Amazing Spider-Man from the beginning

[matthewaos]

Amazing Spider-Man #4

"Nothing Can Stop... The Sandman!"

Spider-Man is going agains the Sandman, who he really seems like a great theat. The first time they clash, Spider-Man's mask is ripped. Peter fearing exposure to the world he flees the scene. As he sews his mask, he is informed by the tv about Sandman's origin: Flint Marko caught in an explosion during an experiment, while he was trying to escape from prison. Aunt MAy almost caught him with his suit on. There is a little more character development for Jomeson, and the first prank betwwen the two. Parker is assigned to bring photos of Spider-Man, as for Jameson to convinse the people that he is Sandman. That leads to the battle betwwen Spider-Man and Sandman, where our hero has the villain where he want to, and traps him in a vacum cleaner!!!! He delivers to the police, but in the end the people are wondering if Jameson is right, and Peter is wondering what he is not doing right.

A fantastic issue! I think that the idea of Spider-Man capturing Sandman in the vacum cleaner was a stroke of genius. Some friemds of mine say that it was silly, but I loved it. JAmeson seems to be a villain, and not at all a complex character. Though he appears in the issues much, he does not seem to do anything except hating Peter for no reason. And I loved how the happy ending for Peter is ruined by the people who read the bugle. It makes me read the next issue now!

I was hoping for more support but it seems that many people are watching the thread, even though they are not writing.

[matthewaos]

Amazing Spider-Man #5


"Marked For Destruction By Dr. Doom!

This is the first Spider-Man/ Dr Doom meeting. It is also the issue that marks the monthly publishing of Spider-Man.
People are watching Jameson on TV talking about Spider-Man, and some believe that he is overacting. Dr Doom is also watching the show and believes that he can use him as an ally to destroy the Fantastic Four. He creates a device that can send messages to Spider-Man, through a spider, in some way. Spider-Man listen to the message and goes to the transmisions source. He finds Dr Doom there and he tries to convince him to join him. Spider-Man refuses and he tries an escape manuver. When he is returning to the building, Doom sets the building on fire, so Spider-Man loses him.
At the daily bugle JAmeson asks Peter for more Spider-Man picks to blame him for everything. Peter is trying to convince him that some people believe that he may not be right and he may be jelous af Spider-Man. Jameson reveals his only purpose for this, to make money, and Spider-Man seels papers, either if people agrees with him or not. Also, Peter and Betty Brand, Jameson's secretery are flerting.
At the same time Flash and the others want to scare Peter so Flash dresses as Spider-Man. Dr Doom creates a device that will track somehow Spider-Man, cause he has spider-powers. His sensors were showing Parker, but Flash was near dressed as Spidey, so he easily catches him. He helds him as a prisoner and asks for the FF to disbaned and surender. Peter learns about this and he goes to help Flash. They battle and Spidey has to go through Doom's machines, and a doombot. At the final moment the FF arive and Doom decides that he cannot fight them all at once so he flees. Peter has to rush back home, and the FF retrieve Flash.
In the end, though Peter believed that Flash would be the embarasment of the school, he tells the story full of lies and he is once again the most popular guy in school.

[matthewaos]

To be honest, I was not that impressed. It sure was a good story with some great fight scenes, but Doom had a device for everything, and personally I preffered the previous issues over these, cause since now we saw the creation of some really great villains like Sandman and Doc Ock. The art was not the best part, as Doom looks kind of silly in Ditko's hands. I liked the part though where Flash dresses as Spider-Man, and the flirt with Betty.

[whiteshark]

Keep up the good work man.

Amazing Fantasy#15 and ASM#1 to 4 are trully master pieces in the true meaning of the word,but ASM#5 is not as good as the previous stories.I agree with that.

[matthewaos]

Yeah, I don't know something felt wrong. Maybe it was that the point of the story was "let's put Spidey against Doom" so it felt out of place. Plus, Ditko is no Kirby, Doom looks silly. Sure the art gets better issue after issue though.

[matthewaos]

Amazing Spider-Man #3



"The Strangest Foe Of All Time... Spiider-Man Versus The Doctor Octopus"

The story beginns with Spider-Man almost wishing to go against an opponent worthy enough to fight him. Little he knows that in an explosion during a scientific experiment Doctor Otto Octavious is going to be it. His metal arms, that he was using for the experiment are fused to his body and somehow are listening to his commants. Also, he has an uncertain brain damage. Doctor Octopus is the nickname they gave him, cause of the metal arms, and I guess also the similarity to his name:rolleyes: . Jameson assigns Peter to get a photo of Octavious, and he agrees. While he arrives in the hospital, Doc Ock has some hostages, and the two imediatly fight. Spider-Man is an easy opponent for Doc Ock, who he troughts out of the window. Peter is thinking that he had his first defeat, and that maybe it's the end of Spider-Man. The goverment assigned the Human Torch to hunt the good doctor, and (for some reason) he gives a demonstration on Peter's school. Torch's words make PEter realize that he should not give up, so he goes to find Doctor Octopus, who he capture a lab and is ready to destroy it. Spider-Man shows his scientific skills by creating something that fused two of the tentacles, and after a very intence fight, he manages to give the first punch and he knocks him out. He later says thanks to the Torch.

First of all, I didn't know that Spider-Man was bi-monthly at that time. Also, as for the bad things here, the Tinkerer story and this started almost exactly with the same line: "every story has to start from somewhere and this is it". That's it, the issue is great! Sure the best of the series yet, except AF #15. Ditko's art seems even better, in some panels. Though Doc seems pretty ugly and stupid, but I guess they wanted him to look like that. And ugh, that haircut!
Also I read the letter's page. Most guys are really like Spider-Man, there's one wishing for 50 years of publication, and there is another one who says that they should make him a detective and fight street thugs. They all believe that after a while the world will realixe that Spider-Man is a good guy and pretty much everyone hates Jameson.

I forgot something I wanted to add about #3. There is a panned where Doc Ock rips Spider-Man's web and he calls him "Super-Man". What the hell??

[matthewaos]

Amazing Spider-Man #6

"Face-To-Face With... The Lizard"

There is a human like Lizard in the Florida Swamps, and the people are terifying. The rumors find their way to NY, and the Daily Bugle chalenges Spider-Man to defeat him. So Peter Parker is trying to convince Jameson to give him an assignment in Florida, cause he does not have the money to go by himself and investigate, but Jameson denyies. So Spider-Man appears and he accepts the chalenge. Jameson says Peter that he will accompany him, and Peter goes to the museam to learn as much things he can for the Lizards as posible. In the museam he stops a robbery, and saves Liz Allen from kidnapping. At the plane Peter reads about Dr Curt Connors an expert on lizards. As soon as they arrive Peter supposedly goes to buy film but he changes to Spider-Man and goes in the swamps. He finds the Lizard and they fight. The Lizard speaks like a normal person, has an almost inpenetrable skin (bullets cannot harm him) he is more powerful than Spider-MAn and his tail is a serious problem. Spider-Man catches the tail and the Lizard drops him half a mile away. Spider-Man realizes that there is a house nearby, Curt Connor's, and he sees inside a woman cries. The woman is Curt's wife who explains the origin of the Lizard: Her husband was experimenting with Lizard DNA as to find a cure for lost arms, legs etc, but he tried his experiment on himself and he became a human like lizard. The experiment caused him also to minute after minute lose part of his humanity. Connorss terorizes his house twice, while Spider-Man searches through his notes to find a cure. He creates a serum and goes to find him. In an ancient fortress, where there are several crocodiles who obey the Lizard the final battle starts, where in the end Spider-Man manages to make him drink the serum, and Connors is transformed back into human form. They decide that this will be kept a secret cause he didn't broke any law, and he burns his notes. Peter is returning to the hotel where he finds Jameson and gives him photos of the Lizard. Jameson believes that they are fake and rips them. Upon his return, instead of calling Betty for a date, cause she was working for Jameson late, he calls Liz who says that has a crash on Spider-Man and apparently broke up with Flash.

[matthewaos]

Sure a better issue than the last one. Though there were some very goofy momnents. Like, why the Lizard was terorizing his own home? Also, I didn't know that the Lizard had sucha thick skin, and overal I think he was way too powerful. His "mind control" over lizards didn't help either. And also his face looks like a cross between the aliens that were colaborating with the Tinkerer, and a giant frog. I think I like the Lizard's origin much more than the character per se. The drama between his family was a great touch. Also the final scene where Peter calls Liz instead of Betty was like a scene from sims, for me at least. They could have shown that Peter is antagonizing Spider-Man (himself) in a better way, but it was also a great touch. Overal good, not great. Next issue marks the return of the Vulture, and along with issues #5 - 6 is another one that I am going to read for the first time.

[matthewaos]

Before going to issue #7, Let's see two Spider-Man appearences in other comic books.

