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Off-White pgs; Universal holder; Unrestored
1st app Green Goblin (Norman Osborn); 1st meeting Hulk and Spider-Man; Steve Ditko cover & art; Comic Book Impact rating of 9 (CBI)


After an already-impressive series of supervillains, Amazing Spider-Man #14 gave our hero his Joker, his Luthor, his Red Skull, his true nemesis and arch-villain. Every hero needs one — and boy, is the Green Goblin one of the all-time greats. The identity and backstory of this compelling nemesis ties neatly into the Spider-Man title's recurring themes of loss, tragedy, and the simple day-to-day difficulties of life.

Of course, Norman Osborn also makes his first appearance as the Goblin's eventual alter ego. (Stan Lee and Steve Ditko would still argue for a while over Stan's idea that this new villain would be revealed as someone close to Peter Parker.) Osborn himself would end up spanning decades as one of Marvel's most beloved bad guys. This enduring classic issue (which also features Spidey's first encounter with the Hulk) remains one of the most important and beloved of all Marvel keys.