Home › Web of Spider-Man › #50

Cover: Alex Saviuk & Frank Giacoia

Web of Spider-Man #50

Name: Web of Spider-Man #50
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

May 1989 · Marvel · 1.50 USD; 2.00 CAD; 0.50 GBP

☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free

“1,000 Words”

★ 1st appearance — Nick Katzenberg

About this Issue

Web of Spider-Man #50 earns its place as a genuine landmark of the Copper Age Spider-Man line because it delivers the first appearance of the Outlaws — the informal team of reformed antagonists (Silver Sable, Sandman, Prowler, Puma, Rocket Racer, and Will O' the Wisp) whose dynamic as morally grey allies would extend well beyond this single issue into Spectacular Spider-Man and beyond. The issue simultaneously introduced Nick Katzenberg, a tabloid photographer whose sleazy rivalry with Peter Parker over control of Spider-Man's public image became one of the more pointed supporting-cast additions to the Daily Bugle ensemble of the late Copper Age. As a 48-page giant-size anniversary book, it also showcased writer Gerry Conway's deliberate use of the title's milestone as an occasion to weave together the multiple ongoing subplots — the Lobo Brothers gang war, the Chameleon's impersonation of J. Jonah Jameson, and Spider-Man's reputation crisis — that defined his coordinated dual-title run, demonstrating just how ambitiously serialized superhero comics had become by 1989.

In "1,000 Words," Spider-Man finds himself branded a thief by the Daily Bugle after helping Silver Sable, sparking a chaotic clash between heroes. With the Chameleon impersonating J. Jonah Jameson and the city on edge, Spider-Man must clear his name amid escalating chaos. Written by Gerry Conway and illustrated by Alex Saviuk, with inks by Keith Williams, colors by Bob Sharen, and letters by Rick Parker, this 1989 issue features a cover by Alex Saviuk and Frank Giacoia.

writer Gerry Conway · artist Alex Saviuk · inker Keith Williams · colorist Bob Sharen · letterer Rick Parker · cover Alex Saviuk, Frank Giacoia

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $6

CGC 9.8 · 48 in census $126

CGC 9.6 · 41 in census $57*

CGC 9.4 · 17 in census $40*

CGC 9.2 · 17 in census $37*

CGC 9.0 · 8 in census $33*

CGC 8.5 · 3 in census $32*

Show all 14 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 9 in census $29*

CGC 7.5 · 2 in census $25*

CGC 7.0 · 1 in census $23*

CGC 6.5 · 1 in census $22*

CGC 6.0 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $20

CGC 4.5 · 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

This exact issue on ebay

CGC 9.8 ▾ $63.4–$145 3 listings

CGC 9.8 $63.4 CGC 9.8 $80.75 CGC 9.8 $145

CGC 9.6 $69.99 1 listing CGC 4.5 $30 1 listing CGC $100 1 listing Raw — MINT $9.99 1 listing Raw — NM/M $29.95 1 listing

Raw — NM+ ▾ $10.99–$25 2 listings

NM+ $10.99 NM+ $25

Raw — NM ▾ $4.95–$8.79 3 listings

NM $4.95 NM $5 NM $8.79

Raw — NM- $12 1 listing Raw — VF/NM $6.47 1 listing Raw — VF+ $8.99 1 listing

Raw — VF ▾ $7.5–$12 3 listings

VF · Variant $7.5 VF $7.91 VF $12

Raw — VERY FINE $14.09 1 listing Raw — FN+ $3.6 1 listing

Raw — FN ▾ $4.25–$5.99 2 listings

FN $4.25 FN $5.99

Raw — VG $15.99 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $3–$45 28 listings

Verified matches for Web of Spider-Man #50 · eBay asking prices, seen 22 days ago

More listings for this title

VF $16 Marvel Comics: Web of Spider-Man, Issue # 50 (May 1989) $4.74

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 2 total · seen 22 days ago

Read it digitally

Marvel Unlimited Marvel’s subscription reader ▸ Amazon Kindle Buy the digital edition ▸

Opens a search on each platform — digital availability varies by title.

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 ▸

Fast, fair offers · we handle grading & shipping

History

Gerry Conway had been writing Web of Spider-Man since issue #35 (the 'Tribute-to-Teen-Agers' story) alongside artist Alex Saviuk, and by the time the series reached its 50th issue Conway was simultaneously scripting The Spectacular Spider-Man — effectively treating the two titles as a single serialized narrative with shared subplots crossing between them. The issue was edited by Jim Salicrup, with Glenn Herdling as assistant editor and Tom DeFalco as editor-in-chief; the Grand Comics Database records its on-sale date as January 3, 1989, with the cover date of May 1989. The expanded 48-page format was Marvel's standard way of marking milestone anniversary issues in this era, giving Conway and Saviuk room to orchestrate a large cast without sacrificing the concurrent gang-war subplot that was already in motion. The cover was pencilled by Saviuk and inked by Frank Giacoia, while Keith Williams handled interior inks.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance (unnamed as a team) of the Outlaws — comprising Silver Sable, Sandman, Prowler, Puma, Rocket Racer, and Will O' the Wisp — who would be formally named in Spectacular Spider-Man #169 (October 1990).
First appearance of Nick Katzenberg, a paparazzo-turned-Daily-Bugle-photographer whose fabricated anti-Spider-Man photos drive the issue's central conflict and who went on to appear in more than 40 subsequent issues.
First appearance of Winston Walker III, a Maggia money-launderer whose exposure by Silver Sable and Spider-Man forms the issue's central mission.
The story, titled '1,000 Words,' was written by Gerry Conway, pencilled by Alex Saviuk, inked by Keith Williams, colored by Bob Sharen, and lettered by Rick Parker; the cover was drawn by Saviuk and inked by Frank Giacoia.
Published as a 48-page giant-size anniversary issue, expanded from the series' standard page count to accommodate the large guest cast and multiple ongoing subplots.
The Chameleon is revealed to have been impersonating J. Jonah Jameson throughout the issue, a plot thread that continued across Conway's run in both Web of Spider-Man and Spectacular Spider-Man.
The issue advances the Lobo Brothers gang war subplot (Carlos and Eduardo Lobo vs. the Arranger), a multi-title storyline running through Conway's concurrent work on both Web of Spider-Man and Spectacular Spider-Man.
The cover story was reprinted internationally in French (Nova #144, January 1990), Spanish (El Hombre Araña #465, April 1990), Italian (L'Uomo Ragno #103, September 1992), and in a 2024 Spanish collected edition (Marvel Héroes #124, Panini España).