Strange Tales Annual #2

Writen: Stan Lee
Drawn: Jack Kirby
Inking: Steve Ditko
A new DaVinci painting has been found and the Fox wants to steel it. They disquise themselves and leave a webline in the museam so the police thinks that Spider-Man did it. Spider-Man believes that he can trust the Human Torch so he goes to his house to ask help, but he just heard of the news about the painting and he fights Spider-Man. Peter escapes and finds a deserted chemical lab so he creates a web that will stop the Torch for a minute or two. Spider-Man manages to stop him and tells him that he didn't stole the paintint. The Torch believes him and gpes to the police to tell the inspector Spider-MAn is innocent. The inspector acording to the clues he has believes that the Fox did it, and they search to the latest place he has been seen, the subway. They find one of his henchmen but he escapes. Spider-Man relies to his Spider-sence as to find him, and after an extensive search they did, they fight with his henchmen and get the painting back.

Fantastic Four Annual #1

"The Fabulous Fantastic Four Meet Spider-Man"
Writen: Stan Lee
Drawn by: Jack Kirby
Inking: Steve Ditko
This is just something like a director's cut to the meeting Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four had in ASM #1. Because many fans asked for this battle to have more space, the creators did it. The original plot is kept and the story starts from the time where Spider-Man tries to enter the Baxter Building, till the moment he left. There are some scenes that are like taken from the comic.

[whiteshark]

I forgot something I wanted to add about #3. There is a panned where Doc Ock rips Spider-Man's web and he calls him "Super-Man". What the hell??

Maybe Stan Lee just wanted to know if the readers were paying atention to that story and write letters to complain about it.

[matthewaos]

Maybe Stan Lee just wanted to know if the readers were paying atention to that story and write letters to complain about it.

He, well I'm not sure if it was Lee's mistake, or the letterist's. But there is not letterist credits in #4 and in #5 it's someone else.

As for those issues, I liked the extra scenes from the first Spider-Man/FF meeting. As for the second story, it was ok but I thought it was funny that Spider-Man can track a single person in the city if he relies to his spider-sence. Also (in both cases) it was fun to see Kirby draw Spider-Man.

[matthewaos]

Amazing Spider-Man #7

"The Return Of The Vulture"

The first page explains what happened in ASM #2, and we see the Vulture in prison. Since he was such a nice person the manager let him use the machine shop, where under no one's nose he builts a new flying machine, which helps him escape. Whe he is safe he wears his green suit again and goes to practice his new wings, and rob something. Peter hears about his escape when in gym class so he says he has a headache and leaves. He dresses as Spider-Man and his spider-sence leads him to the Vulture. He again uses his device he used in ASM #2, the Vulture pretends he is falling, cause he apgraded his gear, and Peter takes a shoot with his camera. As Spider-Man goes to catch him, the Vulture goes sudently up and starts hitting Spider-Man who falls to his death, as his enemy thinks. Peter only brokes his arm. He tells Aunt May that it happened during the volay ball match in gym class. He then goes to JJJ to sell that picture. At that time the Vulture is entering the Bugle to steal JJJ's income of the week. JJJ trys to convince him not to do it, he even offers publishity for not doing it, and Peter grabs the chance and goes to change into Spider-Man. He enters from the same window as the Vulture did and the two have a very intense fight in the building, which leads to the pressing room where Peter hits his arm again. Peter sents him he was coming from behind so he acted like surprised. The Vulture drags him very high and then Spidey graps the chance and webs his wings. They are both falling but Spidey builts a web chute and they are both safe, with the Vulture captured. At the end JJJ says that he holds Spider-Man resposible for all the damages in the building, and Spidey answers by webing his mouth. Peter finds Betty hiding and the two are flerting and have a very warm moment.

[matthewaos]

That was the final issue for 1963! There is a Sandman appearence fighting the Human Torch in Strange Tales and with that (though I'm not sure I can find that) all of Spidey related appearences are covered for this year!

As for the issue, it was not that good... The cover made me think that the Vulture had an actual plan that will not allow Spider-Man to win that time. I found it idiotic to let a guy like him to be around the machine shop of the prison. Also, your enemy is coming closer and you stop to take a shoot? WTF? Overal the Vulture seems like a lame villain. Though that fight was intense, and considering all the previous issues, Lee/Ditko are masters in doing such a thing, I could find a thousand moments where Spidey could just web him and be done with him.

[Chris N]

Hey Matthewaos-

I only check in here occasionally, but I was in one of these threads before and wouldn't mind trying to read along again.

I may just cut-and-paste from some of my old write-ups. I think the last time through got to the end of the Ditko run, so I'd be excited to see if you can keep the momentum up past that.

On my own, I read through every Spider-Man appearance up until Atlantis Attacks before taking a break a few years back. It was a great time.

So good luck and I'll try to read along when time permits.

[matthewaos]

Thanks Chriss, I could use your help!

I try to read one issue a day, so as to post the review and wait to see if anyone want to comment on anything. I would like to go as far as I can, and try to cover as many Spidey appearences as I can. I would like to also do spec, if I manage to reach that point.