10 Essential Storylines To Read If You're Just Getting Into Spider-Man

3. The Night Gwen Stacy Died (Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: The Goblin's Last Stand)

Although Mary Jane is certainly the more famous love interest, Gwen Stacy was the first woman Peter Parker ever loved. Most will be clued up on that now, thanks to the chemistry of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in Marc Webb's Spidey films, but Gwen wasn't always as famous as she is today.

That said, even if you do know how the story ends (and let's face it, the title is a dead giveaway), The Night Gwen Stacy died still manages to pack an emotional wallop. Collected in another of Marvel's Epic Collection line of TPBs, Gerry Conway and Gil Kane's 1973 comic is one of the most infamous in the publisher's library and, whether you agree with it or not, there's no denying its status in the character's bibliography.

Like Kraven's Last Hunt, The Night Gwen Stacy died is one of the more tragic Spider-Man comics out there, its melancholic nature exemplified by the fact that there was no actual way for Spidey to save Gwen. It also shows a real moment of weakness from Peter, who comes dangerously close to killing Green Goblin in the immediate wake of Stacy's passing.

Conway's story defied convention, pushed the medium into a new age and set a precedent - for better or for worse - in the decade following. A lot of the wall-crawler's greatest hits wouldn't exist had it not been for this story, and that alone is cause to check it out.