SPIDER-MAN 1962-1964 MARVEL COMICS LIBRARY

Author: RALPH MACCHIO

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9783836599504

When Stan Lee first pitched the idea of Spider-Man in 1962, his boss was full of objections: people hate spiders! Teenagers aren't lead characters; they're sidekicks. He should be glamorous and successful, not a friendless loser. But Stan persisted and Martin Goodman let him give the unlikely hero a try-out in Amazing Fantasy, which was already slated for cancellation. With Spider-Man on the cover, No. 15 shot to the top of Marvel's bestseller list for the year, and the rest is history. Amazing Spider-Man, which debuted seven months later, broke the comics mould. Peter Parker lived in uncool Queens, was always broke, continually worried about his Aunt May, was unlucky in love, and was constantly getting yelled at by his boss, Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson. Spider-Man had the quips and confidence that Parker lacked, but learning to use his powers wasn't always easy. He often seemed on the verge of defeat against the rogue's gallery of classic foes that debuted in the first couple of years: Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Lizard, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, and the Green Goblin. Much of the credit for Spider-Man's greatness goes to co-creator and artist Steve Ditko, who had a knack for portraying teenagers and their problems. His artwork infused Spider-Man with a loose-limbed energy, and, while maybe everyone was scared of spiders, Ditko made swinging through New York seem like the coolest adventure ever. 14 x 19.5cm, 704 pages. Powerful glowing colour illus. New from Taschen.