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Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man #14
Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 14
There's no doubting that Peter Parker has never had it easy. When he's facing a gauntlet of ne'erdo-wells the likes of the Molten Man, Morbius and Man-Wolf just for starters, then you know that the Parker luck is in full effect-and you're in store for some top-notch Spider-Man adventures! Exhibit A: Teetering on the edge of sanity since the death of his father (a.k.a. the Green Goblin), Harry Osborn goes off the deep end and takes up the mantle of Spidey's nemesis. COLLECTING: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 132-142,GIANT-SIZE SUPER-HEROES 1, MARVEL TREASURY EDITION 1
237 pages, Hardcover
First published July 25, 2012
16 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Gerry Conway
2,065 books89 followersGerard Francis Conway (Gerard F. Conway) is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics' vigilante the Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man. At DC Comics, he is known for co-creating the superhero Firestorm and others, and for writing the Justice League of America for eight years. Conway wrote the first major, modern-day intercompany crossover, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 10, 2021
Another solid slice of ‘70s Spidey sizzles off the skillet; stupendously spectacular if somewhat silly!
My next book: The Seeds
My next book: The Seeds
December 27, 2021
It was ok! I kinda liked it but had its ups & downs overall..
+1 for the great artwork, and if you don't pay too much attention to the mostly silly plot/dialogue you'll have fun reading it. And Major upgrade with Conway from Stan Lee's Spidey with the over-analyzation of everything and the dumb as fuck dialogue written for ages -30 to 5 that got old real fast and if you're not reading because of nostalgia then it's pretty much unreadable after 30 issues or so. There's so many times that you can read the same issue over and over again that follows the same formula with the same kinda dialogue and pages of thought bubbles that tells you exactly what your fucking eyes are looking at on the panels. /rantover
+1 for the great artwork, and if you don't pay too much attention to the mostly silly plot/dialogue you'll have fun reading it. And Major upgrade with Conway from Stan Lee's Spidey with the over-analyzation of everything and the dumb as fuck dialogue written for ages -30 to 5 that got old real fast and if you're not reading because of nostalgia then it's pretty much unreadable after 30 issues or so. There's so many times that you can read the same issue over and over again that follows the same formula with the same kinda dialogue and pages of thought bubbles that tells you exactly what your fucking eyes are looking at on the panels. /rantover
July 14, 2022
Somewhat mediocre volume with some ridiculous villains- The Grizzly and his cheap furry costume gets the prize.
Of note: Harry now knows that Peter is Spidey -and there’s absolutely 0 tension whatsoever in this discovery- and Pete and MJ are almost an item but they don’t seem to have fully realized it yet.
Ross Andru on pencils mostly and I’ve never been very fond of him.
Of note: Harry now knows that Peter is Spidey -and there’s absolutely 0 tension whatsoever in this discovery- and Pete and MJ are almost an item but they don’t seem to have fully realized it yet.
Ross Andru on pencils mostly and I’ve never been very fond of him.
October 26, 2017
Collecting a dozen or so issues from the mid-70's run, Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Volume 14 showcases a successful comic book and character treading water for close to three-hundred pages.
Yes, Harry Osborne finally goes over the edge and embraces his inner Green Goblin. But like his father before him, he will conveniently forget that a)he's the Goblin and b)Peter Parker is Spider-Man by the time anyone in authority arrives. Harry's transformation is teased across multiple issues (and I believe they started planting seeds as early as issues in the last collection). But the return of the Green Goblin lacks the emotional punch it could or should have, possibly because the last time we saw Spidey tangle with the Gobin it was one of the high points not only of the character but one of the iconic turning points in comic books.
Other villains include the return of the Molten Man and Mysterio and new threats like the Mind Worm and the Grizzly. Yes, you read that right. Spider-Man spends not one but two issues battling it out with a former wrestler who has an enhanced grizzly bear costume and has decided its time to give J. Jonah Jameson his comeuppance for ruining his wrestling career. And yes, I've just re-read that sentence and I know how silly it sounds. The comic book presentation isn't much better.
Of course, the infamous start of a certain saga that nearly killed Spider-Man as we know it in the 90's is also beginning here. So, maybe part of my lack of love for this collection of issues is knowing where it will all pay off in twenty years' time. Or maybe it's just that writer Gerry Conway's stories don't really add all that much to the Spidey canon. Look, I know not every issue from my favorite era of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko were masterpieces. But at least there was always some hook, some threat or some narrative point to keep me interested. That's not often the case here. These issues feel like they come down to a formula for writing and Conway's just happy to plug in various characters as we move slowly between battles with that issue or arc's central villain. It comes down to Spidey meets villain, Spidey gets his you-know-what handed to him by said villain, Spidey as Peter beats himself up about it and interacts with the supporting cast, Spidey goe out and find the villain again and the battle goes Spidey's way this time. Lather, rinse, repeat.
It's all so formulaic in nature -- and I think reading the issues close together in a collection like this only underlines this. I can't help but think if I read these monthly as they originally came out (or were reprinted), I might end up enjoying them a bit more. Or be more forgiving of certain tropes that seem to show up issue after issue like clockwork.
This collection is Spider-Man fully on cruise control. And in a collection that features the Spider Buggy (yes, that was a thing!), that's pretty damn ironic.
Yes, Harry Osborne finally goes over the edge and embraces his inner Green Goblin. But like his father before him, he will conveniently forget that a)he's the Goblin and b)Peter Parker is Spider-Man by the time anyone in authority arrives. Harry's transformation is teased across multiple issues (and I believe they started planting seeds as early as issues in the last collection). But the return of the Green Goblin lacks the emotional punch it could or should have, possibly because the last time we saw Spidey tangle with the Gobin it was one of the high points not only of the character but one of the iconic turning points in comic books.
Other villains include the return of the Molten Man and Mysterio and new threats like the Mind Worm and the Grizzly. Yes, you read that right. Spider-Man spends not one but two issues battling it out with a former wrestler who has an enhanced grizzly bear costume and has decided its time to give J. Jonah Jameson his comeuppance for ruining his wrestling career. And yes, I've just re-read that sentence and I know how silly it sounds. The comic book presentation isn't much better.
Of course, the infamous start of a certain saga that nearly killed Spider-Man as we know it in the 90's is also beginning here. So, maybe part of my lack of love for this collection of issues is knowing where it will all pay off in twenty years' time. Or maybe it's just that writer Gerry Conway's stories don't really add all that much to the Spidey canon. Look, I know not every issue from my favorite era of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko were masterpieces. But at least there was always some hook, some threat or some narrative point to keep me interested. That's not often the case here. These issues feel like they come down to a formula for writing and Conway's just happy to plug in various characters as we move slowly between battles with that issue or arc's central villain. It comes down to Spidey meets villain, Spidey gets his you-know-what handed to him by said villain, Spidey as Peter beats himself up about it and interacts with the supporting cast, Spidey goe out and find the villain again and the battle goes Spidey's way this time. Lather, rinse, repeat.
It's all so formulaic in nature -- and I think reading the issues close together in a collection like this only underlines this. I can't help but think if I read these monthly as they originally came out (or were reprinted), I might end up enjoying them a bit more. Or be more forgiving of certain tropes that seem to show up issue after issue like clockwork.
This collection is Spider-Man fully on cruise control. And in a collection that features the Spider Buggy (yes, that was a thing!), that's pretty damn ironic.
July 20, 2022
Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 14 by Gerry Conway is Spiderman getting close to getting over the death of Gwen Stacy and starting to see Mary Jane as girlfriend material, plus a lot of action. The pace of these issues in this volume are fast making it an easy read. The new Green Goblin is Peter Parker best friend and roommate Harry Osborn, and it is pretty terrifying he knows Peter Parker is Spiderman and wants to avenge his fathers death. Norman Osborn was almost more of a gangster, Harry is just crazed and wants Spiderman to feel pain, while Spiderman is pulling punch Harry is going for death. We get to see the death of the infamous Spidermobile hopefully. We get to see the first blossoms of a spark in the Mary Jane and Peter Parker romance. This moment will be featured in the comic series One More Day, which impacts where the current day Spiderman is not with Mary Jane. This book features The Punisher, Morbius, Man-Wolf, Molten Man, Mysterio, introduction of The Tarantula, The Green Goblin, forgettable characters the Grizzly and the Mind Worm, and the return of Peter's friend and one time love interest Liz Allen. Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 14 Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1963) issues 132-142 and Giant-Size Super Heroes #1.
