The Amazing Spider-Man #601
Amazing Spider-Man #601 marks Mary Jane Watson's first proper return to the pages of the main Spider-Man series after the reality-reshaping events of 'One More Day' and the subsequent 'Brand New Day' era, during which her marriage to Peter Parker had been erased from history by Mephisto's bargain. The issue opens the 'Red-Headed Stranger' arc, finally giving readers the post-Brand New Day reunion they had been waiting for and beginning the slow, complicated process of re-establishing the Peter–MJ relationship on entirely new, unmarried terms. It also contains a backup feature written by Brian Michael Bendis and penciled by Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada, which situates Spider-Man squarely inside the wider Bendis-era New Avengers continuity through a candid conversation between Peter Parker and Jessica Jones. Together the two stories represent a pivotal transitional moment: the Brand New Day era acknowledging its own most-talked-about absence and beginning to fill it in.
In "Red-Headed Stranger [Part 1]: No Place Like Home," Peter Parker wakes up after Aunt May’s wedding to find himself tangled with his roommate Michele—only to realize he can’t remember a thing. As he scrambles to make sense of the morning, Michele’s anger sends him out into the city, where he’s pulled into a fire at the Empire State Building sparked by a strange electrical surge. Meanwhile, a missed date with Mary Jane adds to the chaos, leaving Peter searching for answers—and a place to stay—until Michele’s unexpected gesture of cookies offers a quiet moment of connection. Written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Mario Alberti, with colors by Andres Mossa and letters by VC's Joe Caramagna, this issue’s cover by J. Scott Campbell captures the tension and heart of a Spider-Man story where home isn’t just a place, but a feeling.
In "Red-Headed Stranger [Part 1]: No Place Like Home," Peter Parker wakes up after Aunt May’s wedding to find himself tangled in a complicated morning with his roommate Michele—only to realize he can’t remember a thing. After she kicks him out, he’s left scrambling to find a new place to stay, dodging both emotional fallout and a sudden fire at the Empire State Building sparked by a strange electrical surge. When Mary Jane oversleeps and stands him up, Peter’s day spirals further—until Michele’s unexpected gesture of cookies offers a quiet, bittersweet moment of connection.
In "The Best Version of Myself," Jessica reflects on how Spider-Man has shaped her journey, sharing the impact he’s had on her life. Peter, moved by her words, gently suggests she consider returning to her own heroic path.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 15 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 9.8 ▾ $275–$1,376 9 listings
CGC 9.6 ▾ $250–$590 9 listings
CGC 9.4 ▾ $220–$250 3 listings
CBCS 9.6 ▾ $400–$511 2 listings
Raw — NM+ ▾ $74.99–$310 2 listings
Raw — NM ▾ $98.4–$99.99 2 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $12.95–$300 24 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
The issue was published on August 5, 2009, with an October 2009 cover date, arriving directly on the heels of the oversized 600th-issue spectacular. The main story was written by Mark Waid with interior art by Mario Alberti and colors by Andres Mossa; the backup strip was written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by then-Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada with colors by Morry Hollowell. The book was edited by Stephen Wacker and Thomas Brennan under Quesada's editorial-in-chief tenure, and it was published under the thrice-monthly Amazing Spider-Man shipping schedule that Marvel had maintained throughout the Brand New Day period. The cover was painted by J. Scott Campbell, depicting Mary Jane, and it generated enough reader demand to prompt a second printing whose cover used a black-and-white wraparound image by Quesada.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Mary Jane Watson's first substantive reintegration into the main Amazing Spider-Man title following the 'Brand New Day' reboot, opening the 'Red-Headed Stranger' story arc.
- Main story written by Mark Waid with art by Mario Alberti; backup story written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Joe Quesada.
- Cover art by J. Scott Campbell; the issue received a second printing with a black-and-white wraparound cover by Quesada, plus a 1:10 incentive variant cover by John Romita Sr. as part of Marvel's 70th Anniversary Frame series.
- The main story's plot picks up the morning after Aunt May's wedding (to Jay Jameson, depicted in #600), with Peter waking to find he has no memory of spending the night with his roommate Michele Gonzales, who then evicts him.
- The Bendis/Quesada backup strip, titled 'The Best Version of Myself,' features a conversation between Peter Parker and Jessica Jones that ties directly into events from Bendis's concurrent New Avengers series.
- Published under the thrice-monthly Amazing Spider-Man shipping schedule that characterized the Brand New Day era, with Stephen Wacker as editor and Thomas Brennan as assistant editor.
- Reprinted in the trade paperback/hardcover Spider-Man: Died in Your Arms Tonight (2009), which collects Amazing Spider-Man #600–601 alongside Annual #36 and material from Amazing Spider-Man Family #7.
- Also collected in Spider-Man: Brand New Day – The Complete Collection Vol. 4 (2017) and the Spider-Man: Brand New Day Omnibus Vol. 2 (2025).
Cast · 24 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Spider-Man: Died in Your Arms Tonight #[nn] (2009), Spider-Man: Died in Your Arms Tonight #[nn] (2009), Hämähäkkimies #8/2010 (2010), Spider-Man #5/2010 (2010), Avengers Unconquered #31 (2011), Spider-Man #91 (2011), Je suis Spider-Man #[nn] (2014), Jessica Jones: Avenger #[nn] (2016), New Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis: The Complete Collection #5 (2017), Spider-Man: Brand New Day - The Complete Collection #4 (2017), Spider-Man: Brand New Day Omnibus #2 (2025), Spider-Man: Brand New Day Omnibus #2 (2025)
Key issues in The Amazing Spider-Man
Variants (3)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.