CGC Featured Comic of the Month: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21

Posted on 2/1/2024

You’ll love this month’s featured comic, celebrating the historic wedding of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson.


Click images to enlarge.

Name: Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21

Comic publisher: Marvel Comics

Date: June 1987

Variants: This comic was released with two covers. One direct edition cover featured Peter and Mary Jane surrounded by their friends and family, and a newsstand variant featured Spider-Man and Mary Jane surrounded by Spider-Man’s enemies.

What makes it special? Peter Parker has never had the best of luck when it comes to romance, but finally hit the jackpot with his one true love (after Liz and Betty and Gwen) — Mary Jane Watson. Even this, however, couldn’t go smoothly for poor Peter Parker. MJ's former partner attempted to persuade her to call off the wedding by offering two tickets to Paris. She accepted the tickets, but then used them for her honeymoon with Peter (burn!).

Why is it interesting now? There’s so much fighting and conflict in comic books. This month is Valentine’s Day, so let’s take a moment to celebrate love.

Did you know? Peter and MJ were never intended to be together. Creators Stan Lee and John Romita always planned on Peter and Gwen Stacy winding up together, and Mary Jane was introduced in a cameo in Amazing Spider-Man #25 just for fun. After Gwen’s death, Mary Jane was featured in more stories and eventually stole the hearts of Peter Parker and readers alike.

Total graded by CGC: As of January 16, 2024, there were 3,232 copies of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 in the CGC Census.

CGC highest graded: There are 979 copies graded CGC 9.8 and only one graded CGC 9.9.

Sales highlights: A CGC 9.8 Signature Series newsstand variant signed by Paul Ryan, Jim Salicrup, Stan Lee, John Romita Sr., David Michelinie and Jim Shooter sold for $1,606 on eBay in December 2023.

CGC Comics Registry Champion: CGC Comics Registry user jjbjheartman’s set Amazing Spider-man The First Series includes a CGC 9.8 copy, along with every other issue from this series (#1-441), including the annuals (#1-38) and more, helping to earn it the Best in Set Type Award in 2022 and 2023 as well as the Achievement in Collecting Comics Award in 2020.

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