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Essential Amazing Spider-Man #11
Essential Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 11
Thrill to a host of awesome eighties adventures starring the ever-Amazing Spider-Man! Along with such fan favorite foes as Cobra, Mr. Hyde, the Vulture and the Tarantula, Spidey must contend with the introduction of the villain who made the eighties one of the most dramatic and exciting eras in Spider-history: the Hobgoblin! Witness the rise to power of the man who would impact Peter Parker's life in the most sinister ways of all! Also featuring Will O' the Wisp, Thunderball, Black Cat and more! And don't forget the classic tearjerker "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man"! COLLECTING: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) 231-248, ANNUALS 16-17
504 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2012
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About the author
Roger Stern
1,552 books111 followersRoger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 19, 2024
We do get the debut of a Black female Captain Marvel in one of the annuals, but this period has but one superstar and it isn't Spider-Man. Roger Stern and artist John Romita bring us in glorious all-colour awesome story lines, the arrival of the demented Hobgoblin! And yes there's also that now famous (in geek world) "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man" backup story in #248. I read the comic books Amazing Spider-Man 231-251 and Annuals #16-17 which is 4 more comic books than this volume collected. 6 out of 12, Three Stars overall.
2014 read
2014 read
March 29, 2013
The latest collection from the long run of The Amazing Spider-Man is a trip down memory lane.
Long before I knew about the existence of stores exclusively devoted to comic books and in the years before I was given mail subscriptions to my favorite books, I was at the mercy of which issues of my favorite books were at the local grocery store or drug store when I got to visit with parents or grandparents. The fact that I managed to collect a solid run of many of the issues featured in this book is a testament to the patience of all those people, who put up with my looking through the racks for the latest issue or that one I'd miss so I could have a complete story.
This run of issues is helped by the fact that it has a consistent creative team churning out the stories. I'm not sure how the comic book community as a whole feels about Roger Stern's run at writing Spider-Man, but I've got to admit it holds up pretty well. Stern did a nice job with creating story arcs that lasted just long enough to sustain reader interest and tell a good story without feeling like he was extended things out to sell more issues (I'm looking at your modern comic books writers). Stern also clearly follows the model of Stan Lee, who said that you should treat every issue as if it's someone's first. Each issues offers a well integrated recap of what's going on in the story and Spidey's life without it necessarily feeling like an info-dump.
Of course, the big change to the Spidey universe in this collection comes from the introduction of the Hobgoblin. If there's a storyline that defined my time reading Spider-Man, the mystery of the Hobgoblin was it. (In fact, it was once we found out who the man behind the mask really was that I began to move away from regular reading of Spider-Man...at least for a while). But there are a lot of other memorable villains who show up here including a return visit by the Vulture and Spidey does battle with the Tarantula, the Cobra and Mr. Hyde.
Reading these stories again, I was impressed by the storytelling and the artwork. While it's not the cream of the crop when it comes to Spider-Man storytelling, it's still consistent enough to hook a young fan and to give this older fan a nice trip down memory lane.
Long before I knew about the existence of stores exclusively devoted to comic books and in the years before I was given mail subscriptions to my favorite books, I was at the mercy of which issues of my favorite books were at the local grocery store or drug store when I got to visit with parents or grandparents. The fact that I managed to collect a solid run of many of the issues featured in this book is a testament to the patience of all those people, who put up with my looking through the racks for the latest issue or that one I'd miss so I could have a complete story.
This run of issues is helped by the fact that it has a consistent creative team churning out the stories. I'm not sure how the comic book community as a whole feels about Roger Stern's run at writing Spider-Man, but I've got to admit it holds up pretty well. Stern did a nice job with creating story arcs that lasted just long enough to sustain reader interest and tell a good story without feeling like he was extended things out to sell more issues (I'm looking at your modern comic books writers). Stern also clearly follows the model of Stan Lee, who said that you should treat every issue as if it's someone's first. Each issues offers a well integrated recap of what's going on in the story and Spidey's life without it necessarily feeling like an info-dump.
Of course, the big change to the Spidey universe in this collection comes from the introduction of the Hobgoblin. If there's a storyline that defined my time reading Spider-Man, the mystery of the Hobgoblin was it. (In fact, it was once we found out who the man behind the mask really was that I began to move away from regular reading of Spider-Man...at least for a while). But there are a lot of other memorable villains who show up here including a return visit by the Vulture and Spidey does battle with the Tarantula, the Cobra and Mr. Hyde.
Reading these stories again, I was impressed by the storytelling and the artwork. While it's not the cream of the crop when it comes to Spider-Man storytelling, it's still consistent enough to hook a young fan and to give this older fan a nice trip down memory lane.
July 16, 2018
This book collects Issues 231-248 of Amazing Spider-man, along with Annuals 16 and 17. An overview of the issues.
AS #231 and #232: A solid Cobra and Hyde story. Rating: B+
AS #233-236: The story involes the Brand Corporation, includes Will o' the Wisp and the Tarantual. Rating: A-
AS #237: Stiltman wants respect and to seriously upgrade his supervillain status. Nice character piece. Grade: B+
AS Annual #16: This introduces Monica Rambeau as the new Captain Marvel. Spidey becomes a guest character in his own book. Monica's story is okay and introduces a black female Captain Marvel, but this is probably now how you do that well. Grade: C+
AS #238-239: The story introduces the Hobgoblin and also draws some parallels to the death of Uncle Ben. Good start. Grade: A-
AS #240-241: The Vulture returns and we finally get an origin story that actually makes him somewhat sympathetic. Grade: A-
AS #242: A ho-hum fight with the Mad-Thinker highlights an issue that focuses on Peter Parker's life. Ends with Amy Powell giving him an unwanted kiss, just as Mary Jane Watson comes walk into his apartment. Grade: C+
AS #243: A better character-driven piece as Peter debates whether he should continue in post-grad school. Well-done debate as he weights all options and makes a tough decision. Well-written. Grade: B+
AS #244-#245: A somewhat hu-hum robbery with Spider-man catching the bad guys takes on a whole new level danger when it's revealed Hobgoblin's involved and plans use to stolen information from Osborn Manufacturing to make himself stronge. Has a nice fake-out cover for Issue #245. Rating: B+
AS #246: Learn everyone's Daydreams. Not a whole of surprises, Felicia Hardy's is pretty funny.
Provides s0me character insights. Grade: B-
#247-248a: Spider-man tries to stop a robbbery. Has to fight Thunderball. Hard to care too much this one. Grade: C-
#248b: The Kid Who Collected Spider-man. A tearrific story as Spidey tells all to a kid. A classic Rating: A-
Annual 17: At his high school reunion, Peter finds a classmate who's an up and coming writer who is in trouble with the underworld and tries to help. A very noirish story, hurt a little by a self-righteous ending. Grade: B
Overall, this is a solid read from a good run. Whether Roger Stern's run is the equal of the great runs from the 1960s is another matter, but this book is not only enjoyable in its own right, but contains issues that set the pace for Spidey books for years to come. I only wish Issues 249-251 had been collected, so we could have all of the early Hobgoblin stories in the same book. Still, it contains some very exiciting and fun Spidey comics. Definitely worth a read.
AS #231 and #232: A solid Cobra and Hyde story. Rating: B+
AS #233-236: The story involes the Brand Corporation, includes Will o' the Wisp and the Tarantual. Rating: A-
AS #237: Stiltman wants respect and to seriously upgrade his supervillain status. Nice character piece. Grade: B+
AS Annual #16: This introduces Monica Rambeau as the new Captain Marvel. Spidey becomes a guest character in his own book. Monica's story is okay and introduces a black female Captain Marvel, but this is probably now how you do that well. Grade: C+
AS #238-239: The story introduces the Hobgoblin and also draws some parallels to the death of Uncle Ben. Good start. Grade: A-
AS #240-241: The Vulture returns and we finally get an origin story that actually makes him somewhat sympathetic. Grade: A-
AS #242: A ho-hum fight with the Mad-Thinker highlights an issue that focuses on Peter Parker's life. Ends with Amy Powell giving him an unwanted kiss, just as Mary Jane Watson comes walk into his apartment. Grade: C+
AS #243: A better character-driven piece as Peter debates whether he should continue in post-grad school. Well-done debate as he weights all options and makes a tough decision. Well-written. Grade: B+
AS #244-#245: A somewhat hu-hum robbery with Spider-man catching the bad guys takes on a whole new level danger when it's revealed Hobgoblin's involved and plans use to stolen information from Osborn Manufacturing to make himself stronge. Has a nice fake-out cover for Issue #245. Rating: B+
AS #246: Learn everyone's Daydreams. Not a whole of surprises, Felicia Hardy's is pretty funny.
Provides s0me character insights. Grade: B-
#247-248a: Spider-man tries to stop a robbbery. Has to fight Thunderball. Hard to care too much this one. Grade: C-
#248b: The Kid Who Collected Spider-man. A tearrific story as Spidey tells all to a kid. A classic Rating: A-
Annual 17: At his high school reunion, Peter finds a classmate who's an up and coming writer who is in trouble with the underworld and tries to help. A very noirish story, hurt a little by a self-righteous ending. Grade: B
Overall, this is a solid read from a good run. Whether Roger Stern's run is the equal of the great runs from the 1960s is another matter, but this book is not only enjoyable in its own right, but contains issues that set the pace for Spidey books for years to come. I only wish Issues 249-251 had been collected, so we could have all of the early Hobgoblin stories in the same book. Still, it contains some very exiciting and fun Spidey comics. Definitely worth a read.
May 30, 2017
This is the final volume in the Essential Amazing Spider-Man series. It began with Spidey's fight with Will-o-Wisp, then we were introduced to the Hobgoblin (who becomes a regular villain) then vulture was back for more along with other minor villains. The whole volume had a strong focus on Peter's personal lives, particularly with the ladies as he had to decide between Felicia and Mary Jane (and Amy Powell ruined it all).
The annuals were both pretty bad, issue #16 featured an African American woman as Captain Marvell which frankly no one cared. and #17 was totally out of character for everyone.
If you ignore the annuals it's actually a nice volume.
The annuals were both pretty bad, issue #16 featured an African American woman as Captain Marvell which frankly no one cared. and #17 was totally out of character for everyone.
If you ignore the annuals it's actually a nice volume.
June 20, 2024
Gems include Cobra venoms Ned, Hyde revenges himself on Cobra, Photon KOs Spidey, Peter & Ben Urich race, evil Photon returns, Wisp v. Spider-Tarantula, Stilt-Man saves Spidey, Hobgoblin gets dressed, Spidey v. Hoby & Awesome Andy, MJ returns, Liz fails to settle MJ, Hoby fakeout, Spidey v. Frog-Man & Thunderball, & Liz is pregnant
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2025
There were a number of lacklustre forgetable issues, but there were couple of good ones that saved this volume, the first appearance of Hobgoblin being one but a shame could not see the whole arc to uncover his real identity still. The mutated Tarantula was some of the best Roger Stern piece in this volume as well, it had me feel bad for Anton Rodriguez.
November 16, 2017
Great comics. While there isn't a stand out issue like there was in the previous volume, these are all good.
September 9, 2019
That last issue hit hard, but overall the weakest collection in the series. 2.5/5.
November 16, 2022
Stern’s run is the best since Ditko/Lee. Hobgoblin the first great villain since Ditko left. Great Spider-Man comics
January 2, 2016
Spider-Man's main title continues to shoot into the future of the 1980s, and all it has to show for it is the generally unreliable Roger Stern continues to write ASM (Amazing Spider-Man), and all I can say is that it is slightly better than the crap that he usually writes.
Stern's issue is that he likes to write with a simplicity to his stories, that sort of give Spider-Man a "everyman moralist" vibe. Sort of good because you're supposed to feel good for old man Spidey, but sort of bad because of the dumb endings to stories and the unwillingness to take multi-issue arcs seriously sometimes.
ASM #231 is not starting the volume out with a bang. Apparently Stern thought that what everyone needed was a sort of long storyline about the Cobra, a slippery slimy crook that got his start in old Thor magazines. Cobra has a long standing association with Mr. Hyde, a strong monster type. And they both show up, and it has a sort of "the good old days of Marvel" thing that left me kind of non-plussed. Not the best villains, not the best story structure or idea. Would be fine with better execution.
Along the way, there's an ok and short sighted cameo villainy by the Vulture, but the main appeal of picking up this book is the Hobgoblin finally makes his first appearance. Definitely Stern's finest hour, with Hobby trying to be a super secret villain and mucking up Spider-Man's life.
But again, it gets a little too silly (not funny silly, more like easy ways outs of the storyline silly), so Hobgoblin goes from game changer to mild better than the rest type.
ASM #248 loses all it's punch by splitting into two storylines. Spidey resolves a cliff-hanger with the guy Thunderball, a pretty cool villain, a member of the Wrecking Crew with a magic and smashy wrecking ball in his hand. But that's just an ok battle that again lacks punch because it's only 10 pages long.
And then there's a story that's advertised on the back of the book, "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man", but is sadly a little too maudlin and predictable for my tastes. OR, ok let me put it like this. I like sentimentality in my mainstream 80s comics better than most. But again, a 10 page cram of feelings with a big lazy cop out twist ending, that sucks.
While I generally like John Romita, Jr.'s art ok, I did like Ron Frenz's art better on "Kid Who Collects...", more emotion and personality to it.
And then we close on ASM Annual #17. Basically, Peter Parker goes back to his high school reunion, and the class clown gets caught up in a Kingpin vs. other mobsters storyline, and Peter Parker and Spider-Man (I hear they're related) get caught up in saving the funny man's hide.
The issue with the annual is that Stern's tendency for world summarizing moralism goes into hyperdrive. There's a cliche slimy guy at the reunion, and then the "true side" of other characters is revealed, making Peter Parker a paragon of morality.
Don't get me wrong, Spider-Man's morality in his struggle against cheaters and criminals is the basis of the whole book, but we don't need the nail on the head, to vilify strangers at a high school reunion. Comic books are children's business, but not even a baby needs a morality tale in this day and age.
4/5 because of the Hobgoblin stuff and some other ok beat-em up issues (like the first half of that Thunderball story), but Roger Stern must be stopped. Basically any "Essentials" major player is better than ASM just because of this guy. So cheesy.
Stern's issue is that he likes to write with a simplicity to his stories, that sort of give Spider-Man a "everyman moralist" vibe. Sort of good because you're supposed to feel good for old man Spidey, but sort of bad because of the dumb endings to stories and the unwillingness to take multi-issue arcs seriously sometimes.
ASM #231 is not starting the volume out with a bang. Apparently Stern thought that what everyone needed was a sort of long storyline about the Cobra, a slippery slimy crook that got his start in old Thor magazines. Cobra has a long standing association with Mr. Hyde, a strong monster type. And they both show up, and it has a sort of "the good old days of Marvel" thing that left me kind of non-plussed. Not the best villains, not the best story structure or idea. Would be fine with better execution.
Along the way, there's an ok and short sighted cameo villainy by the Vulture, but the main appeal of picking up this book is the Hobgoblin finally makes his first appearance. Definitely Stern's finest hour, with Hobby trying to be a super secret villain and mucking up Spider-Man's life.
But again, it gets a little too silly (not funny silly, more like easy ways outs of the storyline silly), so Hobgoblin goes from game changer to mild better than the rest type.
ASM #248 loses all it's punch by splitting into two storylines. Spidey resolves a cliff-hanger with the guy Thunderball, a pretty cool villain, a member of the Wrecking Crew with a magic and smashy wrecking ball in his hand. But that's just an ok battle that again lacks punch because it's only 10 pages long.
And then there's a story that's advertised on the back of the book, "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man", but is sadly a little too maudlin and predictable for my tastes. OR, ok let me put it like this. I like sentimentality in my mainstream 80s comics better than most. But again, a 10 page cram of feelings with a big lazy cop out twist ending, that sucks.
While I generally like John Romita, Jr.'s art ok, I did like Ron Frenz's art better on "Kid Who Collects...", more emotion and personality to it.
And then we close on ASM Annual #17. Basically, Peter Parker goes back to his high school reunion, and the class clown gets caught up in a Kingpin vs. other mobsters storyline, and Peter Parker and Spider-Man (I hear they're related) get caught up in saving the funny man's hide.
The issue with the annual is that Stern's tendency for world summarizing moralism goes into hyperdrive. There's a cliche slimy guy at the reunion, and then the "true side" of other characters is revealed, making Peter Parker a paragon of morality.
Don't get me wrong, Spider-Man's morality in his struggle against cheaters and criminals is the basis of the whole book, but we don't need the nail on the head, to vilify strangers at a high school reunion. Comic books are children's business, but not even a baby needs a morality tale in this day and age.
4/5 because of the Hobgoblin stuff and some other ok beat-em up issues (like the first half of that Thunderball story), but Roger Stern must be stopped. Basically any "Essentials" major player is better than ASM just because of this guy. So cheesy.
January 1, 2024
My golden age of Spider-Man “officially” begins here, at age 9.5. (cue Wonder Years music and the adult Kevin Arnold voice) My Mom bought me issue 239 on Sunday, January 9, 1983 at the Farmer Jack by my house where I grew up, and it kicked off my official collecting habit that has led me down my long road to ruin. That Farmer Jack (both the chain and that store) are long shuttered and abandoned, and the neighborhood that I grew up in has seen better days. The house that I grew up in has since been condemned and burned down, and the 7-11 that I lived by no longer has a spinner rack of comic books. Back in those halcyon days of youth, though, it was a different story. A story of a working class neighborhood and a little boy who rode his bike to buy comic books. I apologize in advance for the abundant nostalgic rambling that you are about to be subjected to.
Roger Stern is a spider-writer near and dear to my heart. I can pretty much recite these issues word for word. These issues were affordable circa 1983-1984, and even high grade copies could be snagged for little more than cover price. I had every single one of these issues at one time. See the sob story about how I sold my collection in my review of Essential Spider-Man Vol. 10.
The Cobra and Mr. Hyde 2 parter in 231-232 is godlike. How can anybody look at John Romita Jr.'s artwork and then say that Humberto Ramos is their favorite artist of all time on this title? When it comes to great Spider-Man artists, Ramos doesn't even enter the conversation. Make mine Romita! Either one of them.
The Brand Corporation work behind the scenes in a number of titles during this era, and their backdrop of corporate wrongdoings resonates even more loudly today. The Will O' The Wisp and Tarantula 3 parter is epic. The crown jewel of Roger Stern's run on this title has to be the Hobgoblin. I remember the thrill of stumbling onto this new villain, and thoroughly enjoyed watching the saga unfold over the next several years. Stern restores the Vulture as a force to be reckoned with, and he restores Spider-Man himself after the lower power levels that Len Wein and Marv Wolfman displayed him having.
No review of this book could be considered complete without a mention of Issue 248's back-up story, The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man. It is a powerful story about a little boy who is dying of leukemia that gets a visit from his idol. It still chokes me up to this day, and I've read it dozens of times over the past two decades.
Between the high quality of these issues and the monthly reprints of the classic Lee/Ditko issues from the '60s in Marvel Tales, the '80s were a great time to be a reader and a kid. I grew up without a father, and as corny as it sounds, Spider-Man sort of helped me do the right thing. These issues are part of my DNA and moral fiber, and are art of the highest order.
My only gripe with these Essentials is the table of contents don't list the cover artists for each issue. It's rather annoying. Also annoying is how there are no page numbers in these books. DC has page numbers and cover artist credits in their Showcase Presents line of phonebooks.
Roger Stern is a spider-writer near and dear to my heart. I can pretty much recite these issues word for word. These issues were affordable circa 1983-1984, and even high grade copies could be snagged for little more than cover price. I had every single one of these issues at one time. See the sob story about how I sold my collection in my review of Essential Spider-Man Vol. 10.
The Cobra and Mr. Hyde 2 parter in 231-232 is godlike. How can anybody look at John Romita Jr.'s artwork and then say that Humberto Ramos is their favorite artist of all time on this title? When it comes to great Spider-Man artists, Ramos doesn't even enter the conversation. Make mine Romita! Either one of them.
The Brand Corporation work behind the scenes in a number of titles during this era, and their backdrop of corporate wrongdoings resonates even more loudly today. The Will O' The Wisp and Tarantula 3 parter is epic. The crown jewel of Roger Stern's run on this title has to be the Hobgoblin. I remember the thrill of stumbling onto this new villain, and thoroughly enjoyed watching the saga unfold over the next several years. Stern restores the Vulture as a force to be reckoned with, and he restores Spider-Man himself after the lower power levels that Len Wein and Marv Wolfman displayed him having.
No review of this book could be considered complete without a mention of Issue 248's back-up story, The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man. It is a powerful story about a little boy who is dying of leukemia that gets a visit from his idol. It still chokes me up to this day, and I've read it dozens of times over the past two decades.
Between the high quality of these issues and the monthly reprints of the classic Lee/Ditko issues from the '60s in Marvel Tales, the '80s were a great time to be a reader and a kid. I grew up without a father, and as corny as it sounds, Spider-Man sort of helped me do the right thing. These issues are part of my DNA and moral fiber, and are art of the highest order.
My only gripe with these Essentials is the table of contents don't list the cover artists for each issue. It's rather annoying. Also annoying is how there are no page numbers in these books. DC has page numbers and cover artist credits in their Showcase Presents line of phonebooks.
January 11, 2013
The highlight of this volume is the introduction of the Hobgoblin. A villain who adapts some of the Green Goblin's technology for his own purposes. For a while the identity of the Hobgoblin was kept a secret, and there were a few false unmaskings over several issues. Eventually the villain's true identity is revealed, but you won't find that story in this volume. The tension that is built up regarding the Hobgoblin was handled very effectively, as Hobgoblin manages to slip through Spider-Man's fingers. There is also a great story involving the Vulture, who must be a favorite of Roger Stern's as Stern used him quite a bit. Finally, there is the popular "The Kid Who Collected Spider-Man" story, which is a touching story featuring Spider-Man visiting a young fan. This story is often voted as one of the best Spider-Man stories.
December 9, 2012
This is the best volume in ages. The consistent team of Roger Stern and John Romita Jr. Is excellent. Its too bad the inkers aren't consistent. Romita Sr. And Frank Giaccoia inked issues stand out as the best.
May 4, 2013
Yep. It's Spider-Man.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews