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Spider-Man: The Complete Black Costume Saga Omnibus Ron Frenz Cover
Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #252-263 And Annual #18; Marvel Team-Up (1972) #141-150 And Annual #7; Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) #90-100 And Annual #4; And Web Of Spider-Man (1985) #1.
The entire shocking saga of the symbiotic suit that became the iconic villain Venom! When Spider-Man returns from the Secret Wars with a snazzy new black costume, he's faster and stronger - and has an unending, built-in supply of webbing! All the better for tussling with foes like the Rose, Black Fox, Red Ghost, Jack O'Lantern, Puma and the Blob! But something's not quite right. Curse that ol' Parker luck, the black costume is a hungry alien symbiote…and it's grown very attached to him! With help from the Fantastic Four, Spidey gets free - but the sinister symbiote isn't finished with him yet, and Spidey soon faces the fight of his life to avoid a permanent bond!
The entire shocking saga of the symbiotic suit that became the iconic villain Venom! When Spider-Man returns from the Secret Wars with a snazzy new black costume, he's faster and stronger - and has an unending, built-in supply of webbing! All the better for tussling with foes like the Rose, Black Fox, Red Ghost, Jack O'Lantern, Puma and the Blob! But something's not quite right. Curse that ol' Parker luck, the black costume is a hungry alien symbiote…and it's grown very attached to him! With help from the Fantastic Four, Spidey gets free - but the sinister symbiote isn't finished with him yet, and Spidey soon faces the fight of his life to avoid a permanent bond!
992 pages, Hardcover
Published September 24, 2024
8 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Tom DeFalco
2,490 books110 followersTom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well-known for his association with Marvel Comics and Spider-Man.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 5, 2025
Judging this Omnibus is a bit like trying to grade three different flavors of ice cream, each one’s got its own vibe. So, let’s dive into the good, the bad, and the "meh," and maybe the true shit, shall we?
The Strongest?
Amazing Spider-Man takes the cake here. Written mostly by Tom DeFalco with art by Ron Frenz, this is the cream of the crop. Even the everyday issues are pretty solid, but the ones with MJ coming back and diving into her backstory? Chef’s kiss. The Hobgoblin arc? The best villain here, no contest. Peter’s journey to sort out his life, the funny quips that make Spidey who he is—this series nailed it all.
Spectacular Spider-Man?
Eh, it’s a mixed bag. There are some good moments, mostly Peter and Felicia's relationship had me hooked for a bit, but the villains here were meh. Even big ones like Kingpin felt badly written. And don’t get me started on the pacing… some issues just drag and feel like they’re just saying “Hey, keep reading, buy the next one!” Still, it’s not terrible until we hit the later issues.
Team-Up Issues:
Ugh, talk about a letdown. Most of these were... rough. Like, seriously, one or two decent ones doesn’t make up for the snooze-fest that was most of them. Team-ups? Not my thing.
Overall?
It’s a pretty solid collection. Web of Shadows, Hobgoblin, MJ's return, and the symbiote/black suit stuff are all top-tier. The rest? Meh. I’m giving this a 3 out of 5.
The Strongest?
Amazing Spider-Man takes the cake here. Written mostly by Tom DeFalco with art by Ron Frenz, this is the cream of the crop. Even the everyday issues are pretty solid, but the ones with MJ coming back and diving into her backstory? Chef’s kiss. The Hobgoblin arc? The best villain here, no contest. Peter’s journey to sort out his life, the funny quips that make Spidey who he is—this series nailed it all.
Spectacular Spider-Man?
Eh, it’s a mixed bag. There are some good moments, mostly Peter and Felicia's relationship had me hooked for a bit, but the villains here were meh. Even big ones like Kingpin felt badly written. And don’t get me started on the pacing… some issues just drag and feel like they’re just saying “Hey, keep reading, buy the next one!” Still, it’s not terrible until we hit the later issues.
Team-Up Issues:
Ugh, talk about a letdown. Most of these were... rough. Like, seriously, one or two decent ones doesn’t make up for the snooze-fest that was most of them. Team-ups? Not my thing.
Overall?
It’s a pretty solid collection. Web of Shadows, Hobgoblin, MJ's return, and the symbiote/black suit stuff are all top-tier. The rest? Meh. I’m giving this a 3 out of 5.
December 4, 2024
Some really excellent stories in this book, and it's nice to have it all between two covers finally, especially in hardcover and oversized format! It was nice having the Amazing and Spectacular stories punctuated by the Marvel Team-Up tales, most of which are great issues. The only awkward part is that is just...ends. I've read most of what comes next, but for anyone reading this who hasn't, a couple good next options would be Amazing Spider-Man Marvel Masterworks vol 25 and/or the upcoming Web of Spider-Man Omnibus vol 1!
September 21, 2025
(Zero spoiler review) 2.5/5
A very mixed bag that neither aided in my flailing interest in the character, nor was ever truly poor enough to have me sell every Spidey omnibus I have on the shelf that I haven't read as yet. The art was usually quite good, though I was expecting it to reflect other titles at the time, and not look closer to that of decades past by that point. For some that might be a plus. It was the writing that let this one down, though, with very little happening throughout the entire arc, beyond Black Cat being a cunning stunt for most of it. This was my first taste of the character, and despite how she looks, I really didn't dig this interpretation. That and the 'big reveal' that happens inside was criminally underdone. expected more from 80's Spidey. 2.5/5
OmniBen.
A very mixed bag that neither aided in my flailing interest in the character, nor was ever truly poor enough to have me sell every Spidey omnibus I have on the shelf that I haven't read as yet. The art was usually quite good, though I was expecting it to reflect other titles at the time, and not look closer to that of decades past by that point. For some that might be a plus. It was the writing that let this one down, though, with very little happening throughout the entire arc, beyond Black Cat being a cunning stunt for most of it. This was my first taste of the character, and despite how she looks, I really didn't dig this interpretation. That and the 'big reveal' that happens inside was criminally underdone. expected more from 80's Spidey. 2.5/5
OmniBen.
December 28, 2024
Uno de los hitos en la historia de Spider-man es el traje negro que se trajo de las Secret Wars y resultó ser un simbionte alienígena. El Omnibus recoge la mayoría de las aventuras del trepamuros desde su retorno a Manhattan hasta la segunda vez que se libra del traje. Es un comic ochentero y quintaesencialmente propio de Spider-man. Lleno de Team-Ups, el villano por antonomasia es Kingpin y su interés romántico es la gata negra que acaba de hacer un pacto mefistofélico con Kingpin. J. J. Jameson, M. J. y hasta la tía May tienen papeles muy secundarios y salvo el escorpión y Silvermane no aparecen los villanos clásicos. También en segundo plano, empieza a desarrollarse la historia del Hobgoblin.
No es para leerla de un tirón y se nota. La calidad artística es muy desigual pero el valor nostálgico es alto. Ahora me apetece leer la versión Ultimate para ver como moderniza la historia.
No es para leerla de un tirón y se nota. La calidad artística es muy desigual pero el valor nostálgico es alto. Ahora me apetece leer la versión Ultimate para ver como moderniza la historia.
February 24, 2026
fev/2026
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews