A Spider-Man Fan Just Completed His Comics Collection After 37 Years (And His Dad Is the Real Hero of the Story)

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Often, people collect comic books hoping to impress others or profit from them. But sometimes, collecting is more personal, driven by genuine passion rather than financial gain. For some, the hobby is a family tradition, passed down through generations. In these cases, completing a collection isn’t just about the items themselves – it’s about strengthening the bond with family and honoring a shared legacy.

A Reddit user named joeltheconner recently shared that he’s finished collecting the first 400 issues of The Amazing Spider-Man. He credits his father with helping him complete the collection.

Spider-Man Collector Finishes Collection Thanks to His Dad

Joeltheconner shared that his dad collected comic books and often brought him along to comic shops when he was young. While he wasn’t initially interested, that changed when he was nine years old. He recalls his dad giving him a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #300, which immediately sparked his passion for comics. After that, they began collecting together, and for two years, they even took family vacations to a large comic convention in Chicago.

He lost interest in collecting around 1998 and moved on to other things, but he remembered a conversation with his dad that sparked his initial passion. They talked about collecting every issue of a particular comic book, and he chose Amazing Spider-Man, aiming to gather the first 400 issues. Years later, his dad asked if he was still working on that collection, and then did something incredibly meaningful for him.

My dad had this incredible collection of Silver Surfer comics – seriously, they were his pride and joy. He actually offered to sell them to a local comic shop so he could give me store credit to finish collecting The Amazing Spider-Man. I really tried to convince him not to, but it sounded like a fun project we could do together, like old times. Stepping back into a comic shop for the first time in years just reignited my passion, and I was instantly hooked again. And today, after two years of searching, I finally got the last issue I needed to complete the entire run! It feels amazing.

The comic book was Amazing Spider-Man #2, notable for introducing the Vulture and marking the first time Spider-Man battled a villain with superpowers (the Chameleon appeared in his first issue). A touching story within the book focused on a man whose father sacrificed something valuable to help him achieve a lifelong dream, something that clearly meant everything to him. He wrote about the difficulty of expressing gratitude to a parent, stating his determination to find a way to truly show his father how much he appreciated him, and acknowledging a debt he could never fully repay.

A Reddit post from three years ago highlighted how hard this particular comic book is to find. One user shared they’d recently purchased it for $900, while another mentioned paying $650 for a UK version. Someone else commented that they’d seen a lower-condition copy sell for $800. Given this one is graded at 2.5, it’s clear this person got a great deal from their father, helping them fulfill a long-held dream.

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2026-05-10 23:42