What do you think?
Rate this book
Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man #23
Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 23
Roger Stern and John Romita Jr. earned their stripes as two of Marvel’s most legendary creators with their run on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN — and they kick off this volume with the introduction of the Hobgoblin! Who is he, and how did he quickly become one of Spidey’s most threatening villains? Then, you can’t keep a bad Vulture down, as the master criminal returns in a classic two-parter! Plus confrontations with the Mad Thinker, Thunderball and Spidey’s most famous rogue — J. Jonah Jameson! Peter Parker’s romantic life gets messy when both Mary Jane and the Black Cat enter the picture! And topping it all off, one of the most beloved Spidey stories of all time, “The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man!”
COLLECTING: Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 238-251, Annual (1964) 17; Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) 85; The Official Marvel Try-Out Book (1983)
COLLECTING: Amazing Spider-Man (1963) 238-251, Annual (1964) 17; Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) 85; The Official Marvel Try-Out Book (1983)
- GenresComicsSpider ManMarvel
472 pages, Hardcover
Published January 4, 2022
14 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Roger Stern
1,554 books111 followersRoger Stern is an American comic book author and novelist.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 16, 2024
As close to perfection as Spidey gets, for my money. If you don’t believe me, just read ‘The Kid Who Collected Spider-Man’ (included in this volume, naturally). Surely a contender for best Spidey story ever made… and it’s only eleven pages long! Makes me blub every darned time…
July 19, 2023
Introduces the Hobgoblin, a nice step-up from the boring previous volumes.
If anything this volume also shows Klaus Janson and Dan Green are the best inkers for JR jr
If anything this volume also shows Klaus Janson and Dan Green are the best inkers for JR jr
June 15, 2024
An excellent run of Spidey comics with quite a bit of variety. The Vulture gets an origin story, a great annual, a fun and insightful look at Spidey's supporting characters, and the heartfelt tale of "The Boy Who Collected Spider-Man."
This volume also begins and ends with the big new baddie in town, the Hobgoblin.
This volume also begins and ends with the big new baddie in town, the Hobgoblin.
March 5, 2022
A veces un hombre tiene que hacer lo que un hombre tiene que hacer, sobre todo si tiene un gran poder que le conlleva una gran responsabilidad. Iba a celebrar este primer Día del Cómic oficial de España echándome a las calles a dejarme los dineros en materiales pertinentes, pero tenía pendiente este volumen de your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man que compré de recuerdo en una visita a Nueva York y, maldita sea, mejor disfrutar de lo que se tiene que acumular sin sentido.
Para mí, que crecí y me eduqué con las historias de los 80 y los 90, encuentro este arco argumental clásico de Spidey ingenuo en su forma de narrar (con tanto discurso a lo Moriarty y tanto flashback y referencia al pasado) y en su dibujo, tan imperfecto y poco neumático; de sus visiones sociales mejor no hablo, que eran claro reflejo de un tiempo y un lugar al que no queremos volver por muy fuerte que lo estemos intentando.
Pero es una historia clásica del Hombre-Araña: la primera aparición del Duende (no Verde, del que yo tenía una figura de acción cuando era pequeño que vaya Vd. a saber qué fue de ella), que toma las herramientas y el testigo del Duende Verde con el afán exclusivo de hacer el mal y destruir al protagonista. Pero la tensión se centra durante todo el volumen en conocer la identidad del Duende, ¡y te dejan en ascuas! Tendrían que pasar muchos números de las series de Spidey para conocer la elección imperfecta de la persona tras la máscara del Duende que se hizo en su momento, que luego se parcheó por las quejas del público para, en tiempos más modernos… Bueno, digamos que se complicó como se complican todas las historias que llevan más de medio siglo publicándose y están obligadas a sorprender mes a mes aún a cuenta de la cordura del lector y los saltos sobre los tiburones.
¿Es una buena historia? Sí, si no se tienen en cuenta sus ingenuidades y se contextualiza bien. ¿Ha envejecido cual vino de dulce uva en barrica de brandy? Definitivamente no, se le ven las arrugas y las costuras en la distancia, pero qué demonios: a mí también y no me resta un ápice de atractivo.
Para mí, que crecí y me eduqué con las historias de los 80 y los 90, encuentro este arco argumental clásico de Spidey ingenuo en su forma de narrar (con tanto discurso a lo Moriarty y tanto flashback y referencia al pasado) y en su dibujo, tan imperfecto y poco neumático; de sus visiones sociales mejor no hablo, que eran claro reflejo de un tiempo y un lugar al que no queremos volver por muy fuerte que lo estemos intentando.
Pero es una historia clásica del Hombre-Araña: la primera aparición del Duende (no Verde, del que yo tenía una figura de acción cuando era pequeño que vaya Vd. a saber qué fue de ella), que toma las herramientas y el testigo del Duende Verde con el afán exclusivo de hacer el mal y destruir al protagonista. Pero la tensión se centra durante todo el volumen en conocer la identidad del Duende, ¡y te dejan en ascuas! Tendrían que pasar muchos números de las series de Spidey para conocer la elección imperfecta de la persona tras la máscara del Duende que se hizo en su momento, que luego se parcheó por las quejas del público para, en tiempos más modernos… Bueno, digamos que se complicó como se complican todas las historias que llevan más de medio siglo publicándose y están obligadas a sorprender mes a mes aún a cuenta de la cordura del lector y los saltos sobre los tiburones.
¿Es una buena historia? Sí, si no se tienen en cuenta sus ingenuidades y se contextualiza bien. ¿Ha envejecido cual vino de dulce uva en barrica de brandy? Definitivamente no, se le ven las arrugas y las costuras en la distancia, pero qué demonios: a mí también y no me resta un ápice de atractivo.
March 11, 2024
Stern is one of the definitive Spidey writers
What can I say about the issues collected here that hasn’t been said before?
The debut of The Hobgoblin, the deepening of Vulture's character, The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man? I mean this book is filled with just classic, defining stories for Spider-Man and they're all excellent.
The main attraction is, of course, The Hobgoblin storyline, which kicks off the book in issue #238, and continues to run through #239, #245-#246 and finally, sort of abruptly, ending in a three-parter across #249-#251. Even if Roger Stern wasn’t able to give it the conclusion he originally wanted, due to editorial in-fighting at the time, what is here is still super fun and great. Even with the knowledge of Hobgoblin's true identity nowadays, it’s still written in a way that it makes you want to find out the mystery even if you already know the answer.
The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man is also a big highlight here, an amazing, tearjerker of a story that is still effective in capturing the type of character that Peter is.
And even some of the one off issues are petty fun, the Mad Thinker one, the bonus Spectacular Spider-Man issue where he fights Hobgoblin and the Annual are all still fun reads.
Stern's run, for as short and as suddenly cut-off as it was, proved to be one of the best and most important eras in the character's history and this book captures the highest of high points for it. Loved it.
What can I say about the issues collected here that hasn’t been said before?
The debut of The Hobgoblin, the deepening of Vulture's character, The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man? I mean this book is filled with just classic, defining stories for Spider-Man and they're all excellent.
The main attraction is, of course, The Hobgoblin storyline, which kicks off the book in issue #238, and continues to run through #239, #245-#246 and finally, sort of abruptly, ending in a three-parter across #249-#251. Even if Roger Stern wasn’t able to give it the conclusion he originally wanted, due to editorial in-fighting at the time, what is here is still super fun and great. Even with the knowledge of Hobgoblin's true identity nowadays, it’s still written in a way that it makes you want to find out the mystery even if you already know the answer.
The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man is also a big highlight here, an amazing, tearjerker of a story that is still effective in capturing the type of character that Peter is.
And even some of the one off issues are petty fun, the Mad Thinker one, the bonus Spectacular Spider-Man issue where he fights Hobgoblin and the Annual are all still fun reads.
Stern's run, for as short and as suddenly cut-off as it was, proved to be one of the best and most important eras in the character's history and this book captures the highest of high points for it. Loved it.
July 27, 2025
238-239 ★★★★★
First appearance of the Hobgoblin. A robber gets away and stumbles into a secret room of Osborn's. The room is looted by someone who calls himself the Hobgoblin.
340-341 ★★★★ & ★★★
Vulture wants revenge on his old business partner. MJ Cameo. The personal stuff in 240 was good but 341 was boring.
242-243 ★★★★
Lance confronts Peter about Amy. The thinker attacks Spidey with an android. And MJ is back. Entertaining, nothing special. A scene with Black Cat in the hospital.
244-245 ★★★★
Hobgoblin. Black Cat's recovering in the hospital. Peter decided to drop out of graduate school. Everyone is trying to setup Peter and MJ.
246 ★★
Everyone daydreams. Pointless.
247-248 ★★★★
Peter and MJ's aunts are trying to set them up now. Peter is trying to figure out who the Hobgoblin is and fights thunderball.
249-251 ★★★★★
The hobgoblin blackmails people, including Jameson and Harry. Spidey loses his Spider-sense.
First appearance of the Hobgoblin. A robber gets away and stumbles into a secret room of Osborn's. The room is looted by someone who calls himself the Hobgoblin.
340-341 ★★★★ & ★★★
Vulture wants revenge on his old business partner. MJ Cameo. The personal stuff in 240 was good but 341 was boring.
242-243 ★★★★
Lance confronts Peter about Amy. The thinker attacks Spidey with an android. And MJ is back. Entertaining, nothing special. A scene with Black Cat in the hospital.
244-245 ★★★★
Hobgoblin. Black Cat's recovering in the hospital. Peter decided to drop out of graduate school. Everyone is trying to setup Peter and MJ.
246 ★★
Everyone daydreams. Pointless.
247-248 ★★★★
Peter and MJ's aunts are trying to set them up now. Peter is trying to figure out who the Hobgoblin is and fights thunderball.
249-251 ★★★★★
The hobgoblin blackmails people, including Jameson and Harry. Spidey loses his Spider-sense.
April 16, 2023
The Hobgoblin Lives
In this amazing collection, we meet and read all about the Hobgoblin. A very cool character that ultimately becomes one of Spidey's most feared villains. Great artwork and storytelling throughout, this is a must read collection for any Spider-Man fan!
The extras in this collection are super awesome too.
In this amazing collection, we meet and read all about the Hobgoblin. A very cool character that ultimately becomes one of Spidey's most feared villains. Great artwork and storytelling throughout, this is a must read collection for any Spider-Man fan!
The extras in this collection are super awesome too.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews