What do you think?
Rate this book
Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection
Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection, Vol. 7: The Goblin's Last Stand
The tension-torn adventures of comics' most put-upon super hero, the Amazing Spider-Man, continue! Stan Lee, John Romita Sr., Gil Kane and Gerry Conway bring you new creations like the Gibbon, and the return of iconic adversaries like Doctor Octopus and Kraven the Hunter! The drama reaches its peak when the Green Goblin kidnaps Gwen Stacy, in the story that put a generation into therapy and cemented the Goblin's name as the definition of evil. .Don'tmiss this seminal chapter in Spidey's history !
COLLECTING: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) 105-123
COLLECTING: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) 105-123
448 pages, Paperback
First published May 3, 2017
27 people are currently reading
237 people want to read
About the author
Stan Lee
7,559 books2,334 followersStan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
February 8, 2021
Okay, I’ll admit it: I feel a little disloyal saying this, but I think the Stan Lee/John Romita run on Spider-Man is my all-time favorite run on any superhero book ever (apologies to Messrs. Claremont and Byrne and the X-Men).
I get that reading comics from the 60s and 70s can be a taxing experience for the modern reader. I really do. But, c’mon—it’s no more taxing than, say, listening to MC Hammer’s debut album Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em, and you know we all happily did that in 1990. Did you realize that album is the BEST-SELLING RAP ALBUM OF ALL TIME in the United States?! STILL?? That’s insane. That’s like The Simpsons Sing the Blues being the highest-selling R&B album of all time, or Stan Bush’s Call to Action being the bestselling rock album of all time. Do I own all three of those albums? Yes, yes I do. Do I regret those purchases? Only two of them. But, I digress.
So, yes—comics in their formative days read very differently than they do now, but it’s very easy to see why Spidey became a global her when you bear witness to Lee and Romita working their harmonious magic together. Take one orphan everyman hero who wears heavily the mantle of responsibility he bears for not preventing his beloved uncle’s death, stir in a memorable cast of supporting characters and love interests, sprinkle liberally with a rogues’ gallery by turns dangerous, kooky, terrifying, and absurd, and add just a pinch of overbearing (yet always frisky and only the prowl*) aunt and you have a recipe for superhero fun in its purest form. It’s absolutely addictive, and the best part is that the stakes are never that high—I mean, not galactically speaking, anyway. No one’s getting snapped out of existence. Humanity’s survival doesn’t hang in the balance. Heck, half the time the only one in real danger is Aunt May, and she’s already died and been revived more times than Steven Tyler, so she’s living on borrowed time anyway. Point being: it’s not the breathless, high-stakes, high-octane plots that drive this book. It’s the incredible character work, Romita’s clean, beautiful storytelling, and Stan’s knack for pulling you in and making you feel like you’re part of a wonderful universe of characters and fans just like you who are invested deeply in those characters, but also don’t take them too seriously. It’s a vibe many of today’s deeply serious or overly self-aware superhero books could take a lesson from.
I love these Epic Collections—they make books that might otherwise be out of reach eminently affordable and accessible. Take advantage of them and experience the absolute magic that is the early days of Spidey in the hands of the two creators who, in my opinion, are more responsible than anyone for his ascendance to global pop culture icon.
*…but only for great wheatcake recipes she can make for her beloved nephew.
I get that reading comics from the 60s and 70s can be a taxing experience for the modern reader. I really do. But, c’mon—it’s no more taxing than, say, listening to MC Hammer’s debut album Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em, and you know we all happily did that in 1990. Did you realize that album is the BEST-SELLING RAP ALBUM OF ALL TIME in the United States?! STILL?? That’s insane. That’s like The Simpsons Sing the Blues being the highest-selling R&B album of all time, or Stan Bush’s Call to Action being the bestselling rock album of all time. Do I own all three of those albums? Yes, yes I do. Do I regret those purchases? Only two of them. But, I digress.
So, yes—comics in their formative days read very differently than they do now, but it’s very easy to see why Spidey became a global her when you bear witness to Lee and Romita working their harmonious magic together. Take one orphan everyman hero who wears heavily the mantle of responsibility he bears for not preventing his beloved uncle’s death, stir in a memorable cast of supporting characters and love interests, sprinkle liberally with a rogues’ gallery by turns dangerous, kooky, terrifying, and absurd, and add just a pinch of overbearing (yet always frisky and only the prowl*) aunt and you have a recipe for superhero fun in its purest form. It’s absolutely addictive, and the best part is that the stakes are never that high—I mean, not galactically speaking, anyway. No one’s getting snapped out of existence. Humanity’s survival doesn’t hang in the balance. Heck, half the time the only one in real danger is Aunt May, and she’s already died and been revived more times than Steven Tyler, so she’s living on borrowed time anyway. Point being: it’s not the breathless, high-stakes, high-octane plots that drive this book. It’s the incredible character work, Romita’s clean, beautiful storytelling, and Stan’s knack for pulling you in and making you feel like you’re part of a wonderful universe of characters and fans just like you who are invested deeply in those characters, but also don’t take them too seriously. It’s a vibe many of today’s deeply serious or overly self-aware superhero books could take a lesson from.
I love these Epic Collections—they make books that might otherwise be out of reach eminently affordable and accessible. Take advantage of them and experience the absolute magic that is the early days of Spidey in the hands of the two creators who, in my opinion, are more responsible than anyone for his ascendance to global pop culture icon.
*…but only for great wheatcake recipes she can make for her beloved nephew.
January 23, 2023
This may be peak Spider-Man for me so far. The earliest Lee/Ditko days set the stage, and when Lee/Romita hits its stride, it's very good indeed. But somehow this collection strikes the perfect balance of high-flying superheroics, soap opera-adjacent personal drama, and bold, shocking developments. The art is overall very good to great as well, with Gil Kane at his best (the up-nostril shots are at a minimum and not too extreme) and John Romita, of course, crisp, clean and iconic when he has the time to do full duties.
This collection includes the stories in which both Gwen Stacey and Green Goblin/Norman Osborn die. Even knowing full well what's coming, the sense of mounting dread throughout the first ten or twelve issues is very effective (not that it was necessarily planned that way - the power of hindsight).
Let's look at things story-by-story.
"The Spider-Slayer!" (ASM 105-107)
Fairly bog-standard Spidey story, with J. Jonah Jameson again working with evil inventor Spencer Smythe to use a robot against the Amazing One. (How does JJJ keep getting away with this stuff? He should at least be on the hook for the property damage.) Smythe has his own designs, and there's a semi-interesting plot involving a mass surveillance system that hie gives to the police but subverts for his plan to become a major crime lord. It's a somewhat interesting take on what must have seemed like a safely science fictional story at the time.
"Vengeance from Vietnam!" (ASM 108-109)
On the one hand, this story relies on embarrassing "eastern mystic" tropes of a holy man and his followers in a mysterious jungle temple, and their inexplicable thirst for violent reprisal across oceans and nations. On the other hand, it is surprisingly willing to depict a ruthless and ignoble American military. Add in some Dr. Strange goodness and I'm willing to give it a wash.
Oh, it also includes one more key event: Gwen finally snaps at Aunt May for her constant babying of Peter. It's a little harsh, but a refreshingly realistic bit of development. This will remain important for the next few arcs.
"The Birth of...the Gibbon!" (ASM 110-111)
For me, this is the sleeper MVP of the collection. I was gearing up for another gimmicky, forgettable villain like the Kangaroo. I was not expecting this relatively sensitive portrayal of a different-looking person, reminiscent of characters like the Mole Man and the Morlocks, who evinces a desire to good, and is drawn despite himself into committing some unfortunate acts. Very notable is Spider-Man's reaction to the Gibbon's overtures of partnership: despite his own stresses, and the very serious circumstances in which he's rushing to track down Aunt May, Pete finds the Gibbon so ridiculous that he laughs derisively in his face. Not a very heroic reaction! Even then, the Gibbon doesn't immediately turn to a desire for vengeance, but is manipulated into it by Kraven the Hunter.
The guy's name is Martin Blank - a name he took after being released from state custody at age 18, after no family ever wanted him. That's pathos, man.
"Gang War, Schmang War!" (ASM 112-115)
Spider-Man, still searching for Aunt May after Gwen Stacy drove her off, gets caught in the crossfire of the gang war between Doctor Octopus and new baddie Hammerhead. That's convenient, because Doctor Octopus snatched May up to serve as his housekeeper. (He must like wheatcakes.) It's sort of cute that Ock is clearly smitten with May, and probably has been since boarded at her house about 50 issues ago. The gang war storyline is serviceable, with Spidey losing his mask one point (it winds up in JJJ's office), forcing him to wear a weird open-eyed Halloween mask version. Spidey also uses a discarded exo-skeleton that Ock had equipped one of his goons with. Hammerhead is a collection of 1920s gangster tropes, which is by design, so that's fine. The great moment of this arc, though, comes when Spidey breaks into Ock's estate, and none other than Aunt May herself clobbers him with a vase and holds him at gunpoint! I guess some readers find this silly, but it's handled rather seriously, and if you ignore the innate silliness of Aunt May's basic character design, wearing a maid's uniform no less, standing over our hero, it is actually very dramatic and affecting. May is depicted as so frail and frightened, and the irony that she trusts the villainous Octavius over her own costumed nephew is delicious.
"Countdown to Chaos!" (ASM 116-118)
This very odd three-part arc is a recasting of the story from the 60s "Spectacular Spider-Man" magazine, in which a politician manipulates the public through various acts of villainy to try to win election. Why is it odd? Because despite sharing all the same plot points and the same named politician with that original story - usually a recipe to eject the original version from canon - both are considered to be in-continuity. So two guys named Richard Raleigh used a super-strong villain named the Smasher to try to win the mayorship of New York City, no more than a couple years apart. Weird choice.
The story is not great in either case, and this version, stretched over three issues, is full of additional digressions and complications. There is a very cool sequence during the final battle that uses a news ticker between panels as a way of tracking Raleigh's electoral prospects at the same time Spider-Man is putting the kibosh on his schemes. So even lower-quality stories sometimes have interesting creative features!
"The Gentleman's Name is the Hulk!" (ASM 119-120)
There's never anything wrong with a superhero battle, and it's fun taking Peter to Canada. Aunt May is still with Ock, and there's a mysterious telegram for her from a lawyer in Canada that Peter isn't able to winkle out before he's cut down by an assassin's bullet. No one worries about how Peter and Spider-Man just happened to be in Canada at the same time.
"The Night Gwen Stacy Died" (ASM 121-123)
This is the big one. Hundreds of pages have been written about the death of Gwen Stacy, and the way this story transitions away from the relatively carefree days of the Silver Age and into the increasingly gritty realm of the Bronze. I'm sure there have been theses drafted over Peter's culpability in Gwen's death, whether that "snap" when Spider-Man's web stops her means what it seems to mean, whether Spidey's overriding sense of insouciance when approaching the battle with his deadliest foe meant that he wasn't taking the threat to Gwen seriously enough. (Having never actually read these issues before, I found it interesting that the writing tries to have it both ways, with that "snap" alongside the Green Goblin's contention than an already-unconscious Gwen could have somehow been shocked to death by her fall. It's unconvincing and seems designed for plausible deniability.)
Spider-Man's resolve not to take deadly vengeance on the Goblin seems like a significant inflection point in his entire history, marking a leveling-up in maturity and that elusive sense of responsibility that he's been pursuing since day one. This is in contrast to an earlier scene, in which a vengeful Peter shows up at Norman's townhouse in search of his foe, and finds only his friend Harry, trapped in the grip of drug-induced psychosis; Harry cries out to Peter for help, and Peter coldly denies him. It's perfectly understandable behavior for an angry and grieving young man, but it's undeniable that it is not a heroic moment, and it will come back to bite him in the ass.
Finally, in what is no doubt one of the ironies of the Comics Code Authority, in which events must remain comfortably bloodless BUT bad behavior must also always receive its comeuppance, the Goblin still dies in a freak twist of fate, impaled on his own glider. (Another revelation of the actual issues: it's not a belatedly-deployed spike on the end of the glider that does Norman in, but the jagged wreckage of its frontpiece, which had been smashed by Spider-Man. So, Peter is indirectly responsible for the Goblin's death after all.)
The final issue in the collection is a coda to the carnage of the previous two, in which everyone has to deal with Gwen and Norman's deaths. Someone has spirited away the Goblin costume, so Norman's reputation is preserved, and Spider-Man is suspected in both deaths. Gwen's funeral is sad and heavy. Peter and Harry come face to face again, and Harry is eerily and stonily silent; it's clear that he hasn't forgiven Peter's denial, and the inexplicable death of his father has broken something new in him. In the end, a fight with Luke Cage - set up by Jameson again, of course - helps Peter start to get his head back on straight. He still has time to lash out one more time, though, responding to friend Mary Jane's awkward comforting with bitterness and a personal attack about her party-girl ways. In the final panels of the collection, Mary Jane has an opportunity to show her growth, and presages her and Peter's future relationship, when she resolutely closes the apartment door and stays with Peter despite his ugly behavior.
This is Spidey growing up, folks, and it is not half bad.
This collection includes the stories in which both Gwen Stacey and Green Goblin/Norman Osborn die. Even knowing full well what's coming, the sense of mounting dread throughout the first ten or twelve issues is very effective (not that it was necessarily planned that way - the power of hindsight).
Let's look at things story-by-story.
"The Spider-Slayer!" (ASM 105-107)
Fairly bog-standard Spidey story, with J. Jonah Jameson again working with evil inventor Spencer Smythe to use a robot against the Amazing One. (How does JJJ keep getting away with this stuff? He should at least be on the hook for the property damage.) Smythe has his own designs, and there's a semi-interesting plot involving a mass surveillance system that hie gives to the police but subverts for his plan to become a major crime lord. It's a somewhat interesting take on what must have seemed like a safely science fictional story at the time.
"Vengeance from Vietnam!" (ASM 108-109)
On the one hand, this story relies on embarrassing "eastern mystic" tropes of a holy man and his followers in a mysterious jungle temple, and their inexplicable thirst for violent reprisal across oceans and nations. On the other hand, it is surprisingly willing to depict a ruthless and ignoble American military. Add in some Dr. Strange goodness and I'm willing to give it a wash.
Oh, it also includes one more key event: Gwen finally snaps at Aunt May for her constant babying of Peter. It's a little harsh, but a refreshingly realistic bit of development. This will remain important for the next few arcs.
"The Birth of...the Gibbon!" (ASM 110-111)
For me, this is the sleeper MVP of the collection. I was gearing up for another gimmicky, forgettable villain like the Kangaroo. I was not expecting this relatively sensitive portrayal of a different-looking person, reminiscent of characters like the Mole Man and the Morlocks, who evinces a desire to good, and is drawn despite himself into committing some unfortunate acts. Very notable is Spider-Man's reaction to the Gibbon's overtures of partnership: despite his own stresses, and the very serious circumstances in which he's rushing to track down Aunt May, Pete finds the Gibbon so ridiculous that he laughs derisively in his face. Not a very heroic reaction! Even then, the Gibbon doesn't immediately turn to a desire for vengeance, but is manipulated into it by Kraven the Hunter.
The guy's name is Martin Blank - a name he took after being released from state custody at age 18, after no family ever wanted him. That's pathos, man.
"Gang War, Schmang War!" (ASM 112-115)
Spider-Man, still searching for Aunt May after Gwen Stacy drove her off, gets caught in the crossfire of the gang war between Doctor Octopus and new baddie Hammerhead. That's convenient, because Doctor Octopus snatched May up to serve as his housekeeper. (He must like wheatcakes.) It's sort of cute that Ock is clearly smitten with May, and probably has been since boarded at her house about 50 issues ago. The gang war storyline is serviceable, with Spidey losing his mask one point (it winds up in JJJ's office), forcing him to wear a weird open-eyed Halloween mask version. Spidey also uses a discarded exo-skeleton that Ock had equipped one of his goons with. Hammerhead is a collection of 1920s gangster tropes, which is by design, so that's fine. The great moment of this arc, though, comes when Spidey breaks into Ock's estate, and none other than Aunt May herself clobbers him with a vase and holds him at gunpoint! I guess some readers find this silly, but it's handled rather seriously, and if you ignore the innate silliness of Aunt May's basic character design, wearing a maid's uniform no less, standing over our hero, it is actually very dramatic and affecting. May is depicted as so frail and frightened, and the irony that she trusts the villainous Octavius over her own costumed nephew is delicious.
"Countdown to Chaos!" (ASM 116-118)
This very odd three-part arc is a recasting of the story from the 60s "Spectacular Spider-Man" magazine, in which a politician manipulates the public through various acts of villainy to try to win election. Why is it odd? Because despite sharing all the same plot points and the same named politician with that original story - usually a recipe to eject the original version from canon - both are considered to be in-continuity. So two guys named Richard Raleigh used a super-strong villain named the Smasher to try to win the mayorship of New York City, no more than a couple years apart. Weird choice.
The story is not great in either case, and this version, stretched over three issues, is full of additional digressions and complications. There is a very cool sequence during the final battle that uses a news ticker between panels as a way of tracking Raleigh's electoral prospects at the same time Spider-Man is putting the kibosh on his schemes. So even lower-quality stories sometimes have interesting creative features!
"The Gentleman's Name is the Hulk!" (ASM 119-120)
There's never anything wrong with a superhero battle, and it's fun taking Peter to Canada. Aunt May is still with Ock, and there's a mysterious telegram for her from a lawyer in Canada that Peter isn't able to winkle out before he's cut down by an assassin's bullet. No one worries about how Peter and Spider-Man just happened to be in Canada at the same time.
"The Night Gwen Stacy Died" (ASM 121-123)
This is the big one. Hundreds of pages have been written about the death of Gwen Stacy, and the way this story transitions away from the relatively carefree days of the Silver Age and into the increasingly gritty realm of the Bronze. I'm sure there have been theses drafted over Peter's culpability in Gwen's death, whether that "snap" when Spider-Man's web stops her means what it seems to mean, whether Spidey's overriding sense of insouciance when approaching the battle with his deadliest foe meant that he wasn't taking the threat to Gwen seriously enough. (Having never actually read these issues before, I found it interesting that the writing tries to have it both ways, with that "snap" alongside the Green Goblin's contention than an already-unconscious Gwen could have somehow been shocked to death by her fall. It's unconvincing and seems designed for plausible deniability.)
Spider-Man's resolve not to take deadly vengeance on the Goblin seems like a significant inflection point in his entire history, marking a leveling-up in maturity and that elusive sense of responsibility that he's been pursuing since day one. This is in contrast to an earlier scene, in which a vengeful Peter shows up at Norman's townhouse in search of his foe, and finds only his friend Harry, trapped in the grip of drug-induced psychosis; Harry cries out to Peter for help, and Peter coldly denies him. It's perfectly understandable behavior for an angry and grieving young man, but it's undeniable that it is not a heroic moment, and it will come back to bite him in the ass.
Finally, in what is no doubt one of the ironies of the Comics Code Authority, in which events must remain comfortably bloodless BUT bad behavior must also always receive its comeuppance, the Goblin still dies in a freak twist of fate, impaled on his own glider. (Another revelation of the actual issues: it's not a belatedly-deployed spike on the end of the glider that does Norman in, but the jagged wreckage of its frontpiece, which had been smashed by Spider-Man. So, Peter is indirectly responsible for the Goblin's death after all.)
