Amazing Spider-Man: Halloween Special (2026) #1 review

I’ve always loved Halloween. The spooky atmosphere, the costumes, and (though perhaps not as much as when I was a kid) the candy. What more could a kid ask for from a holiday? And, of course, helping to add to the excitement of the season were the various Halloween movies and episodes that would play on TV all throughout October. Many of which I still pull up to watch each year. 

Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man: Halloween Special this year gives me that exact same feeling I had watching those specials or reading Halloween books as a kid. It’s enough to make me want to go throw on a homemade Spider-Man costume and demand candy from neighbors in my childhood neighborhood again. No way that could go wrong, right?

*Mild spoilers ahead for Amazing Spider-Man: Halloween Special (2026) #1*

Halloween is in full swing (pun intended) in New York, and our beloved Webhead is enjoying watching all of the kids roaming about in their costumes to trick-or-treat. His holiday fun is cut short, however, courtesy of Hallows’ Eve, who is attempting to make off with a sack full of stolen jewels. Spidey attempts to stop her, but quickly finds himself facing quite the holiday-themed predicament after the villain puts a curse on him that fits perfectly into the holiday merriment (perhaps a bit too well, in the case of part of it). 

Much like the holiday special released last December, the story here is entirely a fun, self-contained adventure. It doesn’t tie into any current ongoing storylines, and doesn’t require you to have read any prior stories in order to enjoy it. There aren’t any supervillain plots threatening the city, no multiversal menaces for Spider-Man to combat. The antagonist, Hallows’ Eve, feels less like a villain (despite the fact that she robbed a jewelry store and possesses powers varied enough to give Spidey a fair amount of trouble) and more like something you’d see pop up in a Saturday morning cartoon holiday episode. It’s the kind of lighthearted story that Spider-Man is perfectly suited for thanks to his signature upbeat, joking demeanor. 

Beyond the main story, the issue contains a few extra treats at the end, courtesy of Ty Templeton and Lee Gatlin. Presented in a style that mimics many of the comic strips found in the Sunday funny pages (for those too young to remember those, think characters like Garfield or Peanuts), these are all humorous shorts featuring various Marvel characters in wacky scenarios that offer a nice touch of nostalgic fun.

Between its lighthearted tone and holiday-themed villain/shenanigans, Spider-Man’s Halloween Special is a great read that is perfectly suited for readers of all ages. It’s well worth swinging down to your local comic shop to pick up a copy to help put yourself in the Halloween spirit. 

Amazing Spider-Man: Halloween Special (2026) #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.