Spider-Man Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man 1, Amazing Spider-Man 2

Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963) – “Spider-Man” – Stan Lee/Steve Ditko

Welcome to my first Amazing Spider-Man review. I’ve been a Spider-Man fan as far back as I can remember; one of the earliest comics I remember reading is a reprint of the Drug Trilogy in Marvel Tales 77-79 (1977). So I have read all the Amazing issues up to 700, but it’s been a while and I’m in the mood for a bit of nostalgia, so I’m going to do a re-read. I won’t go into detail on the plots, just a basic overview and then I’ll talk about some of my impressions about the stories. I’ll probably be discussing future stories to help put things in context, so expect tons of spoilers (but what else would you expect from a review site?) Anyway, let’s quit talking and get into the first story.

“Spider-Man” – Stan Lee/Steve Ditko

This is basically a re-introduction of Spider-Man for those who missed his debut in Amazing Fantasy #15 the previous year (which I’m not covering here because everyone knows Spidey’s origin story thanks to the movies). We get a recap of his origin and find out that things aren’t so great for the world’s newest super-hero. In his civilian identity as Peter Parker, he has plenty of problems (a sickly aunt, money trouble, kids at school being assholes) that his heroic alter ego can’t solve. He decides to follow his first instinct and make money by becoming a celebrity, which actually kind of works. But when it comes time to get paid, he’s shit out of luck because he won’t reveal his real name and they won’t pay him in cash. On top of that, local publisher and well-known windbag J. Jonah Jameson has singled Spidey out for his own brand of vitriol, branding him a menace and calling for his arrest. Jameson’s son John is an astronaut and when a test flight goes wrong, Spider-Man is the one to save him by convincing a pilot to get him close enough to the plummeting capsule so he can get on and replace the faulty guidance package. Spidey figures that ought to make him a hero to everyone, even Jameson, but it turns out to be just the opposite. Jameson is pissed off about Spider-Man stealing the spotlight from his son and even accuses him of sabotaging the rocket so he could look like a hero. A lot of people believe Jameson’s bullshit, so Spidey finds himself even more disliked and mistrusted than before and wonders if he should just become the menace everyone thinks he is.

This story kinda sets the tone for Spider-Man from here on out: he wants to help the world to make up for his mistake in letting the burglar go who later killed his uncle, but the world seems to be against him at every turn. It’s interesting to see Spidey still trying the show biz angle; today he’d be an instant celebrity on YouTube, but back then it was all word of mouth, with some people not even believing he exists until they see him in person. His TV presence was apparently quite well received, but didn’t last long. I can imagine there were people who saw that TV appearance who wouldn’t shut up about it years later when Spidey was internationally known, like those music snobs who brag about seeing Green Day perform in their cousin’s basement before they had a record deal. Jameson’s hatred of Spider-Man is interesting too. Later issues will mention jealousy as a motivating factor, and I can see some of that here, but Jameson actually does seem worried that Spider-Man could be a bad influence on kids (or they could get hurt trying to imitate him, something Kurt Busiek addressed in his Untold Tales series). I think some of Jameson’s hate comes from the fact that Spider-Man is so mysterious and only comes out at night, where the Fantastic Four’s identities are publicly known and have the sanction of the government, as does Ant-Man to some degree. Jameson also resents Spidey for stealing the spotlight from his son, who he considers a real hero. When this story came out, astronauts were considered celebrities and heroes (Alan Shepard and John Glenn’s feats predate this, as does President Kennedy’s vow to reach the moon before the end of the decade), so I can see why Jameson might be a bit pissed off about his son being bumped off the front pages by Spidey, But let’s face it, most of Jameson’s bloviating is designed to sell his newspapers, since everyone loves controversy. The end of this story, where Spidey wonders if he should just give in and become a criminal is something that will crop up again in these early tales. Of course in hindsight, we know he would never do anything like that but for readers at the time it would probably have seemed like a possibility and kept them buying the comic to see what Spidey was going to do.

