The Amazing Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski: Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1

Amazing Spider-Man Modern Era Epic Collection

by J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita Jr. (Illustrator)

J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr. introduce an enigmatic stranger who will forever change the way Peter Parker views himself ... and the origins of his amazing alter ego Plus, the web-slinger struggles with the most horrific tragedy ever to befall his city: the events of Sept. 11. Then, for years, Peter Parker kept his heroic double identity a guarded secret from his beloved Aunt May. Now that she's finally learned the truth, how will May react to the shocking revelation? Plus: On a trip to California, Spider-Man takes on his classic foe, Doctor Octopus Collects Amazing Spider-Man #30-45.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Spider Man, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

400 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 2009

About the author

Joseph Michael Straczynski is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the comic books Amazing Spider-Man#30-45 in which J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr. kick off their amazing run in which they blow-up the Spider-Man mythos, or should I say actually re-create it. You've read the rest, now here's the best. The best! Morlun! Ezekiel! Aunt May knows! Doc Octopus's young pretender! Some huge MJ drama! Young Jennifer! Shatra! Teaching Peter! Unstoppable! 8 out of 12 overall, making the best Spider-Man series I've read up to 2012, and still the best after my 2014 reread

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading JMS' run on Thor, I thought it was high time to catch up on this acclaimed run on web-head. So far, I do not regret that investment of time or energy. This storytelling is deep with emotional resonance, sprinkled with occasional touches of humour, and layered with cinematic overlaps between words and pictures. It's clear JMS was putting his A-game on in this work, and that he was trying to live up to some of the best writing that's been done in the decades of Spider-man that come before him.

I really enjoy the first story arc - finding a new way to weave the origin myths into a tale that doesn't feel completely bolted on? Well done. And the villains and secondary characters a re well fleshed out - enjoyable, believable and pretty human.

[LBK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like this run so far

[Nicko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly, this was my first time reading the “infamous” JMS run. Years ago, I did read BACK IN BLACK which was phenomenal and still some of the best comics I’ve ever read, so I know JMS can deliver. But I’d heard a lot about it — how it’s one of the best Spidey runs — and of course, I knew a little bit of it before going in — the Ezekiel/Morlun stuff and spider-totem ish. That being said, I thought it was a good run, not a GREAT run, and honestly a tad bit disappointed. I guess I was just expecting for it to be a knock out of the park, but it wasn’t to me. I’m hoping Vol. 2 will be that. Some of my issues were, I didn’t expect for the Ezekiel/Morlun/totem stuff to be introduced and focused on and tackled, so early on. It’s literally the first arc. I guess I had the idea in my head that that was gonna be some epic stuff to be saved for later on in the run (because yes, I do know that somewhere in JMS’s run, Morlun does end up killing Spider-Man), so I thought it was going to build up to that, not tackle it right away. Also, if JMS was supposed to take Spidey back to his “roots” and dial in the more heartful stuff, I didn’t think starting the arc with exploring the more “fantastical” (and controversial) stuff, especially dealing with the mythos, early on was a good idea. That being said, once Morlun was in full focus, the book did become a page turner. Reminded me of BACK IN BLACK — JMS is just so good at making the reader feel the intensity — that edge of your seat feeling. Other than that, don’t get me wrong, all the character stuff, was well-handled I thought. Mainly, Peter’s voice, felt right at home. He’s got some kick to him — deciding to teach/help at his former school now that it’s sketch (w/ some persuading from Aunt May). And I just loved his narration/thoughts as well. Obviously, there’s that homage to ASM #33 that, to me, was well done. Aunt May finding out Peter’s secret and their conversation(s) was nice and had just enough friction. Aunt May had a nice arc. Even MJ who I wasn’t expecting to softly let Peter down by the end was an interesting choice. Also, random, but I loved the issue where Spidey asks help from Strange and he goes into that other realm. Super cool seeing Spidey out of his element there briefly. But I didn’t really enjoy the whole 2 Doc Ock’s thing by the end of the book. Just felt uninspired. Anyhow, a 4/5 and hoping Vol. 2 can be a bump up. Oh and of course I liked JRJR’s art. Classic...

[Stano Várady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tak tento mi sadol a Romita Jr. ma baví.

