Spider-Ham

Peter Porker, better known as Spider-Ham, is Marvel's beloved porcine parody of the iconic Spider-Man mythos. Born from the fertile creative minds working on Marvel's humor imprint, Spider-Ham debuted in Marvel Age #7 in 1983 before receiving his own dedicated series, making him one of the earliest and most enduring examples of Marvel's tradition of self-aware, comedic storytelling. A spider who was bitten by a radioactive pig named May Porker, Peter gained his swine form and all the proportional abilities of a pig — including the full suite of spider-powers collectors know and love: wall-crawling, a danger sense, web-slinging, and superhuman strength and agility. His universe, Earth-8311, is a world populated entirely by animal versions of Marvel's greatest heroes and villains, offering collectors a uniquely absurd corner of the multiverse that has only grown in cultural significance over the decades.

Spider-Ham anchored his own ongoing series, Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham, which ran through the 1980s under Marvel's Star Comics imprint. That run remains a treasure for collectors who love off-beat Bronze and Copper Age material — the early issues are increasingly scarce in high grade and represent a genuinely fun collecting challenge. Beyond his solo adventures, Spider-Ham has crossed over into major Marvel events, appearing alongside other Spider-totems in the landmark Spider-Verse storyline, which united nearly every spider-powered character across the multiverse. His role in that saga — and the Web Warriors team that emerged from it — introduced him to a massive new generation of readers and collectors.

The character received a massive mainstream boost from the Academy Award-winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018, where his comedic presence became one of the movie's most talked-about highlights. That cultural moment sparked renewed collector interest in his back catalog, driving prices on key early issues to new heights. He has also starred in his own limited series in the modern era, cementing his place as far more than a one-note joke — Spider-Ham is a fully realized character with decades of stories behind him.

For collectors, Spider-Ham offers a genuinely exciting mix of affordable vintage issues, key crossover appearances, and the thrill of chasing high-grade copies of his earliest books. His first appearance in Marvel Age #7 and the debut of his solo title are cornerstones of any serious Spider-Man variant collection. With the multiverse concept firmly embedded in both Marvel Comics and the MCU, Spider-Ham's books carry real long-term upside — and frankly, they're just a blast to read and own.