Spider-Man has been a fixture in Marvel Comics since 1963, and the star of some of the highest-selling titles in the superhero genre. But even the highest selling Spider-Man comics, like the adjectiveless Spider-Man from the early '90s, didn't last as long as they could have. Some titles, like The Superior Spider-Man, from more recent years also ended before some fans were ready for it to be over.
With Spider-Man: No Way Home breaking records, many fans are going back to the comic books for more Spider-Man. There are many, many titles to explore, and some of the best were those that didn't go on for decades. Some of them starred characters like Miles Morales who have since become major players in the comics, and are certain to in live-action, animation, or both.
Superior Spider-Man
The Superior Spider-Man reaches a natural conclusion after a run of 33 issues between 2013 and 2014, seeing Peter Parker regain control of his body after being displaced by Doctor Octopus. But some fans wanted one of the most interesting modern Spider-Man stories to go on for a good deal longer than it did.
The storyline features one of the most powerful versions of Doctor Octopus, who has swapped bodies with Peter Parker. The title explored Doc Ock living and working as Spider-Man, deceiving his loved ones, and even himself as he tried to embody what it meant to be Spider-Man.
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man makes use of the Wall-Crawler's iconic nickname, but the series only lasts a short time. The series, written by Peter David, introduces a new set of powers for Spider-Man, including night vision and the ability to communicate with spiders.
The series ran for 24 issues beginning in 2005 and was canceled in the wake of One More Day, which retconned Peter Parker and Mary Jane's relationship out of existence. That effectively erased this entire series, though some elements of it have been referenced in later comic books, in particular the Spider-Island crossover event from 2011.
Spider-Man 2099
Comic book fans know Spider-Man 2099 was one of the first major Spider-Man variants in the comics. Movie fans will get to know him better in the Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Part 1 movie. But his first comic book was canceled after only a few years.
Also written by Peter David, the series ran between November 1992 and August 1996 for only 46 issues. The 2099 universe, set in a dark future timeline, seemed stalled out in the late 90s, but Spider-Man 2099 has since returned to become a key part of the larger Spider-Verse.
Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl ran for 100 issues in the early 2000s, but even then, it was gone too soon. Very popular with fans, so much so a fan campaign saved it from being canceled once, it starred May Parker, the daughter of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson.
The series was a fun ride that spun out of one of the strangest realities of What If..? comics, from issue #105. Set in the future MC2 universe, Peter Parker is retired but May has inherited his powers and becomes one of the most exciting new superheroes of the 21st century.
Spider-Man Unlimited
Spider-Man Unlimited was a quarterly anthology series that lasted only 22 issues, between 1993 and 1998. It's a shame the series didn't go on, because it was a great forum for longer stories about Spider-Man that the regular books didn't always have the space to tell.
Spider-Man Unlimited featured a rotating slate of writers and artists throughout its brief run and oscillated between tie-ins to huge '90s crossover events like Maximum Carnage and The Clone Saga as well as self-contained stories.
Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man
Miles Morales has become one of the most important versions of Spider-Man in the comics and other media, but his first solo title was canceled after only 12 issues. Low sales took Miles Morales: Spider-Man off the market too soon, but Miles would go on to become a major part of Spider-Man lore.
This 2014 series written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by David Marquez featured Miles coming into his own as the Spider-Man of the Ultimate Comics universe, and discovering that one of his closest friends, Kate Bishop, was in fact a HYDRA agent.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man #1 was briefly the highest-selling comic book of all time, with roughly 1.2 million copies sold in 1990. Despite this, the new title didn't last as long as other major Spider-Man titles, running 98 issues until 1998.
Early issues showcased iconic art by Todd McFarlane and Erik Larsen, some of the best Spider-Man artists ever. Major turnover in the creative teams, as well as declining sales through the mid-90s as the speculator boom, collapsed the entire industry to a shell of its former self led to the cancellation of the once-popular book.
Spider-Man's Tangled Web
Spider-Man's Tangled Web was one of the best Spider-Man comics of the 21st century, featuring a rotating stable of diverse writers and artists bringing their unique perspectives to the Wall-Crawler. Sadly, the comic was canceled after only 22 issues in 2003.
Creators like Darwyn Cooke, Garth Ennis, and Peter Milligan brought a vibrant and new energy to Spider-Man very unusual for the time. Though the book was canceled, recent Spider-Man movies have shown that Spider-Man can exist in a variety of styles and incarnations.
Web of Spider-Man
Web of Spider-Man was the title of one of the longest-running Spider-Man titles in the '80s and '90s, but also a second volume from 2009 that lasted only 12 issues. This anthology series focused on the ing characters in Peter Parker's life.
The monthly comic shifted focus with each issue to focus on some of Spider-Man's greatest villains, like Doctor Octopus and Rhino, and also put the spotlight on his key ing cast, like Mary Jane and J. Jonah Jameson.
Non-Stop Spider-Man
Non-Stop Spider-Man was a recent Marvel comic that was just canceled after only a few issues. It's a shame as the book brings a lot of the energy and fun of the MCU version of the character, with quirky dialogue by writer Joe Kelly and energetic art by Chris Bachalo.
The cancellation is particularly frustrating for fans of the series, as it ends on a huge cliffhanger with no prospect of a resolution. The book faced major delays through the last two years, but fans stuck with it through its very brief five-issue run.