Todd McFarlane's original cover art for Amazing Spider-Man #300 has been consigned to Heritage Auctions' November 20-22 sale in Beverly Hills.

Released in 1988, the special 25th anniversary issue sees the first appearance of Venom

The 1988 piece has already received bids of $101,000, with the price expected to rise much further. McFarlane's art for Spider-Man #328 sold for $657,250 at Heritage Auctions in 2012, setting a world record for a piece of comic book art.

Issue #300 of McFarlane's landmark Amazing Spider-Man series is well remembered by collectors and comic book enthusiasts, not only for its striking cover art but for the first appearance in the series of Spider-Man's greatest foe, Venom.

Heritage Auctions describes the piece as one of the greatest Marvel covers ever to come on the market. It is signed by McFarlane three times, and also features a signed handwritten note on the reverse, which is presumed to have been directed at editor Jim Salicrup.

McFarlane gave the arachnid superhero a new look in Amazing Spider-Man, which was a big hit with readers. Upon finishing the run as artist, it was announced he would begin a new series, Spider-Man, as both artist and writer.

Spider-Man became one of the most popular incarnations of the fan favourite in history, with the first issue becoming the best-selling comic book of all time at 2.3m copies.

McFarlane then went on to create Image Comics with some of the best known figures in the industry. His character Spawn and subsequent toy lines are still popular today.

Paul Fraser Collectibles has a great range of comic and illustration art for sale.