The final issue in the collection is a coda to the carnage of the previous two, in which everyone has to deal with Gwen and Norman's deaths. Someone has spirited away the Goblin costume, so Norman's reputation is preserved, and Spider-Man is suspected in both deaths. Gwen's funeral is sad and heavy. Peter and Harry come face to face again, and Harry is eerily and stonily silent; it's clear that he hasn't forgiven Peter's denial, and the inexplicable death of his father has broken something new in him. In the end, a fight with Luke Cage - set up by Jameson again, of course - helps Peter start to get his head back on straight. He still has time to lash out one more time, though, responding to friend Mary Jane's awkward comforting with bitterness and a personal attack about her party-girl ways. In the final panels of the collection, Mary Jane has an opportunity to show her growth, and presages her and Peter's future relationship, when she resolutely closes the apartment door and stays with Peter despite his ugly behavior.
This is Spidey growing up, folks, and it is not half bad.
August 1, 2019
Like classic Doctor Who, comic books published during the Silver Age don't necessarily hold up well to being binged.
Collecting two years of issues from the run of The Amazing Spider-Man, this volume has some of some series highs and some series moments that may leave you scratching your head a bit. Of course this collection includes the pivotal and comics changing "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" arc, seeing us lose not only Peter Parker's love interest but also the original Green Goblin over the course of two pivotal issues. This story and the one after it stand out as some of the most intriguing from this influential run, as does a multi-issue run with Doc Ock battling Hammerhead to become the crime boss of New York, all with Aunt May caught in the middle.
There's also a sojourn to Canada to battle the Hulk and track down and trace down an old family mystery to add to the intrigue.
But then there's a couple of forgettable enough stories in there as well. While the return of Flash Thompson from the Vietnam War and the implications this has for the character and his friendship with Peter Parker still echo today, there are a few moments that haven't aged as well and are less than politically correct today.
And then there's the Gibbon. This multi-issue arc sees a character who wants to be Spidey's partner in crime fighting only to be humiliated by Spider-Man and then taken under the wing of Kraven the Hunter. It sounds silly and it doesn't come across much better on the printed page. Odds are they won't be raiding this arc for future Spider-Man movies. And there's probably a reason that the Gibbon doesn't make the upper pantheon of great or even so-so Spider-Man villains.
Collecting two years of issues from the run of The Amazing Spider-Man, this volume has some of some series highs and some series moments that may leave you scratching your head a bit. Of course this collection includes the pivotal and comics changing "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" arc, seeing us lose not only Peter Parker's love interest but also the original Green Goblin over the course of two pivotal issues. This story and the one after it stand out as some of the most intriguing from this influential run, as does a multi-issue run with Doc Ock battling Hammerhead to become the crime boss of New York, all with Aunt May caught in the middle.
There's also a sojourn to Canada to battle the Hulk and track down and trace down an old family mystery to add to the intrigue.
But then there's a couple of forgettable enough stories in there as well. While the return of Flash Thompson from the Vietnam War and the implications this has for the character and his friendship with Peter Parker still echo today, there are a few moments that haven't aged as well and are less than politically correct today.
And then there's the Gibbon. This multi-issue arc sees a character who wants to be Spidey's partner in crime fighting only to be humiliated by Spider-Man and then taken under the wing of Kraven the Hunter. It sounds silly and it doesn't come across much better on the printed page. Odds are they won't be raiding this arc for future Spider-Man movies. And there's probably a reason that the Gibbon doesn't make the upper pantheon of great or even so-so Spider-Man villains.
June 12, 2023
If you're a Spider-Man fan you definitely need to read all if the comics up to the The Night Gwen Stacy Died. It definitely is an big turning point for both Spider-Man and comics in general.
March 20, 2025
The Spider-Slayer! (originally published February 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #105)
Stan Lee is writing the book again after the brief Roy Thomas fill-in era (read: error), while Gil Kane remains on pencils. Harry is back from the hospital, Flash is back from the service, and Jameson is once again in cahoots with Smythe, who has built a brand-new Spider-Slayer.
Kane draws faces weird… especially Aunt May’s. There’s a nice Robbie/Randy character moment. It ends on a big cliffhanger. It’s a meat-and-potatoes Lee-era Spidey story. 3/5
Squash Goes the Spider! (originally published March 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #106)
John Romita is back on pencils! Hooray!
The cover, along with the previous issue's cliffhanger, made some big promises and I assumed there'd be a huge cop-out waiting for me… there kinda was, but not all the way. Another meat-and-potatoes story, elevated by Romita’s art. 4/5
Spidey Smashes Thru! (originally published April 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #107)
Following the previous cliffhanger that saw Spider-Man in the clutches of Smythe's new Spider-Slayer, our hero appears licked for almost half of the issue. They of course take the cliché route of Smythe being done in by his own hubris, but at least Spidey has to perform a fantastic feat to make his escape, and there's a minor twist right around the corner that's actually really fun.
The soap operatic elements (in this issue focusing on Gwen and Flash) keep churning in the background. After the Smythe story wraps up, the issue ends by planting seeds for a Flash-centric follow up. Romita's art remains excellent. 4/5
Vengeance from Vietnam! (originally published May 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #108)
Spider-Man using the term “midget” and refers to a group of Vietnamese as “orientals” in the span of two pages.
Overall, this is a decent issue. In its own flawed way, I think it was genuinely trying to be anti-war. It ends on a cliffhanger in which Peter is torn between blowing his secret identity bit by running away from Gwen to change to Spider-Man and rescue Flash, or staying put like she's begging him to do. 3/5
Enter: Dr. Strange! (originally published June 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #109)
The cliffhanger is resolved in fairly anticlimactic manner. Soon after, we're introduced to our guest star, Doctor Strange, for a very unremarkable adventure. Not bad, just kinda there, and the soap elements in the background get pretty hammy in this one. Romita’s art shines as usual. 3/5
The Birth of… the Gibbon! (originally published July 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #110)
Here we have the final issue for Stan Lee before he'd pass the torch to Gerry Conway. Well, technically he is credited for #116-118 as well since it's a re-hash/adaptation of 1968's The Spectacular Spider-Man #1 (the black-and-white magazine, which is not to be confused with the later ongoing series of the same name), but still, this is essentially the end for Stan on Spider-Man.
There is no supervillain fight in this issue. Approximately half of it functions to set up the Gibbon (who is pretty interesting… I can't help but think he may have been the inspiration for Electro's characterization in the film The Amazing Spider-Man 2) while the other half advances the soap operatic side of the book. In this particular story, that side of things is almost intolerable. Peter is heinously unlikable, and the misunderstandings the plot relies on are incredibly lazy. 3/5
To Stalk a Spider! (originally published August 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #111)
19-year-old Gerry Conway is our new writer, and this issue picks up directly where the previous left off as Kraven makes a dramatic return, swooping in on the Gibbon to persuade him into a team-up. The word "jackass" is used, something I'm mildly surprised the Comics Code Authority allowed.
The eventual fight between Spidey and the Gibbon is very brief. More time is spent on his continued transformation (now guided by Kraven), and in the background, we focus on Peter and Aunt May. They are revealed to be basically co-dependent, if that wasn't already evident. 3/5
Spidey Cops Out! (originally published September 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #112)
This is a very weird issue, and not just because there's no fight with a supervillain. Spider-Man acts way out of character. I'm rating it as highly as I am almost solely due to Romita's art. The final splash page in particular, revealing the return of Doc Ock, is a thing of beauty.
Page numbers have gone away for some reason, and would stay gone for the remainder of the issues collected in this book. 3/5
They Call the Doctor… Octopus! (originally published October1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #113)
John Romita, I love the way you draw, and I love the way you draw Doc Ock (or as he is referred to in one word balloon in this issue, "Dock" Ock).
This issue is barely about Peter/Spidey at all, but rather about setting the gang war plot for the next issues. The climactic bout between him and Octavius is absolute aces though, with a fist-pumping twist to boot. 4/5
Gang War, Schmang War! What I Want to Know is... Who the Heck is Hammerhead? (originally published November 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #114)
We get fully introduced to the delightfully cheesy Hammerhead in this one, and Aunt May is revealed to be shacking up with Octavius again. Good not great issue. 3/5
The Last Battle! (originally published December 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #115)
It's an all out gang war between Doc Ock and Hammerhead and their goons, with Spidey caught in the middle. Entertaining issue with excellent Romita art, although the ending is a bit silly. Peter’s web-shooter onomatopoeia is represented here as “ffwipp” instead of the usual “thwip.” 3/5
Suddenly… the Smasher! / The Deadly Designs of the Disruptor / Countdown to Chaos! (originally published Jan.-Mar. 1973 in The Amazing Spider-Man #116-118)
This arc is a total re-hash of 1968's The Spectacular Spider-Man #1. The only differences are that it's in color instead of black and white, and that Gerry Conway and John Romita have altered some of the dialogue and art to make it fit with current continuity. For example, the original story featured Captain Stacy, who is now dead, so Robbie Robertson is in his place; Harry mentions the current state Aunt May is in, etc.
This is problematic for the obvious reason that it's shameful to just re-use a story like that, but also because, hilariously, BOTH the original story and this revision are officially canon! Meaning that apparently, very similar events both involving a campaign of a politician with the same name who also happened to be a supervillain happened twice in the Marvel universe, both times in Spider-Man's orbit, several years apart, and both involved the death of said politician. After all, the original story ties in with Daredevil #42, and this one ties into other surrounding issues of The Amazing Spider-Man. My head canon? Glitch in the matrix! The Romita art is the only reason these issues earn a whole 2/5 each.
The Gentleman’s Name is… Hulk! (originally published April 1973 in The Amazing Spider-Man #119)
The Hulk and Thunderbolt Ross guest star in this issue, and it seems to tie into what was going on in The Incredible Hulk at the time. Nice!
The soap operatic elements are firing on all cylinders, Conway writes some hilarious Hulk dialogue, and the Romita art is fantastic. 4/5
The Fight and the Fury! (originally published May 1973 in The Amazing Spider-Man #120)
Following a big cliffhanger, we get a brawl between Spider-Man and the Hulk. It's unfortunately not drawn by Romita, who is relegated to inks, but Gil Kane nonetheless does a pretty good job here (but I still don’t care for how Spidey’s mask is drawn in some panels). They each remain in these roles for the remainder of this collection.
Harry relapses (this time with the approval of the Comics Code Authority), one of the plot threads is resolved pretty anticlimactically, and the fight with the Hulk, while cool at first, tuckers out. 3/5
The Night Gwen Stacy Died (originally published June 1973 in The Amazing Spider-Man #121)
This is it. One of the all-timers. The comic that, in the minds of many, killed the Silver Age dead, when we saw the villain of the tale score an unambiguous W at the end. Even if you don’t know the story going in, you’d probably be able to feel something in the air telling you that this is a different kind of Spider-Man story, when compared to most.
The final panels are brilliant. You can practically hear the dramatic music playing while reading Conway’s minimalistic dialogue and narration. The mix of close-ups and long-shots are eerie. Seeing Spider-Man continue to crack jokes in a pressure situation like he always does, when we the reader know that things have totally unraveled for him, is a gut-punch. Saving the title for the final splash page is iconic. 5/5
The Goblin’s Last Stand! (originally published July 1973 in The Amazing Spider-Man #122)
Peter’s occasional moments of continued denial are heartbreaking. His rejection of a confused Harry, and the moment we see desperation in the Goblin, are all shocking, as is the savage beat down Peter delivers in the third act, and the epilogue, which provides pivotal character development for Mary Jane. Another outstanding issue. Easy to see why it was an instant classic. 5/5
...Just a Man Called Cage! (originally published August 1973 in The Amazing Spider-Man #123)
Following the classic duology that preceded it, this one feels like a filler issue. I don’t blame the creative team for that. They’ve earned a filler issue, and this one is an enjoyable one. Luke Cage is the guest star, and he’s pretty fun.
M.J. tries to make a move on Pete as soon as Gwen’s casket is lowered. It’s actually really funny. 3/5
Stan Lee is writing the book again after the brief Roy Thomas fill-in era (read: error), while Gil Kane remains on pencils. Harry is back from the hospital, Flash is back from the service, and Jameson is once again in cahoots with Smythe, who has built a brand-new Spider-Slayer.
Kane draws faces weird… especially Aunt May’s. There’s a nice Robbie/Randy character moment. It ends on a big cliffhanger. It’s a meat-and-potatoes Lee-era Spidey story. 3/5
Squash Goes the Spider! (originally published March 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #106)
John Romita is back on pencils! Hooray!
