The Amazing Spider-Man #252 (1984) - Printings, Contents and Key Issues

Identification plate

Series: The Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel, 1963 series)
Issue: #252
Publication date: May 1984
Key date: May 1984
On-sale date: January 31, 1984
Indicia publisher: Marvel Comics Group
Price: $0.60; 0.25 GBP; 0.75 CAD
Pages: 36

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

From the editorial file The black costume debuts in Spider-Man's own title, May 1984. Publication order and story order famously diverge here: this issue reached readers first, while Secret Wars #8, published months later, tells the origin. Collectors chase both sides of that argument.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	The Rumors Are True. Introducing... the New Spider-Man!	cover	1	pencils: Ron Frenz; inks: Klaus Janson; letters: Danny Fingeroth	Peter Parker, Spider-Man
2	Homecoming	comic story	22	script: Roger Stern, Tom DeFalco; pencils: Ron Frenz; inks: Brett Breeding; colors: Glynis Wein; letters: Joe Rosen	Spider-Man [Peter Parker]; Venom symbiote (introduction, as the black costume); Curt Connors [Lizard]; Billy Connors; Martha Connors; Black Cat [Felicia Hardy]; J. Jonah Jameson; Robbie Robertson; Aunt May Parker; Nathan Lubensky; The Avengers [Captain America [Steve Rogers]; Thor; Iron Man [James R
13	-	in-house column	1	script: Jim Shooter
14	-	letters page	0.75	script: Danny Fingeroth
15	-	statement of ownership	0.25	script: Ed Shukin
16	Special 1984 Low Price Offer	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	letters: ?; typeset	Bruce Banner, Hulk

Plus 10 pages of advertisements and other matter across 13 sequences, as published.

Printings and variants

Edition	How to tell
Canadian	price 0.75 CAD; barcode 0714860245705
Newsstand	price 0.60 USD; barcode 0714860245705

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Marvel Tales #266	1992	On eBay ›
Marvel Milestones: Venom & Hercules #[nn]	2005	On eBay ›
Spider-Man Family Featuring Spider-Clan #1	2007	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Canadian and Whitman editions exist for many bronze books; match the barcode area to the plate.
Look for Mark Jewelers inserts and date stamps - they affect collector preference, not authenticity.

Series context

‹ #251252 of 443#253 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com