Essential Spider-Man Vol.1 (2nd Edition) Review
Content
Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962)
Amazing Spider-Man #1-20 (March 1963 - January 1965)
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (1964)
552 pages
$16.99
Writer
Stan Lee
Artists
Steve Ditko
Jack Kirby
Overall Review
Even if the stories collected in this book are considered classics by many, I had a hard time finding the courage to jump in and start reading it. You see, I always had a hard time with Stan Lee's scripts. To say he's wordy is a big time understatement. The guy fill up word balloons like no other. Still, once I found the strength to get going with Amazing Fantasy #15, I finally discovered why so many people fell in love with Peter Parker and his alter-ego.
Now don't get fooled by the title of the book, the real star here is Peter. Sure, Spidey's adventures are fun and entertaining, but never as much as Peter's . His love life is a mess, he gets bullied by the school's jock and he needs to help his aunt make ends meet. And on top of all that, he puts on a costume and goes around town chasing criminals all night long. Speaking of which, Spidey's got one of the best (if not THE best) lineup of villains of all comicdom. Luckily for us, many of them are making their first appearances in these pages and we get to witness first hand the incredible design sense of Steve Ditko. On top of creating one of the best looking super-hero costume of all time in Spider-Man's webbed suit, Ditko designed some classics villains that stood the test of time and are still around today.
That's not to say Ditko's artwork is without a fault. His faces are less than stellar to say the least. When you compare his work with, let's say, Curt Swan's or Al Plastino's, you can't help but to notice some flaws in Ditko's art. It's less finished, more sketchy. Still, the man can draw some pretty dynamic action scenes and a mean Spider-Man.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Sure it had some pretty heavy dialogue and narration, but it told a very engaging story about a kid everybody can relate to. As I said previously, Peter's the real star of the book and most of the success of the Spider-Man franchise can be attributed to him. Without Peter Parker, Spider-Man would not be the household name it is today.
Grade : A
Now don't get fooled by the title of the book, the real star here is Peter. Sure, Spidey's adventures are fun and entertaining, but never as much as Peter's . His love life is a mess, he gets bullied by the school's jock and he needs to help his aunt make ends meet. And on top of all that, he puts on a costume and goes around town chasing criminals all night long. Speaking of which, Spidey's got one of the best (if not THE best) lineup of villains of all comicdom. Luckily for us, many of them are making their first appearances in these pages and we get to witness first hand the incredible design sense of Steve Ditko. On top of creating one of the best looking super-hero costume of all time in Spider-Man's webbed suit, Ditko designed some classics villains that stood the test of time and are still around today.
That's not to say Ditko's artwork is without a fault. His faces are less than stellar to say the least. When you compare his work with, let's say, Curt Swan's or Al Plastino's, you can't help but to notice some flaws in Ditko's art. It's less finished, more sketchy. Still, the man can draw some pretty dynamic action scenes and a mean Spider-Man.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Sure it had some pretty heavy dialogue and narration, but it told a very engaging story about a kid everybody can relate to. As I said previously, Peter's the real star of the book and most of the success of the Spider-Man franchise can be attributed to him. Without Peter Parker, Spider-Man would not be the household name it is today.
Grade : A
source : www.comicbookdb.com«
posted by David Blais at 6:52 AM
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