250's for America's 250 · Day 20: The Spectacular Spider-Man #250

Publishing: Tuesday, June 30, 2026 · Marvel Comics · Cover date: October 1997

Cover from the Green Goblin–themed anniversary issue

See full issue details on the Grand Comics Database →

A double-sized late-'90s anniversary issue centered on the return of Spider-Man's greatest enemy.

The issue

"Citizen Osborn" follows Norman Osborn's public re-emergence after his "death": he reclaims Oscorp, buys into the Daily Bugle as co-owner, and reopens the Osborn Foundation at a glittering gala — all while psychologically tormenting Peter Parker and everyone close to him. In parallel threads, Spider-Man helps Dr. Ashley Kafka contain a relapsing Man-Wolf, Flash Thompson spirals after a DUI, and a new Kraven confronts Calypso. When Spider-Man finally snaps and ambushes Norman, he realizes too late that Osborn recorded the attack as a trap to turn the public against him.

Who's in it

• Spider-Man / Peter Parker — pushed to the breaking point by his nemesis's calculated public rehabilitation.
• Norman Osborn / Green Goblin — rebuilding his empire and reputation in plain sight while quietly torturing Peter psychologically.
• Mary Jane Watson-Parker — Peter's wife, caught in the fallout of Osborn's return.
• John Jameson / Man-Wolf — relapsing into his lupine alter ego, requiring Spider-Man's intervention.
• Flash Thompson — spiraling after a DUI, one of several supporting-cast crises threaded through the issue.
• The new Kraven (Alyosha Kravinoff) and Calypso — a subplot pitting the next generation of the Kraven legacy against Spider-Man's longtime witch-woman antagonist.

Behind the book (creators)

• Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
• Pencils: Luke Ross · Inks: Dan Green & Al Milgrom
• Colors: John Kalisz · Letters: Richard Starkings
• Editors: Ralph Macchio & Matt Hicks

Meet the creators

J.M. DeMatteis is known for bringing deep psychological weight to superhero comics, most famously in his acclaimed Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt storyline. His late-'90s Spider-Man work, including this issue's slow-burn portrait of Norman Osborn's public rehabilitation, continued that focus on the villain's mind games as much as his fists. DeMatteis also co-created the beloved comedic Justice League International run at DC alongside Keith Giffen.

Luke Ross is a Brazilian-born artist who built a career on detailed, cinematic pencils across multiple Spider-Man titles in the 1990s before going on to draw extended runs on Punisher and Captain America in the 2000s and beyond. His grounded, realistic figure work suited the character-driven soap-opera plotting of this era's Spectacular Spider-Man.

What it's worth

A common late-'90s issue with low demand. Raw NM copies typically run $5–$15; CGC 9.8 copies generally land $40–$70 (estimate). It's a key beat in Norman Osborn's late-'90s return arc, late in a title that ended at #263 in 1998.

Where to read it (collected edition)

Not currently collected. Per collecting guides, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #242–250 have not been reprinted in any trade or omnibus as of 2026 — a nice "you can only get it raw" angle for the post.

Part of "250's for America's 250" — counting 24 milestone #250 comics down to the U.S. 250th on July 4, 2026.