[David Ferreira Alves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um recomeço espetacular. A essência do Homem Aranha recuperada com a maturidade dum Peter já plenamente adulto.
o desenho forte e delineado, associado a uma história fluída e com sentido, desde filosofia a sentimento.
Uma saga a acompanhar.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of this holds up pretty well, and I love JRJR’s art on the book his dad helped to establish. But boy, that 9/11 issue was overwrought even at the time, and it’s just embarrassing in retrospect. JMS generally hits the mark pretty consistently, but when he misses, he misses by a mile.

[Michael Secretan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the best story telling I've read about Spider-Man since I can remember. On to the next collection.

[Michael Emond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a worship/meh relationship with JMS. I was an uber-fan of Babylon 5 (for the first 4 seasons) and hung on his messages to fans about writing and about his views of the world. But along the way you realize he's a great writer but not god-like. His comic writing has highs and lows. He is great for coming up with some big ideas but he can also have some missteps along the way to the payoffs.

So probably more of a 3.5 rating but let's give some of the likes and dislikes:
JRJR art - really liked it - his art can divide people and lately he has been getting a bit too stylized for my tastes, but here he has developed his art beyond the early X-Men days and it works really well here.
Stories - overall fun and engaging. But some ideas were forced (see below)
Development of Peter - Excellent - JMS shines here. The development of Aunt May was the best I have ever seen. Peter and MJ was a little forced but still fun.
Humour - weak. JMS thinks he is a lot funnier than he is. Always has.
9/11 issue - so bad it should be burned. Here's the problem - in the Marvel universe, 9/11 wouldn't be that big of a deal. Have you seen World War Hulk and all the buildings he destroys? Having Doctor Doom (and Kingpin and Magneto) tear up at the thought of the lives lost is inanely stupid. These guys want to rule the world and destroy everyone. In OUR world - yes 9/11 was a horrible tragedy, in the Marvel world - not so much and having their characters react like that makes no sense.

Stories - we get three main stories. The main one is with Ezekiel (good guy) and Morlun (bad guy). It is a perfect example of why I love and get irritated by JMS. We start with a tease of Ezekiel knowing Spider-man's identity and having similar powers, and Morlun being this unstoppable energy vampire who drains people like Spider-man of their life force to live forever. We get HUGE fight scenes with Spider-man overcoming desperate odds and coming up with a smart solution. Loved it. But we also get JMS thinking he is being super smart by asking the question "did the spider give Peter powers because it was radioactive" OR "did the spider bite Peter because it was dying of radioactivity". And we are (like Peter does) supposed to go "omg! That is such a mind blower - you are so clever JMS! Wow. It was right in front of us all along!" But really I rolled my eyes and thought - that's pretty stupid. JMS is saying the spider was magic and gave magic powers to Peter, the radioactivity has nothing to do with it, other than it killed the magic spider after it bit Peter. So JMS is trying to turn Spider-man's origin from science (fiction) to magic. Rewrite Spider-man so he is a spider-totem of magic. Hey, JMS if you want to rewrite Spider-man's origin into a magic spider just create a new character don't ruin this one.
Then there is a story about a guy who steals children in the astral plane - it was fun.
Then there was a doc Ock story - pretty weak for the reason the key dramatic moment directly copies the rubble scene from If This Be My Destiny (Lee/Ditko ASM 31-33). Can Spider-man get out of the rubble?!?! Can he!?!!? Can!? He!?!

Overall - I see why people fell in love with this run. It was VERY enjoyable. I still prefer Dan Slott's run (the early part) but this would be up there.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

El primer arco, el de Morlun, al principio me molestó al ver que el tema de la ciencia se estaba rompiendo con lo del tótem de la araña, pero al final ví que Ezekiel estaba explicando las cosas como él las entendía. Este capítulo debe ser una de las grandes historias del Hombre Araña así como Flecha Verde tiene Longbow Hunters y Superman tiene Kingdom Come.

El dibujo de Romita Jr no es mi favorito pero ví que le puso el amor necesario para que expresara el movimiento y la elasticidad del Hombre Araña. El ritmo narrativo de JMS me mantuvo interesado todo el tiempo. Su manejo de las escenas de acción combinado con los diálogos es excelente por la cantidad de cada uno.

El próximo grupo de historias es dedicado a la vida personal de Peter y lo que puede hacer como superhéroe a nivel callejero. Dentro del grupo se encuentra una emotiva carta dedicada a los héroes del once de septiembre del 2011 y un capítulo silencioso que se contó en rostros. Aunque no hubo muchas palabras, el transcurso de la historia me mantuvo bien pensativo. Y es algo a lo que voy a aspirar al momento de escribir una historieta muda.

El arco narrativo de Shade fue muy interesante, sin embargo hizo mis preocupaciones sobre mantener el origen del arácnido intacto. No estoy en desacuerdo en verlo de una manera diferente, pero cambiar la naturaleza de este es, en mi opinión, una falta de respeto a los autores originales. Con eso dicho, el trabajo investigativo del Hombre Araña estuvo bien ejecutado, se mantuvo a nivel callejero y mantuvo el espíritu de un amigable vecino ayudando a su comunidad.

El último de todos, el ataque del Doctor Pulpo fraudulento, trajo mucho de lo que Ditko y Lee habían hecho en los sesenta. Se balancea muy bien la vida del superhéroe tanto dentro como fuera del traje y puso en perspectiva muchas cosas sobre el mito del hombre araña y el comportamiento de los personajes a través de los años. Pero de nuevo, esa incomodidad sobre el origen de Peter sigue rascándome la espalda con los metamensajes que se emitieron en los diálogos de la producción cinematográfica del Asombroso Hombre Langosta.

Todo es de principio a fin, un trabajo muy emotivo y captura la esencia del Hombre Araña como se presentó en sus primeros años.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Incredible pencils by John Romita Jr, with excellent ink/colours etc. Some of the best Spider-Man art I have ever seen. Amazingly written, with great dialogue and interaction between characters. The narrations are also good by Peter, occasionally throwing in some jokes which rarely sound annoying but are never too funny. The stories are told almost perfectly.
The first story concerns a new villain in town (Morlun) and a new ally (Ezekiel) which was interesting/action packed. This is followed by a fantastically written and well drawn issue surrounding the 9/11 attacks.
There is one very well written issue that revolves entirely around Peter and May’s “conversation” after she discovers he is Spider-Man. I particularly enjoyed this one! It was incredibly emotional and they added an unexpected twist that was very interesting and surprising. It’s rare that a comic really makes me feel something.
The next mystery story is still good, but not quite as intriguing as some of the previous issues. One of the jokes did actually make me chuckle though!
The final story involves the return of Doctor Octopus and Peter reuniting with MJ, which was a great end to the book! While a lot of MJ’s reasonings for their break up are fair and logical, she does occasionally come off like a very annoying/difficult character. But by the end of the book, she’s a lot nicer of a character.
The cover of the book is also fantastic!
Overall, a magnificent book with a really great collection of stories that I thoroughly enjoyed reading! Amazing artwork, very well written and a good balance between humour and serious storytelling. I would recommend to any Spidey fan.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 to 3.5 stars - I had read the first half of this omnibus collection of Spider-Man stories within another omnibus collection, The Best of Spider-Man: Volume 1, also by J. Michael Straczynski, which features the story of Peter being hunted by Morlun, an ancient and incredibly powerful psychic vampire, who feeds on super-powered beings. Before Morlun begins his hunt, Spidey is warned by an older man who seems to have many of Peter's own powers, Ezekiel Sims, who gained his spider-totem powers through ancient ritual. Spider-Man gets his tuchus handed to him when Morlun decides to attack and eventually Ezekiel helps him battle Morlun until Peter uses his big brain to figure out how to defeat Morlun using some of the source of Spidey's powers.
The second half is about how Mary Jane and Peter are married, but separated and not speaking, and also when Aunt May discovers that Peter Parker is (spoiler alert) Spider-Man! M.J. agrees to speak with Peter when she flies into New York for one day, but Peter gets help from Dr. Strange to take on someone using the astral plan to kidnap kids, so he gets stuck in the astral plane and misses seeing M.J. before she leaves. M.J. is making a movie so Peter and May go to California to see her so Peter can explain and tell her how much he still loves her. Meanwhile Doctor Octopus is taken prisoner by a rival scientist who's stolen his technology, but eventually Doc Ock escapes and they have a huge battle that collapses a building on Spidey, who eventually barely escapes for the final showdown at the movie studio.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first marvel comic book. Before, I have seen the marvel movies up to "Thor Ragnarok", I have loved the movies so much that I was simply craving more. The netflix marvel shows don't really satisfy my craving for marvel as they are much darker and lack the light heart-ed humor that I so loved in the movies. This is why I have decided to pick this up in the first place.