The cover, along with the previous issue's cliffhanger, made some big promises and I assumed there'd be a huge cop-out waiting for me… there kinda was, but not all the way. Another meat-and-potatoes story, elevated by Romita’s art. 4/5
Spidey Smashes Thru! (originally published April 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #107)
Following the previous cliffhanger that saw Spider-Man in the clutches of Smythe's new Spider-Slayer, our hero appears licked for almost half of the issue. They of course take the cliché route of Smythe being done in by his own hubris, but at least Spidey has to perform a fantastic feat to make his escape, and there's a minor twist right around the corner that's actually really fun.
The soap operatic elements (in this issue focusing on Gwen and Flash) keep churning in the background. After the Smythe story wraps up, the issue ends by planting seeds for a Flash-centric follow up. Romita's art remains excellent. 4/5
Vengeance from Vietnam! (originally published May 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #108)
Spider-Man using the term “midget” and refers to a group of Vietnamese as “orientals” in the span of two pages.
Overall, this is a decent issue. In its own flawed way, I think it was genuinely trying to be anti-war. It ends on a cliffhanger in which Peter is torn between blowing his secret identity bit by running away from Gwen to change to Spider-Man and rescue Flash, or staying put like she's begging him to do. 3/5
Enter: Dr. Strange! (originally published June 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #109)
The cliffhanger is resolved in fairly anticlimactic manner. Soon after, we're introduced to our guest star, Doctor Strange, for a very unremarkable adventure. Not bad, just kinda there, and the soap elements in the background get pretty hammy in this one. Romita’s art shines as usual. 3/5
The Birth of… the Gibbon! (originally published July 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #110)
Here we have the final issue for Stan Lee before he'd pass the torch to Gerry Conway. Well, technically he is credited for #116-118 as well since it's a re-hash/adaptation of 1968's The Spectacular Spider-Man #1 (the black-and-white magazine, which is not to be confused with the later ongoing series of the same name), but still, this is essentially the end for Stan on Spider-Man.
There is no supervillain fight in this issue. Approximately half of it functions to set up the Gibbon (who is pretty interesting… I can't help but think he may have been the inspiration for Electro's characterization in the film The Amazing Spider-Man 2) while the other half advances the soap operatic side of the book. In this particular story, that side of things is almost intolerable. Peter is heinously unlikable, and the misunderstandings the plot relies on are incredibly lazy. 3/5
To Stalk a Spider! (originally published August 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #111)
19-year-old Gerry Conway is our new writer, and this issue picks up directly where the previous left off as Kraven makes a dramatic return, swooping in on the Gibbon to persuade him into a team-up. The word "jackass" is used, something I'm mildly surprised the Comics Code Authority allowed.
The eventual fight between Spidey and the Gibbon is very brief. More time is spent on his continued transformation (now guided by Kraven), and in the background, we focus on Peter and Aunt May. They are revealed to be basically co-dependent, if that wasn't already evident. 3/5
Spidey Cops Out! (originally published September 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #112)
This is a very weird issue, and not just because there's no fight with a supervillain. Spider-Man acts way out of character. I'm rating it as highly as I am almost solely due to Romita's art. The final splash page in particular, revealing the return of Doc Ock, is a thing of beauty.
Page numbers have gone away for some reason, and would stay gone for the remainder of the issues collected in this book. 3/5
They Call the Doctor… Octopus! (originally published October1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #113)
John Romita, I love the way you draw, and I love the way you draw Doc Ock (or as he is referred to in one word balloon in this issue, "Dock" Ock).
This issue is barely about Peter/Spidey at all, but rather about setting the gang war plot for the next issues. The climactic bout between him and Octavius is absolute aces though, with a fist-pumping twist to boot. 4/5
Gang War, Schmang War! What I Want to Know is... Who the Heck is Hammerhead? (originally published November 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #114)
We get fully introduced to the delightfully cheesy Hammerhead in this one, and Aunt May is revealed to be shacking up with Octavius again. Good not great issue. 3/5
The Last Battle! (originally published December 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #115)
It's an all out gang war between Doc Ock and Hammerhead and their goons, with Spidey caught in the middle. Entertaining issue with excellent Romita art, although the ending is a bit silly. Peter’s web-shooter onomatopoeia is represented here as “ffwipp” instead of the usual “thwip.” 3/5
Suddenly… the Smasher! / The Deadly Designs of the Disruptor / Countdown to Chaos! (originally published Jan.-Mar. 1973 in The Amazing Spider-Man #116-118)
This arc is a total re-hash of 1968's The Spectacular Spider-Man #1. The only differences are that it's in color instead of black and white, and that Gerry Conway and John Romita have altered some of the dialogue and art to make it fit with current continuity. For example, the original story featured Captain Stacy, who is now dead, so Robbie Robertson is in his place; Harry mentions the current state Aunt May is in, etc.
This is problematic for the obvious reason that it's shameful to just re-use a story like that, but also because, hilariously, BOTH the original story and this revision are officially canon! Meaning that apparently, very similar events both involving a campaign of a politician with the same name who also happened to be a supervillain happened twice in the Marvel universe, both times in Spider-Man's orbit, several years apart, and both involved the death of said politician. After all, the original story ties in with Daredevil #42, and this one ties into other surrounding issues of The Amazing Spider-Man. My head canon? Glitch in the matrix! The Romita art is the only reason these issues earn a whole 2/5 each.
The Gentleman’s Name is… Hulk! (originally published April 1973 in The Amazing Spider-Man #119)
The Hulk and Thunderbolt Ross guest star in this issue, and it seems to tie into what was going on in The Incredible Hulk at the time. Nice!
The soap operatic elements are firing on all cylinders, Conway writes some hilarious Hulk dialogue, and the Romita art is fantastic. 4/5
The Fight and the Fury! (originally published May 1973 in The Amazing Spider-Man #120)
Following a big cliffhanger, we get a brawl between Spider-Man and the Hulk. It's unfortunately not drawn by Romita, who is relegated to inks, but Gil Kane nonetheless does a pretty good job here (but I still don’t care for how Spidey’s mask is drawn in some panels). They each remain in these roles for the remainder of this collection.
Harry relapses (this time with the approval of the Comics Code Authority), one of the plot threads is resolved pretty anticlimactically, and the fight with the Hulk, while cool at first, tuckers out. 3/5
The Night Gwen Stacy Died (originally published June 1973 in The Amazing Spider-Man #121)
This is it. One of the all-timers. The comic that, in the minds of many, killed the Silver Age dead, when we saw the villain of the tale score an unambiguous W at the end. Even if you don’t know the story going in, you’d probably be able to feel something in the air telling you that this is a different kind of Spider-Man story, when compared to most.
