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Spider-Man Chronicle: A Year by Year Visual History
Packaged in a custom illustrated slipcase with two original prints!
From his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962, to his appearance in numerous blockbuster films, Spider-Man has captivated legions of fans, young and old alike.
With DK's fascinating chronicle format, this guide traces the development of your friendly neighborhood web-slinger by decade, looking at comics, storylines, and character — year by year, month by month. Readers will get to take a closer look at the writers and artists who created the hero, the development of his iconic costume, and the key story arcs, allies, and foes that make up Spidey's world.
From his first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962, to his appearance in numerous blockbuster films, Spider-Man has captivated legions of fans, young and old alike.
With DK's fascinating chronicle format, this guide traces the development of your friendly neighborhood web-slinger by decade, looking at comics, storylines, and character — year by year, month by month. Readers will get to take a closer look at the writers and artists who created the hero, the development of his iconic costume, and the key story arcs, allies, and foes that make up Spidey's world.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
3 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Alan Cowsill
47 books2 followersAlan is an award-winning writer and editor who started out selling comics and magazines as a dealer before becoming a full-time creative, giving him a complete understanding of the industry from all sides. He has created stories for most comic companies, and edited hit titles for Marvel, Panini and Eaglemoss. When he’s not working for Bullpen, Alan writes novels and practices Kung Fu and Qigong.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 18, 2013
It’s hard for even a comic book geek to remember how much Spiderman has been up to over the years. // Spider-Man Chronicle: A Year by Year Visual History// looks at Spider-man’s history, one year at a time, giving a synopsis of each month of his various comic appearances. There are also side bars on characters and creators along the way, as well as a timeline of what happened in general world events as well. It’s a great overview of Spider-man’s career and a celebration of Spider-man’s life.
Although a great summary of Spider-man and the suffering he’s done over the years, there are some issues with the presentation. The type is just visible over the background, and there are some issues with the order of the comics. The real-world events timeline is a pretty good idea, but feels weird in a comic; however, it fits because Spider-man is one of the few heroes that has maintained a foot in the real world, between characters that have gone to the Viet Nam War and student strikes. The highlighted stories are well chosen, and the additional material work well. This is definitely a welcome addition to any comic fans shelf!
As originally written by Jamais Jochim for http://www.portlandbookreview.com/
Although a great summary of Spider-man and the suffering he’s done over the years, there are some issues with the presentation. The type is just visible over the background, and there are some issues with the order of the comics. The real-world events timeline is a pretty good idea, but feels weird in a comic; however, it fits because Spider-man is one of the few heroes that has maintained a foot in the real world, between characters that have gone to the Viet Nam War and student strikes. The highlighted stories are well chosen, and the additional material work well. This is definitely a welcome addition to any comic fans shelf!
As originally written by Jamais Jochim for http://www.portlandbookreview.com/
July 22, 2017
Spider-Man is undoubtedly an iconic superhero known around the world. Therefore, I decided I wanted to learn a little more about his history and character development over the years; having grown up with the 90s Animated Series and presently getting into the new 'Ultimate Spider-Man' cartoon. I have watched the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy (with the first instalment probably being one of the first superhero films I ever watched), and have fairly recently seen the two 'Amazing Spider-Man' films set outside of the main Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Spider-Man Chronicle, published by Dorling Kindersley in 2012 and written by Alan Cowshill and Matthew K Manning, is an approximate 345 page compendium detailing the wall-crawler's history from before his first official appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 up to the Spider-Island story arc in 2012. Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British publication company known for producing annuals and chronicles for a variety of genres; including superhero and sci-if media, as well as gardening and space exploration, et cetera. It is suffice to say they put a lot of effort and research into making sure their releases are well-formatted and as comprehensive as possible.
This compendium features a personal foreword by Stan Lee himself and beautiful artwork on glossy paper throughout from various artists in the comic book industry to celebrate 50 years of web-slinging action by the wall crawler himself. There are very few people who don't know the origin of Spider-Man; the college nerd Peter Parker who was bitten by a radioactive spider to become our aforementioned hero. However, there is so much depth to his character to be explored, as well as to the mythos of the Spider-Verse itself. The Spider-Man Chronicle examines important story arcs decade-by-decade, as well as connections to other Spider-related characters, including a vast rogues gallery and supporting cast members that is ever-expanding now to this day.
