10 Legendary Comic Book Runs You Must Read Before You Die

7. Stan Lee & Steve Ditko's Spider-Man

X-Men Wolverine Cyclops Rogue Gambit Pyslocke
Marvel Comics

The comics put together by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko are another example of a work that is "genre describing." These two gentlemen gave the world Spider-Man with his introduction in Amazing Fantasy #15 and they continued to work together for another 40 issues.

Unfortunately, they began to butt heads and when their work on Spider-Man came to an end, so did their work together entirely. Ditko split from Marvel in 1966 and went to work for rival company DC Comics, but his work with Marvel was certainly significant.

Spider-Man has gone on to become one of the most recognizable fictional characters on the planet and it's all thanks to the work of Lee and Ditko.

In their run, they introduced a number of characters who would continue to play an important role in our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man's life for decades to come. Characters that made their debut include the Wrecking Crew, Green Goblin, Kraven, Doctor Octopus, and many more. Most Spider-Man stories written since Ditko and Lee worked on the book were built off of their accomplishments, which is why this is easily the best Spider-Man collaboration and run in the book's history.

Amazing Fantasy #15, Amazing Spider-Man #1-38, and two Annuals
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Jonathan is a graphic artist, illustrator, writer, and game designer. Jonathan retired from the U.S. Army in 2017 and enjoys researching and writing about history, science, theology, and many other subjects. He writes for ScreenRant, CBR, NerdBastards, Listverse, Ranker, WhatCulture, and many other sites online. You can check out his latest on Twitter: @TalkingBull or on his blog: jonathanhkantor.com