Venom First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #300 and How to Identify It

Venom first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #300 (cover date May 1988), published by Marvel, by David Michelinie, Todd McFarlane. The source puts it this way: "This features the origin and first full appearance of Venom, a combination of journalist Eddie Brock and a black alien goo that had unsuccessfully tried to bond with Spider-Man.".

• Cameo in prior issue (interior story detail): Venom made a cameo appearance on the last page of The Amazing Spider-Man #299 (April 1988), in which he terrorizes Peter Parker's wife, Mary Jane Watson.
• Format / anniversary issue: Amazing Spider-Man #300 combines several notable features — Venom's first full appearance (Eddie Brock as the symbiote), Spider-Man's 25th anniversary, a giant 64-page format, and an iconic black cover by Todd McFarlane.

• Indicia: the small print on the first page or inside cover gives the issue number, date and publisher; reprints usually say so there.
• Cover price and barcode: a price or barcode format that did not exist in the year printed means a later edition.
• Paper and staples: decades-old newsprint is tan at the edges; bright white pages on an old date are a warning sign.
• Restoration: color touch, trimmed edges and married covers are common on expensive keys; a grading service can detect them.

Shoot the front cover flat, straight on, in even light, then the indicia page and the back cover. Include the top edge and staples in one frame. The app reads the title, issue number and cover and matches it against the checks above; the indicia photo settles most reprint questions.