The final panels are brilliant. You can practically hear the dramatic music playing while reading Conway’s minimalistic dialogue and narration. The mix of close-ups and long-shots are eerie. Seeing Spider-Man continue to crack jokes in a pressure situation like he always does, when we the reader know that things have totally unraveled for him, is a gut-punch. Saving the title for the final splash page is iconic. 5/5
The Goblin’s Last Stand! (originally published July 1973 in The Amazing Spider-Man #122)
Peter’s occasional moments of continued denial are heartbreaking. His rejection of a confused Harry, and the moment we see desperation in the Goblin, are all shocking, as is the savage beat down Peter delivers in the third act, and the epilogue, which provides pivotal character development for Mary Jane. Another outstanding issue. Easy to see why it was an instant classic. 5/5
...Just a Man Called Cage! (originally published August 1973 in The Amazing Spider-Man #123)
Following the classic duology that preceded it, this one feels like a filler issue. I don’t blame the creative team for that. They’ve earned a filler issue, and this one is an enjoyable one. Luke Cage is the guest star, and he’s pretty fun.
M.J. tries to make a move on Pete as soon as Gwen’s casket is lowered. It’s actually really funny. 3/5
December 10, 2024
Classic stories culminating in the death of Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin. Spi dey's battle with the Hulk and Luke Cage. Aunt May working for Doc Ock and more.
Funny reading all of these back to back, I never realized how annoying Gwen Stacy was and how awful MJ was to Harry Osborne.
Peter Parker's love life is a whole lot of mess.
Funny reading all of these back to back, I never realized how annoying Gwen Stacy was and how awful MJ was to Harry Osborne.
Peter Parker's love life is a whole lot of mess.
January 4, 2022
Of course I read it for the title. Can't be a true Spider-Man fan without reading about Gwen. Great collection of stories with the Hulk, Kraven, Green Goblin and others. Fun era with great art. I feel sorry for Gwen, she paid the price for Peter... and the story is more tragic because of a 'snap'. Poor Gwen, poor Peter.
August 9, 2018
Spider-Man Forced to Grow Up
I think this set of issues are great, with continued decent to exciting storytelling and a deeper sense of reality. A few deaths and things left unanswered too!
I think this set of issues are great, with continued decent to exciting storytelling and a deeper sense of reality. A few deaths and things left unanswered too!
April 21, 2018
The most legendary tale in the history of Spider-Man: The Day Gwen Stacy Died/The Goblin's Last Stand. And I kid you not, I cried. They don't write comics like they used to.
October 19, 2021
Well, this collection was all over the place:
I didn’t really like the first episodes (issues?) - they were very different compared to what I was used to. It’s had to pinpoint why, but it felt much more targeted towards children and much more disjointed. And the god-awful meta commentary by Stan Lee was completely immersion breaking - thank god that stopped when X took over the series.
Then at some point I stared quiet enjoying the stories (I can’t remember where it happened, maybe 5-6ish episodes in?). At some point (a little before the Smasher episodes) I got tired of the monster-and-fight-of-the-week style and the complete disregard for telling a plausible story. This was at it worst during the Smasher episodes, and continued with the Hulk episodes (but these were much better than the Smasher episodes).
The at the end, they pull out some absolute masterpieces! The Night Gwen Stacy Died and The Goblins Last Stand were absolutely spectacular. And the final episode, which name eludes me, was good too. I highly recommend reading these episodes - even though it’s a real shame they had to kill the most pleasant and best written character in the entire book…
All in all, the style takes some getting used too, and it is definitely repetitive, but just maybe the final three stories make it worth the read.
Note: before the final three episodes I had decided to rate this 2 star, but they were so good even my 3 star rating feels too low (got to love recency bias)
I didn’t really like the first episodes (issues?) - they were very different compared to what I was used to. It’s had to pinpoint why, but it felt much more targeted towards children and much more disjointed. And the god-awful meta commentary by Stan Lee was completely immersion breaking - thank god that stopped when X took over the series.
Then at some point I stared quiet enjoying the stories (I can’t remember where it happened, maybe 5-6ish episodes in?). At some point (a little before the Smasher episodes) I got tired of the monster-and-fight-of-the-week style and the complete disregard for telling a plausible story. This was at it worst during the Smasher episodes, and continued with the Hulk episodes (but these were much better than the Smasher episodes).
The at the end, they pull out some absolute masterpieces! The Night Gwen Stacy Died and The Goblins Last Stand were absolutely spectacular. And the final episode, which name eludes me, was good too. I highly recommend reading these episodes - even though it’s a real shame they had to kill the most pleasant and best written character in the entire book…
All in all, the style takes some getting used too, and it is definitely repetitive, but just maybe the final three stories make it worth the read.
Note: before the final three episodes I had decided to rate this 2 star, but they were so good even my 3 star rating feels too low (got to love recency bias)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2017
The most interesting thing about this collection is that it actually picks up right after my Essential Spider-Man collection stops. So I'd only read Spider-Man up to a point shortly before this book. So it's pretty cool to say that I have read Spider-Man all the way from amazing number 15 and then Spider-Man's monthly title one all the way through 122. Great collection. This is really what I think of when I think of Spider-Man. It's just a lot of really great character-driven drama. Of course everyone knows what happens at the end of this collection so it's really not a spoiler to tell you that someone dies but it's interesting to have actually read an entire run up to the point where the character does die. Probably most people have read the issue where Gwen Stacy dies or at least read issues from around that time. But I've actually read every issue from when she was introduced until she passed away. As a Spiderman fan I think that's actually pretty cool. The final issue says that the next issue will contain the man wolf so I'm really hoping that Marvel chooses even more collections from this period of Spider-Man
December 15, 2022
The debut of Hammerhead, Stan Lee's name is finally dropped from the writing credits because of his promotion, and some ok stories (plus a reprint of a previous annual. Maybe the writers were on vacation?). The four stars, though, is because of the title story. Reading these old Spider-Man comics all in a row, you can really see how they were growing up with their audience, and this is the story where the book got chest hair and its voice dropped a few octaves.
Also, reading the whole Gwen Stacy saga in one go makes you really see that Spider-Man really was partially to blame for destroying the Stacy family. He had an (admittedly accidental) hand in both Gwen and her father's deaths, and really should have made the choice between being Spider-Man or having a personal life long before it got so far and so deadly.
