Spider-Man: The Lifeline Tablet Saga

Spider-Man: Lifeline #1-3

by Stan Lee, John Romita Sr. (Illustrator), Jim Mooney (Illustrator)

Relive a Spidey epic decades in the telling! It all begins with a classic struggle over a petrified tablet said to hold the secret to eternal life! It's a priceless relic that a lot of dangerous folks want to get their hands on - like the Kingpin of Crime, the Shocker, Man Mountain Marko and Maggia boss Silvermane! Others are drawn into the fray - including Quicksilver and Dr. Curt Connors - but the tablet has a lesson to Be careful what you wish for! Years later, Hammerhead sets his sights on the sought-after stone - and its full secrets are revealed in a free-for-all that draws in Boomerang, the Sub-Mariner and Connors' savage alter ego, the Lizard! Only a Spider-Man/Doctor Strange team-up can prevent the Lifeline Tablet from wreaking havoc! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #68-75 and LIFELINE #1-3.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Spider Man, Marvel

248 pages, Paperback

Published May 9, 2017

About the author

Stan 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.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I typically find Stan Lee's writing hokey compared to modern comics. Outside of the "hip" 60's lingo he used like calling people "cats", and Joe Robertson's son calling caucasians "whitey" nonstop, it was surprisingly enjoyable. I was very surprised at how socially conscious the book was, much more so than now. John Romita's art is classic. Also included is a modern day story drawn Steve "The Dude" Rude. The Maggia is again fighting over the lifeline tablet and it's actually not quite as good as the original.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comics for twelve cents? You can't get much of anything for such spare change these days!

Seriously, this was better than most comic omnibuses I've read, because it brings the action and a great storyline, but doesn't deal in profanity or other offensive content (other than a brief remark in one of the newer issues). The artwork was fabulous, and the color made my eyes pop. This is how I like my comics.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really epic stuff. I'm not at all a fan of Spidey vs. The Mob stories, and I've read the old Lee/Romita issues included here enough times that I though I'd be sick of them, but nope, those old Stan Lee Spider-Man stories always end up sucking me back in. The three-issue Fabian Nicieza/Steve Rude sequel story was incredibly well done...I had forgotten how enjoyable it was, and how perfectly Nicieza captured Spider-Man's voice and sense of humor. I laughed out loud quite a few times. Overall a good, solid, FUN collection. Highly recommended.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one!!!!!
I've been a Web-Head fan for over 40 years, and have read more than my fair share of his adventures. But this one was a new one on me.
It collects Amazing Spider-Man # 68-75.
Written by Stan Lee and drawn by John Romita SR. (Romita's Spider-Man is the one I grew up with and I love his art work)
An ancient tablet has been discovered, and everybody seems to want it, for reasons both fair and foul...it is up to Spider-Man to make sure the secrets of the tablet don't fall into the wrong hands....
A great story. And it's also a look at the real life daily struggles of the time, and it's nice to see how Lee incorporated them into the story.
A three part sequel from the early 2000s is also here as well. The art is different, but the story is a worthy conclusion.
Great fun.
Highly recommended.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

via NYPL - Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Post-Ditko Spider-Man can be a hit or miss affair for Stan Lee, but the issues here are mostly pretty enjoyable, with good Romita/Mooney/Buscema artwork. The sequel portion, done 30-some years later, by Nicieza and Rude, was heavier on quips, (a little) lighter on Peter's heavy-handed self-flagellation. And the Steve Rude artwork (the main reason I borrowed the book) is just gorgeous.

[Jota Houses · Rating 2 out of 5]

Al final creo que lo que me he leido es un homenaje al Spider-Man clásico de Lee y Romita a cargo de Rude que continúa un argumento de los años sesenta. El dibujo de Rude es calco de la line aclásica de Romita y el argumento lleva consigo todo lo bueno y lo malo del Spider-Man original.
Nada más y nada menos.

[Matthew Ledrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the art, some of the finest I've seen.

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun set of stories, that Nick Spencer clearly also liked since he revisited them recently. Nice to have it in a collection instead of singles.

[Nicolas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting to follow this throughline as the story progressed, but it never really hit the target. I was underwhelmed.

We discuss some of our favorite Spidey stories in this episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/of...

[Kieran Westphal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crazily enough, I actually enjoyed the newer Lifeline miniseries more than revisiting the old Lee/Romita issues included in this collection. Steve Rude's art on the miniseries is really incredible stuff, and the way it explores Peter's own relationship to the potentially life changing effects of the Tablet are a little more interesting than the original story. Besides, I find the tablet story more forgettable than most of the classic 60s Spidey stories anyway.