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Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection
Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection, Vol. 6: The Death of Captain Stacy
Spider-Man sagas don’t get more dramatic than the Death of Captain Stacy. After the heroic father of Gwen Stacy becomes collateral damage in a throwdown between Spidey and Doc Ock, it forever changes the life of Peter Parker. That’s not the only iconic moment in Spidey’s life chronicled in this amazing Epic Collection: The Black Widow makes her debut in her classic, black costume, Iceman shows up to give Spidey the cold shoulder, and the first appearance of Morbius, the Living Vampire, portends death for Peter Parker! Norman Osborn descends into the private hell of drug addiction, while the demonic shadow of the Green Goblin looms over the proceedings. Plus: You haven’t seen Spidey til you’ve seen him with six arms!
COLLECTING: Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 86-104, Annual (1964) 7-8 covers only
COLLECTING: Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 86-104, Annual (1964) 7-8 covers only
440 pages, Paperback
First published October 19, 2021
About the author
Stan Lee
7,582 books2,364 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
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 8, 2022
If I could inject Stan and John Romita Spidey directly into my eyeballs, I would. All of the stars.
June 17, 2022
Early ‘70s Marvel is not fondly remembered as a creative high point for the company, and with good reason. But AMAZING SPIDER-MAN was by far the most consistent superhero book they were publishing.
The death of George Stacy is genuinely affecting. And as silly as the “very special episode” issues about Harry Osborne’s drug problems are, they’re also literally the first time a mainstream superhero comic tried to cover the subject. Plus, I’m a sucker for Gil Lane’s Marvel work, and it’s fun to see him start to hit his stride on Spidey.
The death of George Stacy is genuinely affecting. And as silly as the “very special episode” issues about Harry Osborne’s drug problems are, they’re also literally the first time a mainstream superhero comic tried to cover the subject. Plus, I’m a sucker for Gil Lane’s Marvel work, and it’s fun to see him start to hit his stride on Spidey.
March 26, 2022
Another fun Spider-Man collection. I like these old comics. There were some weird ones, but some good ones too.
March 6, 2025
Beware… The Black Widow! (originally published July 1970 in The Amazing Spider-Man #86)
Like many Spidey stories from this era, the first issue in this collection features breakdowns by John Romita with another artist (in this case, Jim Mooney) doing full pencils. I’ve mentioned it in every other review of Spider-Man Masterworks and Epic Collections from this time period, and I’ll say again, that it’s a real shame that Romita couldn’t be the full time artist, because had he been, the truly classic initial run of Lee/Ditko/Romita that went from issues #1-58 could have been extended.
Anyway, Black Widow is the guest star of this issue, and her story in the Marvel universe so far (told primarily through issues of Tales of Suspense and The Avengers) is recapped for the uninitiated before we get the debut of a new costume and a heaping dose of Stan Lee sexism. In the background, Peter and Gwen are on the rocks thanks to a silly and overdramatic ultimatum.
This is a filler issue if there ever was one. Stan blatantly admits it’s an ad for the upcoming solo Black Widow adventures in Amazing Tales, and absolutely nothing of consequence happens in her encounter with Spider-Man. As a lousy bonus, the story also includes the “Peter is losing his powers” trope, my least favorite of the Silver Age. 2/5
Unmasked at Last! (originally published August 1970 in The Amazing Spider-Man #87)
Romita does full pencils on both this issue and the following one. A rare treat!
Anyway, we are back to the “Peter is losing his powers” well once again, but it’s at least used to create a solid conflict here. Too bad the story promptly goes in the same ridiculous direction that a clunker from the Ditko era did, with Peter being revealed as Spider-Man in front of the support cast, with his secret identity still not actually being blown because no one believes it. The first time this silliness occurred is even referred back to! The best part is how hilariously dismissive Mary Jane is, and how she doesn’t care at all that it sets Gwen off and provokes her to tell her to shut up.
Peter’s plan to make everything right again is stupid, but everyone has to fall for it to solve a problem that the Silver-Age-equivalent-to-clickbait cover art created. Just an absurd story; Romita’s excellent art (the expressions in particular look so much better than other recent issues) is the only thing preventing it from getting a 1/5. I would say the story is ambitious in a way for lacking a supervillain fight, but the series has done that a few times by now and every previous one was much better than this crap. 2/5
The Arms of Doctor Octopus! (originally published September 1970 in The Amazing Spider-Man #88)
Doc Ock is in prison, but his mechanical arms are running amok without him. Peter is no longer in the dog house with Gwen, but his scholarship to ESU is hanging by a thread. These developments make for a good set up—then the book is invaded by weird racial caricatures. D’oh!
All in all, a decent story but nothing special. It would have ended with a full cliffhanger if not for the still new-ish policy against cliffhangers, but as is, it still sets up the story for the next issue rather nicely. Romita’s crowd shots are so good, and as always, I love the way he draws Doc Ock. 3/5
Dock Ock Lives! (originally published October 1970 in The Amazing Spider-Man #89)
Gil Kane is now handling pencilling duties, with Romita having been relegated to inks. This would continue for several issues. Kane does an admirable job here. He’s creative with the layouts and splash pages (the book is continuing to look more and more modern), and his art is very good.
Anyway, Doc Ock makes a return after cheating death in the last issue and this one is nearly wall-to-wall action. It’s great, and there is an epic cliffhanger, so the anti-cliffhanger policy must have been reversed or maybe they just made an exception for an arc they knew would end up being a classic.
Also, Ralph Nadar gets a name drop. 4/5
And Death Shall Come! (originally published November 1970 in The Amazing Spider-Man #90)
The death of Captain Stacy was a huge deal at the time, in an era of comics when deaths of even supporting characters rarely ever happened. It’s a super interesting authorial choice to do it in a way that could give Peter guilt, since he wasn’t directly murdered by Doc Ock. I can’t help but think that the choice to off him was influenced by how unbelievable it would have been that he hadn’t worked out Spidey’s secret identity bit (of course, it’s revealed in this story that he did work it out at some point).
The fight scenes with Ock are aces. He’s Spider-Man’s most visually interesting rogue… there’s just such a great contrast between the two. Kane draws him well, and he also seems to be experimenting with sharper angles and emotive qualities for Spidey’s eyes, while continuing to use layouts we have not ever seen in prior issues.
As an aside, there’s a series of pages in this issue that included half-page ads. We wouldn’t see that happen again in this collection, so I can’t imagine it went over well. The “out of web fluid” trope shows up in this issue too, for only the fourth time in the series. Yes, I’ve been counting them—it happens in issues #1, #2, #23, #57 (while Spidey is amnesiac and forgets how to load them), and now #90. I think I can now safely say this isn’t even a trope, just something people perceive as a trope (in the Lee run, at least). 5/5
To Smash the Spider! (originally published December 1970 in The Amazing Spider-Man #91)
This issue takes place in the direct aftermath of Captain Stacy’s death. The choice to use a DA candidate as the antagonist, with no supervillain fight, is interesting for sure, but said DA candidate (“Bullit”) comes off as a bit of a caricature. The issue ends on another big cliffhanger. 3/5
When Iceman Attacks! (originally published January 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #92)
Stan is forced to resort to ridiculous measures to keep Peter’s identity a secret—a problem that could have been avoided by not writing himself into a corner with the big cliffhanger from the previous issue. This story is just like the hundred others from the Silver Age that have two heroes fighting each other, in that it is reliant on the boring “misunderstanding” trope. There’s lots of great Daily Bugle moments that make up for the flaws though: Jonah’s redeeming quality (being staunchly antiracist) is expanded on after being hinted at in the first Prowler issue, and the “I know what you really mean by ‘law and order’” line was remarkably progressive to included in a comic from 1971. 3/5
The Lady and—The Prowler! (originally published February 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #93)
Speak of the devil, the Prowler’s back! He’s reintroduced with a hook that is legitimately interesting.
As for my criticisms, Gwen’s time as a Bullit booster is swept under the rug now that he’s locked up, and she and Peter are in the exact dynamic they were in when Captain Stacy had just died. I have to say, Peter and Gwen are entering their Peter and Betty Brant era. Around and around in circles they go!
Romita draws this and the following issue. 4/5
On Wings of Death! (originally published March 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #94)
I can’t help but think of the origin recap in this issue (which takes up nearly half of it) as padding, but it is important because Spider-Man’s atonement mission is now fully fleshed out and 100% established. Romita’s art shines, although the rest of the story, in which the Beetle abducts Aunt May, is somehow even more inconsequential than an origin recap. 3/5
Trap for a Terrorist! (originally published April 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #95)
Spidey goes to London! On an assignment for the Daily Bugle, and on a mission to win back Gwen, who has run off to live with relatives in the wake of her father’s death.
This issue is reasonably entertaining, and I always like the occasions where we can really see Spider-Man’s brute strength (he tears through a plane!), but am I actually supposed to believe that Peter didn’t consider, even for a moment, until an epiphany on the last couple of pages, that Peter and Spider-Man both being in London would blow his secret identity? It’s something I thought about the whole time and assumed would go unaddressed. In a way, I’m happy it wasn’t ignored, but oh my word, how dense can this “genius” be?
The newscast at the end makes Gwen realize Spider-Man is not a bad guy, but now she is sobbing about Peter not being there, after he has run off as to not blow his secret identity to the girl he loves who he believes still hates Spidey. So yeah, more communication breakdowns to create drama. Nothing Stan and company love more! Peter says to himself as she sobs that she’s probably forgotten him, so yes, we are officially spinning in circles like we did with Betty. 2/5
...and Now, the Goblin! (originally published May 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #96)
Gil Kane is back on pencil duty, and on pencil duty he will remain for the rest of the collection. Romita is again relegated to inks before he will soon vanish entirely for quite some time.
It was in this issue and the following two that Marvel made the ballsy decision to temporarily break from the Comics Code Authority, after the U.S. government asked them to publish some anti-drug books (CCA regulations at the time did not allow for any depiction of drugs, even if it was negative). The portrayal of drugs is as clunky as you may expect, with a homeless man nearly causing his own death due to being too stoned, and one of series’ few black characters (Randy) being the chosen one to go on an anti-drug screed. Anyway, Marvel was successful enough at selling books without the CCA stamp that the CCA decided to relax some of its restrictions.
