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Spider-Man Visionaries
Untold Tales of Spider-Man
The wall-crawler's back in Midtown High's hallowed halls when award-winning creator Kurt Busiek reveals lost lessons of Spider-Man's early career! Return to the first starts of our hero's circle of friends and foes, and meet the ones Lee and Ditko forgot to feature the first time around! the secret start of Spider-Man's deadliest enemy! Guest-starring the Human Torch, Captain Stacy and more! Collects Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1-8.
176 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1997
46 people want to read
About the author
Kurt Busiek
1,859 books626 followersKurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.
Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.
During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).
Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.
In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.
In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.
Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.
Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,
Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.
During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).
Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.
In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.
In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.
Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.
Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 17, 2021
Spider-Man Visionaries: Kurt Busiek (also printed as Untold Tales of Spider-Man) collects the first eight issues of The Untold Tales of Spider-Man, a series that ran in the 1990s but took place in-universe during the earliest days of The Amazing Spider-Man comic run. This series gave readers a chance to see Spider-Man and Peter Parker develop as both a crime-fighter as well as a teenager through adventures that were not touched upon in the original comic books. In a way, this trade paperback fills in some gaps between the old issues, but when I was reading The Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 recently, I never got the impression that anything was really missing between issues. As a result, this series feels a little bit unnecessary in the grand scheme of things, but as an avid Spidey fan, I'll take anything with “Spider-Man” emblazoned on the cover, even if it doesn't need to exist.
The main purpose of The Untold Tales of Spider-Man series was to showcase the moments when Spider-Man and Peter Parker learned some valuable lessons about being a superhero and an upstanding person in general. On paper, this sounds like a pretty neat idea, especially since we get to read about an inexperienced Spider-Man, the way he was back in the 1960s, prior to him getting the hang of the whole superhero thing. However, these lessons are so on-the-nose that it feels more like pandering than anything else; the writing treats Spider-Man and the readers like little children being taught a lesson on a little kid's show. Nothing about these comics is subtle, and that drags everything down a notch. Though the lessons our young hero are taught are important to his development as a character, the way upon which they were expounded made his character come off as overly naive, verging on stupid at times. I understand he is a teenager at this point and is certainly not capable of knowing everything from the get-go, but lessons like “don't jump to conclusions” or “you should help everyone even if you don't like them very much” are too simplistic for someone with an I.Q. like Peter Parker's (the same guy who can go toe-to-toe with Marvel's most brilliant minds). As had Peter's high school peers misjudged him, so, too, has Busiek misjudged Spidey's mental prowess, failing to properly convey just how intelligent he is despite his inexperience as a young man.
Aside from the ham-fisted learning moments presented in each issue, you will find action and teenager drama dispersed throughout, which is standard Spidey fare. When it came to this trade paperback, I preferred the Peter Parker stuff more than the Spider-Man stuff for a few reasons. For one, the Spidey action was fine, but not spectacular like it ought to be; just your standard web-shooting, fist-flying romps, nothing more. The villain selection did not help either, but that is a bit more understandable, considering this whole series is a prequel and has strict limitations by which to abide. Had The Untold Tales of Spider-Man utilized more popular characters from his rougues' gallery, that surely would have messed with the continuity of things a bit too much, so instead we got B- and C-tier villains like Scorcher and The Space Men (neither of whom were in the original comics). We do occasionally get someone like Sandman, Vulture, or Electro, but not for very long, and even their stories are lackluster.
Since Spider-Man as the masked crime-fighter fails to shine in this series, Peter Parker had to pick up the slack, and his stories were better, but still not stellar. I personally always enjoyed the teen drama Peter faced as a growing young man, with the whole world seemingly against him on all sides, so having more of that in this volume was a nice treat. You got the standard bullying, money problems, Aunt May worries, and dating issues here, and they all fit well within the continuity of the old Amazing Spider-Man comics. In one arc, Peter Parker befriends one of his bullies when he learns how hard he has it at home, and they end up bonding a bit over time. This was something never explored in the old comics, and I really liked the idea of Peter using his kindness and compassion to win over his aggressors rather than fist fights or other, less civilized means. The only downside to these parts of the comics was that there wasn't much of it compared to the Spider-Man stuff, which would not have been so bad had the Spidey parts been more exciting. Overall, the action side of things fell short, but the real-life stuff did a nice job developing a teenaged Peter Parker, at least when it had a chance to.
Spider-Man and Peter Parker are not the only ones who get the spotlight shone on them, for characters like Captain Stacy and Norman Osborn make significant appearances, showing up far earlier than they did in the old Amazing Spider-Man continuity. In particular, Norman Osborn's origin as the green Goblin was pretty cool as it unfolded across several issues. Unfortunately, this particular trade paperback ends his story on a cliffhanger, so I couldn't see where they ended up going with his arc. Norman Osborn, though not in this volume much, seemed to be the most important aspect of it, and while it proved to be the most entertaining part of this collection of comics, it also disappoints me knowing I can't see what else happens with it. To my knowledge, there aren't any more Untold Tales of Spider-Man graphic novels after this one, so that is why I am bringing this up as a negative point.
