Rating: 
Summary: Classic work from Lee and Ditko
Review: The Marvel Essentials collection is hands-down the best deal in comics - not just for the price, but for the fact that you can experience the birth of the Marvel Universe first-hand. ESSENTIAL SPIDER-MAN Volume 1 collects Amazing Fantasy #15, Spider-Man #1-20, and Annual #1... about 500 pages of early '60s stories featuring the first "relatable" super-hero. Now sure, you get lots of fights with his stellar rogues gallery (Chameleon, Electro, Sandman, Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Mysterio, Kraven, Green Goblin, etc., make their first appearances here), but the real attraction here is the conflict, tension, and drama of the life of Peter Parker. You will take just as much interest in Pete's interactions with Betty Brant, Aunt May, Flash Thompson, and J. Jonah Jameson, as you will in his alter ego's heroics. Stan Lee wrote plenty of romance comics before the dawn of the Marvel Age, and it certainly shows in his heart-wrenching, often over-the-top dialogue. But hey, in this context, it makes for great storytelling. These classic issues introduce the characters that are loved by generations of fans; indeed, some of these stories still influence Spider-Man comics to this very day. Steve Ditko's art is absolutely wonderful. While Jack Kirby often gets credit as "the" Marvel artist, I have to differ: Ditko was much more versatile, was a master of facial expressions, and his Spidey fight scenes are amazingly well-designed. He defined a crazy acrobatic style for Spidey's method of combat, and very few artists since him have understood how important it is to the character - almost like a ballet with fisticuffs.
Deep down, I want to give this volume 4.5 stars, due to two stories within that are absolutely awful and very out-of-place with the remaining stories. The first is "Spidey Tackles the Torch" from issue #8, which portrays SM as a conceited jerk who picks a fight with the Human Torch (I guess fans were clamoring for a match). The second is Annual #1, which, while it introduced the concept of the Sinister Six, is very contrived and serves no real purpose other than to provide 6 full-page splashes of Spidey battling each villain, and it goes on for 40 pages! HOWEVER, I'll round the rating up to 5 stars due to the price, plus the otherwise beautiful stories and art.
One more thing: the very last story, from Annual #1, is "How Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Create Spider-Man", a behind-the-scenes look at the monthly process. It's a humorous piece, more self-deprecating than anything else, but it eerily foreshadows the acrimony that Lee and Ditko would have for each other in later years.
Rating:
Summary: What a wonderfull deal!
Review: The very first classic Spider-Man stories are reprinted in B&W, but who cares? This way we get much more Spidey for less money! The original tales that changed the world of comics with a new twist on the super hero scene... A super hero who's also a high school student with plenty of personal problems! How cool! A must for every fan of comics.
Rating:
Summary: This like so totally rocks, dude!
Review: These comix are awsome! the battles are stylized and spidey actually looks like they hired a choreographer for his fights! this book rules and i am gonna get the other essential spider-man real soon. buy this!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Warning! They're in Black and White!
Review: These Spider-man volumes represent some of the best comics ever written. I can't add anything significant to the reviews written here. But when I received my first 2 volumes, I was surprised to find they were published in black-and-white. There's nothing deceptive about the Amazon.com site--in fact there are preview pages available. And I will most likely purchase Volumes 3 and 4 anyway. But for those not-so-careful shoppers out there, here's a bold headline so you know what you're getting and won't be surprised or disappointed later. 'Nuff said!
Rating:
Summary: this book is one of the best books that i've read!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: thi book is awesome.It tells all about how Peter Parker became spider-man and how J.J.J. is always on spider-mans case.It has a lot of sider-man's enemys like Dr.Octopus,vulture,sandman,green goblin,and more.you can not put this book down it is to good.any spider-man fan should buy this book right now. if your not a spider-man fan you still buy this book.this is a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Not too shabby at all
Review: This book is really good and definently a must-read for Spider-Man fans. It's got great art by Steve Ditko, spectacular stories by Stan Lee, and great characters like Peter Parker and J. Jonah Jameson. Unfortunently...... Its incredibly corny. If you're like me, and you don't really mind that too much, go ahead and get it. Its actually a pretty good laugh. But if stuff like communisium being the evil behind everything (and I DO mean EVERYTHING) and villains that pop up out of nowhere without any explanation (or any promise of one, either) bothers you, I would skip this and go to Essential Spidey Vol. 2.
Rating:
Summary: must read for any spider-fan
Review: This book shows you the true origin of Spider-man. See how he developed from puny parker the famous wall crawler. i cant wait for volume 4
Rating:
Summary: Worth the money and then some!
