The Amazing Spider-Man#41

The Amazing Spider-Man #41

Oct 1966 · Marvel

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★ 1st appearance — Rhino

About this Issue

The Amazing Spider-Man #41 is the first appearance of Aleksei Sytsevich, the Rhino — the first major villain created entirely within John Romita Sr.'s still-new run on the title, signaling that the post-Ditko era would generate durable antagonists of its own. Published just three issues into Romita's tenure, the issue also functions as a turning-point chapter in Peter Parker's personal life: Betty Brant's romantic arc with Peter reaches a definitive close while Peter's chemistry with Gwen Stacy is ignited, and readers are reminded that Mary Jane Watson is about to step fully into the cast next issue. The Rhino's Cold War framing — a Soviet-backed super-soldier dispatched to kidnap an American astronaut — gave the debut a geopolitical urgency that grounded the character in the anxieties of 1966, and the villain's decades-long presence across comics, animation, video games, and film confirms that the Lee-Romita team had produced a truly lasting addition to Spider-Man's rogues' gallery.

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VG) $162

CGC 9.8 $34,495*

CGC 9.6 $4,755

CGC 9.4 $4,126

CGC 9.2 $2,871

CGC 9.0 $2,021

CGC 8.5 $1,196

Show all 22 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 $973

CGC 7.5 $750

CGC 7.0 $630*

CGC 6.5 $484

CGC 6.0 $482

CGC 5.5 $367

CGC 5.0 $343

CGC 4.5 $267

CGC 4.0 $267

CGC 3.5 $231

CGC 3.0 $203

CGC 2.5 $184

CGC 2.0 $127*

CGC 1.5 $95*

CGC 1.0 $84*

CGC 0.5 $77*

* 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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History

When Steve Ditko left Marvel abruptly after completing issue #38, Stan Lee handed the assignment to John Romita Sr., who had just finished an eight-issue Daredevil run and had done a two-part Spider-Man guest appearance that served as his unofficial audition. Romita later recalled that he accepted reluctantly, expecting Ditko to return within a few issues, and he initially tried not to stray too far from Ditko's visual style. By issue #41 — only his third contribution to the series — the workload was heavy enough that Romita needed uncredited assistance from artist Bill Ward on a portion of the issue's interior pages, even as he carried solo credit for the cover and overall pencils. The Rhino was born from the collaborative Marvel Method: according to a book-length history of the period, Lee and Romita pooled their ideas and produced the character together, with Romita responsible for the creature's visual design.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of the Rhino (Aleksei Sytsevich), created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr. — the character's debut issue is October 1966, cover-dated the same month.
Story title: 'The Horns of the Rhino!' — Rhino is introduced as a Soviet-backed operative hired to kidnap NASA astronaut John Jameson and sell the space secrets he carries to the highest bidder.
The Rhino's origin as a Russian criminal who voluntarily underwent an experimental procedure bonding a super-strong polymer to his skin is established across this issue and the two that follow (#41–43); his full backstory is not disclosed until issue #43.
Issue #41 marks only Romita Sr.'s third issue penciling the series; inker Mike Esposito worked under the pseudonym 'M. Demeo' to conceal his Marvel moonlighting from his regular employer, DC Comics.
Uncredited artistic assistance from Bill Ward appears in a portion of the issue's interiors, documented in historical accounts of the Romita era.
The issue doubles as a pivotal character chapter: Peter Parker purchases a motorcycle, Betty Brant's romantic storyline with Peter reaches its conclusion, and Peter and Gwen Stacy notice each other meaningfully for what the narrative presents as the first time — one issue before Mary Jane Watson's celebrated face-reveal in #42.
Reprinted in Marvel Tales #30 and Marvel Tales #190, and the cover was among 32 ASM covers included in the 2000 Spider-Man PlayStation video game.
The Rhino has since been adapted into the 1967 Spider-Man animated series, the 1994 Spider-Man animated series, multiple video games (including Insomniac's 2018 Marvel's Spider-Man), and live-action films — Paul Giamatti portrayed the character in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) and Alessandro Nivola in Kraven the Hunter (2024).