The 1980s are an era of big changes for Spider-Man. Not only do we get a major costume change in the form of the famous black suit and the ensuing character of Venom, but Peter Parker and Mary Jane finally tie the knot, Aunt May and J Jonah Jameson each find love, and Aunt May dies. And those are just the headlines.
Top Ten 80s Spider-Man Issues
Black Cat Learns Spider-Man's Identity: The Spectacular Spider-Man #87, 1983
Spider-Man's Black Suit: The Amazing Spider-Man #252, 1984
The Suit Explained + Mary Jane Knows: TASM #257-259, 1984
Ditching The Suit: Web of Spider-Man #1, 1985
Mary Jane Kidnapped: TASM #260-261, 1985
Peter Gets Married: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21, 1987
Ned Leeds Dies: TASM #289, 1987
Kraven's Last Hunt: Web 31, Amazing 293, Spectacular 131, Web 32, Amazing 294, Spectacular 132, 1987
Venom: TASM #300, 1988
Venom Returns: TASM #314-317, 1989
Now, to clarify, Aunt May doesn't really die - which is one of the countless times that Marvel was too flip-floppy to make up their minds about what to do with their characters. But there's a compelling story about Aunt May's not-being-dead that involves the burglar who killed Uncle Ben way back when. We also get to meet Nathan Lubensky, a new love interest for Aunt May. But the biggest contribution to the Spider-Man mythos from this decade is undoubtedly the Black Spider-Man suit and Venom. Even knowing from the beginning that the black suit was going to be nothing but trouble, it was thrilling getting to see Spider-Man figure that out bit by bit across issues. Watching Mary Jane and Peter get married was also a blast, though I was horrified to see how hesitant Peter was about it. I wonder if that may have been the writers projecting a bit, afraid to move their own character forward. It was a bit odd that Peter proposed while he was seemingly still in a relationship with Black Cat, but hey.
I can't leave the 80s behind without talking about Kraven's Last Hunt, a comic book event that is without a doubt the single most iconic, unique, and genre-defying story arc across all the Spider-Man comics I've read so far. With stunning art, a much darker vibe, real emotional stakes, and a well-executed story, I'd recommend Kraven's Last Hunt to anyone looking to get into comics - provided you're not afraid of rats.