Venom's foundational issue, Amazing Spider-Man #300, trades around a €529 median on eBay (101 listings, June 2026): enough to attract reprints, facsimiles and confusion. The only true first print is the May 1988 edition, $1.50 cover price, in either direct (Spider-Man head logo in the box) or newsstand (UPC barcode) format. Marvel's facsimile edition dates to 2023 and carries a modern cover price. Here are the verifiable tells so you don't get burned.
On expensive issues, the risk is almost never a "fake" in the sense of a fully counterfeit print run: it's the official reprints, second prints, facsimile editions and badly described listings that get confused with the first print. ASM #300 collects all three.
This guide sticks to verifiable markers: cover price, indicia, edition type (direct vs newsstand) and official Marvel listings. No invented values: when a figure can't be verified, we keep it qualitative.
The real first print of ASM #300 (May 1988)
The first print of Venom's first full appearance, cover and inks by Todd McFarlane, has consistent markers (sources: Marvel Database, QualityComix, comicspriceguide):
- Date: May 1988 in the indicia (published around May 10, 1988).
- Cover price: $1.50 printed top-left.
- 52 pages (Spider-Man's 25th-anniversary issue).
- No "reprint," "2nd printing," "facsimile" or "not for resale" anywhere.
If any of these differ (a modern cover price, a recent indicia date, an explicit reprint note) you are not holding the 1988 first print.
Direct vs newsstand: neither is a fake
Many buyers confuse the two legitimate versions of the first print. Neither is a reprint (source: slabdata.com):
- Direct edition (sold through comic shops): a Spider-Man head logo in the white box at the lower left, in place of the barcode.
- Newsstand edition : a UPC barcode in that same spot. Fewer survive in high grade, so it's often considered the rarer of the two.
Both are genuine 1988 first prints: the barcode, not a defect, is what separates them.
Reprints and facsimiles not to confuse
| Edition | The tell | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Marvel facsimile (2023) | Modern cover price, 2023 indicia, recent Marvel UPC; a foil variant also exists | Recent official reprint |
| Promotional "Not for resale" reprints | Printed "Not for resale" note (e.g. DVD-set tie-ins) | No first-print value |
| "Niagara Falls" reprint | Reprint variant listed separately in price guides | Regional reprint, not the 1st print |
| Chromium / modern variant covers | Metallic finish absent from the 1988 edition | Reprint variant |
The 2023 facsimile edition is the most common trap: Marvel reproduces the original "original ads and all," so the interior looks like 1988 (sources: Marvel.com, ComicBook.com). But the cover carries a modern price and the indicia reads 2023: two five-second checks.
How to verify before buying
- Read the indicia (the small legal text block on the first or last page): the date and copyright should read 1988.
- Check the cover price: $1.50 for the first print. A higher price means a recent edition.
- Scan for any note reading "reprint," "facsimile," "2nd printing" or "not for resale."
- For investment, prefer a CGC-graded copy: the label states whether it's the first print, a facsimile or a reprint, removing the ambiguity.
- Compare the listing to the current value: an "ASM #300" priced far below the eBay median (€529, June 2026) is often a mislabeled reprint.
The same reflex applies to other Venom keys: #316 (first full cover, €208 median · 100 listings) and #252 (first black suit, €244 · 99 listings) as of June 2026. Always check indicia date, cover price and edition type before you pay.
Unsure about your Amazing Spider-Man #300? Get a free valuation with our tool based on real eBay sales to place your copy against the current market.
Decoding a listing: the vocabulary of the first print
Many buying mistakes come from a word misunderstood in a description. Here is how to read what you are being sold, for Amazing Spider-Man #300 as for any key issue.
The words to know
- 1st print (first printing): the original edition, the only one that counts as a first print.
- 2nd print (second printing): a reprint carrying the matching notice, often in a discreet spot.
- Reprint: any reissue, official or not, of the same issue.
- Facsimile: a faithful reproduction of the original copy, published later and clearly identified as such.
- Variant: an alternate cover, which is not necessarily a fake or a reprint.
- Direct and newsstand: two sales channels for the same first print, told apart by the box.
- Not for resale: a promotional printing notice, with no first-print value.
What to ask the seller
A serious listing shows more than a single cover photo. If they are missing, ask for:
- the full cover, with the lower-left box clearly legible (logo or barcode);
- the back of the comic;
- the indicia page, which carries the date and copyright;
- the cover price, printed on the cover.
A seller who refuses these photos for an expensive issue gives you no reason to trust them.
Warning signs
- A description that only says "ASM 300" without specifying the printing or the edition.
- A listing far below the usual range: most often it is a badly described reprint, rarely a bargain.
- Catalog or stock photos that do not show the copy actually being sold.
- The word "variant" used as a rarity argument, with no artist name or detail.
Keeping what you have verified
Once your copy is authenticated, store it upright in a neutral sleeve with its backing board, away from light and humidity. Note the printing, the edition type and the indicia date on a card: these three details are enough to find what you own and describe it correctly the day you resell it.
Frequently asked questions
It carries the May 1988 date in the indicia and the original cover price printed at the top left. It has 52 pages and contains no mention of "reprint", "2nd printing", "facsimile" or "not for resale".
No. The newsstand edition carries a UPC barcode where the direct edition carries the Spider-Man head logo. Both are genuine 1988 first prints, and the box is what tells them apart.
It reproduces the original copy ads included, so the interior looks like the 1988 one. But the cover carries a modern price and the indicia says 2023: two very quick checks.
The notices "reprint", "2nd printing", "facsimile" and "not for resale". A chromium cover or a metallic finish absent from the 1988 edition also signals a reprint variant.
Because the label states whether it is the first print, a facsimile or a reprint. That removes the ambiguity left by badly described listings.