The Amazing Spider-Man #39

Published in August 1966, The Amazing Spider-Man #39 marks a pivotal transition in the series as the first issue illustrated by John Romita Sr. following Steve Ditko's departure. This transition ushered in a new visual era for the character, shifting the aesthetic toward a more romantic and stylized look that would define the look of Peter Parker’s supporting cast for years to come. The issue is widely regarded by collectors as a landmark in the Silver Age of comic books due to this change in artistic direction.

The narrative, written by Stan Lee, focuses on a major showdown between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin, revealing the villain's secret identity for the first time. The cover, iconic for its intense imagery of the Green Goblin unmasking Peter Parker, helped cement the issue's status as a fundamental piece of Spider-Man history. It successfully balanced high-stakes action with the soap-opera style drama that was essential to the Marvel Method of the mid-1960s, receiving immediate critical acclaim for its narrative intensity.