Sixty-three years and 999 issues separate these two books, but Steve Ditko ties them together.

For The Amazing Spider-Man #1, Ditko inked Jack Kirby’s cover pencils and drew the stories inside, helping establish Spider-Man’s distinctive look, movement and personality. For #1000, Marvel went digging through its archives.

Marvel’s aptly named “Hidden Gem” variants give overlooked artwork by legendary creators new life as modern covers. This one is more hidden than most: Ditko’s original pinup had reportedly never appeared inside a comic - or on the cover of one. Marvel released it both in its original black-and-white form and in this newly colored version by Dean White.

Nearly 30 different first-print covers were produced for #1000, featuring an all-star roster of artists, but I wanted to make sure I got this one. There’s something perfect about displaying it beside #1. Ditko’s work helped launch Amazing Spider-Man in 1963 and 999 issues later, Marvel uncovered one more piece of his Spider-Man artwork to celebrate the milestone.

A true Hidden Gem - and a pretty amazing pair of bookends.

Excelsior!