Featuring: Spider-Man Release: March 10, 1966 Cover: June 1966 12 cents Edited and written by: Stan Lee Plotted and drawn by: Steve Ditko Lettered and cherished by: Artie Simek 20 pages
Of the greatest run of comics in history. Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Though it ends with more of a whimper than a bang. Its great climactic finale was 4 issues earlier. We then had a couple forgettable rematches with minor villains, then the introduction of a forgettable villain. This issue also introduces a new villain, but again not the most memorable one.
This issue has some things going for it though. It rises above the last few issues, though not to the heights of the first 33. It’s almost over.
Featuring: Spider-Man Release: December 9, 1965 Cover: March 1966 12 cents Scripted and edited by: Stan Lee Plotted and illustrated by: Steve Ditko Lettered and relished by: Sam Rosen 20 pages
…she’d never accept me as Spider-Man… but, Spider-Man I’ve always been… and shall always be… for as long as I live!
As we discussed, I think last issue works as an ending to the story of Spider-Man. I think issue 39 will give the series a fresh start, acting as a new beginning. These 5 issues in between are something of a treading-water era. I’d like to offer a brief summary of the story of Spider-Man so far before we get into this issue.
Let’s review the story of Spider-Man.
We all remember how it begins. Bitten by a spider. Allows a burglar to escape. Learns a lesson about responsibility.
But then the story jumped forward a bit in time. Without Uncle Ben, Peter and his Aunt are facing financial hardship. Aunt May doesn’t want Peter to worry about it, but Peter feels a responsibility to help with the finances. He considers crime, but settles on going back to show business. But this time he wouldn’t be in it for himself or his ego. He’d be doing it to help his Aunt. His attempts to find money mean he is unable to hang out with the kids at school when they invite him out, which gets him labeled as standoffish. They’ll be less likely to invite him out in the future. But his insistence on keeping a secret identity makes it hard for him to get paid as Spider-Man. And then Jameson’s editorials against him tank his show business career. He tries to get a job as Peter, but nobody wants to hire a kid. When John Jameson’s space shuttle malfunctions, Spider-Man goes into action and saves the day, but still gets labeled a menace by Jonah. The public and even Aunt May are against him. It seems that nothing goes right for Peter.
Spider-Man thinks he can solve his financial problems by joining the Fantastic Four, but they don’t pay a salary. He encounters his first super-villain, the Chameleon, when the Chameleon thinks he can take advantage of Spider-Man’s bad press to frame Spider-Man for his crimes.
When Jameson struggles to get pictures of the Vulture, Spider-Man figures out how he can make money. Aunt May gives Peter Ben’s old miniature camera, and he goes into action as Spider-Man to get pictures of the Vulture. They battle and the Vulture defeats and almost kills Spider-Man on their first encounter, but Spider-Man recovers and defeats him though a combination of his superhero prowess and his scientific ability to invent helpful gizmos. In a bit of irony, Peter sells the pictures to Jameson, and makes enough money to cover Aunt May’s rent.
By the following issue, Spider-Man is now an active superhero, seeking out crimes to stop, presumably because he recognizes this as his “great responsibility”. Dr. Octopus is his toughest foe yet. He almost is ready to give up being Spider-Man, but the Human Torch inspires him to never surrender. And Spider-Man will become known for pushing past his limits and fighting when the odds are against him.
Peter wants to do the right thing, but isn’t always good at it. When he sees criminals about to rob a bank, he stops them too soon, and then can’t prove he didn’t just harass ordinary citizens. When he fights Sandman, his mask rips, so he needs to run away, and can’t return to action until he sews a new mask. Liz had finally agreed to a date with Peter, but Spider-Man gets in the way and Peter needs to cancel. Fortunately, his photo career brings him by the offices of the Bugle and Jameson’s secretary Betty Brant. He stretches the ethics of his already questionable photojournalism career by staging photos of his fight with Sandman after the fact.
With the Lizard, Spider-Man faces the type of ethical conundrum that will occupy his career. Should he turn Curt Connors over to the authorities for his crimes as the Lizard? He instead decides that Connors is a good man, not responsible for his actions as the Lizard, and to keep his secret. In doing so, he will make a friend and valuable ally when he needs scientific expertise.