The Plot Summaries: Ned Leads follows a tip of a burglary and gets burned bad. Spiderman tried to stop it as well, both men come away with radioactivity poisoning at the hands of the Molten Man that is working to stop his powers that growing out of control and cannot contain the heat. Morbius is back and he finds a way to control Man-Wolf to help him get what he needs to change back. Peter goes on a friendly river cruise, but it is foiled my the Tarantula and his band of robbers, but the Punisher shows up and thinks Spiderman is one of them thanks to the theme. Harry having just discovered that Peter Parker is Spiderman blows up their apartment in an attempt to kill him. Peter Parker rooms with Flash Thompson since his place is blown up the Mind Worm controls everyone in the area expect Spiderman. The Grizzly breaks into the Daily Bugle and wants revenge on Jamison. Mysterio thought dead, has returned to torture Spiderman with his illusions.
What I Liked: The Green Goblin returned as Harry Osborn is terrifying because he knows Peter so well, and knows just what would crush him if they died. The Motlon Man I have always thought was lame but he has actually ha some of the best fights and really great story. This on could be the end or not, but I was satisfied how it ended if this is the last we see of the character. I like how Mary Jane and Peter are slow playing their relationship. This was a speacial volume for me becuase when I was collecting comics as a kid I had one older Spiderman comic and it was issue 141 with Mysterio and the death of the Spidrmobile, LOL I had no idea, but when I was 12 I thought the car was lame and made no sense. I liked the action scenes a lot in this it was very easy to follow. I love how Peter and Flash Thompson's relationship have evolved overtime, they actually made good roommates for the night the spent with each other. I like that Flash Thompson is the only one who is sort of figuring out that Peter could be Spiderman.
What I Disliked: The Mind Word is just odd and did not fit. The Grizzly has some of the worst dialogue I have ever read in Spiderman.
Recommendation: This Volume has some gems the Green Goblin will be the most important, but the blossoms of love that Peter Parker and Mary Jane share are special and effect the current Spiderman timeline. I rated Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 14 by Gerry Conway 4 out of 5 stars.
The Plot Summaries: Ned Leads follows a tip of a burglary and gets burned bad. Spiderman tried to stop it as well, both men come away with radioactivity poisoning at the hands of the Molten Man that is working to stop his powers that growing out of control and cannot contain the heat. Morbius is back and he finds a way to control Man-Wolf to help him get what he needs to change back. Peter goes on a friendly river cruise, but it is foiled my the Tarantula and his band of robbers, but the Punisher shows up and thinks Spiderman is one of them thanks to the theme. Harry having just discovered that Peter Parker is Spiderman blows up their apartment in an attempt to kill him. Peter Parker rooms with Flash Thompson since his place is blown up the Mind Worm controls everyone in the area expect Spiderman. The Grizzly breaks into the Daily Bugle and wants revenge on Jamison. Mysterio thought dead, has returned to torture Spiderman with his illusions.
What I Liked: The Green Goblin returned as Harry Osborn is terrifying because he knows Peter so well, and knows just what would crush him if they died. The Motlon Man I have always thought was lame but he has actually ha some of the best fights and really great story. This on could be the end or not, but I was satisfied how it ended if this is the last we see of the character. I like how Mary Jane and Peter are slow playing their relationship. This was a speacial volume for me becuase when I was collecting comics as a kid I had one older Spiderman comic and it was issue 141 with Mysterio and the death of the Spidrmobile, LOL I had no idea, but when I was 12 I thought the car was lame and made no sense. I liked the action scenes a lot in this it was very easy to follow. I love how Peter and Flash Thompson's relationship have evolved overtime, they actually made good roommates for the night the spent with each other. I like that Flash Thompson is the only one who is sort of figuring out that Peter could be Spiderman.
What I Disliked: The Mind Word is just odd and did not fit. The Grizzly has some of the worst dialogue I have ever read in Spiderman.
Recommendation: This Volume has some gems the Green Goblin will be the most important, but the blossoms of love that Peter Parker and Mary Jane share are special and effect the current Spiderman timeline. I rated Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 14 by Gerry Conway 4 out of 5 stars.
February 15, 2016
The Marvel Masterworks volumes are fantastic reprints of the early years of Marvel comics. A fantastic resource to allow these hard to find issues to be read by everyone. Very recommended to everyone and Highly recommended to any comic fan.
July 8, 2020
A mostly mediocre volume with some notable highlights. A lot of this one is forgettable villains like Molten Man, Mindworm, The Grizzly (cool name and costume; lame dude in the suit), and a new (for no reason) Mysterio. There's an attempt to make Molten Man more important by connecting him to Liz Allen, Peter Parker's high school sort-of-romance who returns to the series. Molten Man's never going to be an essential Spidey villain though and Liz doesn't really change that. In fact, she doesn't get much to do at all in this volume.
Peter is more or less officially dating Mary Jane now, but neither of them is sure how seriously they want to take the relationship. Peter's still grieving over Gwen; Mary Jane clearly cares for Peter, but he's needy and she isn't sure how much she wants to give up her signature carefree spirit. I'm enjoying that aspect of the series and Liz could still be a complication to it in future volumes, but so far she's just part of the gang and no threat to MJ. (Or maybe they'll have Liz and Flash Thompson get back together. Flash is pretty much an odd wheel in any group he's part of, so it would be rewarding to see him and Liz rediscover each other. They've both matured a lot since high school.)
The villain Tarantula is also introduced this volume. He's not a big player in Spider-Man's world, but I've always liked him because of his costume, so I was glad to see him.
The big story this volume though is Harry Osborn's finally becoming Green Goblin and trying to kill Peter. He blows up their apartment in the attempt, which sends Peter to crash with Flash for an issue (and their both realizing that they don't actually hate each other) before getting his own place.
The volume also includes a fun story from Giant-Size Super Heroes #1 in which Morbius the Living Vampire uses Man-Wolf to distract Spidey from one of Morbius' schemes.
Peter is more or less officially dating Mary Jane now, but neither of them is sure how seriously they want to take the relationship. Peter's still grieving over Gwen; Mary Jane clearly cares for Peter, but he's needy and she isn't sure how much she wants to give up her signature carefree spirit. I'm enjoying that aspect of the series and Liz could still be a complication to it in future volumes, but so far she's just part of the gang and no threat to MJ. (Or maybe they'll have Liz and Flash Thompson get back together. Flash is pretty much an odd wheel in any group he's part of, so it would be rewarding to see him and Liz rediscover each other. They've both matured a lot since high school.)
The villain Tarantula is also introduced this volume. He's not a big player in Spider-Man's world, but I've always liked him because of his costume, so I was glad to see him.
The big story this volume though is Harry Osborn's finally becoming Green Goblin and trying to kill Peter. He blows up their apartment in the attempt, which sends Peter to crash with Flash for an issue (and their both realizing that they don't actually hate each other) before getting his own place.
The volume also includes a fun story from Giant-Size Super Heroes #1 in which Morbius the Living Vampire uses Man-Wolf to distract Spidey from one of Morbius' schemes.
December 23, 2021
To no one's surprise, Spider-Man: No Way Home has inspired me to get back into reading Spider-Man comics. I've been trying to work my way through from the beginning for a few years now, on and off. Will 2022 be a year I finally get through a decent amount of them? Time will tell!
This volume was pretty okay, even if it had some strange villains (Mindworm, anyone?). We do get the original storyline of Harry Osborn becoming the Green Goblin, which is definitely a classic Spider-Man story. That was definitely a stand out issue in this collection. Also if you've never read any original comics from this era, I recommend it because they're just fun. So drastically different from current comics, but just as important.
This volume was pretty okay, even if it had some strange villains (Mindworm, anyone?). We do get the original storyline of Harry Osborn becoming the Green Goblin, which is definitely a classic Spider-Man story. That was definitely a stand out issue in this collection. Also if you've never read any original comics from this era, I recommend it because they're just fun. So drastically different from current comics, but just as important.
November 26, 2025
really really good stuff. as close to a platonic ideal of Spider-Man as can possibly exist.
I will say it's not as much of a total blockbuster as the previous volume. and some of the villains (I'm looking at you, mindworm) simply do not hit which is unfortunate. Still the character writing is unmatched and Peter's voice in particular is at it's absolute peak.
the harry osborn stuff!! really great how that all went down and it all felt meaningful and earned. not to mention the return of punisher and some fun stuff with tarantula. make no mistake this is positively a banger. I LOVE SPIDER-MAN
I will say it's not as much of a total blockbuster as the previous volume. and some of the villains (I'm looking at you, mindworm) simply do not hit which is unfortunate. Still the character writing is unmatched and Peter's voice in particular is at it's absolute peak.
the harry osborn stuff!! really great how that all went down and it all felt meaningful and earned. not to mention the return of punisher and some fun stuff with tarantula. make no mistake this is positively a banger. I LOVE SPIDER-MAN
May 16, 2022
Pretty good! I'm enjoying Conway's Spidey-run quite a lot. A shame it's not really that long and almost over. Of course there are some mediocre issues here and there but I like his style and the way he's not afraid of killing off some characters here and there. Also he invented the Punisher, I didn't know!
April 13, 2023
Not the greatest era of Spider-Man, but good, solid, decent stories. There is a feeling of transition in this volume, as the Green Goblin returns, along with other villains, both new and old (including the Punisher). Peter Parker and Mary Jane seem to be getting closer, and Peter's other friends all have their own sub-plots going.
November 19, 2017
some really fun stories here - the inclusion of the Punisher for one but the highlight is the Harry Osborne story that I thought I hated (turns out the films just never do it justice)
July 18, 2019
This was my childhood right here. Where my love of comics and Spider-Man started. Reading these again was akin to going home again.
November 27, 2020
This volume is probably a better Peter Parker story than it is a Spidey story but he and his supporting cast are such great characters that I can't help but be interested in how they're doing.
February 12, 2024
Great stuff.
June 16, 2014
Another good offering from Spidey' classic era. The creators aren't doing much to explore new territory, but they continue to do solid work mining Marvel's established stake.
In terms of memorable moments, this volume has Harry Osborne's psychotic break (well, the one that has him dress up in costume, not just grow a goatee). There's a deepening bond between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, J. Jonah Jameson has some clownish moments (and one flippant line that exposes his character issues) and Ned Leeds and Betty Brant announce their plans to tie the knot.
Villain-wise, we have a Molten Man reappearance that no one probably really needed as well as a first appearance for the Tarantula. The Mindworm (basically a dusted-off one monster script with Spidey thrown in) and the Grizzly (aka, Rhino 2) show up as well before Mysterio makes a decent appearance to wrap things up.
The proceedings are pretty fun, even as Peter continues to mope and whine. The art continues to be rock solid, showing off a dynamism that matches Spidey's power set, encompassing all four walls and the ceiling too.
If you don't have an interest in the Marvel mythos, this may come off as schlocky and predictable. But for a fan there's still plenty of familiar fun here.
Read digital issues.
In terms of memorable moments, this volume has Harry Osborne's psychotic break (well, the one that has him dress up in costume, not just grow a goatee). There's a deepening bond between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson, J. Jonah Jameson has some clownish moments (and one flippant line that exposes his character issues) and Ned Leeds and Betty Brant announce their plans to tie the knot.
Villain-wise, we have a Molten Man reappearance that no one probably really needed as well as a first appearance for the Tarantula. The Mindworm (basically a dusted-off one monster script with Spidey thrown in) and the Grizzly (aka, Rhino 2) show up as well before Mysterio makes a decent appearance to wrap things up.
The proceedings are pretty fun, even as Peter continues to mope and whine. The art continues to be rock solid, showing off a dynamism that matches Spidey's power set, encompassing all four walls and the ceiling too.
If you don't have an interest in the Marvel mythos, this may come off as schlocky and predictable. But for a fan there's still plenty of familiar fun here.
Read digital issues.
September 14, 2014
This book introduces Harry Osborn as the new Green Goblin. He knows Spidermans identity and wants revenge. There's also other baddies: Mysterio, Mind Worm and a few others. The main story is interesting, and has some great character moments. Parker is still struggling with money and life as usual. A good read.
August 8, 2012
Oh so much better than this most recent Spider-man reboot movie.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews