The Warrior's Comic Book Den: Stan Lee

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Amazing Fantasy #15: "Spider-Man!"

Download Amazing Fantasy #15

After changing its name twice, Amazing Fantasy suspended operations. That fifteenth and final issue (August 1962) guaranteed the magazine a place in comics history, however, since it was the

birthplace of Spider-Man. Starting up in the spring of 1961 under the title Amazing Adventures, it had dealt in the usual Marvel brand of fantasy and sci-fi. Among the monsters prowling the initial half dozen issues were Manoo, Sserpo, and Monsteroso, this latter billed as "the MOST FEARFUL creature of all time!" Scripts were chiefly the work of Stan Lee, the main artists were Jack Kirby, in charge of the Monster-of-the-Month, and Steve Ditko. With the seventh issue, the title was switched to Amazing Adult Fantasy and the book promised "spine-tingling, supernatural thrillers for the more mature reader!" One of the creatures provided for the mature reader was a huge chap called Tim Boo Ba.

For the fifteenth issue the title was shortened to just plain Amazing Fantasy. On the cover, as drawn by Kirby, Spider-Man was seen for the first time. In the eleven-page story inside, written by Lee and illustrated by Ditko, readers met Peter Parker, Aunt May (quite a bit plumper back then), and, of course, Spidey. At the yarn's end, Lee said, "And so a legend is born and a new name is added to the roster of those who make the world of fantasy the most exciting realm of all!" Early the next year, the first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man was released.

Credits

Cover: Jack Kirby (pencils) and Steve Ditko (inks)
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Steve Ditko
Inks: Steve Ditko
Letters: Artie Simek

Note: Winner of the 1962 "Best Short Story" Alley Award.

Reprinted:

in Marvel Tales Annual (Marvel, 1964 series) #1 (1964)
in Origins of Marvel Comics (Simon and Schuster, 1974 series) #[nn] (1974)
in Spindelmannen (Atlantic Förlags AB, 1978 series) #1/1978 (January 1978) [as "Spindelmannen", Swedish translation]
in Marvel Tales (Marvel, 1966 series) #137 (March 1982)
in Amazing Spider-Man, The (Marvel, 1963 series) #275 (April 1986)
in Marvel Masterworks (Marvel, 1987 series) #1 (1987)
in Uomo Ragno, L' (Edizioni Star Comics, 1987 series) #70 (April 1991) [as "L'Uomo Ragno", Italian translation]
in Spider-Man Classics (Marvel, 1993 series) #1 (April 1993)
in Essential Spider-Man, The (Marvel, 1996 series) #1 (1996) [black and white]
in Origins of Marvel Comics Revised Edition (Marvel, 1997 series) #[nn] (1997)
in Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man (Marvel, 2002 series) #1 (2002)
in Marvel Visionaries: Stan Lee (Marvel, 2005 series) #[nn] (2005)
in Wha...Huh? (Marvel, 2005 series) #[nn] (2005)[pp1–3]
in Spider-Man Collectible Series (Marvel, 2006 series) #1
in The Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus (Marvel, 2007 series) #1 (2007)
in Amazing Fantasy Omnibus (Marvel, 2007 series) #[nn] (2007)
in Marvel Deluxe: Stan Lee (Panini, 2007 series) #1

Monday, November 22, 2010

The Mighty Thor #181: "One God Must Fall!"

Download The Mighty Thor #181

Eventually the birthplace of one of Marvel's enduring superheroes, Journey into Mystery was initially one of the many horror comics crowding the newsstands in the early 1950s. Each issue was an anthology of weird tales and the early covers, many of them by Bill Everett, were rich

with walking skeletons, walking corpses, and brutal monsters. In 1955, after the Comics Code Authority was set up, the covers and contents became much tamer. Among the artists contributing to Journey were, besides Everett, Joe Maneely, Russ Heath, Steve Ditko, Jerry Robinson, George Tuska, and Bernard Krigstein.

Things changed with #83 vol. 1 (August 1961), when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced Thor. The helmeted hero was seen on the cover using his hammer against green monsters while a blurb proclaimed, "The Most Exciting Super-Hero of All Time!" From that moment on the Mighty Thor was the leading man in Journey into Mystery. With #126 (March 1966) the comic book changed its name to Thor, continuing as such until #502 (September 1996). The Journey into Mystery title returned until #125 (February 1966). A new Thor title began the following month.

This is the second and last issue of Thor drawn by Neal Adams, but if you'd like to read issue #180 then please click here.

Credits

Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Neal Adams
Inks:Joe Sinnott

Reprinted: