Reviews
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Spiderman was never so good as Ditko (sometimes getting plot credit) and Lee presented him here. The collaborators are in complete control of Spider-man and the great cast of bad guys--especially the Green Goblin. The ironies of Peter Parkers life are poignant, and each issue seems to develop both Peter's life and the supporting cast. This and the next volume are probably the best collections: the next volume includes the great "Man on a Rampage" trilogy and the switch to John Romita.
reviewed by ronmiller on November 23, 2006 3:06 AM
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Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man.
INTRODUCTION:
Circa 1962, comic book artist Stan Lee's publication Amazing Fantasy was not selling as well as he had hoped, and following its twelfth issue, it would be discontinued. In volume twelve, Lee introduced Spider-Man, a super hero who broke all the rules of super hero comics. Everyone ridiculed Lee's idea, saying he shouldn't create a teenage super hero who had to deal with everyday problems, and have a questionable reputation. Since Amazing Fantasy was going under anyway, Lee went against everyone else's views and featured the character in there. The result was NOT what any of those critics would have expected. The story did so well and got so much good feedback that Lee put Spider-Man in his own comic series! Over the years there have been a ton of Spider-Man comics, and needless to say, tracking down the older ones has become a difficult task. Not to worry. The Marvel Masterworks collection has taken several of the company's classic franchises, and rereleased the comics as "multi-pack" collections, reprinted in large books. So, how do these old stories measure up? Read on for my review.
OVERVIEW:
If you don't know the story behind Spider-Man, you've probably been living under a rock your whole life. But for those of you who don't know it for some strange reason, here it is (I'm not going to give summaries for the individual stories listed in this volume, Spider-Man fansites have already done plenty of that.) Peter Parker was a typical nerdy teenager who was always an outcast in his school. But one day, he paid a visit to a laboratory and got bitten by a radioactive spider. Rather than killing him or giving him radiation poisoning, this spider's bite gave him extraordinary powers! He became stronger, faster, and much more agile than any human being. As he used his powers to gain some fame and quick cash, he let a robber escape from one of the venues, feeling that stopping this robber was not his problem. And then, one night, he arrived home to make a startling discovery - there had been an intrusion, and his Uncle Ben had been murdered. When Peter confronted his uncle's killer, he made a painful discovery - it was the same man he let go from his perfomance venue not long ago! This caused him to realize the depth of what his uncle once told him - With great power, comes great responsibility. And thus, he took up crimefighting, battling villains like the master-of-disguise Chameleon, the mad scientist Dr. Octopus, the flying menace known as the Vulture, and many others. With a colorful cast of heroes and villains alike, the series has remained conistently popular long after its 1962 conception.
REVIEW:
These stores are awesome, and it's great to get so many of them in one quick and convenient place. I'm sure plenty of fans were getting sick and tired of having to hunt down and buy these comics at radically-inflated prices. Each story is reprinted extremely well, and you get the cover for every book featured. Initially these Marvel Masterworks books were released in hardcover and rather expensive, but they've since gotten the paperback cover treatment, and are now considerably more affordable and accessable. Despite their age, these stories are still extremely entertaining. Some of the stories do seem a bit dated, but in my opinion, this just makes them more enjoyable. If you're a Spider-Man fan, you MUST read the comics that started it all, and ultimately made this franchise so successful. So what are you waiting for? With the release of these Marvel Masterworks books, you've no longer got any excuse for not checking the stories out!
EDITION NOTES:
There are only two versions of this collection that I am aware of - Hardcover and paperback. Rather obviously, I recommend getting the paperback edition since it is considerably less expensive that its hardcover counterpart.
OVERALL:
The only thing that there is really left to say is that this is a great collection. It's great to have these stories back in print, and all in one convenient location. With roughly ten comics in every collection, the Marvel Masterworks Spider-Man series is strongly recommended. If you're a fan of Spider-Man and you don't own this yet, do yourself a favor and add it to your collection. No fan should be without these classic stories.
INTRODUCTION:
Circa 1962, comic book artist Stan Lee's publication Amazing Fantasy was not selling as well as he had hoped, and following its twelfth issue, it would be discontinued. In volume twelve, Lee introduced Spider-Man, a super hero who broke all the rules of super hero comics. Everyone ridiculed Lee's idea, saying he shouldn't create a teenage super hero who had to deal with everyday problems, and have a questionable reputation. Since Amazing Fantasy was going under anyway, Lee went against everyone else's views and featured the character in there. The result was NOT what any of those critics would have expected. The story did so well and got so much good feedback that Lee put Spider-Man in his own comic series! Over the years there have been a ton of Spider-Man comics, and needless to say, tracking down the older ones has become a difficult task. Not to worry. The Marvel Masterworks collection has taken several of the company's classic franchises, and rereleased the comics as "multi-pack" collections, reprinted in large books. So, how do these old stories measure up? Read on for my review.
OVERVIEW:
If you don't know the story behind Spider-Man, you've probably been living under a rock your whole life. But for those of you who don't know it for some strange reason, here it is (I'm not going to give summaries for the individual stories listed in this volume, Spider-Man fansites have already done plenty of that.) Peter Parker was a typical nerdy teenager who was always an outcast in his school. But one day, he paid a visit to a laboratory and got bitten by a radioactive spider. Rather than killing him or giving him radiation poisoning, this spider's bite gave him extraordinary powers! He became stronger, faster, and much more agile than any human being. As he used his powers to gain some fame and quick cash, he let a robber escape from one of the venues, feeling that stopping this robber was not his problem. And then, one night, he arrived home to make a startling discovery - there had been an intrusion, and his Uncle Ben had been murdered. When Peter confronted his uncle's killer, he made a painful discovery - it was the same man he let go from his perfomance venue not long ago! This caused him to realize the depth of what his uncle once told him - With great power, comes great responsibility. And thus, he took up crimefighting, battling villains like the master-of-disguise Chameleon, the mad scientist Dr. Octopus, the flying menace known as the Vulture, and many others. With a colorful cast of heroes and villains alike, the series has remained conistently popular long after its 1962 conception.
REVIEW:
These stores are awesome, and it's great to get so many of them in one quick and convenient place. I'm sure plenty of fans were getting sick and tired of having to hunt down and buy these comics at radically-inflated prices. Each story is reprinted extremely well, and you get the cover for every book featured. Initially these Marvel Masterworks books were released in hardcover and rather expensive, but they've since gotten the paperback cover treatment, and are now considerably more affordable and accessable. Despite their age, these stories are still extremely entertaining. Some of the stories do seem a bit dated, but in my opinion, this just makes them more enjoyable. If you're a Spider-Man fan, you MUST read the comics that started it all, and ultimately made this franchise so successful. So what are you waiting for? With the release of these Marvel Masterworks books, you've no longer got any excuse for not checking the stories out!
EDITION NOTES:
There are only two versions of this collection that I am aware of - Hardcover and paperback. Rather obviously, I recommend getting the paperback edition since it is considerably less expensive that its hardcover counterpart.
OVERALL:
The only thing that there is really left to say is that this is a great collection. It's great to have these stories back in print, and all in one convenient location. With roughly ten comics in every collection, the Marvel Masterworks Spider-Man series is strongly recommended. If you're a fan of Spider-Man and you don't own this yet, do yourself a favor and add it to your collection. No fan should be without these classic stories.
reviewed by wendi on November 28, 2006 12:25 PM