Noticeable Things:

• Aunt May is having trouble paying the rent, even though they live in a big house in Forest Hills. I guess they could be renting the house (or renting to own), but I’m assuming it’s the mortgage she’s having trouble paying (although I’m not sure if bankers made house calls back then).
• The pilot who flies Spider-Man up to intercept the rocket isn’t named or even pictured, but he’s just as responsible for saving John Jameson as Spidey is. Jameson senior tries to make it sound like Spidey forced the pilot to fly him up, but the dialogue suggests he was talked into it. I’m surprised nobody has written a story about that guy (or maybe they have and I missed it?); that seems like a perfect subject for Busiek to have tackled.
• Where is this rocket launching from, anyway? It has to be around New York City someplace, since Peter gets there and back quite easily, but I couldn’t find any launch sites in New York at all. I guess in the Marvel universe there’s a launch site on Long Island someplace.
• The Fantastic Four and Ant-Man are name-checked here as a bit of cross-promotion.
• “Unfortunately, if something is shouted loud enough, there are always those who will believe it.” A statement that’s as true today as it was in 1963. Say what you like about Stan Lee’s bombastic writing style, but sometimes he hit the nail right on the head.

“Spider-Man vs. The Chameleon” – Stan Lee/Stee Ditko

You can guess from the title what this story is about, but first we get the first meeting of Spidey and the Fantastic Four (yes, more cross-promotion). Spidey figures he can make money by joining the FF and breaks into their headquarters to demonstrate his talents. After holding the entire FF at bay for a bit, Spidey makes them an offer but is disappointed to learn they don’t pay any salaries, getting their money from selling the rights to Reed’s inventions. When Ben insults Spidey by mentioning his questionable legal status, Spidey gets pissed off and leaves. The Chameleon reads about Spider-Man’s visit to the FF in the paper and figures Spidey will be a perfect patsy to set up for the defense plans he’s about to steal, since half the city already thinks Spider-Man is a crook. Chameleon uses some kind of spider-impulse that connects with Spider-Man’s spider-sense to lure him to the building where the missile plans are kept. Disguised as Spider-Man, Chameleon steals the plans, leaving the real Spider-Man to blunder into the guards when he shows up a couple minutes later. Spidey realizes he’s been set up and chases down Chameleon’s helicopter, stopping him from handing over the plans to the crew of a Russian sub. Spidey captures Chameleon, but he’s pretty slippery and uses gas to get away from the cops, disguising himself as one of their own. Spidey uses his spider-sense to pick out the Chameleon, who turns the tables briefly but is ultimately caught. Spider-Man is pissed off that the cops believed Chameleon over him and that he got no credit for catching a spy, so we end on another downer.

This story gives Spidey his first costumed (though not super-powered) villain in the Chameleon. Years later, we’ll find out Chameleon actually is Russian (and Kraven’s half-brother), so it makes sense he’s working for the Soviets here. I like that the Russians are clearly shown as being the ones getting the missile plans, instead of making up some fake country; that air of realism helps keep me in the story, although it won’t be long before fake countries start popping up all over the Marvel map. Chameleon’s disguises look pretty lame nowadays, but they probably would’ve been cutting edge back then. Or maybe we can assume they were quite futuristic and it’s just the limitations of the depiction that’s at fault, like watching old Star Trek episodes and laughing at the antiquated “future” tech.

Noticeable Things:

• I find it interesting that Ben Grimm keeps referring to Spidey as a kid or teenager, when most people assume him to be an adult. Maybe having the Torch around has made Ben extra sensitive, or maybe Spidey’s smart-ass attitude gave him away. (Or Ben just assumes everyone is a punk kid until he finds out otherwise.)
• Spider-Man has trouble capturing Chameleon because he runs out of web-fluid in a fight. At this point, he only has one web cartridge per wrist, something we’ll see him rectify next issue.

Amazing Spider-Man #2 (May 1963) – “Duel to the Death With the Vulture” – Stan Lee/Steve Ditko

This one starts with Vulture having already made a name for himself with a series of daring robberies. His wings give him an advantage, letting him swoop down out of nowhere and fly off again before anyone can stop him. Naturally, Spider-Man wants a shot at stopping him, but Vulture is so successful he figures even the wall-crawler can’t bring him down. Jameson is splashing news about Vulture’s crime spree all over the front page of his publications, but he really wants a photo of the winged villain. Peter Parker gets the same idea, figuring some candid shots of the Vulture would be worth a lot. Vulture’s next target is some diamonds and he’s so sure of himself he actually tells the cops (and Jameson) that he’s going to steal the gems. Spidey sees the Vulture lurking around and takes a few photos, but Vulture ambushes him and dumps him in a water tower. Spidey manages to get out and is on hand the next day when the diamonds are being moved. The cops have every possible angle in the air covered, which is why Vulture strikes from below, popping up from a manhole and escaping through the sewers. Spidey chases him and uses a magnetic inverter to screw up Vulture’s wings. He crash lands practically in the arms of the police and Spidey gets some great photos of his arrest. Peter’s sense of irony urges him to sell the photos to Jameson, who uses them despite his hatred of Spider-Man because he knows they’ll sell a lot of issues.

