting a Spider-Man costume and equipping himself with mechanical octopus arms, hoping to join the web-slinger as a sidekick. Though the partnership doesn’t pan out as expected, Spider-Man still finds a way to make a meaningful difference in the boy’s life. Meanwhile, Liz’s long-awaited moment arrives as she gives birth to a healthy baby boy, bringing joy to her and her loved ones. Written by Tom DeFalco and illustrated by Ron Frenz, with inks by Brett Breeding and John Beatty, colors by Bob Sharen, and letters by Joe Rosen, the cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein captures the issue’s quirky, heartfelt tone.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 15 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 9.8 ▾ $99.95–$235 3 listings
CGC 9.6 ▾ $39.95–$62.95 3 listings
Raw — NM ▾ $9–$30 7 listings
Raw — NM- ▾ $7.99–$8 2 listings
Raw — VF/NM ▾ $12–$12.99 2 listings
Raw — VF+ ▾ $4.99–$12.71 5 listings
Raw — VF ▾ $4.79–$15.11 5 listings
Raw — VERY FINE ▾ $7.99–$9 2 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $3–$99.99 42 listings
More listings for this title
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Written by Tom DeFalco and pencilled by Ron Frenz — the team steering Amazing Spider-Man through the mid-1980s — the issue went on sale January 2, 1985, with inks by Brett Breeding and John Beatty, colors by Bob Sharen, and letters by Joe Rosen, under editor Danny Fingeroth and editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. It was Fingeroth's farewell issue as editor, as noted in the letters column. Frenz, who had succeeded John Romita Jr. on the book, brought a storytelling sensibility frequently compared to Steve Ditko's original run, and his DeFalco collaboration would later produce the MC2 Universe and Spider-Girl.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Normie Osborn (Norman Harold Osborn), son of Harry Osborn and grandson of the original Green Goblin; he is born in this issue but not named until Amazing Spider-Man #265.
- First full costumed appearance of Spider-Kid (Ollie Osnick), who had previously appeared in Spectacular Spider-Man #72 as a Doctor Octopus fanboy; here he debuts his Spider-Man-inspired identity, complete with modified mechanical arms.
- Peter Parker adopts a non-symbiote replica of the black costume, provided by the Black Cat, after separating from the alien symbiote — marking a pivotal visual transition in the black costume storyline.
- Written by Tom DeFalco with pencils by Ron Frenz, inks by Brett Breeding and John Beatty, colors by Bob Sharen, and letters by Joe Rosen; cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein.
- Edited by Danny Fingeroth, whose farewell letter as the title's editor appears in the issue's letters column; Jim Shooter served as editor-in-chief.
- The issue is the final chapter collected in the 'Black Costume: Year One' arc, spanning Amazing Spider-Man #252–263, and was reprinted in Marvel Tales #276 (August 1993), the Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection Vol. 15: Ghosts of the Past (2014), Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 25 (2023), and Spider-Man: The Complete Black Costume Saga Omnibus (2024).
- A Facsimile Edition of the issue was published by Marvel in February 2025, and the issue was subsequently collected in the Marvel Archive Edition: Amazing Spider-Man — The Black Costume: Year One Gallery Edition hardcover (July 2025), which reprints #252–263 at oversized treasury scale.
- The issue shipped with both a Direct Edition and a Newsstand Edition, as well as a Canadian price variant — three distinct printings from the original press run.
Cast · 4 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Spider-Man Comic #633 (1985), Spiderman #76 (1985), Strange #201 (1986), Edderkoppen #11/1987 (1987), Spindelmannen #11/1987 (1987), L'Uomo Ragno #54 (1990), Marvel Tales #276 (1993), Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection #15 (2014), Spider-Man: The Complete Alien Costume Saga #2 (2015), Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man #25 (2023), Spider-Man: The Complete Black Costume Saga Omnibus #[nn] (2024), Spider-Man – Sagan om den svarta dräkten #[nn] (2025), Amazing Spider-Man #263 Facsimile Edition #[nn] (2025), A Csodálatos Pókember #32, De spectaculaire Spider-Man [De spektakulaire Spiderman] #68, Die Spinne #122, Edderkoppen #38, El Hombre Araña / El Asombroso Hombre Araña #383, L'étonnant Spider-Man #168, Σπάιντερ Μαν [Spider-Man] #198, Záhadný Spider-Man #30
Key issues in The Amazing Spider-Man
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★Variants (2)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.