I was pleasantry surprised at how entertaining the story was, it really drew me in from page one, and it was such much more like a movie rather than book experience. To be honest its something in between, as we get to know a bit more thought and emotions of the characters on top of the dialogue and facial expressions we get both in the movie and the comic. At the same time what we do get is a lot less volume and significance from it than we would in a book. I have only read one other comic book so far, so I am new to this aspect of the story.

The story is extremely well written, easy to follow and at the same time keeps you guessing. I read some of it on the bus and got halfway home without even realizing how much time has passed. This being said I preferred the first 10 comics (#30-#40) more than the last few, but overall I feel that the standard was kept high.

I will be continuing on with the series :)

[Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection containing Straczynski’s and Romita Jr.’s early combined work on Amazing Spider-Man from the early 2000s. The writing hearkens back to some of the classic Spidey issues written by Stan Lee, with his emphasis on character and Peter Parker’s amusing real life problems. I’ve been a fan of John Romita Jr.’s artwork for a long time and really enjoyed his take on Spider-man. Unlike so many superheroes, JR Jr. emphasizes Spider-man’s agility, flexibility and lean strength. There are some great iconic poses in these issues. It’s refreshing to see a hero who isn’t all brawn. This book also includes a very moving issue published in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. If you like the classic early Spider-man days, I definitely recommend this collection. I look forward to the further volumes collecting the great Straczynski/Romita Jr. run on this character.

[Rodney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a relatively simple guy: if the art is good and the writing is entertaining, I am happy. This collection does not start at The Amazing Spider-Man #1, for some reason, but #30, which means it skips the trite origins of Spider-Man and immediately delves into the more difficult and intriguing parts of the Spider-Man/Peter Parker dichotomy.

This collection, though it just consists of #30 up to, and including, #45, consists of a few overarching storylines and some shorter one-shots. #36 is a bit of a downer, but #37 is one of the best I have "read," with the stories themselves concerning different topics and characters that are all interesting. I also absolutely love the design of the Spider-suit.

This collection is worth the money. I also own Volume 2, but am going to continue with Astonishing X-Men first.

[Emil Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

To było prawie tak dobre, jak zapamiętałem to z dzieciństwa, kiedy zdobyłem kilka pojedynczych numerów, składających się na tę historię.
Kilkanaście lat temu rysunki Johna Romity Jr. uważałem za absolutny top w branży. Teraz rozumiem już, dlaczego niektórzy na nie narzekają. Nadal uważam je za bardzo dobre, ale dostrzegam koślawość niektórych kadrów, szczególnie jeśli chodzi o twarze bohaterów.
Sama historia jest równie porywająca, co przed laty. Traci jednakże odrobinę na tym, że już ją znałem i niczym mnie nie zaskoczyła.
Czy ten tom wyszedł zwycięsko po starciu z nostalgią sprzed lat? Jak najbardziej, chociaż nie jest to już dla mnie komiks idealny, za jaki miałem go w wieku kilkunastu lat.

[Mr. Stick · Rating 4 out of 5]

"HI, THIS IS PETER. I'M STILL SETTLING INTO MY NEW DIGS, SO I'M EITHER WORKING, OUT FORAGING FOR FOOD, OR TRAPPED BENEATH DEBRIS. LEAVE A MESSAGE AND I'LL GET BACK TO YOU WHEN THE DUST CLEARS."
- Peter's answering machine... and the best opening to a Spider-Man series ever!

The late 90s sucked for Marvel, and several titles suffered. Spidey in particular. By June 2001, Marvel unscrewed itself enough for our favorite wall-crawler to be salvaged by the capable hands of JMS and JRJR. I've heard a lot of praise for this run, and I'm glad to say that (for possibly the first time ever), I agree with the internet. Everything I hoped it would be. Greatest thing I ever read? Of course not. But very enjoyable. Lots of fun. Doc Ock's haircut. The smart-ass Spidey I love.
Four stars.