Vulture is another classic Spidey villain (arguably much more interesting than Chameleon) who will re-appear for decades to come. I like how Peter used his scientific acumen to defeat Vulture. I’m not sure if his wings are actually powered by magnetism (or how that would even work), but maybe they did at first and Vulture improved them later so Spidey couldn’t beat him the same way twice. It seems strange to me that the cops would let the newspapers print a story about a diamond shipment; you’d think they’d do that sort of thing in secret, maybe using one or two fake shipments to confuse possible thieves. Not calling it off (or altering the plan) after Vulture’s threat is pretty stupid too. I also have trouble believing Flash and his friends have nothing better to do than go downtown to watch the diamond transfer; the early 60s must’ve been boring as shit. Spider-Man’s spider-sense is still ill-defined here, with him feeling a change in the air currents when Vulture is sneaking up on him, even though we can see the lines indicating his spidey-sense tingle. I guess Stan was still figuring out exactly how it worked. We do see him modify his web shooters after once again running out of web fluid in an emergency, adding extra capsules to his wrist shooters and carrying a bunch of spares on his belt. I like how Peter decides to sell the photos to Jameson; it must be extra-satisfying to get paid by someone who hates you. Speaking of Jameson, he’s usually portrayed as very stingy and tight-fisted, but he gave Peter enough money to pay the rent (or mortgage, or whatever) for a whole year and buy a bunch of new appliances for Aunt May, so he must’ve paid a hell of a lot for those pix. Maybe he realized he overpaid and started offering less, which would explain why Peter has money troubles again later, even though he keeps selling photos to Jameson.

Noticeable Things:

• Jameson is publishing the photos in NOW Magazine, not the Daily Bugle. I don’t think the magazine thing lasts very long, but it seems like a version of LIFE (although Peter’s teacher calls it a “lurid picture magazine”, so maybe it’s more like LOOK).
• If Peter is broke, where does he get the electronic components he uses to build the magnetic inverter? The tools could’ve been Uncle Ben’s, but I’m not sure about the other stuff. Maybe Uncle Ben was a ham radio enthusiast and had a bunch of electronic stuff laying around.
• We get a very quick glimpse of Jameson’s secretary, who doesn’t look like Betty Brant. She’s wearing glasses … maybe it’s Betty’s mom, who we know was Jameson’s secretary until she got sick (or did she die? I can’t remember).

“The Uncanny Threat of the Terrible Tinkerer” – Stan Lee/Steve Ditko

This one starts with Peter getting an offer to assist a famous electronics expert (Dr. Cobbwell) with some experiments. Naturally, he jumps at the chance and Cobbwell asks him to pick up a radio from a repair shop on his way over the next day. Peter is surprised at the ridiculously low price the Tinkerer (as he calls himself) charges for radio repair, but we see Tinkerer is actually working with some aliens (yeah, you heard me) to put spy devices in the radios of various high-level scientists and military personnel so they can prepare for an invasion of Earth. Thanks to his spider-sense, Peter finds the spy device in Cobbwell’s radio and heads back to check out tinkerer’s shop. He gets captured by the aliens but manages to break free and start the lab on fire. The aliens (which apparently includes the Tinkerer himself) take off in their ship, remotely destroying the spy devices they’ve already implanted.

This story doesn’t have the usual Spider-Man feel to it, making me think more of the sci-fi/monster stories that were in all the comics in the 1950s. Stan must’ve realized it didn’t fit Spidey’s vibe because as we’ll learn in a future story, these aren’t real aliens, just a bunch of actors pretending to be aliens. I assume they were after blackmail material (or secrets they could sell), not making plans for invading Earth. One of the fake aliens will turn out to be Quentin Beck, better known as Mysterio. It’s been so long since I read these that I can’t remember the explanation for the mask Tinkerer was wearing. Maybe he was in on the whole alien gag, or maybe he was just playing along with them and had on a an alien mask under the one Spidey pulled off him. I don’t think Cobbwell is ever mentioned again, so maybe Peter got too busy to help him, or maybe he only needed help for a short time.