Review: This is a collection of the first twenty issues featuring the Amazing Spider man all the way from his first ever appearance in Amazing Fantasy to his first battle with the deadly Scorpion! It also includes the first Annual Amazing Spider-Man issue where spidey takes on some of his toughest enemies as the sinister six form for the first time!
The comics are all from the early sixtees, drawn by Steve Ditko and written by Stan Lee. While the illustrations are dated, they still look pretty good. While I didn't have the pleasure of owning these comics when they first came out, I am unable to compare this uncolored version to the original, but it is pretty good (better then anything I can do at least). So yes, it's in black and white (no grey mind you, just black and white like a japanese mange) but considering the price and what you are getting, it is well worth the price.
This is the only way for people like me who weren't born yet in the sixties to see how it all started for ourselves. Find out the real origins of Peter Parker before television and movies came along. However, I can see why someone might not want to buy the next four volumes ones they've gotten this one.
Stan Lee was great at inventing new characters out of thin air. He could give them unique attributes that no one ever thought of before and force the hero to find a new way to win. This is heavily apparent in these issues, but what also becomes apparent is that while Stan is good at creating, he isn't all that good at changing. Even with these first twenty issues (and the annual), one can see a clear pattern in the comics. Spidey meets and underestimates new enemy, loosing. Enemy underestimates Spidey and lets him live. Spidey invents some new gadget or thinks up a new strategy to defeat baddie. Spidey wins and saves the day. I could see why someone who's gotten this wouldn't be real interested in just seeing more of this all the way to issue 110 (the only big villains that are introduced in that time are the Shocker, Rhino, and Kingpin. No Hobgoblins, Venom, or even Harry as the Green Goblin I think).
But even if whether or not the next volumes are worth getting, this one definitely is. Spider-Man isn't your typical superhero. Thanks to J.J.J., the general public hates him, and he's faced with all the trouble of trying to live a regular teenage life, take care of his dying Aunt (who is still alive in the new issues, by the way), and encountering some of the most unique Marvel villains himself for the first time. Well worth the money unless you just really hate Spidey, Marvel, or American Comics alltogether. Even then, you really shouldn't pass this one up.
Rating:
Summary: A VOLUME OF TRUE CLASSICAL GEMS IN COMICS
Review: Very fine stories of young Peter Parker and his alter-ego super hero are present throughout these 400+ pages. The concept of creating a character whose human abilities of quickness, strength and agility are proportional to a spider was definitely a milestone for Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Each page is well laid out, consisting of several frames per page and with plenty of plot and dialogue to read. The stories were carefully thought out, and they presented the comic fan with plenty to enjoy. It is sad that in modern times, so many comics have big pictures (thus few frames) but few words; such publications are overpriced and are completely read in virtually no time. It is both amusing and refreshing to see a young boy's triumphs and foibles as he is maturing into his added role as Spider-Man. Initially, he is idealistic and overconfident about his newly found super abilities and becomes bored with the criminal competition, but as the stories progress, the opponents become stronger and harder to overcome. Young Peter then begins to concede that maybe boredom wasn't so bad, after all. From start to finish, Peter Parker, as a character, is very pure and innocent. These two qualities now seem inapplicable in the many ubiquitous graphic novels where you can't really tell the good guy apart from the bad one. After observing how seemingly simple Peter Parker appeared in this volume and knowing that many of the stories were created before Kennedy's assassination and the Vietnem War, some may regard The Essential Spider-Man as outdated. I may agree, but only in the sense that you don't see very many works of art, comic book or otherwise, that contain messages or moments of inspiration that somehow communicate to the reader to, regardless of the difficulties that he or she is facing, NEVER, EVER GIVE UP! Somehow, this spark is widely present in this soon-to-be-forty-year-old collection, and it makes so many contemporary stories missing this element seem so lifeless in comparison.
Rating:
Summary: Where it all began! And still as potent and relevant as 1964
Review: When the final issue of Amazing Fantasy (the first appearance of Spider-Man) debuted in 1964, my parents were only 6 years old. At the age of 22 in 2002 I began reading this book because, frankly, I hadn't even started getting into Spider-Man until the late 80's and the new Ultimate Spider-Man series left me hungry for answers as to how it all REALLY began. This stuff is every bit as meaningful now as it was back then. Sure Peter Parker's not wearing a Thundercats shirt (i.e. Ultimate Spidey) and he's extremely over-dressed by today's standards, but the stories are powerful, even in their 60's mentality cheesy-ness. They are however all brighter and more upbeat than some of todays Spidey tales, but Stan Lee always did give Parker a dark shadow to bear, even if it was by 60's standards. Once you get through this you'll either love it or hate it. I reccomend if you love it....go get volumes 2 & 3! If you hate it...maybe Ultimate Spider-Man is a little more your pace. But if you really want to know how Spidey and some of these bad guys came to be....pick this up!
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