Comics Creators on Spider-Man

by Tom DeFalco

Comic industry luminaries discuss the impact and importance of Spider-Man and give insight into the creative processes involved in bringing the web-slinger to life on the page.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spider Man, Marvel, Superheroes

243 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Tom DeFalco is an American comics writer and editor, well-known for his association with Marvel Comics and Spider-Man.

Reviews

[Michael Samerdyke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been a big Spider-Man fan, but I so enjoyed "Comics Creators on the Fantastic Four" that I had to give this one a try.

It is a very good book, a series of conversations with writers and artists who worked on various Spider-Man comics from the early Sixties to about 2002.

I was impressed with the high level of seriousness and commitment all the interviewees displayed. While you could see big generational shifts in the "Fantastic Four" book, here all concerned clearly had an attachment to Spider-Man and the chance to work on Marvel's flagship character.

The biggest surprise was that a lot of these men had also worked on Batman for DC, and the comparison between Batman and Spider-Man frequently came up. I was struck by Paul Jenkins' comment that the two are basically a metaphor for divorce, when a child is told you cannot see this parent again. The difference, Jenkins said, is that Batman never gets over that loss and is always reliving it, but Spider-Man (or Peter Parker, as most of these guys refer to him) has the resilience to get beyond that trauma and grow as a person.

Highly recommended to anyone interested in comics.

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m always a sucker for these types of books, and not all of them live up to the billing, but this one certainly does. It’s a simple premise. Former Marvel Editor in Chief Tom DeFalco, himself an excellent Spidey writer and editor, interviews many of the major writers and artists who have worked on Spidey. He starts from the very beginning, with Stan Lee, up to the then current writer Brian Bendis.
What really comes over is the love for the characters of Peter Parker and Spider-Man, technically the same person but one you have to write in differing ways. All have interesting stories to tell, industry gossip etc, but nothing too salacious. It’s like friends chatting.
If you love the character, or just comics in general, this is a fab read.

[Imran · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is basically a collection of interviews with the various writers and artists who've made Spider-Man the pop culture icon he is today. Tom DeFalco, another big name in comics, conducts the interviews with legends like Stan Lee to Todd McFarlane and many more. If you're interested in a career in comics, this book certainly has some insight as almost every artists has been asked how they broke in to comics and what their background is. You don't generally find information like that about so many big names in the industry all in one place. I would also recommend this to spidey fans who'd like a peek behind the scene

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in DeFalco's interview series, this time we get the inside scoop from great Spidey writers such as Stan Lee, Roger Stern, and David Michelinie, and legendary artists like John Romita Sr., Todd McFarlane, and Mark Bagley. The only guy he didn't interview who I would've liked was Erik Larsen, who was one of the pencilers way back when I was reading the comics. A fun read for anyone who likes first-person behind-the-scenes info.

[Username]

I am loving this book.
As complementary reading, I read also:
Amazing Spider-man 96-97 (Not comic-code approved, because of drug use)
Daredevil 16-17 (Test for John Romita drawing Spider-man)

[Adam Bender · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a bunch of Q&As with some of comics' great writers and artists. You probably need to know a bit of Spider-Man history to really enjoy, but as a writer I also just found it enlightening to read each creator's approach to storytelling.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you grew up reading Spider-Man comics, you'll dig this book.