There is no supervillain fight at any point, but tension is built masterfully as Norman goes off his rocker, to be eventually revealed on the final splash page as the Goblin.
Also, Robbie begins to suspect a Peter/Spidey connection here, so I guess Stacy died for nothing. 4/5
In the Grip of the Goblin! (originally published June 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #97)
After no fight in the previous issue, the first act of this one is a brawl with the Goblin, which Peter essentially loses but gets away. Norman’s knowledge of Spider-Man’s identity, along with him being Peter’s new boss, creates a good hook.
Lots of other things happen: it is revealed that Harry has developed a dependency to various pills, Peter dresses like a golden age rapper, MJ tries to make Harry jealous, and a caricature of a drug dealer preys on him before MJ gives him a full rejection when he wonders aloud if they may be going steady. 4/5
The Goblin’s Last Gasp! (originally published July 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #98)
The previous issue’s cliffhanger is revolved immediately in anticlimactic fashion. The drug dealer caricature is back, and the only positive thing I can say about it is at least it isn’t racist. “Out of web fluid” happens again. Peter and Gwen are reunited in a deus ex machina. For some reason, the letterer stopped using periods with this issue… if a sentence didn’t end with an exclamation point or question mark, it had no punctuation. It’s still an entertaining story though, somehow. 3/5
A Day in the Life of— (originally published August 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #99)
Still no periods, Kane’s art is weird, Peter’s desire to propose to Gwen may have been dated even in 1971, and Peter gets tricked in an unbelievable manner. There’s also no supervillain fight again (interesting!) and a happy ending for Peter and Gwen. 3/5
The Spider or the Man? (originally published September 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #100)
This is it! One hundred issues of Spider-Man, and the final issue in this collection to be scripted by Stan the Man. Roy Thomas would become the second scripter The Amazing Spider-Man ever saw for issues #101-104, before Stan would hop back on for #105-110 and then pass it over to Gerry Conway. Got that? Good!
For a milestone issue, this is very disappointing. Peter acts way out of character, and the story is a plotless cameo-fest. The cover promises the “wildest shock ending of all time” and I do have to say, the final panel does deliver the pants-on-head insanity that was promised, along with a blurb assuring the reader that they aren’t going to cop out with the concept while they leave us on a cliffhanger. Page numbers are gone now, for whatever reasons. 2/5
A Monster Called Morbius! (originally published October 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #101)
Roy Thomas begins his brief arc here, and by God, it’s Morbin’ time.
Yes, Morbius is introduced, and the Lizard returns as well. It’s as good as it could have been while being hampered by the previous issue’s cliffhanger. Periods are back, but page numbers are still MIA. 3/5
Vampire at Large! (originally published November 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #102)
This “double sized” issue is actually more like an issue and a half (35 pages, which are once again numbered). The first act starts with recap, then we get an absurd three-way fight between Spidey, Morbius, and the Lizard. Conners turns back and forth and gets stuck between himself and the Lizard. The second act is a Morbius origin story. The third act ties everything together.
The art is thoroughly mediocre, Peter acts grossly out of character, Gwen mopes and cries a lot, and everything is overwritten. The biggest saving grace the story has is that it gets rid of the ridiculous malady Peter has had since the end of #100, but that should have never existed to begin with. 2/5
Walk the Savage Land! (originally published December 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #103)
Layouts are modernizing further and further. Too bad that Kane’s art is so off-putting at this point… he’s very inconsistent.
Peter tells Gwen that he can’t explain where he’s been, and she bizarrely accepts this. Thomas writes her in a way that gives her nothing to do but agree with and go along with everyone around her, or hysterically sob. The Savage Land, Ka-Zar, and Kraven can’t salvage this story. The Daily Bugle plot is ridiculous, and the cliffhanger is among the clichést of the cliché. 2/5
The Beauty and the Brute (originally published January 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #104)
The Roy Thomas fill-in era (error?) comes to an end, and so does this collection.
Anyway, this issue is overwritten, poorly drawn, predictable, and impossible to maintain any suspension of disbelief while reading it. Hooray! 2/5
Like many Spidey stories from this era, the first issue in this collection features breakdowns by John Romita with another artist (in this case, Jim Mooney) doing full pencils. I’ve mentioned it in every other review of Spider-Man Masterworks and Epic Collections from this time period, and I’ll say again, that it’s a real shame that Romita couldn’t be the full time artist, because had he been, the truly classic initial run of Lee/Ditko/Romita that went from issues #1-58 could have been extended.
Anyway, Black Widow is the guest star of this issue, and her story in the Marvel universe so far (told primarily through issues of Tales of Suspense and The Avengers) is recapped for the uninitiated before we get the debut of a new costume and a heaping dose of Stan Lee sexism. In the background, Peter and Gwen are on the rocks thanks to a silly and overdramatic ultimatum.
