Behind the Mask of Spider-Man: The Secrets of the Movie

by Mark Cotta Vaz

An all-access, behind-the-scenes look at the making of the amazing Hollywood blockbuster

In 1962, when Spider-Man first appeared in the pages of Amazing Fantasy #15, the response was so electrifying the web-spinner was given his very own comic book series within a year. Now, on the 40th anniversary of that fateful beginning, Marvel Comics’ most popular superhero stars in his own spectacular feature film!

Here for the first time all the juicy details of Spider-Man’s journey to the silver screen are revealed. From script to soundstage, from costumes to visual effects, the book captures the creative energies of those responsible for this supreme act of illusion. Behind the Mask of Spider-Man

• Hundreds of never-before-seen photos, costume sketches, storyboards, and set design illustrations
• Candid reflections and delicious anecdotes from cast members, including Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, and Kirsten Dunst
• Fascinating revelations from director Sam Raimi (The Gift, Evil Dead, For Love of the Game ) on how he sought to capture the outcast hero who is the essence of Spider-Man
• The magic behind the film’s dazzling visual effects and digital wizardry
• Scenes that never made it into the movie

A movie like this comes along once in a lifetime–a story of good and evil, love and cruelty, awesome powers that become both blessing and curse . . .

It is the marvelous story of Spider-Man.

Go for the ultimate spin at www.sony.com/spiderman

Genres: Nonfiction, Spider Man

205 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Mark Cotta Vaz is the author of over twenty-one books, including four New York Times bestsellers. His recent works include Mythic Vision: The Making of Eragon, The Spirit: The Movie Visual Companion, and the biography Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong, which was a Los Angeles Times bestseller.

Reviews

[forestgreen]

LOVED. My favorite movie now and forever. It’s amazing how many people and how much effort it takes to make one film. I will always appreciate the use of practical effects in this trilogy. I can’t believe the library has this and not the film novelizations.
Edit: I also liked the all the concept art by Wil Rees. I want to frame every single one.

[Jamai Koelewijn]

This was awesome! Loved every page of it!

[Mark]

I am a big fan of behind-the-scenes stuff and used to try and pick up as many examples of the art as I could but this was the start of me slowing down on that practise. Back in the 70s and 80s, you had paperbacks of novel size, with someone writing about the process - you know, actual journalism. The books got bigger but then so did the pictures, you could see the model-makers and set designers and props and make-up and take in the huge scale of work that it took to show you five seconds of a monster walking by. Now though, you get big format, glossy books that seem to be half filled with photographs of anonymous folk sitting in front of computers. Not so much fun.