Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection, Vol. 12: Spider-Man: Threat Or Menace?

by Dennis O'Neill

Genres: Comics

480 pages, Paperback

Published January 6, 2026

Reviews

[Gavin Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should point out that there were enjoyable moments in this epic but it is an inconsistent and slightly frustrating read. The quality varied for me between 3 stars one issue, then more often than not 3 and a half stars, sometimes for several issues at a time (I liked the Hydroman/Sandman issues for example) with the annuals raising its game to 4 stars. Denny O’Neil, a fantastic writer elsewhere, never really gets a decent handle on Peter Parker or Spider-Man really, (as I’m sure it’s been said before, maybe even by himself), although it’s a pleasant if uneventful read nonetheless. Nothing amazing (ironically) really happens in the monthly issues, it’s all just okay, middle of the road plots and scripts. The very minor subplot (if you can call it that) of the country and western singer next door is grating or dull at best. The Debra Whitman love interest has always made Peter seem like an arse as well and I never understood what the point of it really was. However, art wise Romita’s style and sense of composition are developing well here, early in his career, and with an inker like Sinnott for one lone issue, it looks great. (I seem to recall he did return later on in the next volume). The trouble is other inkers like Mooney or Milgrom who cover far more of these issues don’t seem to do him justice, and it looks fairly ordinary and generic somehow. The fill in issues are fairly dreadful overall and feel like rejected Spider-Man cartoon scripts. The highlights of course are the two Frank Miller annuals, bookending the start and end of the volume. They both look glorious and elevate the stories, although I’d be curious to see those stories competed by a lesser artist, just to see what they would look like.
Overall then there may be worse Spider-Man stories around but there are certainly far better ones too. This one may be more for completists like myself.

[Shawn Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Annuals are all time great. the monthly issues are pretty bland.