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Cover: Sal Buscema & Bill Sienkiewicz

The Spectacular Spider-Man #229

Name: The Spectacular Spider-Man #229
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Oct 1995 · Marvel · 3.95 USD; 5.55 CAD

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“The Greatest Responsibility, Part 3 of 3: No More the Hero”

★ 1st appearance — Lady Octopus

About this Issue

Spectacular Spider-Man #229 is the issue in which Peter Parker formally surrenders the Spider-Man identity — a direct consequence of the Clone Saga's central twist that he, not Ben Reilly, is the clone. That decision, driven by his sense of responsibility to a pregnant Mary Jane, hands the mantle to Ben Reilly and reshapes the entire Spider-Man line for the better part of a year. The issue also deliberately echoes the structure of the celebrated 'If This Be My Destiny' arc from Amazing Spider-Man #31–33, consciously positioning itself within the character's mythological lineage while inverting the original's stakes. As the closing chapter of 'The Greatest Responsibility' arc and the final issue before all five Spider-titles were temporarily rebranded under the Scarlet Spider name, #229 marks one of the most structurally significant editorial pivot points of the 1990s Spider-Man saga.

writer Tom DeFalco · artist Sal Buscema · artist, inker Bill Sienkiewicz · colorist John Kalisz · colorist Malibu · letterer Clem Robins · cover Sal Buscema, Bill Sienkiewicz

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $8

CGC 9.8 · 125 in census $55

CGC 9.6 · 28 in census $30*

CGC 9.4 · 6 in census $26*

CGC 9.2 · 6 in census $22*

CGC 9.0 · 3 in census $21*

CGC 8.5 · 5 in census $20*

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CGC 8.0 none in existence

CGC 7.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 none in existence

CGC 5.5 none in existence

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $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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CGC 9.8 ▾ $49.99–$99.99 3 listings

CGC 9.8 $49.99 CGC 9.8 $80 CGC 9.8 $99.99

Raw — MINT ▾ $4.99–$8.99 3 listings

MINT $4.99 MINT $7.08 MINT $8.99

Raw — NM+ ▾ $11 2 listings

NM+ · Variant $11 NM+ $11

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Raw — NM ▾ $3.56–$20 11 listings

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VERY FINE $3.99 CGC 9.8 $73 The spectacular Spider-Man number 229 $2.5 Spectacular Spider-Man Spiderman #229 Marvel Comics $5

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History

By late 1994, the Clone Saga had grown unwieldy across five concurrent Spider-Man monthlies, and editor Danny Fingeroth recruited former Amazing Spider-Man writer Tom DeFalco to give Spectacular Spider-Man a steady hand through the crossover's critical final stretch. DeFalco scripted this oversized conclusion to the 'Greatest Responsibility' arc, with Sal Buscema providing pencil breakdowns and finishes and Bill Sienkiewicz finishing and inking over those breakdowns — an unusual collaborative pairing that the SpiderFan review noted produced a noticeably distinct visual texture. The direct edition was produced as a 52-page giant-sized book with a wraparound acetate cover, a production choice that mirrored the premium-format tactics Marvel had used elsewhere (such as the Age of Apocalypse) to signal an event-level chapter. Editor Eric Fein oversaw the issue, with Bob Budiansky serving as group editor.

Trivia · 8 facts

Published October 1995 (on-sale September 21, 1995) by Marvel Comics; cover-titled 'No More the Hero!'; part three of the three-part 'Greatest Responsibility' arc spanning Amazing Spider-Man #406 and Spider-Man #63.
Peter Parker officially retires as Spider-Man in this issue, choosing his family obligations — Mary Jane's dangerous pregnancy — over his costumed life, and offering his costume to Ben Reilly (who declines, preferring to remain the Scarlet Spider for now).
Written by Tom DeFalco; pencils and finishes by Sal Buscema; inks and finishes by Bill Sienkiewicz; colors by John Kalisz and Malibu Color; letters by Clem Robins; edited by Eric Fein.
The direct-edition release features a wraparound acetate overlay cover by Buscema and Sienkiewicz; the newsstand edition carries a standard printed cover without the acetate element.
First appearance of the Master Programmer, a digitized artificial intelligence construct allied with the new Doctor Octopus (Carolyn Trainer), per the Marvel Fandom character roster for this issue.
The story structure deliberately echoes Amazing Spider-Man #31–33 ('If This Be My Destiny'), with Carolyn Trainer's Doctor Octopus standing in for Otto Octavius and Mary Jane filling the role Aunt May occupied in the original; the issue even includes a visual homage to Amazing Spider-Man #33.
Peter Parker and Mary Jane depart New York at the issue's conclusion, leading directly into the one-shot Spider-Man: The Parker Years (1995) and the limited series Spider-Man: The Final Adventure; this issue was directly followed, in publication terms, by the two-month Scarlet Spider title replacements (Spectacular Scarlet Spider #1–2).
Reprinted in Spider-Man: Clone Saga Omnibus Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: The Complete Clone Saga Epic Book 5.