Rocky history aside, I've only recently become used to reading longer and more complicated comics online.
Hey, bad 90's artwork took some time to get used to. I'm not
complaining, I'm just late to jump on he bandwagon (and formally to
poor to hitch a ride).
Ah, but what ride to take first?
Marvel offers so many. Dark and gritty, humorous and silly?
Meaningful or just simple entertainment? A long series that
inevitable takes up time and dedication with the risk of leaving you
unfulfilled or even heartbroken or angry in the end? Or to play it
safe and find something you'd never get so attached to, but want some
depth out of?
I chose to go with Spider-Man. Film
and movies alone have given me all of those and much, much more.
_title_screen.png) |
| Including the most awesome themesong in existence |
Sure, there were mediocre and
downright bad versions of him. Some tried to be weird, some put too
much effort in being 'hip'. Some tried to downright re-invent parts
of Spidey's world to the point of being a huge distraction or
plothole even. But I didn't care. When they got things right, they
got things perfect. He's always been Amazing, Spectacular, and The
Friendly Nighborhood Spider-Man.
When done right.
When done right.
So let's check out the comics. Back
to the well. The original. The absolute best--
Okay, but--
Well, there's--
Screw it, there's something good, I'm sure of it.
Yeah...while Spider-Man officially debuted in Amazing Fantasy in 1962, he didn't get his own series until 1966. The art had some obvious growing pains, which I'm not sure were all that passable for back then.
From the first page, it's quite clear that thins never slow down for Peter and his Aunt May. While he's complaining that just last night he was bitten by a spider and he lost Uncle Ben to a shooter, Aunt May pleads for an extension to pay rent.
Well, Peter can do two things. He can whine about Uncle Ben and make his own pity part about the rent.
First thing he does is imagine all the robberies he could pull off as Spider-Man. But then, three panels later he's worried how Aunt May will feel if he ever gets caught. For a super-genius, he has no idea how to plan a simple robbery.
He settles on getting an agent and performing stunts as Spider-Man. Sadly, he can't cash his check without exposing his secret identity. I'm not sure who's worse at this, Spider-Man for being so bad at hiring a competent agent, or the agent for not realizing this would be a problem in the first place.
Meanwhile, J. Jonah Jameson is already mad about Spider-Man and decides to put him in his place by writing up late edition article. As much as he's the main antagonist for Spider-Man for decades, he's the only person good at his job in the series until his editor shows up and takes over that role, because one article form one newspaper is enough to convince everyone in New York City to boycott Spider-Man's show forever.
However, it's not really the show he's mad about, it's that Spider-Man took two up panels to stop the criminal who killed Uncle Ben when those panels could have been used on Jonah's son, the astronaut. If J. Jonah Jameson were real, we'd be arguing that NASA has too much of a budget.
Peter's not about to give up just yet. He's going to find a real job--okay, actually he spied Aunt May and followers her like a creepy stalker and finds her pawning junk jewelry.
So he does what any sane adult--what any normal teenager--he blames Jameson for everything and starts beating on a wall, vowing that Spider-Man will will stalk the streets. And here I thought it would take until the 2010's for him to get pissed at someone for no reason.
The next day, Peter's watching the space shuttle with younger Jameson in it take off. Why? Because he has nothing better to do. The caption even tells us that, just as we begin 'Part 2'. Why Part 2? Fuck if I know. The shuttle launches, the top capsule detaches, and everyone's in danger. Raise your hand if you're surprised (put that down and go read a comic book!).
But don't worry, obviously Spider-Man's here to help. Remember, Peter's got nothing better to do. So he runs over to his house, grabs his costume, and goes all the way back to the launch site to stop the rocket capsule.
There's not much else to Part 2. Spidey says he'll save the say, Jameson bitches, Spidey webs up a guard instead of just saying he's trying to help, he hops on a plane to catch up to the capsule, snags it with webbing, replaces a missing piece, beginning 'Part 3.'
Part 3 isn't much. Jameson still hates Spider-Man and wants him arrested and Peter's mad about it. I can't see this getting old at all.
Peter's still mad, but his money troubles distract him from hurting any more innocent walls. So of course he decides to bug he Fantastic Four about it. Sure, makes sense. If he wasn't supposed to be a super genius. Or supposed to act like a normal adult. Or just plain have common courtesy and sense.
So he walks right in, setting off booby traps, climbing through their roof, and giving them all a run for their money in a fight.
