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Summary: Essential reading of the beginning of Spidey; 1st appearance
Review: "Essential Spider-man vol. 1" TP, essentially is the birth of Spider-man saga. This book comprises compilation culled from Amazing Fantasy #15, Amazing Spider-man #1-20 & Amazing Spider-man annual #1. The writer and artist of this book are Stan Lee & Steve Ditko respectively.Primarily, the historical significance of this book is the chronicle of the birth of Peter Parker & his alter-ego Spider-man, as it inaugurated the character to the world for the first time. All issues are masterpieces, but particularly notable is the Amazing Fantasy #15, aside from recording officially Spidey very first appearance, it is significantly about his origin story. Also introduced to this issue are his worrywart Aunt May,& his uncle Ben, who help shapes Peter becoming who he is & is directly responsible for Peter learning the popular adage "With great power, comes great responsibility". Up to the present times, that doctrine still sustain & becomes one of the foremost reasons endeared him to the masses. The historical significance of Amazing Spider-man issue #1 is essentially, the birth of the new title, the long-running home for the character.Also mark this momentous event were the introduction of Spider-man's other supporting characters, such as Flash Thompson, Peter's school bully & J. Jonah Jameson, the loud and gruff publisher of the Daily bugle. Other memorable stories I like, is issue # 4 vs. the Sandman. Spidey battles Sandman relentlessly inside his school campus, as he finally discovered an ingenious means to dispose off his hard-hitting adversary. Issue # 6 vs. the Lizard. That issue shows us even a supervillain can be a victim of circumstances, as Spidey desperately attempts a means to cure the Lizard, AKA Dr. Curt Connors, back to his own self as a scientist.This issue has a myriad of high points -- a poignant story,a pitiful tragedy albeit transitorily, as Spidey learned from his teary-eyed wife & son the accidental occurence that turn her husband to a living monster, the intense but exciting & fun battle between Spidey and the Lizard & up to the concluding scene were the salvaged Dr. Connors deemed Spidey got everything, because he is strong & seems full of fun, but as we know, that is the exact opposite to the truth. Issue # 8 vs. the living brain (a giant computer robot). Nerdish Peter finally confronted Flash Thompson and accosted him into a boxing match & in the process knocked Flash out eventually. Also, Peter suffered a major scare, when the infallible robot threaten to deduce Spidey's civilian identity. Peter throughout this issue incessantly keep perspiring & running scared, until he deduce a way to outmanuever & escape with his secret identity intact. Issue #11. The overall issue is not good, but have a lot of historical relevances. The featured villain is Dr. Octopus, he somehow causes the death of Bennett Brant, the brother of Betty. But the skeptical Betty consistently indicts Spidey for its culpability. This is a major turning point of the ill-fated romance between Spidey & Betty. The shadow of Spider-man, standing & looming between them, are just too much for them to bear. Issue # 14. The introduction of the Green Goblin. A historical milestone. Green Goblin endured the tests of time & still widely-considered as Spidey's principal nemesis. This issue though,offer nothing special, other than giving us a glimpse of a prototype Green Goblin look, his first comic appearance, as well as his prototypic glider. Issue # 15. The introduction of Kraven the hunter. This is one of the most cherished & most memorable Spider-man comic book issue ever created. In fact I consider this issue, the second best issue after issue # 18 vs. the Sandman(excluding Amazing Fantasy # 15). Curiously, Kraven the hunter matches-up very well against Spider-man. They both virtually possess the same size, speed, strenght & both have an adequate amount of athleticism and acrobatic abilities. But in their own rights, the comparison stop there. They are still apparently distinctive as an apple to orange to one another. Amazing Spider-man issue # 18. Versus the Sandman. This is the best of the bunch, excluding Amazing Fantasy # 15.It is a story of abdicating resposibilities by Spidey in the middle of the bout against the Green Goblin, & thus imperiled the civilians from the actions of the GG. Spidey needed to flee because of a greater needs & greater responsiblilities summoning his name, which he can never turn his back off -- that is, his infirm Aunt May needed his presence because of her recurring sickness. Peter's consequence of his action was, being branded a coward by the public. This issue simply is very poignant, touching, tensile battle against the Sandman, pitiful for Peter, as he had to bore a lot of humiliation & abuses. Good characterization on the supporting casts especially Flash Thompson, in his own way, he still steadfastly a Spidey booster especially during Spidey's difficult moments. The popularity of Spider-man is due mainly, as most people stated, to being an ACCESSIBLE HERO. He, as Peter Parker is feeble whereas in contrast, Spider-man seems very strong. Peter Parker is burdened with varied problems-- his aunt May failing health, money difficulties, constant harrassment from a school bully, Flash Thompson, the dual identity problem, ironically created by being a Spider-man, such as the honest, good deeds of helping people by Spidey, but ridiculously wrongly misjudged & misconceived by public as free-spirited & callous in his actions, the resulting injuries gathered by being a Spider-man, becomes a major hazard to Peter as he tried to conceal it to his classmates and aunt May. The time spend being Spider-man also unwittingly crosses his time spent as being Peter Parker. For example,inability to study school lessons because Spidey is called to action or needed; his wanting of personal time to spend with his ailing aunt May; & by being Spidey generally keeps his schedules tight. These characteristics are synanymous to Spider-man, & these characteristics are what made him endearing and popular to masses. In fact, because of these reasons, many people can mirror themselves as Peter Parker & as Spider-man as a means to release their pent-up hostilities & negative outburst. Stan Lee, the creator of Spider-man & the writer of the first 100 issues, more than merit his garnered acclaims & adulation from critics and fans alike. His Spider-man is a household name & a legend. An immemorial. Without him, Spidey will never be conceived & in the same way, other Marvel heroes. Also, kudos to Steve Ditko for giving Spidey his primordial form, and John Romita Sr., whom I think is the perennial penciler of Spider-man & a benchmark to the industry in terms of his artworks. MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !
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Summary: A great way to fill in a missing piece of childhood.
Review: I remember in fifth grade when I started being able to go down to the corner drug store by myself - I was fascinated by comic books and started reading and collecting them at that time. By then, the Spider-man and Fantastic Four comic books (my two favorites) were well underway, and there was not much chance at that time to get hold of the earlier issues (although I came just THAT close into talking another little boy into selling his sister's copy of Fantastic Four #1 for a dollar). Thirty-five years later, much has happened, much has been accomplished, and all of a sudden here I am in middle-age, with my own kids, a house, a job, a wife, etc.... What to say now except that for those of us who still cherish the memories of our childhood dreams, these old comic books have a mythical power that will never die. What a great way to re-visit these memories and to at last fill in these ancient holes of a bygone youth, to soak up the stories and pictures that I always knew existed, but could not get hold of. The Essential series of Marvel comics are simply a fulfillment of childhood dreams. They appeal to the current generation of children as well, as I have introduced them to my kids and to other children.
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Summary: Stories well-worth reading available for a reasonable price
Review: After having read this volume (which collects Amazing Fantasy #15, Amazing Spiderman #1-20 and Amazing Spiderman Annual #1) the conclussion I must draw is that this is probably the best choice for someone who wants to get old Spidey stories sheer for the fun of reading them. Collectors and people who want their stuff to look good on their shelf might rather choose for the more expensive Marvel Masterwork volumes (which are more than twice the cost per volume, very hard to get, collect half the stories that are collected in here per volume, but are hardcover and in color), but if you're solely getting a collection to read these issues THIS is your best choice I think. Given, the art is in black-and-white but it's solid and detailed enough for that not to be a problem (although I'll be the first one to admit it doesn't work that way with every artist). The issues collected in here are ALL written by Stan Lee and drawn by Steve Ditko. Although some of the stories are, when compared to many stories written since then, maybe a little old-fashioned, it's good to see there are a lot of issues in here which are surprisingly good compared to a lot of other Marvels that were published at that time (of which a lot would be considered very corny today). I think some of them would even be considered 'reasonably good' if they were printed today. The art by Ditko is also very solid (you can really see how detailed he worked in black-and-white) although in all honesty his successor, John Romita sr. was just a tad better. For persons who've been reading Spiderman for a longer period of time there are very nice reads here about, for example, the first appereances of Doc Octopus, The Lizard, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio and of course the original Green Goblin. Especially look for #6 (origin of the Lizard), #15 (Kraven hunting Spiderman) and #20 (the creating of the Scorpion) which are as far as I'm concerned the best issues in the book. I'd also like to mention that it's not all just about supercharacters fighting each other, but that reading about the inter-personal relationships between some of the characters is a big plus for the title. You get to see how and why Peter first picked up a camera, him and Aunt May worrying too much over each other, him really being bullied by Flash Gordon (Spidermans biggest fan!), his first meeting with Daredevil and off course his blooming feelings for Betty Brant. If you've read some of the later Amazing Spiderman comics you'll find yourself going "oh yeah !" a lot with this book when you recognize certain things from how they are now. Good reading for Spiderman fans. I'll add though that if you're not really into Spiderman continuity and are just looking for a nice (mostly self-contained) Spiderman story there are better choices like "Parallel Lives", "Origin of the Hobgoblin" or "Spiderman vs Green Goblin".
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Summary: Spiderman Fans will Adore this!
Review: After seeing the Spiderman movie, I was immediately a fan of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's work. It's amazing to see how Spiderman started out back in the 60's. Now, I'm a teenager, and I'm used to such comics as short strips online, etc. It is incredible to see what comics were like when my parents were my age. I recommend this book to anybody. Especially Spiderman or comic fans!
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Summary: The Beginning of the Spider-Man Saga
Review: Any real fan cannot live with out this one. This contains all the early Spidey stories of the 60's including the origin issue. The book is in black and white but it is reasonably priced and much less expensive than shelling out for the original comics on [local store]!!
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Summary: Ehemm...
Review: Black and White? no color? Come on!!!
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Summary: Does everything a spider can...
Review: Buoyed by the success of the Fantastic Four, Marvel looked around for a new hero to star in their comics. They introduced Spider-Man as a test in the last issue of Amazing Fantasy, found him popular, and released him in his own title. This volume collects that first appearance, the first 20 issues of Amazing Spider-Man, and the first annual of that title. In this volume you see the writing powerhouse of Stan Lee churning out many and great ideas very quickly, while ensuring that appropriate attention is given to the human interest/soap opera aspects of the title. It is these aspects that helped to differentiate the Marvel range from its competitors, and you won't find them done better than in the beginnings of Spider-Man. Artistically we have Steve Ditko at the helm. Mentioned far less than the burgeoning talent of Jack Kirby, Ditko turns in some amazing pieces in this volume. Tending towards the outré, it is in the occasional gothic pieces (like the first appearance of the Lizard in issue 6) that seem to me the most powerful. However, Ditko is a much subtler artist than many of his contemporaries, and treasures of illustration turn up all the time. It is possible that these touches are more visible in this black and white reprint. And then there's the characters... Sometimes clichéd, occasionally even bad (if I never see the Ox, Montana and Fancy Dan again it won't be too soon), the vast majority are dynamic and memorable. In this volume, you can read the first appearances of the Vulture, Dr Octopus, the Sandman, the Lizard, Electro, Mysterio, the Green Goblin, Kraven the Hunter and the Scorpion - villains who still return almost 40 years later. And the supporting cast: J Jonah Jameson, Aunt May, Flash Thompson... This was the time when the Spider-Man mythos was laid down, and it continues to be influential today. (Other important aspects, like Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, and the Osbornes don't appear in this volume - but they will soon.) The classic stories of one of the greatest comics characters. How can you not get it?
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Summary: The Ditko/Lee team is the best :)
Review: Great reprints of the rare, expensive and classic stories of early Spider-man! A must-buy. Get the Essential X-Men as well.
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Summary: The REAL Ultimate Spider-Man
Review: Here it is, True Believers. These are the original storylines that Marvel is currently trying to recapture the magic of with the new series "Ultimate Spider-Man". If what you are looking for is a bare-bones, younger Spider-Man that is easier to identify with, this is it. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created what would be the most important character in the Marvel Universe in Amazing Fantasy #15 as a test character! They received so much reader feedback, they instantly dropped Spidey into his own series. The rest is history. Take a look, you will not be let down. Note: This collection does not contain a reprint of Spider-Man's 5th appearance (tied with Amazing #4) which is Strange Tales Annual #2, a team-up with the Human Torch.
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Summary: Once upon a time a radioactive spider bit Peter Parker...
Review: I am sure I am not alone in going back and re-reading "The Amazing Spider-Man" from the beginning as a way of both preparing for the blockbuster movie version and critiquing its fidelity to the original comic books. When he first appeared in "Amazing Fantasy" #15 the promise was that we would find the character to be "just a bit...different." Although there were similarities to those who had come before (e.g., the motivation of a loved one's death just like Batman, the use of radioactivity to provide superpowers), it was ultimately the difference that made Spider-Man so popular. However, the key element of that difference did not not emerge until issue #1 of "The Amazing Spider-Man," when J. Jonah Jameson begins his public crusade against the Spider-Man menace Ultimately, what made Spider-Man "different" was that he was considered to be a menace rather than a hero by the public, and usually neither Peter Parker nor his web-slinger alter-ego had any luck other than bad. Here was the comic book superhero as underdog. What is amazing as you re-read these stories is how well these comics stand up (with the glaring exception of "Spider-Man" #1 where they drop a net to try and capture John Jameson's errant space capsule and Spidey catches a ride from a jet fighter using his webbing). I was never a big admirer of Steve Ditko's artwork, especially the stuff he did after he left Marvel, but in going over these early Spider-Man comics I am very impressed with his compositional skills. Maybe it is because these are in black & white rather than in color that this strength of Ditko's
artwork really emerges, but Ditko deserves a lot more credit than I had given him the first time around. There is also a "Spider-Man" tackles the Human Torch story that is drawn by Jack Kirby and inked by Ditko, which only goes to affirm the choice of the latter to draw Spidey (Kirby does bulk him up too much). As for Stan Lee's writing, well, I do not remember if he actually wrote "Millie the Model," but the soap opera elements of "Spider-Man" are superb as we go back to the ancient days of Liz Allen and Betty Bryant, well before the time of Gwen Stacy, and when Mary Jane Watson (sometimes "Watkins") was just the niece of Aunt May's best friend. Then there are the subtle twists on Superman, where the "Daily Bugle" is out to get Spider-Man and Spidey's biggest fan "Flash" Thompson is always picking on puny Peter Parker (cf. "Daily Planet" and Jimmy Olson), as Lee continued to play with the superhero genre. Finally, there is Aunt May, the beloved little old lady who was arguably the more unique and important supporting character Lee ever created at Marvel. No other superhero ever had a white-haired aunt who could never know the truth, who was terrified by the mere thought of Spider-Man, and who showed almost as much gumption during all those stays in the hospital on death's door as she did heart every day of her life. She was always Peter's best girl until the day she died. In Volume 1 we have Spider-Man's first encounters with the Chameleon, the Vulture, Doctor Octopus, the Sandman, the Lizard, Electro, Mysterio, Ka-Zar the Hunter, the Scorpion, and, of course, the Green Goblin. Part of the fun in reading these stories is knowing what lies ahead for Spidey and some of these characters (the Green Golbin and Ka-Zar clearly heading that list). The lesson, as we all know, is that with great power comes great responsibility and once you start here you have to keep going because as good as this collection is I think you will find that the Volumes 2 and 3 of "The Essential Spider-Man," where Ditko is replace by John Romita (Sr.), represent the pinnacle of the series. However, you definitely have to begin at the beginning.
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