When the Vulture returns, Spider-Man must fight him with a broken arm. Nothing comes easy for Spider-Man. But the situation creates the opportunity for romance to blossom between Peter and Betty.
It all comes full circle when Aunt May gets sick. Spider-Man must rush to be by her side, ignoring active crimes in progress, just as he once ignored the one burglar. Where do his responsibilities lie? His career as a photojournalist taking pictures of himself was already questionably ethical, but he crosses a new line when he creates fake photos to prove Electro is Spider-Man and make Jameson happy. His Aunt’s health and the money needed for her operations must outweigh all concerns. His activities as Spider-Man also nearly interfere with his blossoming romance with Betty, as he reminds her of someone else who lived too dangerously. But they seem to work it out, at least for now.
Betty was in debt to a loan shark, and she flees town when the Enforcers come to collect. Jameson comes to a rare moment of introspection, realizing the reason he hates Spider-Man may simply be jealousy of Spider-Man’s altruism.
Betty got involved with the mob to help her brother Bennett, who became a mob lawyer to pay off his gambling debts. Peter makes the decision to confide his secret identity to Betty. But then when Bennett dies, Betty blames Spider-Man. While she softens, she still never wants to see Spider-Man again, as it would remind her of her brother’s death. So maybe Peter shouldn’t tell her his secret just yet.
Betty doesn’t get her wish as she gets captured by Dr. Octopus and needs Spider-Man to save her. Dr. Octopus even manages to unmask Spider-Man in front of her and Jameson, but they all find the idea that Peter might be Spider-Man too laughable and dismiss it. The news of Peter’s feat gets out and Liz decides he’s not the coward she thought he was, that the school-kids had never been nice enough to Peter. She’s ready to leave Flash Thompson behind and go out with Peter. But this time it’s his turn to reject her, as he only has eyes for Betty now.
But there is tension between Peter and Betty. She still thinks his photography job is too dangerous, which scares her, given what happened to her brother. And a jealous rivalry between Betty and Liz begins.
One of his greatest triumphs comes when six of his greatest foes team up against him, and he must face them without his powers. It turns out the loss of his powers was psychological, rooted in his guilt and self doubt. By regaining his confidence, he regains his powers and again overcomes the odds.
Spider-Man attends a meeting of a fan club in his honor, which is crashed by Green Goblin. When Spider-Man gets word Aunt May is sick again, he decides he cannot fight Green Goblin and runs away, getting branded a coward. Fortunately Human Torch is on hand to pick up the slack.
Spider-Man comes to a realization. His job as Spider-Man is inherently dangerous. If he gets killed, then who does Aunt May have? He definitely can’t put himself at risk with her in the hospital and in need of attention. Is this the end of Spider-Man? When he sees Betty on a date with Ned Leeds, that convinces him it’s time to give up being Spider-Man for good. Get a proper job, take care of Aunt May, focus on his studies, focus on his relationship with Betty. He throws his costume in the trash. But then a recovering Aunt May gives a timely speech about how the Parkers aren’t quitters, and Peter realizes: “…a man can’t change his destiny… and I was born to be… Spider-Man!!!”
Spider-Man redeems his reputation teaming up with Human Torch against Sandman and the Enforcers.
Spider-Man’s most savage battle comes against the Scorpion, leaving him bruised and bloodied.
A European psychiatrist postulates that Spider-Man is insane, and Peter fears he may be correct. “He wants to be a spider… but of course he is a human being!” Aunt May reminds Peter it’s important to confide in the people you love.
The Crime-Master saga brings home that Spider-Man isn’t especially good at all aspects of his job. He’s got these powers, and he is a science whiz. But he’s not an investigator. He’s not the world’s greatest detective. When confronted with a mystery, he’s better off just letting the police handle it.
Ultimately, Spider-Man’s story is about coming of age. Peter’s big step into adulthood is graduating high school. He and Flash will go off to the same college, but Liz is off to become a working girl. She says he goodbyes to Peter, who never quite seemed to recognize that she’d matured from the girl who once rejected him
Ned asks Betty to marry him. She’s not willing to answer until she settles things with Peter. But Spider-Man still stands between them and always will.
All the threads tie together in the MasterPlannerSaga. Peter and Betty at last part ways, as he starts college, where he meets Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn. Aunt May is dying from radiation from a blood transfusion she’d received from Peter. But this time, instead of Spider-Man distracting Peter from caring for his aunt, Spider-Man is needed when the serum that can save her is stolen. He battles Dr. Octopus and finds himself trapped under machinery too heavy to lift. But he has to lift the machinery, and in doing so saves his aunt, and proves to himself he can handle whatever life throws at him.
And so the series has gone, the story of a boy growing into a man, trying to do the right thing without always knowing how, trying to juggle too many responsibilities, and always managing to persevere against the odds.
And this issue?
Spider-Man fights Kraven again. Or, as Stan calls him, “… the somewhat magnificent menace of Kraven the Hunter!”
Featuring: Spider-Man Release: November 10, 1964 Cover: February 1965 12 cents Deliciously written by: Stan Lee Deliriously illustrated by: Steve Ditko Delightfully lettered by: S. Rosen 20 pages
What a beautiful cover. One of my favorites yet. Definitely my favorite Spider-Man cover so far. I like the way Ditko contorts Spider-Man in the air. It’s never straightforward, and decades of artists have tried to imitate his many posings. It’s just such a nice rendering of Spider-Man, who’s always at his best when at least somewhat upside down.
Ditko’s got the Beetle lurking off in the corner, just to show there is a villain. He keeps the focus on the actually visually interesting characters.
And then the opening splash page is basically an alternative cover, this one showing Spider-Man directly in combat with the Beetle, again with Spidey’s body flying through the air in his inimitable style.
This is one of the most underrated Spider-Man stories of all time. You’ll easily notice my Best We’ve Read page has more than its share of Spider-Man stories, as they are simply head and shoulders above all the other Marvel comics of this era. The highest rated Spidey stories won’t surprise people who love Spider-Man stories. I’ve spent a lot of time reading people’s opinions on Spider-Man stories, looking at lists of the best Spider-Man stories. His origin and the Sinister Six story, those are everybody’s favorite. While you may hear less of it, for those in the know, the End of Spider-Man story is spoken of with sufficient reverence. As is his unmasking by Dr. Octopus and first battles against Doc Ock, Vulture, and Electro. I’ve heard people cite the Scorpion battle and even the Green Goblin battle as their favorite stories.
But I never hear anybody talk about how great Spider-Man’s first battle against the Beetle is. Let’s correct that.
Featuring: Spider-Man Release: September 8, 1964 Cover: December 1965 12 cents Written by: Spidey’s godfather, Stan Lee Illustrated by: Spidey’s big daddy, Steve Ditko Lettered by: S. Rosen (Spidey’s second cousin on his uncle’s side!) 22 pages
The conclusion of the “End of Spider-Man” trilogy sees Spider-Man’s triumphant return.
Recall the story so far. Spider-Man had been in a battle with Green Goblin when he learned Aunt May had been hospitalized; he ran away from the fight, provoking the whole town to talk about what a coward he is. In the next issue, he ran away from a fight with Sandman, fearing injuries to himself would leave nobody to look after Aunt May. A confluence of factors convinced him to retire the Spider-Man persona before Aunt May gave a well-timed speech which inspired him to change his mind. Now, he wants a rematch with the Sandman.
We tried to read Amazing Spider-Man #17-19 together, but Human Torch had at least one Strange Tales adventure in the middle, and Dr. Strange was involved in a two-part story in that same title, so we took a brief detour before wrapping up Spidey’s mini-saga.
That said, all the in-story information tells us is that Human Torch is weary from a battle he just had. That could be anything, one we saw or didn’t. However, if we trust Stan’s editor note, then Johnny is referring to Strange Tales #127. That doesn’t really make much sense, as that battle was in Utah. So why would Human Torch be in New York flying to his own house commenting on how he’s still exhausted from a battle in Utah. Did he not nap on the plane ride home?
Sandman and the Enforcers capture the Human Torch. Montana’s rope seems like a poor weapon against the Torch’s flame, but maybe it’s specially treated. Most likely, Human Torch’s weariness from the battle with that mystery villain in Utah is the only reason he was beaten.
Featuring: Spider-Man (for the moment) Release: August 11, 1964 Cover: November 1964 12 cents Written by: Stan Lee, author of “The Fantastic Four” Illustrated by: Steve Ditko, illustrator of “Dr. Strange” Lettered by: Sam Rosen, letterer of… “Patsy Walker”??? 22 pages
Check out that cover. Quite the contrast with pretty much every other superhero cover. The superhero is usually portrayed as tough, dramatically standing against the odds. In the worst case, the cover might show the villain winning, but the superhero remains defiant. This one has Spider-Man cowering and hiding from the villain.
In this story, Peter decides to quit being Spider-Man. He’s thought about it before, but he’s about to actually quit for the first time. It won’t be the last time, or even necessarily the most famous time. A similar story will get told and retold across decades of Spider-Man stories and even make its way into Spider-Man 2. (More directly, the film borrowed from Amazing Spider-Man #50, which borrowed from this issue.)
Note we’re reading this and the last issue together because they make a strong arc when read together. In terms of continuity, it has been weeks since the conclusion of the last issue, so it’s likely several other heroes’ adventures we’ve read occurred in the interim.
The story begins with everybody reacting to Spider-Man’s retreat: heroes, villains, people on the street… guy can’t run away from a single fight without everybody having an opinion. Ditko is great at people reacting to things.
Wasp notes that wasps and spiders are natural enemies. Always found that a weird thing to say. But she’s said it before and she’ll say it again; it’s an obsession of hers whenever the topic of Spider-man comes up.
This is an excellent comic for helping shape the nature of the relationship between Human Torch and Spider-Man. They’ve had some banter and conflict before, but also teamed up. A friendly rivalry. We saw how friendly last issue when Johnny attended the Spider-Man Fan Club meeting and then was quick to help Spider-Man against the Goblin. Now, he seems uncertain. He witnessed Spider-Man’s cowardice firsthand, but still wants to think better of his friend.
Featuring: Spider-Man Release: July 9, 1964 Cover: October 1964 12 cents Ruggedly written by: Stan Lee Robustly drawn by: Steve Ditko Recently lettered by: S. Rosen 22 pages
The Green Goblin returns. I was not impressed with this villain in his first appearance. I am not that impressed with him 60 years later. But he is perhaps Spider-Man’s most popular villain, considered by many to be the definitive Spider-Man villain. Why?
I have a theory, a cynical one, mind you. Perhaps Team Goblin folks can correct me. My theory is this: Green Goblin is the villain in all the best Spider-Man stories, most of which would work just as well if you substituted in any villain. Case in point: this story.
A classmate of Peter’s refers to the James Bond novels. The character had already made his way into at least two films by this point as well. We’ll look back to the current place in pop culture of James Bond when SHIELD gets introduced, to see if we detect any influence.
This remains the only series to really handle the out-of-costume soap opera well. Almost every other title needs to keep its focus on the mission or the villain. Here, the villain shows up for the fight on page 13. Stan and Steve are confident they can fill 12 pages with character work, and they can.
Green Goblin has a new glider. Last time, he had a flying broomstick instead. This is definitely cooler, and he notes it’s faster and more maneuverable… but the old one he specifically noted was designed to make fatal error impossible. He neglects to mention if this new glider has been so designed.
That bottom middle panel. We’ve basically seen it before.
The Green Goblin reveals his arsenal: pumpkin, ghost, frog, moon, bat. Of these weapons, the pumpkin will prove surprisingly enduring.
Featuring: Spider-Man Release: June 11, 1964 Cover: 1964 25 cents By: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko 9ish pages
Confession time, here’s what I got. I haven’t decided the best way to break up issues with a lot of bonus content like this. My posts don’t cover entire issues, but stories within them. So what is a “story”?
This issue has 3 comic-sequence-like features: the main feature of 41 pages we just covered; a 9-numbered-page sequence we are covering now; and, a 3-page sequence I’ll cover in the subsequent post.
After the main feature, there is a 14-page gallery of all Spider-Man’s villains from the first 15 issues of the series: the Burglar, Chameleon, the Vulture, the terrible Tinkerer, Dr. Octopus, Sandman, Doctor Doom, the Lizard, the Living Brain, Electro, the Enforcers and the Big Man, Mysterio, the Green Goblin, and Kraven the Hunter. That’s quite the collection of villains for only 15 issues. All original except Dr. Doom. No other series can match.
