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Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man #6
Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 6
This action-packed volume collects an amazing selection of Spidey tales by legends Stan Lee and John Romita Sr. Includes a four-part Doctor Octopus epic - plus appearances by the Kingpin, Ka-Zar, the Spider-Slayer, Captain Stacy and more! Also reprinted are the issues' original covers.
Collecting The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #51-61 and Annual #4
Collecting The Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 1) #51-61 and Annual #4
304 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1968
39 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Stan Lee
7,563 books2,342 followersStan 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 26, 2019
I love these classic Spider-Man collections. These stories are from way back in my youth. Early teen years, and I would spend my hard earned $$ on Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. Breaks my heart to see young Gwen Stacy and her early relationship with Peter, when we all know the tragic end in store for her and her father.
September 1, 2021
I was bored from reading issue after issue and feeling like I'm working without getting paid, until I realized that here on Goodreads, review after review about these masterworks is becoming the exact same thing. A Chore, writing the same thing over and over again!
March 5, 2017
Another good Spider-Man collection from the '60s. Half of this volume consists of two multi-part stories. “Spider-Man No More!”, continued from volume five, features Spidey’s first encounter with the Kingpin and was the highlight of the collection. “Doc Ock Wins” (where Doctor Octopus ends up moving in with Aunt May!) is also a strong four-parter.
While there aren’t any bad issues in the bunch, a few are underwhelming, particularly a two-part tangle with Ka-Zar. As good as this collection is, it isn’t quite as strong as the fourth and fifth Masterwork collections; the series may have passed its apex under Stan Lee by this point. Still, in my opinion Spider-Man was among the very best (along with The Fantastic Four) Marvel offerings of its era, and that hadn’t changed by mid-1968. An excellent collection of ‘60s cape comics. 4.0 stars, recommended!
While there aren’t any bad issues in the bunch, a few are underwhelming, particularly a two-part tangle with Ka-Zar. As good as this collection is, it isn’t quite as strong as the fourth and fifth Masterwork collections; the series may have passed its apex under Stan Lee by this point. Still, in my opinion Spider-Man was among the very best (along with The Fantastic Four) Marvel offerings of its era, and that hadn’t changed by mid-1968. An excellent collection of ‘60s cape comics. 4.0 stars, recommended!
July 20, 2021
Marvel Masterworks The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 6 by Stan Lee is getting Spiderman in the larger story arcs. Spiderman has had minor stories arc like turning in his costume then having to use a spare, injuring his shoulder and being in a cast, or poor Aunt May being sick and weak for a couple issues. The villains have lasted only two issues until now. Spidey fights Doc Oct. and Kingpin for 3 – 4 issues. The main villains are Kingpin, who was just introduced in Amazing Spider-Man issue 50 and is in 5 issues in this volume, Doc Oct, Mysterio, and Allister Smythe and his Spider Slayer. Peter Parker’s love life takes a turn where he has to choose Gwen Stacey and Mary Jane Watson. This volume sees a death of a minor but important character, and introduces Gwen’s father Captain Stacey and Robbie Robertson who are all important to Peter Parker / Spiderman’s legacy. Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 6 collects The Amazing Spider-Man 51 -61 and Annual #4
Plots: Kingpin wants to take down all those articles about organized crime, and heads for J. Jonah Jamison to stop him for good. Jamison and Spidey team up to make a very unusual pair. Doc Ock has just been released from prison he wants to lay low to scheme on stealing a power device, he just happens to look for a room when Mary Jane opens one up. These issues hit close to home, as he cannot go after Doc Ock because he has charmed Aunt May. Spiderman has lost his memory and tricked into being a bad guy for sometime proving Jamison right. Kazar visits New York and tracks the menace that is Spiderman down.
What I Liked: The advanced storytelling and the bigger arcs that really up the stakes. Spiderman doesn’t win all the time, and has some great cliffhangers, that make you keep turning the pages. The spiderman classic quips are really clever and a joy to read. The Brainwasher itself was lame but I did like how it was attached to Oscorp and we got to see Norman Osborn as the victim, still struggling with life after not remembering he is the Green Goblin. Allister Smythe is becoming the ruthless creator of the Spider Slayer that I remember; it has taken him 4 appearances to nail the character. Gwen Stacey blinds Peter with science where he can talk about science with here and not Mary Jane. I liked some of the hard choices Peter and Spiderman have to make in this volume.
What I Disliked: The Brianwasher storyline took a long while to get good. The Spidey and the Human Torch Annual was 48 pages and took so long to get started. I have liked one annual storyline and it was the first one.
Recommendations: This Volume is great and big issue in terms of Spiderman story arcs and multiple issue storytelling. The Kingpin is mainly thought of a Daredevil villain but the first 5 issues the Kingpin makes a big splash with how ruthless and smart he is. I rated The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 6 by Stan Lee 4 out of 5 stars.
Plots: Kingpin wants to take down all those articles about organized crime, and heads for J. Jonah Jamison to stop him for good. Jamison and Spidey team up to make a very unusual pair. Doc Ock has just been released from prison he wants to lay low to scheme on stealing a power device, he just happens to look for a room when Mary Jane opens one up. These issues hit close to home, as he cannot go after Doc Ock because he has charmed Aunt May. Spiderman has lost his memory and tricked into being a bad guy for sometime proving Jamison right. Kazar visits New York and tracks the menace that is Spiderman down.
What I Liked: The advanced storytelling and the bigger arcs that really up the stakes. Spiderman doesn’t win all the time, and has some great cliffhangers, that make you keep turning the pages. The spiderman classic quips are really clever and a joy to read. The Brainwasher itself was lame but I did like how it was attached to Oscorp and we got to see Norman Osborn as the victim, still struggling with life after not remembering he is the Green Goblin. Allister Smythe is becoming the ruthless creator of the Spider Slayer that I remember; it has taken him 4 appearances to nail the character. Gwen Stacey blinds Peter with science where he can talk about science with here and not Mary Jane. I liked some of the hard choices Peter and Spiderman have to make in this volume.
What I Disliked: The Brianwasher storyline took a long while to get good. The Spidey and the Human Torch Annual was 48 pages and took so long to get started. I have liked one annual storyline and it was the first one.
Recommendations: This Volume is great and big issue in terms of Spiderman story arcs and multiple issue storytelling. The Kingpin is mainly thought of a Daredevil villain but the first 5 issues the Kingpin makes a big splash with how ruthless and smart he is. I rated The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 6 by Stan Lee 4 out of 5 stars.
November 4, 2019
Well, this was a colorful story arc that helps elevate Dr. Octopus from more than just a man with a gimmick to one with some serious plans. Sure the whole Spider-Man losing his memory was a little hokey, but the implications of this mind-altering experience resulted in some interesting moments including Captain Stacy showing an interest in Spider-Man as a hero and even J. Jonah Jameson's son standing up for our favorite wallcrawler, too.
Plus we eventually get more of the Kingpin being more than just a man behind a desk, and that's some serious villain development right there.
Plus we eventually get more of the Kingpin being more than just a man behind a desk, and that's some serious villain development right there.
October 8, 2019
The Kingpin and Doctor Octopus are the main villains in this volume. Here's what happens:
Back from his short retirement in Volume 5, Spidey goes after the Kingpin, but is defeated. And in another victory, Kingpin captures J Jonah Jameson, because Jameson has been writing editorials about Kingpin’s organization. Meanwhile, former villain/current Daily Bugle crime reporter Fred Foswell temporarily allies himself with Kingpin, but he ends up dying while saving Jameson's life.
Once freed, Jameson puts Ned Leeds on Foswell’s old crime beat, making Betty Brant paranoid and nervous about Ned’s potentially being in danger. I was curious to see if she'd get as clingy and demanding as she did when she dated Peter, and if so, how Ned would react, but the series pretty much leaves Betty and Ned to themselves for now.
Meanwhile, in Peter's personal life, Flash Thompson comes home from the military on furlough. Everyone is glad to see him, but they won’t join him in bashing Peter when he tries to start that up again. With Flash away most of the time, Peter now has a solid circle of friends. He even invites Gwen out to a science exhibition and has a great time with her, impressed that she’s not suspicious and needy. He's clearly comparing her to Betty, even though he doesn't mention Betty by name.
Gwen's not the only one into Peter. She and Mary Jane are both interested in him to the extent of ignoring other boys. Neither makes a hard press yet, but both are very obvious in their flirting. They're basically Betty and Veronica to Peter's Archie. That's not at all how I imagined these relationships unfolding. I always thought that Peter dated Gwen before he even really knew Mary Jane, but nope.
The next big arc is around Doctor Octopus returning to try to steal a government weapon called the Nullifier (basically a very versatile EMP weapon). Doc Ock gets it and shoots it at Spidey, giving the wallcrawler amnesia. Ock then tells Spidey that Spidey is Ock’s henchman and Spidey weirdly believes it, even though he feels in his bones that it’s wrong. It's a stupid, hard to swallow story, but Spidey works with Ock for a while. When Ock is eventually captured though, Spidey escapes to try to get his memory back.
It's also during this time that kind of a classic storyline takes place. Wanting to lay low, Ock answers a classified ad to rent a room that Aunt May and her housemate have available. Eventually, he and Spidey fight in the house, Aunt May witnesses it, and she has an attack. She’s really the worst. So frail. The series goes back to her poor health way too many times simply as an easy way to push Peter’s drama. She’s also pretty dumb. Like how she knows Ock is wanted by the police, but she believes his lie that it was all a misunderstanding.
Jameson's son, John, also comes back during this storyline. He's in charge of security for the Nullifier and is the one who eventually captures Ock. And Gwen Stacy's father, a retired police captain, is introduced as part of the task force to retrieve the Nullifier.
While all this is going on, the jungle hero Ka-Zar comes to town and JJJ convinces him to bring in the still amnesiac Spidey. They fight, but Ka-Zar becomes convinced that Spidey is innocent and Spidey regains his memory while fighting Ka-Zar. Before Spidey can check in with his roommate Harry Osborn or Aunt May though, JJJ attacks him with a new, improved Spider Slayer robot.
Harry has been behaving strangely towards Peter. He thinks that Peter’s being secretive and is resentful about it. He gives Peter the cold shoulder for a while, but then gets worried when Peter (suffering amnesia as Spider-Man) doesn’t come home for a few days. It reaches the point where Harry searches Peter's room, looking for a clue to where Peter might be. Harry finds a Spidey tracer there and assumes that Spidey has kidnapped Peter, possibly because Peter’s been taking photos of Spidey. Harry reports this to the police and word spreads that Spidey has kidnapped Peter.
Once Peter regains his memory though, he checks in with Aunt May and then the police, telling them that Spidey kidnapped him while under Ock’s influence. Captain Stacy, who's sympathetic towards Spidey, interviews Peter for his impressions of the masked hero and the two characters are impressed with each other. Peter's friends are also glad to see him. Harry is no longer upset and Gwen has really missed Peter. Peter starts to realize that he’s in love with Gwen, too. He doesn’t come out and say it, but he probably finds MJ too flighty. Gwen is more stable and seems genuinely interested in Peter.
Robbie Robertson is hired as City Editor at the Daily Bugle around this time. He was one of my favorite Spider-Man characters as a kid and I'm reminded why. He's a calming influence on the paper. He actually cares about reporting the truth, even telling Ned Leeds at one point to ignore JJJ’s opinionated ranting.
Finally, Kingpin returns, adopting the persona of a new villain called Brainwasher to hypnotize city officials for some mysterious purpose. Gwen’s dad is one of them, which pits him against Spidey and even Peter. He attacks Peter in the Stacy home, Peter swings back, and Gwen thinks that Peter has attacked her dad.
Investigating Cpt Stacy's strange behavior, Peter gets photos of him committing a crime and turns them into JJJ for publishing (hoping to smoke out whatever’s going on). Kingpin’s scientist, who developed the brainwash machine, also works for Harry Osborn and is using his work lab as a hideout after Kingpin’s hideout is destroyed. Spidey trails the Kingpin to Osborn’s company while Osborn himself figures out that something is up. Spidey and Osborn work together to defeat the scientist and clear Cpt Stacy, but Kingpin escapes.
Kingpin is a bad villain in this volume, by the way. He's not the cool, quietly dangerous ganglord he’ll eventually become. He's just very loud and boastful even though his plans are usually garbage.
The volume ends with Gwen appreciating Spidey for helping her dad, but Peter is afraid that she’s still angry with him. Gotta tune in to Volume 7 to see how that resolves. But just as emotions are getting real between Gwen and Peter, Norman Osborn reads an article in the paper about Green Goblin and becomes disturbed. Spidey's story about Goblin's "death" was that Osborn helped defeat the Goblin, but Osborn doesn't remember that. It's causing some problems that I assume will lead to Osborn regaining his memory, which of course will mean bad things for Gwen. I'm dreading, while also looking forward to reading that story.
This volume also includes Spider-Man Annual #4, which has Spidey and the Human Torch fighting Mysterio and the Wizard in a dumb plot where the Wizard creates an entire, working movie studio just to fool Spidey and Torch into fighting each other. It's stupid, but the issue is basically one, long showdown and I enjoyed it for that.
Back from his short retirement in Volume 5, Spidey goes after the Kingpin, but is defeated. And in another victory, Kingpin captures J Jonah Jameson, because Jameson has been writing editorials about Kingpin’s organization. Meanwhile, former villain/current Daily Bugle crime reporter Fred Foswell temporarily allies himself with Kingpin, but he ends up dying while saving Jameson's life.
Once freed, Jameson puts Ned Leeds on Foswell’s old crime beat, making Betty Brant paranoid and nervous about Ned’s potentially being in danger. I was curious to see if she'd get as clingy and demanding as she did when she dated Peter, and if so, how Ned would react, but the series pretty much leaves Betty and Ned to themselves for now.
Meanwhile, in Peter's personal life, Flash Thompson comes home from the military on furlough. Everyone is glad to see him, but they won’t join him in bashing Peter when he tries to start that up again. With Flash away most of the time, Peter now has a solid circle of friends. He even invites Gwen out to a science exhibition and has a great time with her, impressed that she’s not suspicious and needy. He's clearly comparing her to Betty, even though he doesn't mention Betty by name.
Gwen's not the only one into Peter. She and Mary Jane are both interested in him to the extent of ignoring other boys. Neither makes a hard press yet, but both are very obvious in their flirting. They're basically Betty and Veronica to Peter's Archie. That's not at all how I imagined these relationships unfolding. I always thought that Peter dated Gwen before he even really knew Mary Jane, but nope.
The next big arc is around Doctor Octopus returning to try to steal a government weapon called the Nullifier (basically a very versatile EMP weapon). Doc Ock gets it and shoots it at Spidey, giving the wallcrawler amnesia. Ock then tells Spidey that Spidey is Ock’s henchman and Spidey weirdly believes it, even though he feels in his bones that it’s wrong. It's a stupid, hard to swallow story, but Spidey works with Ock for a while. When Ock is eventually captured though, Spidey escapes to try to get his memory back.
It's also during this time that kind of a classic storyline takes place. Wanting to lay low, Ock answers a classified ad to rent a room that Aunt May and her housemate have available. Eventually, he and Spidey fight in the house, Aunt May witnesses it, and she has an attack. She’s really the worst. So frail. The series goes back to her poor health way too many times simply as an easy way to push Peter’s drama. She’s also pretty dumb. Like how she knows Ock is wanted by the police, but she believes his lie that it was all a misunderstanding.
Jameson's son, John, also comes back during this storyline. He's in charge of security for the Nullifier and is the one who eventually captures Ock. And Gwen Stacy's father, a retired police captain, is introduced as part of the task force to retrieve the Nullifier.
While all this is going on, the jungle hero Ka-Zar comes to town and JJJ convinces him to bring in the still amnesiac Spidey. They fight, but Ka-Zar becomes convinced that Spidey is innocent and Spidey regains his memory while fighting Ka-Zar. Before Spidey can check in with his roommate Harry Osborn or Aunt May though, JJJ attacks him with a new, improved Spider Slayer robot.
Harry has been behaving strangely towards Peter. He thinks that Peter’s being secretive and is resentful about it. He gives Peter the cold shoulder for a while, but then gets worried when Peter (suffering amnesia as Spider-Man) doesn’t come home for a few days. It reaches the point where Harry searches Peter's room, looking for a clue to where Peter might be. Harry finds a Spidey tracer there and assumes that Spidey has kidnapped Peter, possibly because Peter’s been taking photos of Spidey. Harry reports this to the police and word spreads that Spidey has kidnapped Peter.
Once Peter regains his memory though, he checks in with Aunt May and then the police, telling them that Spidey kidnapped him while under Ock’s influence. Captain Stacy, who's sympathetic towards Spidey, interviews Peter for his impressions of the masked hero and the two characters are impressed with each other. Peter's friends are also glad to see him. Harry is no longer upset and Gwen has really missed Peter. Peter starts to realize that he’s in love with Gwen, too. He doesn’t come out and say it, but he probably finds MJ too flighty. Gwen is more stable and seems genuinely interested in Peter.
Robbie Robertson is hired as City Editor at the Daily Bugle around this time. He was one of my favorite Spider-Man characters as a kid and I'm reminded why. He's a calming influence on the paper. He actually cares about reporting the truth, even telling Ned Leeds at one point to ignore JJJ’s opinionated ranting.
Finally, Kingpin returns, adopting the persona of a new villain called Brainwasher to hypnotize city officials for some mysterious purpose. Gwen’s dad is one of them, which pits him against Spidey and even Peter. He attacks Peter in the Stacy home, Peter swings back, and Gwen thinks that Peter has attacked her dad.
Investigating Cpt Stacy's strange behavior, Peter gets photos of him committing a crime and turns them into JJJ for publishing (hoping to smoke out whatever’s going on). Kingpin’s scientist, who developed the brainwash machine, also works for Harry Osborn and is using his work lab as a hideout after Kingpin’s hideout is destroyed. Spidey trails the Kingpin to Osborn’s company while Osborn himself figures out that something is up. Spidey and Osborn work together to defeat the scientist and clear Cpt Stacy, but Kingpin escapes.
Kingpin is a bad villain in this volume, by the way. He's not the cool, quietly dangerous ganglord he’ll eventually become. He's just very loud and boastful even though his plans are usually garbage.
The volume ends with Gwen appreciating Spidey for helping her dad, but Peter is afraid that she’s still angry with him. Gotta tune in to Volume 7 to see how that resolves. But just as emotions are getting real between Gwen and Peter, Norman Osborn reads an article in the paper about Green Goblin and becomes disturbed. Spidey's story about Goblin's "death" was that Osborn helped defeat the Goblin, but Osborn doesn't remember that. It's causing some problems that I assume will lead to Osborn regaining his memory, which of course will mean bad things for Gwen. I'm dreading, while also looking forward to reading that story.
This volume also includes Spider-Man Annual #4, which has Spidey and the Human Torch fighting Mysterio and the Wizard in a dumb plot where the Wizard creates an entire, working movie studio just to fool Spidey and Torch into fighting each other. It's stupid, but the issue is basically one, long showdown and I enjoyed it for that.
February 6, 2025
In the Clutches of the Kingpin! (originally published August 1967 in The Amazing Spider-Man #51)
After a brief appearance in the previous issue, we get our first full appearance from the Kingpin. He feels like a true threat—he makes examples of his underlings, and successfully subdues Spider-Man at the end for a cliffhanger.
A lot goes on with the support cast as well. There's now clear romantic tension between Peter and Gwen, and Foswell gets exposed. Progression! 4/5
To Die a Hero! (originally published September 1967 in The Amazing Spider-Man #52)
Robbie Robertson is officially referred to by name in this issue, after having a brief first appearance in the previous one. It took the series awhile to eventually begin including black people as background characters, and now he have our first black character with a name, characterization, and recurring appearances. Thankfully, the colorists at Marvel know how to depict African-American skin tone at this point, something they struggled with in early attempts that turned out more gray.
Besides that, this is a pretty thrilling conclusion to the first ever Kingpin story, and a very good introduction to a villain who would of course become a mainstay, and eventually the arch-nemesis of Daredevil. Foswell bites it, which is a ballsy decision in a era of comics in which it was very uncommon for even supporting characters to die. 4/5
The Web and the Flame! (originally published November 1967 in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #4)
This 41-page story is far too long, and for an annual, doesn't feel special at all. Sure, it's a Human Torch team-up, but that's already happened multiple times before and it uses the generic plot of "villains trick heroes into fighting each other" that was very common at the time. Using Mysterio as a mystery villain also doesn't work nearly as well as in the psychiatrist issue, and he is unforutnately paired up with Strange Tales reject "the Wizard."
It's cool to see Spidey use his brains to win, but he must be a psychic to have known those exact materials would be useful to him, and the science behind his line of thinking is almost certainly dubious. Did I mention that the story is too long?
The final panels give a tease for the following year's annual, which will be about "mystery" behind Peter's parents. Since 41 pages wasn't enough, the remainder of the issue is padded out with explanations of Spider-Man's powers, how his web shooters work, what his apartment looks like, etc.
Larry Leiber draws this issue instead of John Romita and does an admirable job, but the story is still not very good. 2/5
Enter: Dr. Octopus (originally published October 1967 in The Amazing Spider-Man #53)
Peter has a date with Gwen for the first time! Very big deal. Harry also gets butthurt in this issue about Peter's flakiness and secretive nature, and Flash Thompson (who is currently on leave from military service) reveals he doesn't really hate Peter anymore but keeps the bantz going for kicks. I love that little moment.
Doc Ock shows up for the first time in a long time (I think since the Master Planner saga, drawn by Steve Ditko) and it's immediately obvious how much John Romita contributed to the visual style of this character. His influence would be felt for decades to come. It's interesting what is done with Octavius—there isn't much of a fight, instead it mainly just lays groundwork for the following issue. This is a very good one. 4/5
The Tentacles and the Trap! (originally published November 1967 in The Amazing Spider-Man #54)
Aunt May's characterization in this issue reminds me a lot of the way it was in the first annual. Stan Lee always wrote her as very doting old woman, but it's taken to a an extreme here that I find very far-fetched. It creates an interesting conflict nonetheless, and this issue ends on another cliffhanger, and another very atypical one. In the background, tension continues to brew between Peter and Harry. 3/5
Dock Ock Wins! (originally published December 1967 in The Amazing Spider-Man #55)
Terrific Romita art in this issue. It ends on yet another cliffhanger, and this one is a massive one. The final twist is goofy and difficult to believe, but at least it delivers on the promise of the title instead of running from it. 3/5
Disaster! (originally published January 1968 in The Amazing Spider-Man #56)
After the final twist of the previous issue, Spider-Man is suffering from amnesia and doesn't know who he is. Conveniently, he still knows how to operate his web shooters. Another cliffhanger is in order as he is still amnesiac at the end, and Peter is reported as a missing person.
Captain George Stacy makes his debut appearance in this issue, and would very soon be established as key member of the supporting cast. 3/5
The Coming of Ka-Zar! (originally published February 1968 in The Amazing Spider-Man #57)
Ka-Zar and his sabretooth tiger are the guest stars in this issue, and Captain Stacy is given a major role in the story. Apparently Lee and/or Romita had a eureka moment (or someone else brought it to their attention) regarding amnesiac Spider-Man and his web shooters, as he doesn't know how to load them in this issue. It's a rare example of the "web fluid ran out" trope that doesn't feel hacky or cheap.
The issue ends with Spider-Man defeated by Ka-Zar and seemingly dead, and Peter obviously still missing as a result. 3/5
To Kill a Spider-Man! (originally published March 1968 in The Amazing Spider-Man #58)
It's revelaed on the title page of this issue that Spider-Man is in fact not dead, with no reason given beyond "because nu-uh." A couple of pages later his amnesia is gone, with the explanation being the "shock of hitting water." I don't think I need to explain that these two things are both incredibly lazy writing. In addition, at this point Don Heck began collaborating with Romita on the art, for the purpose of reducing Romita's work load. The art suffers as a result.
Smythe and the Spider-Slayers (which are named this time!) return, and despite all my previous gripes, the rest of issue, while nothing special, is decent. 3/5
The Brand of the Brainwasher! (originally published April 1968 in The Amazing Spider-Man #59)
At the beginning of this issue, Peter knows that Aunt May is in the hospital, with no explanation given as to how he found out (the previous issue ended with him unsure of her whereabouts). I assume this was a goof, with Lee and/or Romita not remembering exactly how the previous issue ended.
Anyway, Peter makes up a story about being captured by amnesiac Spider-Man and then let go when he regained his memory. It's believable enough, and the issue features key development for Captain Stacy. My favorite part about this one is that it seems to feature a throwaway villain, but it is revealed in the final panel that he's merely a lackey, and the real baddie is the Kingpin. 4/5
O, Bitter Victory! (originally published May 1968 in The Amazing Spider-Man #60)
The saga involving the Kingpin and Captain Stacy continues from the previous issue, and Norman Osborn returns as well (still not remembering his past as the Green Goblin) to also be caught up in the web. The main plot gets wrapped up a bit too conveniently though, and the art is mediocre.
This issue is notable for Peter admitting to himself that he is in love with Gwen (after one date, one kiss, and very little development for the pair of them) and for Gwen to several pages later say she never wants to see him again. Classic Silver Age stuff, lol. 3/5
EDIT: I must have messed up in my notes, because referring back to this review, I've noticed that I failed to account for issue #61, and it's possible that my review for #60 mentions some things that happened in #61... I'll have to re-read the final arc in this collection sometime and fix it.
After a brief appearance in the previous issue, we get our first full appearance from the Kingpin. He feels like a true threat—he makes examples of his underlings, and successfully subdues Spider-Man at the end for a cliffhanger.
A lot goes on with the support cast as well. There's now clear romantic tension between Peter and Gwen, and Foswell gets exposed. Progression! 4/5
To Die a Hero! (originally published September 1967 in The Amazing Spider-Man #52)
Robbie Robertson is officially referred to by name in this issue, after having a brief first appearance in the previous one. It took the series awhile to eventually begin including black people as background characters, and now he have our first black character with a name, characterization, and recurring appearances. Thankfully, the colorists at Marvel know how to depict African-American skin tone at this point, something they struggled with in early attempts that turned out more gray.
Besides that, this is a pretty thrilling conclusion to the first ever Kingpin story, and a very good introduction to a villain who would of course become a mainstay, and eventually the arch-nemesis of Daredevil. Foswell bites it, which is a ballsy decision in a era of comics in which it was very uncommon for even supporting characters to die. 4/5
The Web and the Flame! (originally published November 1967 in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #4)
This 41-page story is far too long, and for an annual, doesn't feel special at all. Sure, it's a Human Torch team-up, but that's already happened multiple times before and it uses the generic plot of "villains trick heroes into fighting each other" that was very common at the time. Using Mysterio as a mystery villain also doesn't work nearly as well as in the psychiatrist issue, and he is unforutnately paired up with Strange Tales reject "the Wizard."
It's cool to see Spidey use his brains to win, but he must be a psychic to have known those exact materials would be useful to him, and the science behind his line of thinking is almost certainly dubious. Did I mention that the story is too long?
The final panels give a tease for the following year's annual, which will be about "mystery" behind Peter's parents. Since 41 pages wasn't enough, the remainder of the issue is padded out with explanations of Spider-Man's powers, how his web shooters work, what his apartment looks like, etc.
Larry Leiber draws this issue instead of John Romita and does an admirable job, but the story is still not very good. 2/5
Enter: Dr. Octopus (originally published October 1967 in The Amazing Spider-Man #53)
Peter has a date with Gwen for the first time! Very big deal. Harry also gets butthurt in this issue about Peter's flakiness and secretive nature, and Flash Thompson (who is currently on leave from military service) reveals he doesn't really hate Peter anymore but keeps the bantz going for kicks. I love that little moment.
Doc Ock shows up for the first time in a long time (I think since the Master Planner saga, drawn by Steve Ditko) and it's immediately obvious how much John Romita contributed to the visual style of this character. His influence would be felt for decades to come. It's interesting what is done with Octavius—there isn't much of a fight, instead it mainly just lays groundwork for the following issue. This is a very good one. 4/5
The Tentacles and the Trap! (originally published November 1967 in The Amazing Spider-Man #54)
Aunt May's characterization in this issue reminds me a lot of the way it was in the first annual. Stan Lee always wrote her as very doting old woman, but it's taken to a an extreme here that I find very far-fetched. It creates an interesting conflict nonetheless, and this issue ends on another cliffhanger, and another very atypical one. In the background, tension continues to brew between Peter and Harry. 3/5
Dock Ock Wins! (originally published December 1967 in The Amazing Spider-Man #55)
Terrific Romita art in this issue. It ends on yet another cliffhanger, and this one is a massive one. The final twist is goofy and difficult to believe, but at least it delivers on the promise of the title instead of running from it. 3/5
Disaster! (originally published January 1968 in The Amazing Spider-Man #56)
After the final twist of the previous issue, Spider-Man is suffering from amnesia and doesn't know who he is. Conveniently, he still knows how to operate his web shooters. Another cliffhanger is in order as he is still amnesiac at the end, and Peter is reported as a missing person.
Captain George Stacy makes his debut appearance in this issue, and would very soon be established as key member of the supporting cast. 3/5
The Coming of Ka-Zar! (originally published February 1968 in The Amazing Spider-Man #57)
Ka-Zar and his sabretooth tiger are the guest stars in this issue, and Captain Stacy is given a major role in the story. Apparently Lee and/or Romita had a eureka moment (or someone else brought it to their attention) regarding amnesiac Spider-Man and his web shooters, as he doesn't know how to load them in this issue. It's a rare example of the "web fluid ran out" trope that doesn't feel hacky or cheap.
The issue ends with Spider-Man defeated by Ka-Zar and seemingly dead, and Peter obviously still missing as a result. 3/5
To Kill a Spider-Man! (originally published March 1968 in The Amazing Spider-Man #58)
It's revelaed on the title page of this issue that Spider-Man is in fact not dead, with no reason given beyond "because nu-uh." A couple of pages later his amnesia is gone, with the explanation being the "shock of hitting water." I don't think I need to explain that these two things are both incredibly lazy writing. In addition, at this point Don Heck began collaborating with Romita on the art, for the purpose of reducing Romita's work load. The art suffers as a result.
Smythe and the Spider-Slayers (which are named this time!) return, and despite all my previous gripes, the rest of issue, while nothing special, is decent. 3/5
The Brand of the Brainwasher! (originally published April 1968 in The Amazing Spider-Man #59)
At the beginning of this issue, Peter knows that Aunt May is in the hospital, with no explanation given as to how he found out (the previous issue ended with him unsure of her whereabouts). I assume this was a goof, with Lee and/or Romita not remembering exactly how the previous issue ended.
Anyway, Peter makes up a story about being captured by amnesiac Spider-Man and then let go when he regained his memory. It's believable enough, and the issue features key development for Captain Stacy. My favorite part about this one is that it seems to feature a throwaway villain, but it is revealed in the final panel that he's merely a lackey, and the real baddie is the Kingpin. 4/5
O, Bitter Victory! (originally published May 1968 in The Amazing Spider-Man #60)
The saga involving the Kingpin and Captain Stacy continues from the previous issue, and Norman Osborn returns as well (still not remembering his past as the Green Goblin) to also be caught up in the web. The main plot gets wrapped up a bit too conveniently though, and the art is mediocre.
This issue is notable for Peter admitting to himself that he is in love with Gwen (after one date, one kiss, and very little development for the pair of them) and for Gwen to several pages later say she never wants to see him again. Classic Silver Age stuff, lol. 3/5
EDIT: I must have messed up in my notes, because referring back to this review, I've noticed that I failed to account for issue #61, and it's possible that my review for #60 mentions some things that happened in #61... I'll have to re-read the final arc in this collection sometime and fix it.
August 4, 2025
This one collects Spider-Man nos. 51-61, along with Annual No. 4. It's the last book of the series I have access to for now - maybe I'll pick them up down the line, as I remember some good issues among the next 40 or so.
Lee and Romita have settled into what I think of as their classic collaborative period. They were both working in the office, so they could discuss plot ideas off and on throughout the day. The Kingpin is the baddie for nos. 51 and 52, and 59-61. Doctor Octopus comes along for 53-56. Ka-Zar meets up with Spider-Man (while the latter is amnesiac) in 57, and in 58, it's the return of the Professor Smythe robot with Jonah Jameson's face from a few years earlier. So, the stories are longer, though the stakes often seem lower. But the entertainment value is high.
Frederick Foswell is disposed of, as there was obviously nothing interesting they could decide to do with him. Aunt May is in and out of the hospital, but my fave was the issue she was home alone long enough to rent a room to Doctor Octopus, who she thinks is a charming man. Other than that fun bit, the Doc Ock issues are weird - he wants to steal this Nullifier weapon so he can sell it to a foreign government and fund his crime career but he still has all these hide-outs and employees he had when he was the Master Planner, so it seems money wasn't a problem. And besides, what super-criminal doesn't just steal the money he wants for any upcoming project?
New characters are introduced. Robbie Robertson, city editor of the Daily Bugle, is the African-American employee we may have seen in the background once or twice before - he becomes more important in the next volume I don't have. Captain Stacey, Gwen's father, a retired police captain who seems to be a constant presence still at the police station, is a sympathetic friend to Peter Parker and Spider-Man, though under the influence of the Kingpin's brainwashing, Stacey winds up causing Gwen to hate Peter for a while.
The Annual was drawn by Larry Lieber, and you can tell how much lower the story quality is when he's helping Lee plot rather than Romita. Don Heck takes over doing pencils over Romita's lay-outs with issue 57, and that doesn't look bad at all. The pacing is all set by Romita, who did a fantastic job of carrying forth the legacy of this character who had been guided by Steve Ditko for so long.
Lee and Romita have settled into what I think of as their classic collaborative period. They were both working in the office, so they could discuss plot ideas off and on throughout the day. The Kingpin is the baddie for nos. 51 and 52, and 59-61. Doctor Octopus comes along for 53-56. Ka-Zar meets up with Spider-Man (while the latter is amnesiac) in 57, and in 58, it's the return of the Professor Smythe robot with Jonah Jameson's face from a few years earlier. So, the stories are longer, though the stakes often seem lower. But the entertainment value is high.
Frederick Foswell is disposed of, as there was obviously nothing interesting they could decide to do with him. Aunt May is in and out of the hospital, but my fave was the issue she was home alone long enough to rent a room to Doctor Octopus, who she thinks is a charming man. Other than that fun bit, the Doc Ock issues are weird - he wants to steal this Nullifier weapon so he can sell it to a foreign government and fund his crime career but he still has all these hide-outs and employees he had when he was the Master Planner, so it seems money wasn't a problem. And besides, what super-criminal doesn't just steal the money he wants for any upcoming project?
New characters are introduced. Robbie Robertson, city editor of the Daily Bugle, is the African-American employee we may have seen in the background once or twice before - he becomes more important in the next volume I don't have. Captain Stacey, Gwen's father, a retired police captain who seems to be a constant presence still at the police station, is a sympathetic friend to Peter Parker and Spider-Man, though under the influence of the Kingpin's brainwashing, Stacey winds up causing Gwen to hate Peter for a while.
The Annual was drawn by Larry Lieber, and you can tell how much lower the story quality is when he's helping Lee plot rather than Romita. Don Heck takes over doing pencils over Romita's lay-outs with issue 57, and that doesn't look bad at all. The pacing is all set by Romita, who did a fantastic job of carrying forth the legacy of this character who had been guided by Steve Ditko for so long.
December 28, 2023
--3.5 stars rounded down--
Again, I've left it a bit too long since reading it to review it thoroughly, so I'll keep it brief.
I really enjoyed issues 50-52, which featured the first appearance of Kingpin, the resolution of Frederick Foswell's story, which was great, and Jonah and Spider-Man tied up together in a silo or something.
I didn't particularly enjoy Spider-Man losing his memory as, even though it wasn't a bad idea, it was pretty lazily done, and even more lazily undone. Still, #58 had some good Jonah moments as he has a change of heart over the use of the Spider Slayer.
I must admit that, despite really enjoying certain issues, I'm feeling less and less inclined to keep reading in this manner as the stories are getting so repetitive. I understand it's hard to keep coming up with new dramatic storylines but I just feel that, of late, Peter's personal life moves a bit too slowly to be all that interesting.
As it stands though, I'm still enjoying just about enough to keep reading when I have the time. We'll see, maybe I just need to take a break and then come back to these.
HIGHLIGHTS: #51-52
Again, I've left it a bit too long since reading it to review it thoroughly, so I'll keep it brief.
I really enjoyed issues 50-52, which featured the first appearance of Kingpin, the resolution of Frederick Foswell's story, which was great, and Jonah and Spider-Man tied up together in a silo or something.
I didn't particularly enjoy Spider-Man losing his memory as, even though it wasn't a bad idea, it was pretty lazily done, and even more lazily undone. Still, #58 had some good Jonah moments as he has a change of heart over the use of the Spider Slayer.
I must admit that, despite really enjoying certain issues, I'm feeling less and less inclined to keep reading in this manner as the stories are getting so repetitive. I understand it's hard to keep coming up with new dramatic storylines but I just feel that, of late, Peter's personal life moves a bit too slowly to be all that interesting.
As it stands though, I'm still enjoying just about enough to keep reading when I have the time. We'll see, maybe I just need to take a break and then come back to these.
HIGHLIGHTS: #51-52
July 27, 2018
While there’s some rough bits, this period of the book had Stan Lee cooking along at his best, and less wordy than before. Jazzy John Romita had his his stride on the book at this point, despite going with a less lanky Peter and fewer spidery poses.
Negative points include, as always, Aunt May, ever doddering and naive, and once again in hospital. Peter’s soap opera life is eye-rollingly silly, but whatever.
Negative points include, as always, Aunt May, ever doddering and naive, and once again in hospital. Peter’s soap opera life is eye-rollingly silly, but whatever.
December 28, 2017
Great Set of Issues
A couple of ho-hum ish's along the way, but ends with awesome excitement as Capt. Stacy regains his mind, Kingpin gets away, and questions around the inevitable return of the Green Goblin remain!
A couple of ho-hum ish's along the way, but ends with awesome excitement as Capt. Stacy regains his mind, Kingpin gets away, and questions around the inevitable return of the Green Goblin remain!
August 25, 2022
Another satisfying, straight-forward adventure where all your problems are solved with punching. But I must admit I'm getting rather tired of Old Aunt May constantly collapsing. It's time to kill her off.
February 8, 2025
Fun collection but nothing overly memorable here. Lots of Kingpin here who never struck me as an interesting villian. Plenty of Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson which adds to the fun. It all feels like it is marking time waiting for something to happen.
November 7, 2017
It's not that these are bad....its just that I feel the series isn't doing anything new or interesting. These are fine superhero comics, but they're not exceptional in any way.
February 12, 2018
Really good book
December 9, 2019
Got a tiny bit tedious with some of the beat’em up stuff but the last couple issues with Captain Stacy and Kingpin were really good.
September 24, 2020
Unpopular opinion: John Romita is a great artist, but I don't love his Spider-Man. I know! It's classic! It's formative! It's not for me.
January 25, 2022
3.5/5 rounded up
September 17, 2023
The Amazing Spider-Man #51-61 and Annual #4
November 2, 2023
These are stories from the original run of Spider-Man, back in the days when Stan"The Man" Lee was still the writer.
March 17, 2024
Decent but not as fun as the previous volume
July 28, 2013
Enjoyable classic-era Spider-man. The wallcrawler juggles roommate and relationship problems along with a nasty crew of baddies. Robbie Robertson and Captain Stacy make their first appearances, and Peter Parker seems to grow up a bit as he leaves the nest.
There's an extended amnesia storyline, which isn't my favorite, but Romita really starts to nail Spidey's action poses, rendering him enjoyable capable in all dimensions: ceilings, walls and more. It's dynamic stuff, fun with some satisfying melodrams as well, although add me to the list of people who wouldn't have minded seeing old Aunt May kick the bucket.
Read digital versions.
There's an extended amnesia storyline, which isn't my favorite, but Romita really starts to nail Spidey's action poses, rendering him enjoyable capable in all dimensions: ceilings, walls and more. It's dynamic stuff, fun with some satisfying melodrams as well, although add me to the list of people who wouldn't have minded seeing old Aunt May kick the bucket.
Read digital versions.
January 30, 2015
Twelve issues appear in this collection, which includes issues 51 to 61 and the fourth annual which teams Spidey back up with fan favourite The Human Torch. You can tell things are going well as all the villains are existing ones, though The Kingpin is pretty new at this stage, and the only notable first appearances are of ordinary folk who can add to the story of Peter Parker rather than Spidey. Great stuff!
April 10, 2014
Spiderman goes up against Doc Ock and Kingpin. This volume feels like one long storyline, and that is a good thing. Doc Ock is shown at his manipulative best, involving Aunt May in his plans. Kingpin becomes the major crime lord and decides to kill Jonah Jameson. This becomes an amusing double act while Spiderman tries to save someone who hates him. A very good read.
February 14, 2016
The Marvel Masterworks volumes are fantastic reprints of the early years of Marvel comics. A fantastic resource to allow these hard to find issues to be read by everyone. Very recommended to everyone and Highly recommended to any comic fan.
January 21, 2015
While I could do without ever seeing another superhero-loses-memory saga, Stan Lee and John Romita turns out another set of fun page-turners with just the right dosage of teenage woe-is-me melodrama.
September 12, 2016
Spidey losing his memory!!! Working for Doc Occ!!!!
Craziness!
Craziness!
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