There is an introduction to each decade, starting from the 1960s to the 2010s, explaining key influences that the character has had in the comic book industry and in the public consciousness. Each page throughout shows key comic book/magazine publications via re-printed cover artwork and a brief explanation of the content of each issue, as well as writers and artists' influences and changes, alongside page-spread panels in some cases. The chronicle outlines changes in artists, writers, pencillers and inkers, and has real-world events/news bordered on the bottom of each double-spread page.
From the beginning of the book, there is a look at the various magazines that were eventually amalgamated into Marvel Comics, showing early attempts to make a successful spider-themed character (such as the short-lived Man-Spider in Journey into Mystery #73) and precursors to various villains and supporting cast members before they became firmly established into Marvel lore. From then on, the debut of each villain and supporting cast member is examined, as well as important story arcs that still ripple throughout the Marvel Universe to this day, such as the Death of Gwen Stacy and the very popular Clone Saga (introducing my personal favourite Spider-themed character Ben Reilly; Peter Parker's clone that went under the guise of the Scarlet Spider for a while).
The Spider-Man Chronicle is a great way to explore your favourite wall-crawler's publication history in lavish detail, as well as to brush up on his various supporting cast members and rogues gallery (plus multiversal and cloned counterparts). However, with the way it is presented, I would very much recommend it more as a coffee-table book to look at every now and again, as it would be very difficult to read through all in one sitting. Additionally, there are two glossy A4 artwork renders by John Tyler Christopher included in a wallet within the inside jacket; one in full colour and the other in black and white.
With all the research that has gone into this great compendium, it is a shame to find the odd spelling mistake due to improper proof reading, plus the cover artwork printed is simply too small or blurred to read on some occasions. Personally, I use an LED magnifying glass when reading comics and character guides such as this. They allow you to examine the page in more detail and in a higher resolution, so I would most definitely recommend purchasing one for similar publications.
Overall, DK has done another splendid job helping to celebrate fifty years of Spider-Man action. They have traced the character from his earliest roots up to the Chronicle's publication date of 2012 with the Spider-Island event having just come to a conclusion at the time of release. I would highly recommend this tome if you are either a die-hard Spider-Man fan or simply wish to delve into the history behind one of Marvel's most iconic creations.
The Spider-Man Chronicle, published by Dorling Kindersley in 2012 and written by Alan Cowshill and Matthew K Manning, is an approximate 345 page compendium detailing the wall-crawler's history from before his first official appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 up to the Spider-Island story arc in 2012. Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British publication company known for producing annuals and chronicles for a variety of genres; including superhero and sci-if media, as well as gardening and space exploration, et cetera. It is suffice to say they put a lot of effort and research into making sure their releases are well-formatted and as comprehensive as possible.
This compendium features a personal foreword by Stan Lee himself and beautiful artwork on glossy paper throughout from various artists in the comic book industry to celebrate 50 years of web-slinging action by the wall crawler himself. There are very few people who don't know the origin of Spider-Man; the college nerd Peter Parker who was bitten by a radioactive spider to become our aforementioned hero. However, there is so much depth to his character to be explored, as well as to the mythos of the Spider-Verse itself. The Spider-Man Chronicle examines important story arcs decade-by-decade, as well as connections to other Spider-related characters, including a vast rogues gallery and supporting cast members that is ever-expanding now to this day.
There is an introduction to each decade, starting from the 1960s to the 2010s, explaining key influences that the character has had in the comic book industry and in the public consciousness. Each page throughout shows key comic book/magazine publications via re-printed cover artwork and a brief explanation of the content of each issue, as well as writers and artists' influences and changes, alongside page-spread panels in some cases. The chronicle outlines changes in artists, writers, pencillers and inkers, and has real-world events/news bordered on the bottom of each double-spread page.
From the beginning of the book, there is a look at the various magazines that were eventually amalgamated into Marvel Comics, showing early attempts to make a successful spider-themed character (such as the short-lived Man-Spider in Journey into Mystery #73) and precursors to various villains and supporting cast members before they became firmly established into Marvel lore. From then on, the debut of each villain and supporting cast member is examined, as well as important story arcs that still ripple throughout the Marvel Universe to this day, such as the Death of Gwen Stacy and the very popular Clone Saga (introducing my personal favourite Spider-themed character Ben Reilly; Peter Parker's clone that went under the guise of the Scarlet Spider for a while).
The Spider-Man Chronicle is a great way to explore your favourite wall-crawler's publication history in lavish detail, as well as to brush up on his various supporting cast members and rogues gallery (plus multiversal and cloned counterparts). However, with the way it is presented, I would very much recommend it more as a coffee-table book to look at every now and again, as it would be very difficult to read through all in one sitting. Additionally, there are two glossy A4 artwork renders by John Tyler Christopher included in a wallet within the inside jacket; one in full colour and the other in black and white.
With all the research that has gone into this great compendium, it is a shame to find the odd spelling mistake due to improper proof reading, plus the cover artwork printed is simply too small or blurred to read on some occasions. Personally, I use an LED magnifying glass when reading comics and character guides such as this. They allow you to examine the page in more detail and in a higher resolution, so I would most definitely recommend purchasing one for similar publications.
Overall, DK has done another splendid job helping to celebrate fifty years of Spider-Man action. They have traced the character from his earliest roots up to the Chronicle's publication date of 2012 with the Spider-Island event having just come to a conclusion at the time of release. I would highly recommend this tome if you are either a die-hard Spider-Man fan or simply wish to delve into the history behind one of Marvel's most iconic creations.
September 26, 2018
This is a large, coffee table book that comes in a sturdy, thick cardboard case. The paper is of good quality, which serves the art well. There are even two art inserts in the slip case you can frame or tack on the wall. The book is separated into decades, starting with the first appearance of Spidey and other comics that give a nod to characters or the style of comics being produced that ultimately led to the creation of Spider-Man. The book goes into (at times) agonizing detail into the history of Marvel's most famous super-hero. Every important story arc is covered. I would have liked to see more of a critique, especially during dark times (e.g. Clone Saga), instead of sugar-coating. The harshest criticism would be calling a storyline 'controversial.' Not every issue is featured. If that were the case, the book would have been three times the size. The early days of Spider-Man are covered in pretty good detail. It gets a little jumpier in the later decades when there so many Spider-Man books and mini-series were published. I would have liked to have seen a more comprehensive listing of all the Spider-Man books. Instead, this serves as more of a celebration of Spider-Man than as a definitive history. Still, it covers off most everything you'll ever need to know. Spider-Man's story is still going, so unless there are newer editions or updates, it will eventually become dated. Still it would make for a great gift to any fan of Spider-Man or comics in general.
June 17, 2017
Wow, this book is impressive on first glance. It's huge, colorful and beautiful. And slipcased. DK published has outdone themselves with this volume. I wish I'd known about this book a few years ago. It would have been a great reference in my Spider-Man readings. I've only spent a few minutes with this book and already it's a favorite.*
Okay - I've spent a bit more time with this book and I really love it. Don't know if I'll ever sit down and read it from cover to cover but it sure is nice to sit down with and browse again and again. And keep for reference material.
Okay - I've spent a bit more time with this book and I really love it. Don't know if I'll ever sit down and read it from cover to cover but it sure is nice to sit down with and browse again and again. And keep for reference material.
March 18, 2014
A fun year-by-year look at important issues of Amazing Spiderman and spin-offs like Spectacular Spiderman, Web of Spiderman, Marvel Team-up and others. First appearances of villains and other characters are noted, as are important events, crossovers, influential creators, etc.
September 18, 2015
This would have been better had it been written without the approval of the company (I'd like a more neutral view of the Clone Saga) but still interesting.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews