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Amazing Spider-Man #31

If This Be My Destiny…!

Featuring: Spider-Man
Release: September 9, 1965
Cover: December 1965
12 cents
Masterful script by: Stan Lee
Magificent artwork by: Steve Ditko
Mellifluous lettering by: Sam Rosen
20 pages

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Fantastic Four #47	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #32
Amazing Spider-Man #30	Amazing Spider-Man	Amazing Spider-Man #32

He’s just like his father… cheerful, enthusiastic, and bright! He’s been like a son to me all these years! And, he was so happy, that I didn’t have the heart to spoil it… by telling him… how very ill I’ve been feeling…!

The cover is a clever idea, using the spider logo to get multiple images onto the page. I feel like it wastes the idea with its choice of images, all fairly similar and bland, shots of the action from this issue that could easily have been conveyed in a single image (see the first page below). A better use of that format would have been to have some variety amongst the 6 panels. A shot of kids from Peter’s college, a shot of Aunt May, a shot of Jameson and Foswell, etc… would have made for a much more interesting cover and better use of the gimmick.

For the previous 5 issues, Stan had given Steve plotting credit, but left that off this time. Perhaps by accident. The credit will be back next issue and for the rest of Ditko’s run.

This story begins a 3-part saga we’ll refer to as “The Master Planner Saga”. (Some people–at least one person–simply call the whole saga by this issue’s title instead.) Up until now, the series has almost been entirely single issue stories. The first proper 2-parter was the Crime-Master saga in #26–27. And we connected #17–19 for thematic parallels and some running motifs about May’s health and Peter’s self-confidence (motifs which will come into play heavily again), but they were really 3 loosely connected standalone issues. This is plainly a 3-part story with each chapter ending with a cliffhanger leaving the major plot threads unresolved

This can be read as the story that brings the saga of Spider-Man to its conclusion, the final chapter. It’s also the best story in the history of Marvel Comics.

POSTLUDE: Ultimate Spider-Man #5

Life Lessons
Release: January 3, 2001
Cover: March 2001
$2.25
Story: Bill Jemas and Brian Michael Bendis
Script: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Art Thibert
21 pages

They have lowered the price by a quarter. Maybe that will sell the comic better than the awful cover.

This concludes our look at the first 5 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man. This final issue sticks pretty closely to the last 3 pages of the original Spider-Man story. Although it does open with 3 irrelevant pages about Green Goblin.

This really has nothing to do with anything.

We then get 4 pages at the crime scene, including a double-page spread.

POSTLUDE: Ultimate Spider-Man #4

With Great Power
Release: December 6, 2000
Cover: February 2001
$2.50
Story: Bill Jemas and Brian Michael Bendis
Script: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Art Thibert and Dan Panosian
22 pages

Continuing to read the adaptation of the Spider-Man story from Amazing Fantasy #15 into Ultimate Spider-Man #1-5. This issue covers the events of page 8 and the first two panels of page 9 in the original story.

It dedicates 4 pages to Norman Osborn, finally becoming Green Goblin. His assistant, Justin, appears dead. Harry and Dr. Octavius look quite wounded.

This big scary monster has literally nothing to do with the story yet.

4 pages are dedicated to Spider-Man’s wrestling career, including its end. The analogue in the original was his television career, which didn’t explicitly end in the original story. Perhaps it will be addressed later on. The previous issue had explained the mask/anonymity thing in terms of him being a kid who wouldn’t be allowed to wrestle otherwise. But now that schtick has gotten him into trouble. Somebody has stolen the petty cash and he gets the blame.

POSTLUDE: Ultimate Spider-Man #3

Wannabe
Release: November 1, 2000
Cover: January, 2001
$2.50
Story: Brian Michael Bendis and Bill Jemas
Script: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Art Thibert
22 pages

So we’re working our way through Ultimate Spider-Man #1-5 and contrasting with the origin of Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15, with particular emphasis on why one story is 12 times longer than the other. This issue covers the ground of pages 5-7 of the original story.

Part of the reason the story is longer is that other things happen. This issue dedicates 4 pages to the story of Norman Osborn on the path to becoming Green Goblin. And along the way is setting up Dr. Octopus. We had previously met Dr. Octavius, but first see his metal arms here.

POSTLUDE: Ultimate Spider-Man #2

Growing Pains
Release: October 4, 2000
Cover: December 2000
$2.50
Story: Brian Michael Bendis and Bill Jemas
Script: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Art Thibert
22 pages

I’m reading Ultimate Spider-Man #1-5, a modern telling of the story of Spider-Man, originally told in Amazing Fantasy #15; a focus is figuring out why the same story takes 12x as many pages to tell. This issue in particular covers the same ground as about 4 panels on page 4 of the original, where Peter Parker starts to understand his powers.

Part of the answer for the page count lies in layout. This issue favors bigger panels, less per page, more varied layouts. The original adheres pretty rigidly to 3 rows of panels per page, with 2-3 panels per row. The only exceptions it make are for the first page splash page, and a larger panel to open chapter 2.

POSTLUDE: Ultimate Spider-Man #1

Powerless
Release: September 6, 2000
Cover: November 2000
$2.99
Story: Bill Jemas and Brian Michael Bendis
Script: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Art Thibert
48 pages

I want to pause our main reading to jump forward into the future again, to the year 2000 and a new modern take on Spider-Man’s origin called Ultimate Spider-Man. This takes an 11 page story and spreads it over 135 pages and 5 issues. I’d like to look at exactly where that factor of 12 in the page count comes from. And also consider what changes the writers felt they need to make and why they made them. I agree the original story skimped on some details, but 124 pages worth of details?!?

This first issue is 48 pages long and covers the ground of about 3 pages of the original Spider-Man story. Why so much longer?

Part of the answer lies in focus. The original story was Peter Parker’s story and his story alone. Any characters we met, we met in relation to Peter. Peter was in every scene and most panels. Peter’s story never paused to make way for another character’s plot.