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Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man #15
Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 15
Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #143-155.
Peter Parker’s life has never been easy, but it’s hard to take a turn for the worse when your dead girlfriend shows up on your doorstep. Oh, then there’s that famous Parker luck, which means it does. It means, Spidey, you’ve been cloned! The Amazing Spider-Man launches into the storyline that shocked the comics world! The scheming Jackal takes our hero through the wringer as he not only must face one of his greatest personal tragedies, but also has to battle through the Scorpion, the Tarantula — and himself! You’ll also enjoy the blossoming of Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship, and even their first kiss, as well as the return of the Shocker and the Sandman — and more!
Peter Parker’s life has never been easy, but it’s hard to take a turn for the worse when your dead girlfriend shows up on your doorstep. Oh, then there’s that famous Parker luck, which means it does. It means, Spidey, you’ve been cloned! The Amazing Spider-Man launches into the storyline that shocked the comics world! The scheming Jackal takes our hero through the wringer as he not only must face one of his greatest personal tragedies, but also has to battle through the Scorpion, the Tarantula — and himself! You’ll also enjoy the blossoming of Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship, and even their first kiss, as well as the return of the Shocker and the Sandman — and more!
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2013
15 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Gerry Conway
2,060 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 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 29, 2021
This collection of issues are probably most famous (notorious might be a better word) for introducing the clone of Peter Parker who would return during that abomination known as the 'Clone Saga' in the mid-'90s. These '70s issues have become tainted by association but, as much as I hate the Clone Saga, these original 'clone' issues are actually pretty good. It would have been great if the clone had never returned but you can't hold these issues responsible for the decision to resurrect the guy.
The actual highlight of this collection is the story 'The Longest Hundred Yards', which is an absolute classic issue, a very human story, and always brings a tear to my eye. It's issue 153 if you just want to check out this particular story.
Anyway, I enjoyed the heck out of revisiting these issues, as I love this period of Spidey-history. Now, you'll have to excuse me - my Spider-Sense is tingling...
My next book: Flower Fairies of the Autumn
The actual highlight of this collection is the story 'The Longest Hundred Yards', which is an absolute classic issue, a very human story, and always brings a tear to my eye. It's issue 153 if you just want to check out this particular story.
Anyway, I enjoyed the heck out of revisiting these issues, as I love this period of Spidey-history. Now, you'll have to excuse me - my Spider-Sense is tingling...
My next book: Flower Fairies of the Autumn
November 9, 2022
Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 15 by Gerry Conway and Len Weir is the book which introduces clones to Spiderman which will eventually lead to the Clone Saga with the Scarlet Spiderman ( that is my favorite costume in the Spiderman Video Game. In this series of stories Spiderman questions is he the clone or the real Spider man when a cloned Gwen Stacy returns remembering everything just before her death, just when stuff is starting to get real with Mary Jane. The pace is a little slower in these issues A new writer, the third writer, for the Amazing Spider-Man series is Len Wein taking over for Gerry Conway who took over from Stan Lee. The stores under Len Wein are a little more personable, and Peter Parker is a little more even tempered even when stuff goes wrong. This issue features villains such as The Jackal, The Scorpion, The Sandman, The Vulture, Kingpin, The Tarantula, and the forgettable The Twister. It features both a cured Harry Osborn who doesn't remember being the New Green Goblin and Doctor Kurt Konnors doesn't turn into The Lizard. Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 15 collects The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) issues 143 - 155.
The Plot Summaries: Spiderman goes to Europe to stop a plot to kidnap J. Jonah Jamison. The Sandman is back with a new suit. The Jackal is revealed to be someone in Peter's life. The Scorpion is on the loose and in a rage. The Tarantula terrorizes Spiderman. There's too issues that don't have a super villain at all and are more human stories. One is the highlight of this book where an ex-football player turned scientist will do anything to save his little girl. The most emotional story about sacrifices and giving you all to protect your kid, it was really powerful and made me gasp at what happened.
What I Liked: The Father rescuing his daughter hand tied behind his back, racing down the football field with6-8 men with guns. Really epic storytelling a the highlight issue in this book along with the start of The Clone Saga. The emotions with Peter torn between is past love and present love. I really liked that Spider-Man questioned whether he was a clone and how he convinced himself he's not the clone. I like that Peter and Betty Brandt have a real adult conversation about here upcoming wedding to Ned Leeds. I love the new suit and look of Sandman and those action scenes were the best in the book.
What I Disliked: I did not like the reveal of who or what the Jackal really was, it was a stretch to make that all make sense. The flow is way to slow I don't mind a human story but not two in a row. This book was the lowest on Spidey action.
Recommendation: This issue is low on action, not that it has little too none, but low for a Spiderman comic, but is full of more personal stories, some hit and some miss. The birth of the Clone Saga was cool to read, when I started liking comics it was in the middle of the Clone Saga. I 'll barely recommend this book because of the birth of the Clone Saga is such a monumental story in Spiderman's comic. I rated The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 15 by Gerry Conway and Len Weir 3 out of 5.