This is a filler issue if there ever was one. Stan blatantly admits it’s an ad for the upcoming solo Black Widow adventures in Amazing Tales, and absolutely nothing of consequence happens in her encounter with Spider-Man. As a lousy bonus, the story also includes the “Peter is losing his powers” trope, my least favorite of the Silver Age. 2/5
Unmasked at Last! (originally published August 1970 in The Amazing Spider-Man #87)
Romita does full pencils on both this issue and the following one. A rare treat!
Anyway, we are back to the “Peter is losing his powers” well once again, but it’s at least used to create a solid conflict here. Too bad the story promptly goes in the same ridiculous direction that a clunker from the Ditko era did, with Peter being revealed as Spider-Man in front of the support cast, with his secret identity still not actually being blown because no one believes it. The first time this silliness occurred is even referred back to! The best part is how hilariously dismissive Mary Jane is, and how she doesn’t care at all that it sets Gwen off and provokes her to tell her to shut up.
Peter’s plan to make everything right again is stupid, but everyone has to fall for it to solve a problem that the Silver-Age-equivalent-to-clickbait cover art created. Just an absurd story; Romita’s excellent art (the expressions in particular look so much better than other recent issues) is the only thing preventing it from getting a 1/5. I would say the story is ambitious in a way for lacking a supervillain fight, but the series has done that a few times by now and every previous one was much better than this crap. 2/5
The Arms of Doctor Octopus! (originally published September 1970 in The Amazing Spider-Man #88)
Doc Ock is in prison, but his mechanical arms are running amok without him. Peter is no longer in the dog house with Gwen, but his scholarship to ESU is hanging by a thread. These developments make for a good set up—then the book is invaded by weird racial caricatures. D’oh!
All in all, a decent story but nothing special. It would have ended with a full cliffhanger if not for the still new-ish policy against cliffhangers, but as is, it still sets up the story for the next issue rather nicely. Romita’s crowd shots are so good, and as always, I love the way he draws Doc Ock. 3/5
Dock Ock Lives! (originally published October 1970 in The Amazing Spider-Man #89)
Gil Kane is now handling pencilling duties, with Romita having been relegated to inks. This would continue for several issues. Kane does an admirable job here. He’s creative with the layouts and splash pages (the book is continuing to look more and more modern), and his art is very good.
Anyway, Doc Ock makes a return after cheating death in the last issue and this one is nearly wall-to-wall action. It’s great, and there is an epic cliffhanger, so the anti-cliffhanger policy must have been reversed or maybe they just made an exception for an arc they knew would end up being a classic.
Also, Ralph Nadar gets a name drop. 4/5
And Death Shall Come! (originally published November 1970 in The Amazing Spider-Man #90)
The death of Captain Stacy was a huge deal at the time, in an era of comics when deaths of even supporting characters rarely ever happened. It’s a super interesting authorial choice to do it in a way that could give Peter guilt, since he wasn’t directly murdered by Doc Ock. I can’t help but think that the choice to off him was influenced by how unbelievable it would have been that he hadn’t worked out Spidey’s secret identity bit (of course, it’s revealed in this story that he did work it out at some point).
The fight scenes with Ock are aces. He’s Spider-Man’s most visually interesting rogue… there’s just such a great contrast between the two. Kane draws him well, and he also seems to be experimenting with sharper angles and emotive qualities for Spidey’s eyes, while continuing to use layouts we have not ever seen in prior issues.
As an aside, there’s a series of pages in this issue that included half-page ads. We wouldn’t see that happen again in this collection, so I can’t imagine it went over well. The “out of web fluid” trope shows up in this issue too, for only the fourth time in the series. Yes, I’ve been counting them—it happens in issues #1, #2, #23, #57 (while Spidey is amnesiac and forgets how to load them), and now #90. I think I can now safely say this isn’t even a trope, just something people perceive as a trope (in the Lee run, at least). 5/5
To Smash the Spider! (originally published December 1970 in The Amazing Spider-Man #91)
This issue takes place in the direct aftermath of Captain Stacy’s death. The choice to use a DA candidate as the antagonist, with no supervillain fight, is interesting for sure, but said DA candidate (“Bullit”) comes off as a bit of a caricature. The issue ends on another big cliffhanger. 3/5
When Iceman Attacks! (originally published January 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #92)
Stan is forced to resort to ridiculous measures to keep Peter’s identity a secret—a problem that could have been avoided by not writing himself into a corner with the big cliffhanger from the previous issue. This story is just like the hundred others from the Silver Age that have two heroes fighting each other, in that it is reliant on the boring “misunderstanding” trope. There’s lots of great Daily Bugle moments that make up for the flaws though: Jonah’s redeeming quality (being staunchly antiracist) is expanded on after being hinted at in the first Prowler issue, and the “I know what you really mean by ‘law and order’” line was remarkably progressive to included in a comic from 1971. 3/5
The Lady and—The Prowler! (originally published February 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #93)
Speak of the devil, the Prowler’s back! He’s reintroduced with a hook that is legitimately interesting.
