The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #4
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freePublished at the height of the Alien Costume Saga, this annual is a rare character study that shifts the spotlight away from superheroics and onto Aunt May, giving one of Spider-Man's most enduring supporting characters a rich backstory and emotional interiority she had rarely received before. The lead story 'Memory Lane!' depicts Spider-Man still in his alien symbiote black costume — placing it squarely within the 1984 symbiote continuity that would eventually seed Venom — while simultaneously delivering a genuinely moving story about aging, memory, and the lives Peter Parker's family led before he was born. The introduction of Johnny Jerome, May's pre-Ben Parker suitor, adds a layer of depth to the Parker family history that few comics of the era attempted for secondary characters. Its reputation as a standout of Bill Mantlo's long Spectacular Spider-Man tenure has kept it in continuous print across multiple collected editions.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The annual was written by Bill Mantlo, whose second run scripting Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man had concluded with issue #90 in May 1984, making this one of his final contributions to the title. It was released to newsstands with a shipping date of July 3, 1984, and carried a November 1984 cover date, placing it squarely in the middle of Marvel's coordinated Alien Costume Saga — a line-wide initiative in which the symbiote black costume was showcased across Amazing Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man, and Marvel Team-Up simultaneously, in part to build reader anticipation for the Secret Wars limited series. The lead story was penciled by Kerry Gammill with finishes by Sal Buscema and inks by Carlos Garzon; the backup 'Cat and Mouse' was written by Bob DeNatale with art by Ron Randall, and editor Danny Fingeroth oversaw the issue.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Contains two stories: the lead 'Memory Lane!' (written by Bill Mantlo, art by Kerry Gammill, Sal Buscema, and Carlos Garzon) and the backup 'Cat and Mouse' (written by Bob DeNatale, art by Ron Randall).
- First appearance (intro) of Johnny Jerome, a former suitor of Aunt May Parker who was paroled from prison and begins sending her love letters, triggering flashbacks to her youth.
- Spider-Man appears throughout the lead story wearing the alien symbiote black costume, making this part of the 1984 Alien Costume Saga continuity.
- The annual provides an extended flashback into Aunt May's youth, depicting her courtship by both Ben Parker and Johnny Jerome, including scenes set at Coney Island and an old New York dance hall — one of the most detailed explorations of the pre-Peter Parker Parker family in Bronze Age Marvel.
- The backup 'Cat and Mouse' features Black Cat in a solo adventure chasing a wine carafe that Spider-Man had given her as a gift, with Captain Jean DeWolff also appearing.
- On-sale date was July 3, 1984 (per Amazing Heroes #51 shipping records); the cover date is November 1984. Two editions exist: a US newsstand edition and a Canadian edition.
- Reprinted in Essential Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 4 (2009), which collects Spectacular Spider-Man #75–96 and Annual #4, as well as in the Spider-Man: The Complete Black Costume Saga Omnibus, which collects all symbiote-era Spectacular Spider-Man issues #90–100 and Annual #4.
- The story contains an internal continuity discrepancy noted by the Marvel Database: Aunt May's flashback depicts both her parents present, which contradicts Amazing Spider-Man #370's later revelation that her father had abandoned the family when she was young.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Die Spinne Comic - Taschenbuch #24 (1985), El Asombroso Hombre Araña Especial #22 (1986), Edderkoppen #3/1987 (1987), Spindelmannen #3/1987 (1987), Strange #208 (1987), Edderkoppen #5/1987 (1987), Spindelmannen #5/1987 (1987), L'Uomo Ragno #46 (1990), L'Uomo Ragno #47 (1990), Essential Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #4 (2009), Spider-Man: The Complete Alien Costume Saga #2 (2015), Κλασικά Κόμικς Σούπερ Σπάιντερ Μαν [Classic Comics Super Spider-Man] #13, Peter Parker de spektakulaire Spiderman #20, Σουπερ Σπαϊντερμαν [Super Spider-Man] #24
Key issues in The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual
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