Sonys The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has been heavily marketed around its three villains: Electro, Rhino and Harry Osborn/Green Goblin. And while a case could be made that the film is bogged down with too many bad guys, all three characters have starred in some memorable storylines from the comics that are worth checking out. Electro, aka, Max Dillon, first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #9 during the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko Silver Age era. His ability to harness electricity has led to a number of entertaining one-on-one confrontations with Spider-Man over the years. Electro is also a core member of the anti-Spidey supervillain stable, the Sinister Six. Rhino, aka Aleksei Sytsevich, was one of the very first villains created by iconic Spider-Man artist John Romita Sr., debuting in Amazing Spider-Man #41 in 1966. Often portrayed as brutish and dull, Rhino has also spent a portion of his career antagonizing the Hulk in his comic book series. Harry Osborn is the son of Spider-Mans arch nemesis, Norman Osborn, aka, the Green Goblin. As Peter Parkers best friend and college roommate, Harrys eventual turn as the Goblin in Amazing Spider-Man #136 is considered one of the most emotionally devastating and conflicting moments for Peter in the characters history. As such, the two have been involved in some of the greatest storylines in Spider-Man history. So, if youve just seen The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and want to find out some more about these three characters from the comic book side of things, or youre looking for some key reading material before checking out the film, these 10 entries are an excellent place to start.
Mark is a professional writer living in Brooklyn and is the founder of the Chasing Amazing Blog, which documents his quest to collect every issue of Amazing Spider-Man, and the Superior Spider-Talk podcast. He also pens the "Gimmick or Good?" column at Comics Should Be Good blog.