When it's over it turns out he could have just called for an appointment and found out they were a non-profit group and didn't have that kind of salaries. Waah, wah.
The rest is Spider-Man dealing with his first ever actual villain: The Chameleon. Yup, we're over two-thirds of the way though a superhero comic and we've finally gotten to a real villain. The rest is him and a newspaper editor getting mad at each other, him hijacking various military vehicles, and breaking and entering.
Anyone remember when the Chameleon was a guy with an illusion belt that created solid holograms? Well, there's not of that here. He's just a guy in a body suit and goggles with a cartoon disguise kit. He ties up a janitor and pretends to be him until he changes in an empty hallway where anyone can see him to disguise himself as a scientist and then just walks up to top secret files and steals half of a missile plan. Well, that's what you get for not paying attention and getting haircuts that look like novelty items.
Why not just steal the keys disguised as the janitor? Because where's the drama in that? In fact, this is already too low-key for The Chameleon. He decides to not only frame Spider-Man for hies next heist, but to send a message to him using only a frequency Spider-Man can hear. Apparently spiders worked differently in the 60's.
Maybe people aren't dumb so much as they're all blind. Ether way, The Chameleon fails to notice either Spider-Man webbing up the submarine doors or him leaping at the helicopter until it's too late. He tries to throw Spider-Man off, Spidey rips the door off and forces The Chameleon to land...somewhere right in front of the police, and despite how many things he stole and how many cops he's webbed up without so much as a 'sorry', they believe him about it all being The Chameleon's fault.
There's a few more pages left, so the writer has The Chameleon get away thanks to a smoke grenade. Apparently when you can't see, you stop holding on to someone. He disguises himself as a cop, but Spider-Man's spider-sense goes off in his presence, despite it never happening before. The Chameleon turns off the lights, but spider-sense works like Daredevil's powers and Spider-Man lunges at him. The lights are turned on, The Chameleon still tries to get Spider-Man arrested, and instead of trying to prove his innocence, Spider-man runs off for no reason and cries about his powers.
Um, what a hero?
_________________________________________
Yeah...while Spider-Man officially debuted in Amazing Fantasy in 1962, he didn't get his own series until 1966. The art had some obvious growing pains, which I'm not sure were all that passable for back then.
From the first page, it's quite clear that thins never slow down for Peter and his Aunt May. While he's complaining that just last night he was bitten by a spider and he lost Uncle Ben to a shooter, Aunt May pleads for an extension to pay rent.
Well, Peter can do two things. He can whine about Uncle Ben and make his own pity part about the rent.
 |
| Which might have worked if he weren't thirty and she wasn't too old to be a zombie |
He settles on getting an agent and performing stunts as Spider-Man. Sadly, he can't cash his check without exposing his secret identity. I'm not sure who's worse at this, Spider-Man for being so bad at hiring a competent agent, or the agent for not realizing this would be a problem in the first place.
Meanwhile, J. Jonah Jameson is already mad about Spider-Man and decides to put him in his place by writing up late edition article. As much as he's the main antagonist for Spider-Man for decades, he's the only person good at his job in the series until his editor shows up and takes over that role, because one article form one newspaper is enough to convince everyone in New York City to boycott Spider-Man's show forever.
However, it's not really the show he's mad about, it's that Spider-Man took two up panels to stop the criminal who killed Uncle Ben when those panels could have been used on Jonah's son, the astronaut. If J. Jonah Jameson were real, we'd be arguing that NASA has too much of a budget.
Peter's not about to give up just yet. He's going to find a real job--okay, actually he spied Aunt May and followers her like a creepy stalker and finds her pawning junk jewelry.
 |
| Which she seems fine with |
The next day, Peter's watching the space shuttle with younger Jameson in it take off. Why? Because he has nothing better to do. The caption even tells us that, just as we begin 'Part 2'. Why Part 2? Fuck if I know. The shuttle launches, the top capsule detaches, and everyone's in danger. Raise your hand if you're surprised (put that down and go read a comic book!).
But don't worry, obviously Spider-Man's here to help. Remember, Peter's got nothing better to do. So he runs over to his house, grabs his costume, and goes all the way back to the launch site to stop the rocket capsule.
There's not much else to Part 2. Spidey says he'll save the say, Jameson bitches, Spidey webs up a guard instead of just saying he's trying to help, he hops on a plane to catch up to the capsule, snags it with webbing, replaces a missing piece, beginning 'Part 3.'
Part 3 isn't much. Jameson still hates Spider-Man and wants him arrested and Peter's mad about it. I can't see this getting old at all.