Also, reading the whole Gwen Stacy saga in one go makes you really see that Spider-Man really was partially to blame for destroying the Stacy family. He had an (admittedly accidental) hand in both Gwen and her father's deaths, and really should have made the choice between being Spider-Man or having a personal life long before it got so far and so deadly.
May 3, 2021
From around the time I started reading comics. Really a nostalgia trip, and to remind myself how well Spider-Man could be done, since Hollywood can't seem to get him right. Lee was not very good at dialogue, but he co-created a whole universe of characters. And the art of John Romita Sr. is its own draw anyway. Such a master craftsman. The book really takes off after Lee hands over the scripting reins to Gerry Conway, and we get the iconic deaths of Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin. Those issues really heralded a new era and hooked me on comics for life.
August 17, 2025
I mean… wow. Not every issue in this collection is a 10/10, but those last few are insane. The bait-and-switch of Gwen being the one to die and not Harry, Norman being killed the very next issue, and the seeds of Peter’s romance with Mary-Jane being planted so quickly after. The tonal shift between issues 120 and 121 cannot be understated. We go from Spidey fighting the Hulk in Canada to Gwen being murdered. The art changes, the dialogue changes, the tone and feeling of ASM completely changes and I adore every second of it. Wow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2017
Everything you love about Spidey can be found within these pages.
One word of warning, though: the book might be named after him but the Goblin himself only appears in two issues of this mega-collection. It's a bit of a bummer but there's so much other great stuff to be found that you likely won't even notice.
One word of warning, though: the book might be named after him but the Goblin himself only appears in two issues of this mega-collection. It's a bit of a bummer but there's so much other great stuff to be found that you likely won't even notice.
February 29, 2024
Gems include JJJ gets picketed, marches for civil liberties, & plots a mayoral run, Flash nearly goes Buddhist, Doc Strange is unmasked as a peacenik, Spidey v. Gibbon, Kraven v. Gibbon, Doc Ock returns, Ock smokes, Spidey v. Hammerhead, Ock v. Hammerhead, Spidey v. Hulk in Canada, Spidey trolls Thunderbolt Ross, the night Gwen dies, MJ shuts the door, & Cage stuffs JJJ’s mouth w/ his $
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2017
I Have My Answers about Gwen Stacy's Death
The Hulk, Green Goblin, Luke Cage Oh My... Not the kind of action I wanted, tragedy, or details in a love story either, but this book does explain about how, and what he felt with the lost of Gwen Stacy. The last 40 pages are filler.
The Hulk, Green Goblin, Luke Cage Oh My... Not the kind of action I wanted, tragedy, or details in a love story either, but this book does explain about how, and what he felt with the lost of Gwen Stacy. The last 40 pages are filler.
August 19, 2022
There are only 2 issues in this collection that remotely deserve the "epic" label on the cover: . Some of the other issues are decent (in terms of story; the art is quite good throughout).
June 8, 2021
Great "old-school" artwork and amazing storytelling. Wonderful series.
February 25, 2022
This is peak Spidey with all the classic villains, but for modern readers I recommend reading these over time - they can get a little monotonous when read back-to-back.
October 2, 2024
First comic book I bought that truly made me happy just by reading it. Ever since that day, years ago, it's the ultimate feel-good, cozy read.
March 9, 2025
Really solid volume here with a very iconic story included. We see a new writer take over and they fairly quickly shake up the status quo while also keeping things feeling familiar.
March 7, 2021
I read the whole thing (except for the backwards puzzle page). It's sad they had to kill off Gwen Stacy, although I know why they did, she was too much of a good thing in Peter Parker's life and, as well, they had to make room for Mary Jane Watson taking center stage in Spider-Man's romantic endeavors. As was described in the afterword, Mary Jane was just too damn popular amongst all the teenage fan-boys. I agree. Although I don't know if I would've killed off the whole Stacy clan for gawd's sakes. At least they've brought her back for her own series (at least for a little while).
I love the 70's comix vibe, the rough and ready urban scenes of my comic reading youth. I dig Luke Cage as a character. That is I dig the 70's Luke Cage not the current, bald-headed muscle man, too boring. Luke was a stylin' cat in the 70's w/his high collars and head bands. Anyway, like I say, I like the urban vibe, the mobsters w/their machine guns, the race riots, the drug taking, the Vietnam flash-backs. I love it all as much as I hate that stuff in real life.
I dig the fact that Doc Ock is courtin' that old dowdy Aunt May. Why not? Just because she's a widow doesn't mean she doesn't want some tentacle lovin' in her life.
I dig that Spidey spirits off to Canada on J. Jonah Jameson's dime in order to do battle w/Hulk. It's all stupid, harmless fun until Peter Parker's informant gets shot by a Doc Ock goon (at least I think that's what happens).
Great stuff, all of it. I never thought of myself as being a big Spidey fan when I was a kid, I had a subscription to the Hulk, but when I look through my old comic boxes I find more than a few issues of Spider-Man. It's that fantasy-urban comix vibe man, it appealed to me then even more than now.
I love the 70's comix vibe, the rough and ready urban scenes of my comic reading youth. I dig Luke Cage as a character. That is I dig the 70's Luke Cage not the current, bald-headed muscle man, too boring. Luke was a stylin' cat in the 70's w/his high collars and head bands. Anyway, like I say, I like the urban vibe, the mobsters w/their machine guns, the race riots, the drug taking, the Vietnam flash-backs. I love it all as much as I hate that stuff in real life.
I dig the fact that Doc Ock is courtin' that old dowdy Aunt May. Why not? Just because she's a widow doesn't mean she doesn't want some tentacle lovin' in her life.
I dig that Spidey spirits off to Canada on J. Jonah Jameson's dime in order to do battle w/Hulk. It's all stupid, harmless fun until Peter Parker's informant gets shot by a Doc Ock goon (at least I think that's what happens).
Great stuff, all of it. I never thought of myself as being a big Spidey fan when I was a kid, I had a subscription to the Hulk, but when I look through my old comic boxes I find more than a few issues of Spider-Man. It's that fantasy-urban comix vibe man, it appealed to me then even more than now.
July 11, 2024
Loved reading this, especially being such a fan of Green Goblin and always wanting to read the build up to The Night Gwen Stacy Died and The Goblins Last Stand!
April 16, 2022
I wanted to love this to much, especially since the green goblins last stand means something to me, but this was hard to read. I’m not saying I actually struggled reading this, I’m saying this was just not enjoyable. I can officially say I hate reading comics from the 70’s. They describe everything in such immense detail that you just want to close the book. The way the characters talk is unnatural too. It took me about a week to read this because I kept on closing this book.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews