On June 6 through August 26, 2017, The Museum of Illustration at the Society of Illustrators will be presenting The Art of Spider-Man. This first ever exhibition of original Spider-Man artwork will feature significant artists such as Steve Ditko, John Romita, Todd McFarlane, John Buscema, Ross Andru, Gil Kane, Ron Frenz, Keith Pollard, John Romita Jr., and more.

Following his debut in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962, Spider-Man – created by Stan Lee and Ditko – became a signature character of the Marvel universe. As his popularity soared, Lee began publishing a standalone Spider-Man comic that explored the flaws, insecurities and personalities of those within the Spider-verse. After Ditko’s departure from Marvel, Romita stepped in as Spider-Man’s main artist. Despite his initial trepidation, Romita’s style brought a warmer, elegant portrayal to Spider-Man that propelled the character to worldwide fame. By 1973, Romita was the art director for the entire line of Marvel Comics, and in 2002 his vast contributions were recognized when he was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.

This exhibition features plenty of pieces from Romita’s initial Spider-Man run including ‘twice up’ pages from early on. Several pages are being exhibited here for the first time, such as Spider-Man’s battles with the Green Goblin, the Rhino, Doctor Octopus, and many others. There are many pages featuring Romita’s Mary Jane Parker and Gwen Stacy, as well as select pages from Ditko’s run. Other featured artists will include McFarlane who rebooted Spider-Man’s look in 1988, along with the aforementioned artists who all contributed their talents in illustrating this iconic character.

Also included are rare art pieces from the original Spider-Man newspaper strip, advertising and other illustrative work. All of the art is on loan from the collection of Spider-Man and Romita expert Mike Burkey, with the show arranged and curated by Comic Art Specialist Rob Pistella. This comprehensive exhibition of Spider-Man art is taking place at the Society of Illustrators on 128 East 63 Street in New York, New York. An opening reception to the public will be held on Friday, June 9 at 7:30 PM.

For admission costs and additional information visit www.societyillustrators.org.