That brings us to the featurette which is the main subject of this post: “The Secrets of Spider-Man!” This isn’t a narrative story, but it is told in standard comic panel format. We get a recap of the origin of Spider-Man followed by a detailed analysis of his powers and web shooters.
Featuring: Spider-Man Release: June 9, 1964 Cover: September 1964 12 cents Written by: Stan Lee, master of the spoken word Illustrated by: Steve Ditko, dean of dramatic drawings Lettered by: S. Rosen, sultan of sparkling spelling 22 pages
Let me start by wishing a happy birthday to Steve Ditko, who would have been 93 today had he not passed away in 2018.
Ditko has created a number of new villains for this series, while maintaining a generally pretty high quality (Green Goblin excepted). The team has only once borrowed a villain so far, when Spider-Man fought Dr. Doom in issue 5. This is the second time borrowing a villain, but they dig deeper, bringing back Ringmaster from Incredible Hulk #3 two years earlier. We’ve read over 200 comics since we last met Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime.
Aunt May still insists Peter accept a blind date with Mary Jane Watson. Peter makes the reasonable protestation that he has a girlfriend. May notes they are not engaged. Does May just not like Betty for some reason? On the other hand, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a date. Peter could just offer to hang out with Mrs. Watson’s niece as a favor to Aunt May. I feel like they could compromise here.
Featuring: Spider-Man Release: May 12, 1964 Cover: August 1964 12 cents Written by: Stan Lee (because we couldn’t afford Mickey Spillane) Illustrated by: Steve Ditko (because Picasso was out of town) Lettered by: Art Simek (because his name fits this space) 22 pages
I feel like the golden era of Ditko coming up with cool Spider-Man villains may be over. At least Kraven is more interesting than Green Goblin. Like Green Goblin, it’s generally agreed the best story for each is the one where they die.
I will give Green Goblin and Kraven credit for one thing… they’re different from the other villains. They’re both unique, for better or worse.
But, while one form of Goblin or another was the villain or a background threat for the first four Spider-Man films, we’re seven films in without so much as a hint of Kraven. Guy’s gotta be a little insulted.
Kraven’s motive is different from the other villains we’ve met. He’s not interested in money, power or revenge. His goal is sport. His namesake is not an animal like many of Spider-Man’s villains, but his outfit does suggest a lion motif.
The story begins with the return of Spider-Man’s first super-villain foe: the Chameleon, who we learn is an old friend of Kraven the Hunter.
While Chameleon’s mask has the same basic idea as before, it’s been cleaned up and altered. This new look will endure for 60 years.
Featuring: Spider-Man Release: April 9, 1964 Cover: July 1964 12 cents Writen by: Stan Lee (The poor man’s Shakespeare) Illustrated by: Steve Ditko (The poor man’s Da Vinci) Lettered by: Art Simek (The poor man’s rich man) 22 pages
There are things to like about this comic. The new villain is pretty goofy, perfect for a one-off issue of frivolity. Bring back the Enforcers and throw in the Hulk, and you have a recipe for a fun time.
But look to this first panel. It’s very interesting. A great panel, actually. You see the villain’s mask in the foreground and the shadowed villain in the background. Spider-Man has had a few unmasking scenes of late. Electro turned out to be someone he’d never heard of. Big Man turned out to be Peter’s colleague, Fred Foswell. This opening panel suggests we will get another dramatic unmasking… except we won’t.
They will save the unmasking for a later issue. Spider-Man actually fails to decisively defeat this goofy villain. Which suggests the Green Goblin will return. A bad idea. The character might be fun for one issue, but not as a recurring villain. Especially when Spider-Man aready has such a robust rogues gallery of far more interesting characters: Chameleon, Vulture, Tinkerer, Dr. Octopus, Sandman, Lizard, Living Brain, Electro, Big Man, Enforcers, and Mysterio.
The second panel is a line that’s rather amusing with the benefit of hindsight. “I made the controls simple enough that there’s no chance of fatal error.” If you’ve read further in Amazing Spider-Man, you know he will redesign his flying device and forget that particular design principle. I had suggested this panel to my friend Brian for his Past Was Close Behind series.
The Green Goblin refers to his device as a “flying broomstick”, keeping to a magic/fairy tale theme.
