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ponch22's review against another edition
4.0
And so ends my reading of the original Spider-Man comics written by [a:Stan Lee|10303|Stan Lee|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1206594565p2/10303.jpg] & drawn by [a:Steve Ditko|10298|Steve Ditko|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1204665020p2/10298.jpg] (which were all discussed by brothers Kevin & [a:Will Hines|3342295|Will Hines|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1468766402p2/3342295.jpg] in the podcast "Screw It We're Just Gonna Talk about Spider-Man").
Volume 4 collects ASM #31–#40, all originally published from September 1965 through June 1966. I read these stories slowly over two months to sort of keep up with the podcast (and I was busy working on my 2018 Reading Challenge). The collection starts off with a 3-story arc, called "The Master Planner Saga," often called one of the best Spidey stories ever written.
But unfortunately, the Hines brothers over-hyped it a bit and I wasn't a huge fan. Issue #31 is all set-up and no real adventure. #32 got a little better but it could have been great if it had held off revealing The Master Planner's secret identity until the end of the issue instead of revealing it on page two! But it is a nice cliffhanger with Spider-Man trapped in MP's lair underwater, but #33 starts out with way too many pages dedicated to Spidey struggling to escape with an internal debate about all of his struggles. Not to mention how Master Planner doesn't even appear in the wrap-up to his story—maybe if Spidey would have escaped in a page or two, there would have been room to have a big battle before the end of the story.
Looking back at the rest of Ditko's issues, there are a lot of easy-to-forget issues featuring Kraven, The Molten Man, some Looter who got his powers from a meteor, a couple of robots, and some loser named Joe.
But luckily, the collection ends with a two-issue story revealing who's behind The Green Goblin's mask! [a:John Romita|17336745|John Romita|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] came in as the new artist and actually made me curious to read the next collection just to see if Lee & Romita keep up the greatness that were these last two issues. After finishing the collection, I gave the whole thing 5 stars. However, I think that was really just a rating for the Green Goblin stories, because looking back at the eight stories before them, none really seem all that great. If I averaged out each of the stories, it'd probably be 3* or less, but I'm going to still consider the end a high note and round up to 4*
Volume 4 collects ASM #31–#40, all originally published from September 1965 through June 1966. I read these stories slowly over two months to sort of keep up with the podcast (and I was busy working on my 2018 Reading Challenge). The collection starts off with a 3-story arc, called "The Master Planner Saga," often called one of the best Spidey stories ever written.
But unfortunately, the Hines brothers over-hyped it a bit and I wasn't a huge fan. Issue #31 is all set-up and no real adventure. #32 got a little better but it could have been great if it had held off revealing The Master Planner's secret identity until the end of the issue instead of revealing it on page two! But it is a nice cliffhanger with Spider-Man trapped in MP's lair underwater, but #33 starts out with way too many pages dedicated to Spidey struggling to escape with an internal debate about all of his struggles. Not to mention how Master Planner doesn't even appear in the wrap-up to his story—maybe if Spidey would have escaped in a page or two, there would have been room to have a big battle before the end of the story.
Looking back at the rest of Ditko's issues, there are a lot of easy-to-forget issues featuring Kraven, The Molten Man, some Looter who got his powers from a meteor, a couple of robots, and some loser named Joe.
But luckily, the collection ends with a two-issue story revealing who's behind The Green Goblin's mask! [a:John Romita|17336745|John Romita|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] came in as the new artist and actually made me curious to read the next collection just to see if Lee & Romita keep up the greatness that were these last two issues. After finishing the collection, I gave the whole thing 5 stars. However, I think that was really just a rating for the Green Goblin stories, because looking back at the eight stories before them, none really seem all that great. If I averaged out each of the stories, it'd probably be 3* or less, but I'm going to still consider the end a high note and round up to 4*
jayspa65's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
How you feel about this book will probably depend on what you expect to get out of it. If you aren't interested in history and just want great Spider-Man stories to enjoy, you would probably find this book pretty corny and old-fashioned, and should get some Bendis Ultimate Spider-Man or Dan Slott's Amazing Spider-Man books. However, if you are interested in this as a museum piece of classic world-building or expanding the scope of superhero characterization, it's great.
Compared to modern comics, these issues are absurdly fast paced. Each page has at least six panels, each of which tends to have a lot of text moving the story forward, so that almost every story is done in one issue, compared to the modern tendency to have arcs over 4-6 issues. Also, Stan Lee's writing is a bit dated, but what made him stand out then and does still hold up is how goofy and meta he is. He is constantly breaking the fourth wall and making fun of the silliness of the comic book stories, while at the same time, with remarkable economy, giving empathy to every one of a very wide cast of characters. Some of the writing is still pretty funny even today.
In this book Peter Parker actually is kind of a jerk, so wrapped up in his dual identity that he can't pay attention to or connect with other people. Towards the end of this book, and from the bits I've read of the 40 or so issues that come after this, he gets progressively more sympathetic as he tries harder to be a good guy as well as a hero, but tends to fail anyway. It's also funny to see how this book introduces for the first time Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy, although it takes a long time for Peter to finally not be so oblivious to the outside world that he can get to know them.
The middle of the book has a bunch of forgettable one-issue stories, as Lee and Ditko keep creating a whole bunch of new villains and throwing them at the wall to see which of them stick and can become recurring characters. The best stories, not surprisingly, are the ones with villains that did work, the opening 3 issues that include Doctor Octopus, and the final two with the Green Goblin. Both stories have some genuinely powerful moments and plotting that hold up even against modern stories.
Overall it's a fun read and a good bit of Spidey history, but your enjoyment does depend on whether you are interested in the history, as it doesn't have the craft of later books.
Compared to modern comics, these issues are absurdly fast paced. Each page has at least six panels, each of which tends to have a lot of text moving the story forward, so that almost every story is done in one issue, compared to the modern tendency to have arcs over 4-6 issues. Also, Stan Lee's writing is a bit dated, but what made him stand out then and does still hold up is how goofy and meta he is. He is constantly breaking the fourth wall and making fun of the silliness of the comic book stories, while at the same time, with remarkable economy, giving empathy to every one of a very wide cast of characters. Some of the writing is still pretty funny even today.
In this book Peter Parker actually is kind of a jerk, so wrapped up in his dual identity that he can't pay attention to or connect with other people. Towards the end of this book, and from the bits I've read of the 40 or so issues that come after this, he gets progressively more sympathetic as he tries harder to be a good guy as well as a hero, but tends to fail anyway. It's also funny to see how this book introduces for the first time Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy, although it takes a long time for Peter to finally not be so oblivious to the outside world that he can get to know them.
The middle of the book has a bunch of forgettable one-issue stories, as Lee and Ditko keep creating a whole bunch of new villains and throwing them at the wall to see which of them stick and can become recurring characters. The best stories, not surprisingly, are the ones with villains that did work, the opening 3 issues that include Doctor Octopus, and the final two with the Green Goblin. Both stories have some genuinely powerful moments and plotting that hold up even against modern stories.
Overall it's a fun read and a good bit of Spidey history, but your enjoyment does depend on whether you are interested in the history, as it doesn't have the craft of later books.
jbleyle63's review
5.0
Tackling a bit of nostalgia in reading the Marvel Masterworks series and especially enjoying the volumes from The Amazing Spider-Man which predate my childhood reading of the series by about a decade. Bittersweet to realize that co-creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko both passed in 2018. This volume covers issues #31-40 and concludes Ditko's run on the series.
rayaan54's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
hperks18's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
pariah's review
4.0
Helluva lot of fun with intros to the majority of the major recurring characters over the years. Definitely a great entry point for a new reader.
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