As for my criticisms, Gwen’s time as a Bullit booster is swept under the rug now that he’s locked up, and she and Peter are in the exact dynamic they were in when Captain Stacy had just died. I have to say, Peter and Gwen are entering their Peter and Betty Brant era. Around and around in circles they go!
Romita draws this and the following issue. 4/5
On Wings of Death! (originally published March 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #94)
I can’t help but think of the origin recap in this issue (which takes up nearly half of it) as padding, but it is important because Spider-Man’s atonement mission is now fully fleshed out and 100% established. Romita’s art shines, although the rest of the story, in which the Beetle abducts Aunt May, is somehow even more inconsequential than an origin recap. 3/5
Trap for a Terrorist! (originally published April 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #95)
Spidey goes to London! On an assignment for the Daily Bugle, and on a mission to win back Gwen, who has run off to live with relatives in the wake of her father’s death.
This issue is reasonably entertaining, and I always like the occasions where we can really see Spider-Man’s brute strength (he tears through a plane!), but am I actually supposed to believe that Peter didn’t consider, even for a moment, until an epiphany on the last couple of pages, that Peter and Spider-Man both being in London would blow his secret identity? It’s something I thought about the whole time and assumed would go unaddressed. In a way, I’m happy it wasn’t ignored, but oh my word, how dense can this “genius” be?
The newscast at the end makes Gwen realize Spider-Man is not a bad guy, but now she is sobbing about Peter not being there, after he has run off as to not blow his secret identity to the girl he loves who he believes still hates Spidey. So yeah, more communication breakdowns to create drama. Nothing Stan and company love more! Peter says to himself as she sobs that she’s probably forgotten him, so yes, we are officially spinning in circles like we did with Betty. 2/5
...and Now, the Goblin! (originally published May 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #96)
Gil Kane is back on pencil duty, and on pencil duty he will remain for the rest of the collection. Romita is again relegated to inks before he will soon vanish entirely for quite some time.
It was in this issue and the following two that Marvel made the ballsy decision to temporarily break from the Comics Code Authority, after the U.S. government asked them to publish some anti-drug books (CCA regulations at the time did not allow for any depiction of drugs, even if it was negative). The portrayal of drugs is as clunky as you may expect, with a homeless man nearly causing his own death due to being too stoned, and one of series’ few black characters (Randy) being the chosen one to go on an anti-drug screed. Anyway, Marvel was successful enough at selling books without the CCA stamp that the CCA decided to relax some of its restrictions.
There is no supervillain fight at any point, but tension is built masterfully as Norman goes off his rocker, to be eventually revealed on the final splash page as the Goblin.
Also, Robbie begins to suspect a Peter/Spidey connection here, so I guess Stacy died for nothing. 4/5
In the Grip of the Goblin! (originally published June 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #97)
After no fight in the previous issue, the first act of this one is a brawl with the Goblin, which Peter essentially loses but gets away. Norman’s knowledge of Spider-Man’s identity, along with him being Peter’s new boss, creates a good hook.
Lots of other things happen: it is revealed that Harry has developed a dependency to various pills, Peter dresses like a golden age rapper, MJ tries to make Harry jealous, and a caricature of a drug dealer preys on him before MJ gives him a full rejection when he wonders aloud if they may be going steady. 4/5
The Goblin’s Last Gasp! (originally published July 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #98)
The previous issue’s cliffhanger is revolved immediately in anticlimactic fashion. The drug dealer caricature is back, and the only positive thing I can say about it is at least it isn’t racist. “Out of web fluid” happens again. Peter and Gwen are reunited in a deus ex machina. For some reason, the letterer stopped using periods with this issue… if a sentence didn’t end with an exclamation point or question mark, it had no punctuation. It’s still an entertaining story though, somehow. 3/5
A Day in the Life of— (originally published August 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #99)
Still no periods, Kane’s art is weird, Peter’s desire to propose to Gwen may have been dated even in 1971, and Peter gets tricked in an unbelievable manner. There’s also no supervillain fight again (interesting!) and a happy ending for Peter and Gwen. 3/5
The Spider or the Man? (originally published September 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #100)
This is it! One hundred issues of Spider-Man, and the final issue in this collection to be scripted by Stan the Man. Roy Thomas would become the second scripter The Amazing Spider-Man ever saw for issues #101-104, before Stan would hop back on for #105-110 and then pass it over to Gerry Conway. Got that? Good!
For a milestone issue, this is very disappointing. Peter acts way out of character, and the story is a plotless cameo-fest. The cover promises the “wildest shock ending of all time” and I do have to say, the final panel does deliver the pants-on-head insanity that was promised, along with a blurb assuring the reader that they aren’t going to cop out with the concept while they leave us on a cliffhanger. Page numbers are gone now, for whatever reasons. 2/5
A Monster Called Morbius! (originally published October 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #101)
Roy Thomas begins his brief arc here, and by God, it’s Morbin’ time.
Yes, Morbius is introduced, and the Lizard returns as well. It’s as good as it could have been while being hampered by the previous issue’s cliffhanger. Periods are back, but page numbers are still MIA. 3/5
Vampire at Large! (originally published November 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #102)
This “double sized” issue is actually more like an issue and a half (35 pages, which are once again numbered). The first act starts with recap, then we get an absurd three-way fight between Spidey, Morbius, and the Lizard. Conners turns back and forth and gets stuck between himself and the Lizard. The second act is a Morbius origin story. The third act ties everything together.
The art is thoroughly mediocre, Peter acts grossly out of character, Gwen mopes and cries a lot, and everything is overwritten. The biggest saving grace the story has is that it gets rid of the ridiculous malady Peter has had since the end of #100, but that should have never existed to begin with. 2/5
Walk the Savage Land! (originally published December 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #103)
Layouts are modernizing further and further. Too bad that Kane’s art is so off-putting at this point… he’s very inconsistent.
Peter tells Gwen that he can’t explain where he’s been, and she bizarrely accepts this. Thomas writes her in a way that gives her nothing to do but agree with and go along with everyone around her, or hysterically sob. The Savage Land, Ka-Zar, and Kraven can’t salvage this story. The Daily Bugle plot is ridiculous, and the cliffhanger is among the clichést of the cliché. 2/5
The Beauty and the Brute (originally published January 1972 in The Amazing Spider-Man #104)
The Roy Thomas fill-in era (error?) comes to an end, and so does this collection.
Anyway, this issue is overwritten, poorly drawn, predictable, and impossible to maintain any suspension of disbelief while reading it. Hooray! 2/5
November 4, 2021
This collection was a lot of fun with some amazing art by Gil Kane and some so-so art by John Romita. We get writing chores split between Stan Lee and Roy Thomas and I have to say Roy Thomas actually does the better job.
This collection catches Spider-man/Peter Parker in the middle of his relationship with Gwen Stacy and has some key issues in it for any Spidey fan.
You have the Drug issues with Harry Osborn that don't have the comic code on the front because the jerks at the comic code refused to let an anti-drug story be approved. Obviously a different time but even for that time, common sense should have said "it is okay to have a story about drug use that says how bad it is".
You have the Death of Captain Stacy - too bad that is spoiled in the title.
These are written by Lee and are classics but I can't help thinking - with a bit of a stronger writer they could have been even more impactful. Captain Stacy's death in particular was due to some rubble falling during a fight with Doc Ock. Kind of anti-climactic. A waste of a good character.
As a side bonus - you even get the Black Widow showing off her traditional all black costume that we associate with the character (more so than her original look from Iron Man) and a run in with an X-Man (the Icy one).
Then you get the birth of Morbius the vampire. Roy Thomas takes over writing and I thik it added some spark into the stories. He might not be as good at developing the pathos of the PArker character but his inventiveness with the villains and backstories is a lot of fun. And we end off with a trip the Savage Land and Kraven and Ka-Zar. I have to say NOBODY can draw reptiles and snakes like Gil Kane. Even the (at times) ham fisted inking of Frank Giacoia can't ruin them. I really love Kane's art and he is much more dynamic than Romita and (IMO) a much better fit for Spider-Man. His stories are the ones that popped and worked best for me.
So, a lot of great Spider-man fun from a classic era. With all the key villains showing up, Kraven, The Lizard, Doc Ock, Green Goblin, The Beetle, The Prowler and a new one Morbius it is a great showcase of how many memorable villains Spidey has in his rogue's gallery. Well worth it.
This collection catches Spider-man/Peter Parker in the middle of his relationship with Gwen Stacy and has some key issues in it for any Spidey fan.
You have the Drug issues with Harry Osborn that don't have the comic code on the front because the jerks at the comic code refused to let an anti-drug story be approved. Obviously a different time but even for that time, common sense should have said "it is okay to have a story about drug use that says how bad it is".
You have the Death of Captain Stacy - too bad that is spoiled in the title.
These are written by Lee and are classics but I can't help thinking - with a bit of a stronger writer they could have been even more impactful. Captain Stacy's death in particular was due to some rubble falling during a fight with Doc Ock. Kind of anti-climactic. A waste of a good character.
As a side bonus - you even get the Black Widow showing off her traditional all black costume that we associate with the character (more so than her original look from Iron Man) and a run in with an X-Man (the Icy one).
Then you get the birth of Morbius the vampire. Roy Thomas takes over writing and I thik it added some spark into the stories. He might not be as good at developing the pathos of the PArker character but his inventiveness with the villains and backstories is a lot of fun. And we end off with a trip the Savage Land and Kraven and Ka-Zar. I have to say NOBODY can draw reptiles and snakes like Gil Kane. Even the (at times) ham fisted inking of Frank Giacoia can't ruin them. I really love Kane's art and he is much more dynamic than Romita and (IMO) a much better fit for Spider-Man. His stories are the ones that popped and worked best for me.
So, a lot of great Spider-man fun from a classic era. With all the key villains showing up, Kraven, The Lizard, Doc Ock, Green Goblin, The Beetle, The Prowler and a new one Morbius it is a great showcase of how many memorable villains Spidey has in his rogue's gallery. Well worth it.
April 13, 2024
This wasn’t quite as bad as my initial impression.
Gil Kane’s first work on the book is collected here, and he is (in my opinion) a highly underrated early Spider-Man artist. His grasp of anatomy brings a new life to the illustration after Ditko’s and Romita’s comparatively tamer styles.
The stories, while solidly by this point formulaic, are at least decent for Lee’s remaining scripted issues. Captain Stacy’s death and the 100th issue are both standouts. Thomas’s writing is just straight-up poor, though. Every issue collected here after 100 is a genuine struggle. They earnestly hurt the quality of the overall volume.
Overall before that point though, the book ranges from decent to really solid.
1st read: Oct 21 2021-Nov 10 2021, 2 stars
I was surprised to not be very impressed by this book.
Clearly, by this point in ASM, Stan was kind of losing his verve. His scripting work is effectively taken over by someone else, who uses an obscene amount of purple prose. It feels exceedingly cheesy.
The name of the book points to, basically, the best story in the collection. The rest of it feels rather lacking.
Gil Kane’s first work on the book is collected here, and he is (in my opinion) a highly underrated early Spider-Man artist. His grasp of anatomy brings a new life to the illustration after Ditko’s and Romita’s comparatively tamer styles.
The stories, while solidly by this point formulaic, are at least decent for Lee’s remaining scripted issues. Captain Stacy’s death and the 100th issue are both standouts. Thomas’s writing is just straight-up poor, though. Every issue collected here after 100 is a genuine struggle. They earnestly hurt the quality of the overall volume.
Overall before that point though, the book ranges from decent to really solid.
1st read: Oct 21 2021-Nov 10 2021, 2 stars
I was surprised to not be very impressed by this book.
Clearly, by this point in ASM, Stan was kind of losing his verve. His scripting work is effectively taken over by someone else, who uses an obscene amount of purple prose. It feels exceedingly cheesy.
The name of the book points to, basically, the best story in the collection. The rest of it feels rather lacking.
May 6, 2022
I've been sitting on doing this review for a couple weeks, and I don't know why. Well, a lot's been going on in the world. Maybe that's enough for now.
In any case, this is the first Marvel collection I've read in a while on my chronological journey that I've enjoyed almost unreservedly! It's light and fresh, it's dramatic in just the right ways, the action is fun and well-paced. Spidey finds a new artist in the course of this collection in Gil Kane; despite being known as the "upnose artist" in some circles (which is a well-deserved title), his work is smooth and polished, and gives Spidey a rounded solidity that usually works quite well. Aside from his preoccupation with upnose shots, Kane has some other artistic peculiarities, which often work quite well: I like his tendency to foreground a scene with some literal activity while filling in a symbolic background, a tactic usually used to contrast the differences between Peter Parker's circumstances and his existence as Spider-Man. (There is an odd case in which Peter and Gwen are running towards each other, and the symbolic background is just Gwen's head. No one ever said it wasn't also just a time-saver on background details!)
There are at least three truly classic Spidey-moments in this collection: the titular death, the famous code-three Green Goblin three-parter dealing with drug abuse, and the Six-Armed Spidey Saga that also introduced Morbius. The first of the three is handled sensitively and must have come as a real shock to the reading audience of the time; the second probably doesn't hold up as well from a cultural standpoint, given its somewhat ham-fisted treatment of addiction, but points for giving it a try, and besides, the fight between Peter and the Goblin is pretty great, especially the resolution dependent of Norman Osborn's love for his son (and how's that for a Mighty Marvel Rambler of a sentence); and the third is, of course, iconically silly and fun.
What strikes me is that the writing - especially the dialogue - is not markedly different from that in the execrable Daredevil comics being published at the same time. The difference, of course, is that the sometimes-breezy, sometimes-overly-melodramatic tone fits so much better with a bunch of college freshmen than it does the world of a putatively adult lawyer, his colleagues, and his whole milieu. The earnestness of it works in the context where it belongs. The tragedy of Daredevil in the Silver Age is that there was never any hope of doing a serious comic book superhero legal procedural. A college-age superhero romance soap was much more workable with the same raw materials.
In any case, this is the first Marvel collection I've read in a while on my chronological journey that I've enjoyed almost unreservedly! It's light and fresh, it's dramatic in just the right ways, the action is fun and well-paced. Spidey finds a new artist in the course of this collection in Gil Kane; despite being known as the "upnose artist" in some circles (which is a well-deserved title), his work is smooth and polished, and gives Spidey a rounded solidity that usually works quite well. Aside from his preoccupation with upnose shots, Kane has some other artistic peculiarities, which often work quite well: I like his tendency to foreground a scene with some literal activity while filling in a symbolic background, a tactic usually used to contrast the differences between Peter Parker's circumstances and his existence as Spider-Man. (There is an odd case in which Peter and Gwen are running towards each other, and the symbolic background is just Gwen's head. No one ever said it wasn't also just a time-saver on background details!)
There are at least three truly classic Spidey-moments in this collection: the titular death, the famous code-three Green Goblin three-parter dealing with drug abuse, and the Six-Armed Spidey Saga that also introduced Morbius. The first of the three is handled sensitively and must have come as a real shock to the reading audience of the time; the second probably doesn't hold up as well from a cultural standpoint, given its somewhat ham-fisted treatment of addiction, but points for giving it a try, and besides, the fight between Peter and the Goblin is pretty great, especially the resolution dependent of Norman Osborn's love for his son (and how's that for a Mighty Marvel Rambler of a sentence); and the third is, of course, iconically silly and fun.
