Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man: the 1976 crossover between DC and Marvel
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Everything about Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man, the treasury co-published by DC and Marvel in 1976. Cover title: Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man: The Battle of the Century. On-sale date used here: January 2, 1976 (Bob Rozakis, GCD). Wikipedia also lists March 1976. You'll see the credits, the Luthor / Octopus plot, the red sun, the alliance, and the 1981 sequel — with no invented ranking.
📋 Contents
- Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man: the 1976 treasury
- Conway, Andru, Giordano, Adams and Romita
- Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man: the plot, with no invented winner
- The “vs” on the cover, the alliance on the last page
- Marvel Treasury Edition #28, 1981
- Reprints, 50th anniversary and the 2026 one-shots
- An out-of-continuity book, with no declared winner
- 1976, 1981, 2026: three encounters between Superman and Spider-Man
- FAQ — Frequently asked questions
- Conclusion
Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man: the 1976 treasury
Treasury format: an oversized tabloid. Cover price $2.00 (DCU Guide, GCD). GCD: 100 pages in all, on sale January 2, 1976 (Catalog of Copyright Entries, Comic Reader #126). DCU Guide: 92 story pages. English-language Wikipedia also mentions a March 1976 release, but cites Bob Rozakis (Comics Bulletin) for a January 2, 1976 release. So go with January 2, 1976 as the on-sale date, and 1976 as the cover year.
The first superhero crossover between the two houses. Their first joint project: the adaptation MGM's Marvelous Wizard of Oz (1975), not a meeting of heroes (Wikipedia; Marvel Treasury Edition). Agent David Obst first pitches a movie. But Warner Bros. is already planning a Superman movie, and Spider-Man TV movies are in the works: the two publishers fall back on an oversized comic book. This is not a Goku duel. It is a dated co-publication, with a newsstand price.
Key Facts
- On sale: January 2, 1976 (Rozakis / GCD)
- Other listing: March 1976 (Wikipedia)
- Format: Treasury, $2.00, 100 pp. (92 of story)
- Script: Gerry Conway; pencils: Ross Andru
Conway, Andru, Giordano, Adams and Romita
Script: Gerry Conway, who had written both characters separately (Tom Brevoort; Wikipedia). Pencils: Ross Andru. Neal Adams redraws the major Superman figures, uncredited at the time (Wikipedia; Back Issue / Giordano). Inks: Dick Giordano; backgrounds inked by Terry Austin, and by Bob Wiacek on 3 pages of prologue 3 (Wikipedia). Marvel faces: John Romita Sr., uncredited, in several chapters, with Spider-Man alterations in chapter 2. Colors: Jerry Serpe. Letters: Gaspar Saladino. The opening page reads “Presented by Carmine Infantino and Stan Lee,” with no editor credited; in 2009, Conway said he had done the real editorial work. Consultants: Roy Thomas, Julius Schwartz, Marv Wolfman, E. Nelson Bridwell (DCU Guide).
Infantino picks Conway because he has already written both characters, and also to needle Marvel, which Conway has just left for DC (Brevoort, 2022). This is not a fight drawn by a single studio: DC and Marvel face each other on the same page, Adams on one side, Romita on the other, Andru in the middle. Lex Luthor enters with his camp. Otto Octavius enters with his.
Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man: the plot, with no invented winner
Wikipedia and the GCD corroborate the plot. Luthor attacks Metropolis with a robot and steals a S.T.A.R. Labs device. Spider-Man defeats Doctor Octopus in New York. In a high-security federal prison, Luthor and Otto team up and escape. A world press conference in New York, built around the Comlab One satellite. Peter saves Lois Lane. Luthor, disguised as Superman, teleports Lois and Mary Jane. Superman believes Spider-Man is responsible — his outlaw reputation. Fight.
Hidden, Luthor fires a ray that mimics the light of a red sun: Superman weakens, Spider-Man hits harder, then the effect wears off. Spider-Man stops when his blows no longer do anything. In Africa (Kilimanjaro, DCU Guide), a warrior gets super-strength and a red-sun-irradiated sword from Luthor. The Injustice Gang's satellite and a weather machine. Superman goes down under high-pitched sounds; Spider-Man passes out, deprived of oxygen. Lois and MJ held hostage. Superman tears off two of Ock's arms and breaks his glasses. Ock realizes the plan would destroy the civilization they want to rule, and smashes the console. Luthor hits Ock. Superman heads back to stop a tsunami. Spider-Man ties up Luthor. Epilogue: Clark is back with Lois, Peter with MJ. An Edge / Jameson subplot at the bar.
The “vs” on the cover, the alliance on the last page
The title says versus. The story has them fight because of a ruse, then team up. It names no winner and does not rank them against Hulk or Thor. Those duels have their own articles. Here, the red sun is Luthor's cheat, not a measure of power. When the effect stops, Spider-Man stops. It is not a ranked defeat. It is a panel.
The story is canon in neither continuity (Wikipedia). The nickname “Earth-$,” given by fans, is reported by The Krypton Companion (Wikipedia). Conway, 2006, in the same book: no rational “world,” just a story for the fans. DC Comics Year By Year (McAvennie / Dolan, 2010, cited by Wikipedia) calls it “a defining moment in Bronze Age comics.” That is a 2010 judgment, not a medal from the time.
Marvel Treasury Edition #28, 1981
Sequel: Superman and Spider-Man, Marvel Treasury Edition #28, 1981, treasury format, $2.50. The month varies by source: the GCD records dates in March and April 1981, Wikipedia gives July 1981. Written by Jim Shooter, with plot suggestions from Marv Wolfman. Art by John Buscema; Joe Sinnott inks the characters, about ten inkers the backgrounds. Painted cover by Bob Larkin over a layout by John Romita Sr. Foes: Doctor Doom, Parasite. The Hulk and Wonder Woman play real roles: Superman takes on the Hulk, Spider-Man takes on Wonder Woman. The book is largely Marvel's work, with DC's approval (Wikipedia).
It is not the same book as the 1976 one. The “vs” in the 1976 title becomes an “and” in 1981. Parasite is DC. Doom is Marvel. We won't say more about it here. Superman's complete history does not run through this treasury. The Daily Planet, however, does: Peter Parker works there for the length of the investigation, while Clark joins the Daily Bugle.
Reprints, 50th anniversary and the 2026 one-shots
Reprints: Crossover Classics in 1991, then facsimiles. In October 2025, DC.com announced the facsimile of the treasury for the 50th anniversary, released January 7, 2026, then the facsimile of Superman and Spider-Man, released February 4, 2026, plus two new one-shots: Superman/Spider-Man from DC in March 2026, Spider-Man/Superman from Marvel in April 2026. All of them are out; we don't recap them here.
No movie adaptation for this 1976 one-shot. The newsstand versus is not a blockbuster versus. If you're looking for Clark on the big screen, you're leaving this page. If you're looking for Peter on the big screen, same thing. Here: $2, tabloid, Conway, Andru, a red-sun ruse, a console smashed by Ock.
An out-of-continuity book, with no declared winner
This treasury belongs to neither publisher's continuity: it is an interlude, a giant 100-page book in which two heroes cross paths without sharing the same world. When it comes out, Superman has already been in print for 37 years since Action Comics #1, and Spider-Man for 13. The two houses' first joint project, the 1975 Wizard of Oz adaptation, incidentally featured no superheroes at all.
The story also respects Clark's moral code: at the decisive moment, he heads off to stop a tsunami while Peter Parker ties up Luthor, and the book never settles the duel between the two heroes. Even the weapon that weakens Superman comes as a surprise: it is not kryptonite, but a red-sun ray secretly fired by Luthor.
1976, 1981, 2026: three encounters between Superman and Spider-Man
The first encounter dates from January 2, 1976, the treasury's on-sale date: for the first time, DC and Marvel share a cover. Gerry Conway, who has written both heroes and has just moved from Marvel to DC, writes the script; Ross Andru handles the pencils, Neal Adams touches up Superman and John Romita the Marvel faces. Facing them, Luthor and Doctor Octopus rely on a ruse rather than a fair fight, all the way to the alliance, the tsunami and Luthor tied up at the end.
The second encounter comes in 1981 with Marvel Treasury Edition #28, the third in 2026, amid reprints and special issues for the 50th anniversary. The “vs” on the 1976 cover promised a duel, but the book ends differently: two manipulated heroes, two hostages, a weather machine and a Doctor Octopus who destroys his own console, before a double date.
FAQ — Frequently asked questions
When did Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man come out?
Bob Rozakis and the GCD give January 2, 1976. Wikipedia also lists March 1976. Cover-dated 1976, treasury format, $2.00.
Who wrote and drew the 1976 crossover?
Gerry Conway on script, Ross Andru on pencils, Dick Giordano on inks. Neal Adams redraws Superman (uncredited at the time). John Romita Sr. touches up Marvel faces in several chapters, and Spider-Man in chapter 2.
Who are the foes?
Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus, allied after a prison break. Their base: the Injustice Gang's satellite. Not a Superman versus Spider-Man fight for a title: a ruse, then an alliance.
Who wins, Superman or Spider-Man?
The story does not rank them. They fight under a red-sun ray secretly fired by Luthor, then team up. Spider-Man stops when the effect wears off. Superman tears off two of Ock's arms and heads back to stop a tsunami. Spider-Man ties up Luthor.
Is this the first joint DC/Marvel project?
No: it is the first superhero crossover, but the first joint project is MGM's Marvelous Wizard of Oz (1975), an adaptation with no meeting of heroes.
Is there a sequel?
Yes: Superman and Spider-Man, Marvel Treasury Edition #28, published in 1981. Written by Jim Shooter, with plot suggestions from Marv Wolfman, art by John Buscema. Doctor Doom and Parasite as the villains. The month varies by source, from March to July 1981.
Is the issue canon?
No, neither at DC nor at Marvel, according to Wikipedia. Some fans place it on “Earth-$,” according to The Krypton Companion.
Conclusion
1976: a $2 treasury, two publishers, a cover versus. Conway, Andru, a red-sun ruse, an alliance. 1981: a second treasury. 2026: reprints and two new one-shots released. No invented winner.
The duels against Hulk and Thor have their own articles. Here, you get the first character crossover between DC and Marvel, with dates that vary by source, and Doctor Octopus smashing the machine.