Finally, let's talk about the art. On the bright side, the comics are...well, bright! The artists actually used colors when they designed everything, and that's always a plus in my book. I can't stand comics with dour, dark, muddy art, and that seems to be all too prevalent in modern comics, which is why I prefer older comic book styles. Keep the darkness to characters like Batman and The Punisher, not Spidey! Unfortunately, although things appeared vibrant and came off of the pages with excitement, the art style itself wasn't illustrated too well. The faces look mangled at times, and the backgrounds devolve into nothing more than colorized walls and blank panels rather than utilizing skylines, wall décor, or other such detail that would bring these settings to life. On the one hand, it was cool to read comics in the old continuity with a modern art style, but someone dropped the ball along the way and gave us a half-assed job. However, as a stickler when it comes to comic book art, maybe they should have forgone the modernity and tried replicating the old Ditko/Romita art style as a throwback so as to avoid any problems when the illustrators chose an art style themselves.
Spider-Man Visionaries: Kurt Busiek was an interesting interlude between my readings of the first few Amazing Spider-Man omnibuses, but it failed to captivate me. While I don't regret reading this volume, I also do not feel compelled to ever pick it up again like I would with other Spider-Man classics like Kraven's Last Hunt or Maximum Carnage. I was hoping for a truly exceptional read out of this because, after all, the potential was sky-high, exploring the early days of Spidey's career and all; the possibilities were seemingly endless. Yet, as I have come to learn the hard way, none of that potential was tapped into, and all I got was an average set of Spider-Man comics to hold me over until I read the next Spider-Man omnibus on my list. Maybe the series got a lot better as time went on, or maybe it remained just as lackluster for its whole run? All I can judge are the eight issues I have collected in this volume, and they were merely okay. Recommended only for the biggest Spider-Man fans out there.
The main purpose of The Untold Tales of Spider-Man series was to showcase the moments when Spider-Man and Peter Parker learned some valuable lessons about being a superhero and an upstanding person in general. On paper, this sounds like a pretty neat idea, especially since we get to read about an inexperienced Spider-Man, the way he was back in the 1960s, prior to him getting the hang of the whole superhero thing. However, these lessons are so on-the-nose that it feels more like pandering than anything else; the writing treats Spider-Man and the readers like little children being taught a lesson on a little kid's show. Nothing about these comics is subtle, and that drags everything down a notch. Though the lessons our young hero are taught are important to his development as a character, the way upon which they were expounded made his character come off as overly naive, verging on stupid at times. I understand he is a teenager at this point and is certainly not capable of knowing everything from the get-go, but lessons like “don't jump to conclusions” or “you should help everyone even if you don't like them very much” are too simplistic for someone with an I.Q. like Peter Parker's (the same guy who can go toe-to-toe with Marvel's most brilliant minds). As had Peter's high school peers misjudged him, so, too, has Busiek misjudged Spidey's mental prowess, failing to properly convey just how intelligent he is despite his inexperience as a young man.
Aside from the ham-fisted learning moments presented in each issue, you will find action and teenager drama dispersed throughout, which is standard Spidey fare. When it came to this trade paperback, I preferred the Peter Parker stuff more than the Spider-Man stuff for a few reasons. For one, the Spidey action was fine, but not spectacular like it ought to be; just your standard web-shooting, fist-flying romps, nothing more. The villain selection did not help either, but that is a bit more understandable, considering this whole series is a prequel and has strict limitations by which to abide. Had The Untold Tales of Spider-Man utilized more popular characters from his rougues' gallery, that surely would have messed with the continuity of things a bit too much, so instead we got B- and C-tier villains like Scorcher and The Space Men (neither of whom were in the original comics). We do occasionally get someone like Sandman, Vulture, or Electro, but not for very long, and even their stories are lackluster.
Since Spider-Man as the masked crime-fighter fails to shine in this series, Peter Parker had to pick up the slack, and his stories were better, but still not stellar. I personally always enjoyed the teen drama Peter faced as a growing young man, with the whole world seemingly against him on all sides, so having more of that in this volume was a nice treat. You got the standard bullying, money problems, Aunt May worries, and dating issues here, and they all fit well within the continuity of the old Amazing Spider-Man comics. In one arc, Peter Parker befriends one of his bullies when he learns how hard he has it at home, and they end up bonding a bit over time. This was something never explored in the old comics, and I really liked the idea of Peter using his kindness and compassion to win over his aggressors rather than fist fights or other, less civilized means. The only downside to these parts of the comics was that there wasn't much of it compared to the Spider-Man stuff, which would not have been so bad had the Spidey parts been more exciting. Overall, the action side of things fell short, but the real-life stuff did a nice job developing a teenaged Peter Parker, at least when it had a chance to.
Spider-Man and Peter Parker are not the only ones who get the spotlight shone on them, for characters like Captain Stacy and Norman Osborn make significant appearances, showing up far earlier than they did in the old Amazing Spider-Man continuity. In particular, Norman Osborn's origin as the green Goblin was pretty cool as it unfolded across several issues. Unfortunately, this particular trade paperback ends his story on a cliffhanger, so I couldn't see where they ended up going with his arc. Norman Osborn, though not in this volume much, seemed to be the most important aspect of it, and while it proved to be the most entertaining part of this collection of comics, it also disappoints me knowing I can't see what else happens with it. To my knowledge, there aren't any more Untold Tales of Spider-Man graphic novels after this one, so that is why I am bringing this up as a negative point.
Finally, let's talk about the art. On the bright side, the comics are...well, bright! The artists actually used colors when they designed everything, and that's always a plus in my book. I can't stand comics with dour, dark, muddy art, and that seems to be all too prevalent in modern comics, which is why I prefer older comic book styles. Keep the darkness to characters like Batman and The Punisher, not Spidey! Unfortunately, although things appeared vibrant and came off of the pages with excitement, the art style itself wasn't illustrated too well. The faces look mangled at times, and the backgrounds devolve into nothing more than colorized walls and blank panels rather than utilizing skylines, wall décor, or other such detail that would bring these settings to life. On the one hand, it was cool to read comics in the old continuity with a modern art style, but someone dropped the ball along the way and gave us a half-assed job. However, as a stickler when it comes to comic book art, maybe they should have forgone the modernity and tried replicating the old Ditko/Romita art style as a throwback so as to avoid any problems when the illustrators chose an art style themselves.
Spider-Man Visionaries: Kurt Busiek was an interesting interlude between my readings of the first few Amazing Spider-Man omnibuses, but it failed to captivate me. While I don't regret reading this volume, I also do not feel compelled to ever pick it up again like I would with other Spider-Man classics like Kraven's Last Hunt or Maximum Carnage. I was hoping for a truly exceptional read out of this because, after all, the potential was sky-high, exploring the early days of Spidey's career and all; the possibilities were seemingly endless. Yet, as I have come to learn the hard way, none of that potential was tapped into, and all I got was an average set of Spider-Man comics to hold me over until I read the next Spider-Man omnibus on my list. Maybe the series got a lot better as time went on, or maybe it remained just as lackluster for its whole run? All I can judge are the eight issues I have collected in this volume, and they were merely okay. Recommended only for the biggest Spider-Man fans out there.
March 30, 2016
This was a treat: 8 issues of The Untold Tales of Spider-Man from the late '90s, written by Busiek and drawn by the under-sung Pat Olliffe. Busiek does a fine job capturing the awkward Peter Parker and the tyro Spider-Man searching for their identities while he also fleshes out some of the background and minor characters of the early issues of the original Spider-Man comic. Olliffe's style looks like a blend of John Byrne and Steve Ditko that fits these period stories perfectly. It looks like you need to get the Omnibus Untold Tales if you want the rest of the stories, as there aren't further installments in the Busiek Visionaries line.
November 19, 2014
I usually don't like retroactive continuity. Usually the writers take short-cuts and are lazy about the research. Not so with Kurt Busiek and Untold Tales of Spider-Man. Busiek has done as fine a job at inserting new material into the classic Spider-Man stories by Ditko and Lee as could possibly be achieved. This is the mark of true craftsman at work.
January 12, 2022
It is exactly what it says it is, and so the reader gets exactly what is expected. Good mindless fun but nothing earth-moving.
May 30, 2022
This series fills in some gaps, by telling stories, that happened during the early days of Spidey's career.
May 2, 2014
Kurt Busiek mirrors the style of the early Spider-Man issues to get some "Untold Stories" on the market. It' done well enough, but it doesn't have the thrill of discovery of the originals. Instead, it feels like an imitation, and a bit of a rote one at that. Busiek does invent some kind of "bat boy" (a tabloid nod, maybe), and he also adds a couple bullying classmates at Peter Parker's high school. A trivia team-up with the Human Torch is the high point here, but despite Busiek's talents, it feels too much like fan fiction to me.
Read digital issues.
Read digital issues.
October 19, 2012
A good read. I enjoyed the art and the plot. What I enjoyed the most was seeing an early Harry, Gwen and Osborne in some of these early tales. I did like seeing some of the more basic concerns Peter had in his early career like rent and paying for his dates with Betty.
August 16, 2009
An enjoyable look at early Spider-man. From volume 1 to 8 of The Untold Tales of Spider-man.
September 17, 2015
I'm not usually a fan of series that look back instead of forward, but these are great stories by Kurt Busiek, woven so well into what came before.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews