Spider-Man Vs. The Vulture

The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) #2, 7, 63-64, 224, 240-241

by Stan Lee (Writer), John Romita Sr. (Illustrator), Jack Kirby (Illustrator)

Spider-Man's greatest battles with his avian arch-adversary -- the Vulture! Adrian Toomes has long been one of Spider-Man's most fearsome foes, and their early encounters are all-time classics! But when Toomes' ex-cellmate Blackie Drago takes to the skies, the elder statesman must prove that he is the one, true Vulture! Toomes gets a new lease on life and soars once more - but what started him on his airborne life of crime? When the Vulture is hired to kill Spider-Man, will Peter Parker clip his wings for good?

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #2 (A STORY), 7, 63-64, 224, & 240-241; WEB OF SPIDER-MAN (1985) #3; SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN (1976) #186-188; FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #14-16

Written by Stan Lee, Roger Stern, Louise Simonson, J.M. DeMatteis, and Peter David

Art by Steve Ditko, John Romita Sr., Don Heck, John Romita Jr., Greg LaRocque, Sal Buscema, and Scot Eaton

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 16, 2017

About the author

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun collection of Vulture stories, including his first appearances, as well as several later appearances. For the most part, the Vulture isn't the most complicated character. His motivations are simple. He is generally motivated by greed, revenge, or both. He was such a straightforward character that the Vulture wasn't even given an origin until roughly 20 years after being introduced!

Despite being a relatively simple character, all of the writers in this volume make him a compelling villain. At times menacing, and at other times, even sympathetic. Some of the highlights include his first appearances written by Stan Lee, the two stories written by Roger Stern, the Peter David story, and Funeral Arrangements by J.M. Dematteis. Funeral Arrangements probably delves deepest into the Vulture's character, showing how he acts when he believes his death is imminent.

In addition to some great stories, this volume has some fantastic art. The Vulture's costume was designed by Steve Ditko, and is simple, but is also one of Ditko's most visually interesting costumes. All of the artists in this book, including Mr. Ditko himself, John Romita, John Romita, Jr., Sal Buscema, and more, make the most of the costume, illustrating some visually stunning splash pages throughout the volume.

If you have any interest in the Vulture, this collection has a lot of fun stories and comes highly recommended.

[Gsd1985 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for the great origin issue by Roger Stern. The Vulture, especially these days, is an underused villain. This book gets you the 1st appearance of The Vulture with delicious Steve Ditko art. Various entertaining Vulture stories hat develop on him and Spider-man until you get to the origin issue. A great collection until you get to FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #14-16. This is a Post Civil War story that, unless you were there for the Civil War event, doesn't seem very engaging. It's best when doing anthologies and greatest of collections to ONLY INCLUDE STORIES WITH LIMITED OR NO CONTINUITY. That's not a knock against Peter David, who is a good Spidey writer. It just could have been omitted here. If you want good Vulture stories, pick it up, but be warned about the end.

[Matthew Ledrew]

The Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) (#186): _ stars
The Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) (#187): _ stars
The Spectacular Spider-Man (1976) (#188): _ stars
The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) (#7): 5 stars.
The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) (#63): 5 stars.
The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) (#64): 5 stars.
The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) (#224): 5 stars.
The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) (#240): 5 stars.
The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) (#241): 5 stars.
Web of Spider-Man (1985) (#3): 5 stars.
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2005) (Single Issues) (#14): 5 stars.
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2005) (Single Issues) (#15): 5 stars.
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2005) (Single Issues) (#16): 5 stars.
The Amazing Spider-Man (1963-1998) (#2): 4 stars.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume presents Vulture stories from all the eras of Spidey.