'Spider-Man' Comic Was Defaced By Angry Girlfriend, Remains Extremely Valuable 'Collecting Lore'

The passion that surrounds comic book collecting sometimes doesn't just end with avid readers. A defaced issue of "Amazing Spider-Man #14," which reads "Go to Hell" on the front in all-capital letters, has become known to some collectors as the "Angry Girlfriend" edition.

Additionally, the back cover says, "In no way am I trying to be noble or anything like that. I never thought I'd be able to destroy something that meant so much to me - as far as I'm concerned you're dead."

The 1964 issue in question was written by Stan Lee with accompanying art by Steve Ditko. It introduced the Green Goblin, who became one of Peter Parker's adversaries. The story revolves around the Green Goblin convincing Parker to star in a movie that turns out to be a set-up. The mayhem accidentally wakes up the Hulk, who begins to fight Spider-Man. Eventually, this leaves the Green Goblin to quietly exit.

According to Newsweek, the issue was addressed to someone named "Chance" and had both the aforementioned message on it, along with a separate message suggesting that the intended recipient browse the pages for further notes.

Aaron Meyers, who collects the written works and hosts the podcast "Comics Therapy," revealed that the specific issue has now become a bit of "collecting lore."

"It used to pass from dealer to dealer and finally one dealer got it graded," the host said.

Recently, the issue popped back up in a Facebook group and was given a score based on the criteria that is laid out in "The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide," which is a widely-accepted set of metrics for collectors. The "Angry Girlfriend" issue managed to receive a score of 1.8 out of 10, which indicates that it is a "fully readable issue."

This particular installment of the superhero series has become a "hot item among comic book collectors" as the issue sells for thousands of dollars, which means that even versions with as much damage to them as this one have been sold for roughly $500.

The current owner is hopeful that they can get $5,000 for it. Even though some collectors see it as a bit too pricey, one did say that the issue was "legendary" and speculated that over time it could eventually be "worth a ton."