Peter's still mad, but his money troubles distract him from hurting any more innocent walls. So of course he decides to bug he Fantastic Four about it. Sure, makes sense. If he wasn't supposed to be a super genius. Or supposed to act like a normal adult. Or just plain have common courtesy and sense.
So he walks right in, setting off booby traps, climbing through their roof, and giving them all a run for their money in a fight.
 |
| Not that it's hard to defeat Sue |
The rest is Spider-Man dealing with his first ever actual villain: The Chameleon. Yup, we're over two-thirds of the way though a superhero comic and we've finally gotten to a real villain. The rest is him and a newspaper editor getting mad at each other, him hijacking various military vehicles, and breaking and entering.
Anyone remember when the Chameleon was a guy with an illusion belt that created solid holograms? Well, there's not of that here. He's just a guy in a body suit and goggles with a cartoon disguise kit. He ties up a janitor and pretends to be him until he changes in an empty hallway where anyone can see him to disguise himself as a scientist and then just walks up to top secret files and steals half of a missile plan. Well, that's what you get for not paying attention and getting haircuts that look like novelty items.
Why not just steal the keys disguised as the janitor? Because where's the drama in that? In fact, this is already too low-key for The Chameleon. He decides to not only frame Spider-Man for hies next heist, but to send a message to him using only a frequency Spider-Man can hear. Apparently spiders worked differently in the 60's.
 |
| Go home, comic, you're drunk |
Like the super genius idiot he is, he follows the signal to the very roof of the building The Chameleon is robbing next. At this point I've given up on trying to figure out who's dumber and just wish had that cool web-squirt gun The Chameleon uses before running off to a helicopter on the roof just before the real Spider-Man arrives.
 |
| Dear Amazon... |
Spidey is his usual helpful and friendly self, webbing up cops without explanation and using the most ridiculous of comic book physics to pinpoint exactly where the helicopter and and where it's headed and launch himself right at it. He gets points for enthusiasm, I guess. Some how he steals a boat, (I guess he didn't get that far), and heads out the a not-at-all communist submarine the helicopter is headed straight for.
Maybe people aren't dumb so much as they're all blind. Ether way, The Chameleon fails to notice either Spider-Man webbing up the submarine doors or him leaping at the helicopter until it's too late. He tries to throw Spider-Man off, Spidey rips the door off and forces The Chameleon to land...somewhere right in front of the police, and despite how many things he stole and how many cops he's webbed up without so much as a 'sorry', they believe him about it all being The Chameleon's fault.
There's a few more pages left, so the writer has The Chameleon get away thanks to a smoke grenade. Apparently when you can't see, you stop holding on to someone. He disguises himself as a cop, but Spider-Man's spider-sense goes off in his presence, despite it never happening before. The Chameleon turns off the lights, but spider-sense works like Daredevil's powers and Spider-Man lunges at him. The lights are turned on, The Chameleon still tries to get Spider-Man arrested, and instead of trying to prove his innocence, Spider-man runs off for no reason and cries about his powers.
Um, what a hero?
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It's Marvel's favorite and most useless vampire. It's Morbius in the Marvel Rebooted Universe.
The MRU could always use more readers and writers.
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Found your blog through a comic book resource forum post you made and I gotta say I enjoyed this review of the first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man and can't wait to catch up! Also its funny that people say that Spider-Man is a youth's fantasy and is like a Saturday morning cartoon but if you read the just the first few issues, Peter is an adult in the Teen world and Teen in the Superhero world. I mean the guy gets a job, pays bills, supports his love ones, has no time for school events and this all while he's 16. While in the costume, he gets short tempered, whines, cries, easily frustrates, does boneheaded moves, makes fun of old people, etc. Peter like puts all his angst out while fighting. One more thing too I noticed after the first time reading the first Spider-man issues, Peter doesn't automatically start fighting crime after Uncle Ben's Death, he actually just kind of falls into crime fighting and only sees it as his responsibility much later. This greatly shows you the difference between The Amazing and The Ultimate Spider-Man which had Peter fight crime like straight after Uncle Ben died.
ReplyDeleteThat's actually a very in-depth analysis of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and I, personally, find it very true.
DeleteAlso, great noticing he doesn't' start crime-fighting immediately after Ben's death. Even in movies or cartoons I enjoy, that bothers me slightly (it feel s more human to gradually move into crime-fighting).
Thank you so much for taking the time to post! I hope to get more done soon!