Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Series by Stan Lee, Blake Bell, John Romita Sr., Gerry Conway

Hardbound reprint volume of The Amazing Spider-Man, numbers 1-10, and Amazing Fantasy No. 15.

It was August, 1961 and change was in the air. Throughout the nation, a new comic book filled the stands, heralding an era of creativity soon to be dubbed the Marvel Age of Comics. Fantastic Four #1 did not feature the squeaky clean heroes of yesteryear, clad in gaudy primary colors and hiding behind secret identities. These were real characters placed in extraordinary circumstances. They lived together, they fought amongst each other, and sometimes they even lost to the bad guys... moreIt was August, 1961 and change was in the air. Throughout the nation, a new comic book filled the stands, heralding an era of creativity soon to be dubbed the Marvel Age of Comics. Fantastic Four #1 did not feature the squeaky clean heroes of yesteryear, clad in gaudy primary colors and hiding behind secret identities. These were real characters placed in extraordinary circumstances. They lived together, they fought amongst each other, and sometimes they even lost to the bad guys. This was more than a change in attitude; it was the beginning of something entirely different. And readers couldn't get enough. Thanks to the fertile imaginations of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and others, the runaway train called Marvel showed no signs of slowing down. An unending list of heroes followed the FF with ever-increasing acclaim and popularity -- The Amazing Spider-Man, The Mighty Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, Iron Man, and The Uncanny X-Men, to name but a few. These were the Marvel heroes, born of conflict and a continuous struggle to balance human lives with superhuman responsibilities. Marvel's comics presented the drama of ordinary life on an extraordinary scale, filling each illustrated adventure with more than its share of classic themes. Love, conflict, birth, death, good and evil could hardly be contained within the twelve to twenty pages allotted to any one story. Plots and subplots could take months to resolve, so rich were the imaginary worlds these characters inhabited. Every action had a consequence and each consequence was felt throughout the collective universe. It was this cohesiveness, this sense of continuity that set Marvel apart from its numerous competitors. Marvel was more than just a name, it was a wholly consistent environment in which its many characters could exist and interact. What eventually became known as the Marvel Universe was built on a solid foundation of interlocking occurrences, with every event felt by the collective whole and carried over from month to month. Not only has this universe endured more than forty years, it continues to evolve within the framework solidly established by Marvel's founding fathers. Today, the exploits of Marvel's heroes and villains are enjoyed the whole world over, crossing multiple generations and breaking even the most steadfast demographic barriers. Comic book fantasy is growing like never before and the demand for Marvel stories seems insatiable.Collects The Amazing Spider-Man #11-19, Annual #1 less

Collects Amazing Spider-Man #31-40.As Spider-Man struggles to stop the crime spree of the Master Planner (secretly Dr... moreCollects Amazing Spider-Man #31-40.As Spider-Man struggles to stop the crime spree of the Master Planner (secretly Dr. Octopus) and his men, he ends up buried under a collapsed water tower! See Spidey use his strength as never before to get free! Peter Parker tries balancing his new life at college and his Aunt May's ailing health! Ned Leeds wants to marry Betty Brant, but she's still got feelings for her old flame, Peter, who's too preoccupied to even notice his beautiful new classmate Gwen Stacy! Spidey tangles with old foes like Kraven the Hunter and the Molten Man, and new ones like the Looter, a Guy Named Joe, and Mendel Stromm! And when the Green Goblin attacks, he learns Spider-Man is Peter Parker, then reveals himself as Norman Osborn, father of Peter's classmate, Harry! less

Spider-Man's earliest adventures continue, with appearances by the Rhino, the Lizard, the Shocker, Kraven the Hunter, the Vulture, the First Appearance of the Kingpin and Mary Jane Watson! Plus Spidey tries to join the Avengers and battles the Hulk. Collects Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #41-50, Annual #3

It's time for another round of web-slinging wonderment from two of the men who put the "master" in Masterworks - Stan Lee and John Romita Sr.! Their classic "Saga of the Stone Tablet" kicks off with the Kingpin's quest to decipher an ancient clay tablet whose secrets promise great power. But Spidey soon gets caught in the mix and finds himself branded Public Enemy Number 1! With the Kingpin on one side and J... moreIt's time for another round of web-slinging wonderment from two of the men who put the "master" in Masterworks - Stan Lee and John Romita Sr.! Their classic "Saga of the Stone Tablet" kicks off with the Kingpin's quest to decipher an ancient clay tablet whose secrets promise great power. But Spidey soon gets caught in the mix and finds himself branded Public Enemy Number 1! With the Kingpin on one side and J. Jonah Jameson on the other, turning up the heat in the Daily Bugle, things go from bad to horrible when the mob gets involved. It's a Peter Parker pressure cooker! COLLECTING: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) 68-77, MARVEL SUPER-HEROES (1967) 14 less

Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #78-87. Spider-Man's early tales continue with the Prowler in his first appearance; the beautiful Black Widow seen for the first time in her sultry new spy gear; an underworld family in-fight between the Kingpin and the Schemer including Vanessa Fisk's entrée into Marveldom; and the Chameleon, Electro and the Kangaroo, a poor assemblage that's always a bridesmaid and never a bride... moreCollects Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #78-87. Spider-Man's early tales continue with the Prowler in his first appearance; the beautiful Black Widow seen for the first time in her sultry new spy gear; an underworld family in-fight between the Kingpin and the Schemer including Vanessa Fisk's entrée into Marveldom; and the Chameleon, Electro and the Kangaroo, a poor assemblage that's always a bridesmaid and never a bride. It's not just the most colorful array of villains in comics, of course! There's melodrama aplenty in the fashion that could only befit poor Peter Parker. See how Mr. Luckless himself handles not only the loss of his powers and glowing Gwen's fear of Spidey, but how he wiggles his way out of revealing his identity right before Gwen, MJ, and the gang's very eyes! less

Collects Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #121-131. Norman Osborn’s memory has returned. The Green Goblin is back. Gwen Stacy is missing. And it will all lead to a confrontation atop the George Washington Bridge whose aftermath will leave Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, forever changed. That’s right it’s the—spoiler warning!— death of Gwen Stacy, the story that put a generation into therapy and cemented the Green Goblin’s name as the definition of evil. Plus, the debut of Col... moreCollects Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #121-131. Norman Osborn’s memory has returned. The Green Goblin is back. Gwen Stacy is missing. And it will all lead to a confrontation atop the George Washington Bridge whose aftermath will leave Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, forever changed. That’s right it’s the—spoiler warning!— death of Gwen Stacy, the story that put a generation into therapy and cemented the Green Goblin’s name as the definition of evil. Plus, the debut of Col. John Jameson’s werewolf curse, the Man-Wolf. The beginning of Harry Osborn’s descent into madness and suspicion and a certain green costume. The first appearance of Frank Castle—the Punisher—the maybe-villain, maybe-anti-hero who would rise to become one of Marvel’s most famous characters. Topping it off, there’s first appearance of the nefarious Jackal, the return of the Vulture, Hammerhead, the hilarious Human Torch-built Spider-Mobile, and the shocking wedding of Aunt May and Doctor Octopus! less