[Saoki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I read something by Straczynski* and while I understand it was very fresh back then, it did not impress me over here in 2020. I did love The Conversation and could write a whole essay about how Peter's coming out is a lesson on having that conversation with your loved ones, although most of us are not as lucky as Peter in the mother figure department.
That does not mean I disliked it! It's pretty good fun, all in all, but I'm giving a whole extra star just for Romita Jr, because I never tire of his art. Gorgeous, gorgeous splash pages.


* I might have read something by him, maybe some of his Thor, but I don't remember it at all. I did watch Sense8.

[Ahmed Yasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW!
I REALLY LIKED THIS.
This my first marvel comic book i read and it was great, the writer was great and the art is great too, this peter parker is my fav so far, with a new job I've never seen before, the best aunt may I saw too, and MJ is so different also, the drama was good, better than the recent movies the sarcasm of peter is at its best
In this collection we're introduced to new characters , some enemies like morlin, and the shade and this doc oc look alike and a character like ezkeil who is not a hero ,not a villain but he has super powers, can't wait to know his story and I hope it will be on the next collection.
So fun read !
Highly recommended for any spidey fans

[Ryk Stanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading The Darkest Hours, by Jim Butcher, in which Spider-Man must face other Ancients following his defeat of Morlun, I got curious and wanted to read the source material for that story about that battle. It was a great story arc, one that I remember coming back in later issues of Spider-Man as he continues to explore his totemic powers.

To be honest, Jim Butcher's summary of this story arc was more than sufficient to convey the story, but it was well worth the time to read as well.

Thank you, Marvel Unlimited app :)

[Jdetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think we can safely throw out the 9/11 issue, since it's an honest emotional response to a terrible tragedy, even if it's not a great comic. Otherwise, this collection is amazing....I don't agree with everything that JMS did during his run on the title, but these early issues are practically perfect. His biggest strength is his great character work and strong dialogue, and letting Aunt May in on the spider secret was a stroke of brilliance.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I love J. Michael Staczinkys stuff, generally speaking, and though I wasn't entirely sold on his "let's re-write the Spider-Man story to be about some sort of shamanic totemic animal-power thing instead of a radioactive spider" plotline, I really did love this collection. The 9/11 stuff is like a hard punch in the gut, even after all these years. But this was a really good collection of stories.

[Doug Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one, probably in my top few Spider-Man epic collections. there's a lot to like here, having an older Peter and dealing with some more mature stuff. not to mention the moment where aunt may discovers peters identity too, which is obviously a huge deal. the writing was really really good overall from start to finish. the artwork was good too, definitely enjoyable, but the writing was such a standout.

[Gwynneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5: Absolute fun with dazzling art coming to life on each page. Some dialogue was cheesy as expected, but overarching plots were intriguing and made me eager to continue. The 9/11 tribute was moving and full of intention.

Gave me a great introduction to the Hoopla comic reading format and to Hoopla’s comic collection. Keen to continue!

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant in every considerable way!

Great art, great story, great concepts. And such great characters! Can't wait to pick up the second volume in J. Michael Straczynski's amazing run! I am like 15 years late for that series, I know, but it is sooo good!

[Carla Rodrigues · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eu já tinha lido essa história e tinha me esquecido como é bonita.
É sobre a tia May descobrir a identidade secreta do Peter e falar pra ele que ela se considera culpada pela morte do tio Ben.
A primeira parte é sobre a luta do Peter com o Morlum, eu não lembro disso no filme, preciso rever.

[Frank Jarome · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot how good this run was. Peter becoming a teacher, tons of new foes, remedying the damage to his relationship with MJ that the previous run had caused… god, how I missed mature, adult, married Spider-Man

[Daniel Farrelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. The morlun story is great and a classic. The school stuff is pretty cringe but I think that's a me problem. The new doctor octopus design was God dam terrible. A surprising amount of naked women.

[Drake Zappa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some top tier definitive Spider-man storytelling here. JMS and JRR working at their best. I get the gripes with JRR and I'm not always his biggest fan but I appreciate what he's doing here especially the more Spidey action oriented art where I feel he really gets the chance to show off.

[Evelyn Chiroque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sólido 4.5 que tira para 5. He reído, llorado, me he estresado, asustado, conmovido y todo lo que se debe sentir leyendo un buen cómic de superhéroe. Can’t wait to see what happens next.

// Es mi primera lectura de Marvel y ya venía re fan de Spider-Man.