Classic Comic Book Cover of the Week: Amazing Spider-Man #583 with Barack Obama

Amazing Spider-Man #583 second printing

After nearly three decades of collecting comic books, I’m still a sucker for a cool cover. Some covers have made more of an impact than others, with a few even managing to be iconic. There is little doubt that the cover exists to get the book off the rack and into the hands of the buyer. In highlighting great covers of the years, it’s pretty easy to get caught up in a lot of different hoopla and fads.

So this week, a book that hasn’t been out for years garnered my attention, mostly because of the upcoming presidential inauguration but more because the outgoing president is right on the cover. Amazing Spider-Man #583 has the recognition of having Barack Obama on the cover, and there are few people that were not swept up in the Obama-mania of the president.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the issue sold morethan 350,000 copies, which is about five times the normal rate of ASM during that time frame. The funny part is the Obama cover is a variant cover, and the actual cover of the issue is significantly lesser known. Hey, even Wall Crawlers need a little help sometimes. Of the five printings (all with different backgrounds and graphics) of the book (that’s five printings of the variant cover), the first printing is the most valuable fetching a $60 price tag according to Comic Book Realm, but there is some value throughout the different issues. Plus there is the added question of "how many of these survive in good condition?".

This book is less about the story and continuity of Amazing Spider-Man, Obama does not just appear on the cover. The story involves the Chameleon taking on the form of the soon-to-be president only to be foiled by Peter Parker’s alter ego. Amazing Spider-Man #583 is more about being the first time a president appears on a comic book cover and in a comic book. That kind of Americana is tough to come by in any industry.

The cover itself has the potential to be iconic and the fact that it has held a $60 tag for years is testament to the power of celebrity, even a political one. Is this a comic that everyone needs to own? Probably not, but the cool tie in from actual events and historical relevance make it one of the cooler covers from the 2000’s era.

That, and just about anyone that sees it will be asking about it. That makes it a great wall book for any collector.

Classic Comic Book Cover of the Week: Amazing Spider-Man #55

There are legendary comic book covers and there is Amazing Spider-Man #55. The ultra-cool cover drawn by legendary artists John Romita Sr. features Doctor Octopus reflecting dual Spider-Man images (being attacked with those mechanical arms) is one of the most popular affordable early versions of the ASM lineup.

The 12-cent cover price is amplified by the long ago print date of December 1967, and Comic Book Realm lists available copies in the $300 range. Of course, these can usually be picked up with a lower grade for under $30, which is a steal for any sub-100 ASM. This is one of those covers that just looks great on the wall.

From an investment upside potential, there really isn't much here. Amazing Spider-Man #55 is the third part of the Doc Ock Wins! storyline (it's even right there on the cover) written by some guy named Stan Lee. However, it lacks any real significance with regards to first appearances, majestic revelations, or traumatic events.

From that standpoint, the only real thing this comic has working for it is the awesome cover and it's relatively low print run (likely under 80,000 copies at the time) and modern day scarcity. So follow that up after nearly fifty years of life, and there are probably just not too many of these running around. John Romita Sr. has a certain amount of appeal to fans of all ages, which makes it a really cool hard to find collectors issue.

All things considered, this is a cover that sticks with you thanks to the expression on Doc Ock's face and the great reflection idea. Long before the villain managed to land inside the head of Peter Parker in the Superior Spider-Man series, he was a mainstay of the classic ASM series. This is one comic that fits the ideal of a classic in just about every imaginable way.