What strikes me is that the writing - especially the dialogue - is not markedly different from that in the execrable Daredevil comics being published at the same time. The difference, of course, is that the sometimes-breezy, sometimes-overly-melodramatic tone fits so much better with a bunch of college freshmen than it does the world of a putatively adult lawyer, his colleagues, and his whole milieu. The earnestness of it works in the context where it belongs. The tragedy of Daredevil in the Silver Age is that there was never any hope of doing a serious comic book superhero legal procedural. A college-age superhero romance soap was much more workable with the same raw materials.
December 13, 2024
Collecting issues #86 thru #104, July 1970 to January 1972. Writers Stan Lee and Roy Thomas, art by John Romita and Gil Kane. These years were when I was first introduced to Spider-Man as a kid. The Death of Captain Stacy shadows Peter Parker's mood for many of the issues here. His love for Gwen Stacy is smothered by guilt for her father's death. The usual suspects, Doc Ock, the Lizard and Green Goblin make appearances. His pal and roommate Harry Osborn has a turn with drug addiction. This is a collection I've been reading a little bit at a time instead of straight through. I like to pick up certain Epic Collections when they're of interest to me. You have to act fast though. They disappear from comic book stores and you don't see them again until some of them go for high prices.
February 15, 2024
Gems include JJJ accuses Black Widow of copying Spidey, Prowler impersonates Spidey, Ock skyjacks Big Minh, Peter declines to protest w/ Ralph Nader, Gwen goes rightwing after Spidey causes her father’s death, Iceman & Prowler save Gwen from Spidey, Beetle kidnaps May, Spidey stalks Gwen in London, Norman v. Randy, Harry ODs, Spidey scissors Goblin to look at drugged-out Harry, Spidey goes to prison, 6-armed Spidey, Spidey v. Morb, Morb v. Lizard, & Kraven rescues Gwen in the Savage Land, but Kraven should’ve beat Ka-Zar silly
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2024
I must admit there are some classic stories in this volume. Stan Lee's stories were verbose or clatter with whiney Parker. Yes, there was some of that, and they didn't revolve around sick Aunt May. So, thankfully, they were more mature battle stories and even brought back Goblin, a Doc Ock story, Kraven, a trip to London and more.
The best part is that most of these stories were drawn by one of my favorite artists, Gil Kane. Beautifully done.
The best part is that most of these stories were drawn by one of my favorite artists, Gil Kane. Beautifully done.
January 8, 2025
Another solid spiderman outing. Some weirder stories in here compared to prior volumes, but consistently good artwork and the better stories make up for it. The series gets flipped on its head a bit with the death of Gwen's dad and how that impacts everyone going forward so that was a nice change of pace, though I am sad to see the character go.
June 2, 2021
- retorno de stan aos argumentos com romita e Gil Kane
-viúva negra , doc ok , homem de gelo, o gatuno, o besouro , duende verde, estreia de morbius e do homem aranha de 6 braços, lagarto , kraven , kazar
- morte de um personagem importante na vida do aranha
- Gwen está sempre a chorar( a pancada do jjj ou a tia may no hospital)
-viúva negra , doc ok , homem de gelo, o gatuno, o besouro , duende verde, estreia de morbius e do homem aranha de 6 braços, lagarto , kraven , kazar
- morte de um personagem importante na vida do aranha
- Gwen está sempre a chorar( a pancada do jjj ou a tia may no hospital)
July 11, 2024
The final volume of Stan Lee's run. Like Fantastic Four, I was surprised reading this just how much energy is lost when he was in full control of the book. Those earlier Steve Ditko comics were almost perfect and when he left, this series lost something. This final volume is fine but I think it was starting to feel stagnant around this time.
November 6, 2021
Stan Lee, Gil Kane, John Romita... what else need you add?
April 19, 2022
Gil Kane is amazing. No pun intended.
May 24, 2022
Reading Spider-Man stories from 1960s is a chore. I wanted just story arc of death of stacys but not available so had to buy this epic collection
September 30, 2022
Stan Lee seems to have lost interest, but there's great art by Gil Kane.
December 14, 2022
First appearance of Morbius and Peter continues to ruin Gwen Stacy's life.
October 1, 2024
3,5
miało być 4, ale te końcowe części.... 6 rąk, wampiry, jakaś dżungla, no widać że stan lee tu nie był writerem moi drodzy
miało być 4, ale te końcowe części.... 6 rąk, wampiry, jakaś dżungla, no widać że stan lee tu nie był writerem moi drodzy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2025
Some of the best spider man art
June 6, 2025
I can't believe it was Morbin' Time the *exact second* Stan Lee stopped writing.
July 29, 2022
This is primarily the Gil Kane era including the classic Morbius origin.
November 23, 2024
Really enjoyed this book. Some great issues with a lot of emotional weight. Would recommend !!
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