The Plot Summaries: Spiderman goes to Europe to stop a plot to kidnap J. Jonah Jamison. The Sandman is back with a new suit. The Jackal is revealed to be someone in Peter's life. The Scorpion is on the loose and in a rage. The Tarantula terrorizes Spiderman. There's too issues that don't have a super villain at all and are more human stories. One is the highlight of this book where an ex-football player turned scientist will do anything to save his little girl. The most emotional story about sacrifices and giving you all to protect your kid, it was really powerful and made me gasp at what happened.
What I Liked: The Father rescuing his daughter hand tied behind his back, racing down the football field with6-8 men with guns. Really epic storytelling a the highlight issue in this book along with the start of The Clone Saga. The emotions with Peter torn between is past love and present love. I really liked that Spider-Man questioned whether he was a clone and how he convinced himself he's not the clone. I like that Peter and Betty Brandt have a real adult conversation about here upcoming wedding to Ned Leeds. I love the new suit and look of Sandman and those action scenes were the best in the book.
What I Disliked: I did not like the reveal of who or what the Jackal really was, it was a stretch to make that all make sense. The flow is way to slow I don't mind a human story but not two in a row. This book was the lowest on Spidey action.
Recommendation: This issue is low on action, not that it has little too none, but low for a Spiderman comic, but is full of more personal stories, some hit and some miss. The birth of the Clone Saga was cool to read, when I started liking comics it was in the middle of the Clone Saga. I 'll barely recommend this book because of the birth of the Clone Saga is such a monumental story in Spiderman's comic. I rated The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 15 by Gerry Conway and Len Weir 3 out of 5.
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.
December 2, 2025
the end of gerry conway's run! some really good single issues here but who needs that when you have the original clone saga? and let me tell you those few issues are just divine. really remarkable stuff.
bummer that this collection ends where it does because there are so many loose ends that i truly will never have tied up. who was the guy in the alleyway? idk i was just here for conway. but i suppose the nature of long form comic book storytelling very seldom allows for conclusive and satisfying endings.
Spider-Man is a little firecracker! this era is character defining when it comes to his specific voice and style of humor. literally every single quip (and believe me there are many) had me going "oh that is such a Spider-Man line". also if peter doesn't start just TALKING to mary jane I'm going to genuinely lose my mind
bummer that this collection ends where it does because there are so many loose ends that i truly will never have tied up. who was the guy in the alleyway? idk i was just here for conway. but i suppose the nature of long form comic book storytelling very seldom allows for conclusive and satisfying endings.
Spider-Man is a little firecracker! this era is character defining when it comes to his specific voice and style of humor. literally every single quip (and believe me there are many) had me going "oh that is such a Spider-Man line". also if peter doesn't start just TALKING to mary jane I'm going to genuinely lose my mind
December 30, 2021
Not a bad collection of Spider-Man comics! We get some classic villains that come back, things are starting to take off between Peter and MJ. I'll admit, the whole clone storyline seemed a bit out of place, but I enjoyed the other issues included. Of course, Harry comes back, so trouble is only brewing for the future of Spider-Man.
August 8, 2020
This is where I would probably quit reading the Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks series if I didn't already have the next few volumes (bought all at once during a sale a long time ago). In the introduction, Gerry Conway talks about the blowback Marvel received from fans after the death of Gwen Stacy. Conway had already cut back on convention appearances for other reasons, but Stan Lee loved interacting with the fans and quickly got tired of angry readers blasting him about Gwen. So he demanded that Conway fix it by bringing her back.
It's a super clunky story about clones and it makes no sense. The mysterious villain The Jackal is revealed to be someone we thought was a benign side character, which is shocking, but his explained motive is ridiculous and raises big questions about his earlier appearances and activities. It's clear that the series is desperately scrambling. As weird and goofy as the first fourteen volumes sometimes are, they also feel like their creators are having a great time. This volume contains a lot of wheel-spinning. It's not surprising to me that Conway left the series shortly after.
There are some nice moments though. Peter has finally accepted Gwen's death and has begun dating Mary Jane Watson, something the series was building to in the previous volume. That makes Gwen's "return" really bad timing. Or it would if the series wasn't so eager to sweep Gwen offstage as roughly and quickly as it temporarily brings her back on. This could have been an epic romantic triangle of Casablanca proportions, but there's no real drama to the way it plays out.
Ned Leeds gets more to do in this volume, which is kind of nice. His and Betty's upcoming wedding gets more attention and Ned also helps Peter investigate the reappearance of Gwen.
Non-Jackal villains in this volume are interchangeable threats just to provide action. There's a new bad guy called Cyclone; Scorpion, Tarantula, and Professor Smythe and his Spider-Slayer robot all make reappearances that are generic and unnecessary. Some of them are actually working for the Jackal just to keep Spidey on his toes. The last couple of issues introduce a shadowy, high tech mastermind that could prove interesting in future volumes.
A couple of other dangling plots are a) a homeless guy who's being stalked by an unseen attacker, and b) Harry Osborn is out of the hospital and acting super weird. He doesn't seem to remember anything about being Green Goblin (or that Peter is Spider-Man), which is good except that he also seems overly hyper and carefree. I'm concerned about him and a little miffed that none of his friends seem to notice. This mystery is enough to make me want to keep reading; I just hope the Return of Gwen was a temporary misstep and not a sign that Spidey's best adventures are all behind me.
It's a super clunky story about clones and it makes no sense. The mysterious villain The Jackal is revealed to be someone we thought was a benign side character, which is shocking, but his explained motive is ridiculous and raises big questions about his earlier appearances and activities. It's clear that the series is desperately scrambling. As weird and goofy as the first fourteen volumes sometimes are, they also feel like their creators are having a great time. This volume contains a lot of wheel-spinning. It's not surprising to me that Conway left the series shortly after.
There are some nice moments though. Peter has finally accepted Gwen's death and has begun dating Mary Jane Watson, something the series was building to in the previous volume. That makes Gwen's "return" really bad timing. Or it would if the series wasn't so eager to sweep Gwen offstage as roughly and quickly as it temporarily brings her back on. This could have been an epic romantic triangle of Casablanca proportions, but there's no real drama to the way it plays out.
Ned Leeds gets more to do in this volume, which is kind of nice. His and Betty's upcoming wedding gets more attention and Ned also helps Peter investigate the reappearance of Gwen.
Non-Jackal villains in this volume are interchangeable threats just to provide action. There's a new bad guy called Cyclone; Scorpion, Tarantula, and Professor Smythe and his Spider-Slayer robot all make reappearances that are generic and unnecessary. Some of them are actually working for the Jackal just to keep Spidey on his toes. The last couple of issues introduce a shadowy, high tech mastermind that could prove interesting in future volumes.
A couple of other dangling plots are a) a homeless guy who's being stalked by an unseen attacker, and b) Harry Osborn is out of the hospital and acting super weird. He doesn't seem to remember anything about being Green Goblin (or that Peter is Spider-Man), which is good except that he also seems overly hyper and carefree. I'm concerned about him and a little miffed that none of his friends seem to notice. This mystery is enough to make me want to keep reading; I just hope the Return of Gwen was a temporary misstep and not a sign that Spidey's best adventures are all behind me.
November 11, 2017
I've always liked the Jackal as a villain, and you certainly can't blame Gerry Conway for the insanity he unwittingly unleashed with his clone storyline...this first storyline was good,and how could anyone guess what the 90s would do with it.
January 17, 2025
The ending of Gerry Conway's run is really solid, effectively tying everything up in a thematically satisfying way.
This volume also contains the beginning of Len Wein's run as well, which is quite a step down.
This volume also contains the beginning of Len Wein's run as well, which is quite a step down.
September 9, 2017
Great memories
Memorable storyline. Good stuff for the 12 year old still in me! Would buy the hardcover for bookshelf enjoy! I did!
Memorable storyline. Good stuff for the 12 year old still in me! Would buy the hardcover for bookshelf enjoy! I did!
November 30, 2017
A superb conclusion to the Jackal storyline, and the return of the Scorpion is very good.
August 11, 2019
Jackal and scorpion are good but the rest is isn't that good at all. And honestly, who like Tarantula? He's an extremely lame villain
September 16, 2021
I believe we may have entered the doldrums.
October 3, 2021
My least favorite run of Spidey stories so far. There was some good stuff though. The forced Gwen returns storyline was silly, clunky and ill advised but it could have been worse.
August 18, 2024
Bronze Age Spider-Man is a lot of fun. I've read this material many times over the years and it always holds up.
January 9, 2022
The whole Jackal arc is great. I inherited #149 (the famous clone intro issue) from my uncle when I was in 4th grade, so it's always had a special place in my heart. Honestly, I really liked the whole Conway/Andru run. The series was getting pretty brutal under Stan's later writing.
The only reason this doesn't get the coveted 5 stars (I mean, I do love the Jackal stuff that much), is that once Wein takes over as writer with #151, it just gets... cartoony. Felt like a run of 5 of the '67 Spider-Man animated series, not like the comic that had gotten so good and stepped into the modern era. Stand-alone issues with bad dialogue and eh art.
Anyway... on to the next!
The only reason this doesn't get the coveted 5 stars (I mean, I do love the Jackal stuff that much), is that once Wein takes over as writer with #151, it just gets... cartoony. Felt like a run of 5 of the '67 Spider-Man animated series, not like the comic that had gotten so good and stepped into the modern era. Stand-alone issues with bad dialogue and eh art.
Anyway... on to the next!
May 15, 2013
Top notch Bronze Age Spider-man. Solid stories and wonderful art.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews