Amazing Fantasy #15

 "SPIDER-MAN!"

Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: Steve Ditko/Inker: Steve Ditko/Colourist: Stan Goldberg/Letterer: Artie Simek/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: Jack Kirby

Synopsis: Peter Parker is a shy but studious teenager, praised by his teachers, yet scorned by his peers. Peter longs for a day when things will be different, but a single bite from a radioactive spider brings that day far closer than he had ever imagined...

Review: It's very difficult to talk about AF #15, because it's a story that everyone knows. If you're reading this right now, you know every detail of this story, even if you've never read the original comic itself. The origin of Spider-Man is burned into the collective consciousness of not just comic books fans, but society in general. Being bitten by a radioactive spider and being given superpowers, a nerdy kid being given miraculous new abilities with which to get back at the world that's shunned him, the kindly older relative who dies tragically, leaving the hero with a hard-learned lesson. The origin of Spider-Man is practically mythic, up there with the legends of ancient Greece, if not even more well known than even those.

In a way, I sometimes wonder if the original Lee/Ditko story is a victim of its own status; a story so well known and oft repeated in not just countless future issues of various Spidey titles, but also in film adaptations, cartoons, and parodies. Do we take this original eleven page story for granted? Can something be too much of a classic? I certainly don't think so, because every time I revisit this issue, I'm reminded (blown away, even) by just how effective and powerful a piece of art it is.

I may as well say it now to get such things out of the way: Steve Ditko is my favourite comic book artist of all time, and his run on Spider-Man is, for me, the peak for the character. That sounds like I'm saying it's all downhill once Ditko leaves, when nothing could be further from the truth, but I can't deny that Ditko's artwork has such a power to it that still floors me despite having seen it more times than I could possibly count. The impact of scenes such as the iconic spider bite, the beautifully executed fight between Peter and Crusher Hogan, the genuinely spine-chilling confrontation between Spider-Man and the Burglar, remains just as strong today as in 1962; they have lost absolutely none of their power, and the fact that Steve is able to tell such a compelling story in just eleven pages is mind-boggling. Just the splash page alone, depicting a forlorn Peter, ostracised from his fellow students, yet casting the powerful shadow of Spider-Man on the wall behind him, says more than words ever could.

All this Ditko praise isn't intended to take away from Stan's contributions, as there are numerous brilliantly snappy and memorable bits of dialogue throughout; Spider-Man's emotional cry of, "There's no place on Earth where you can hide from me!" as he corners the Burglar in the warehouse has always stuck with me, and it still sends goosebumps down my spine even when it's included in the heavily abridged recaps of the origin that have graced the pages of Spidey comics in the subsequent years. Stan often gets a bit of flack from fans who argue he took too much credit for the achievements of Marvel during this time period, and I'm inclined to agree with them. However, I will also argue that he was a terrific writer that understood the audience, and more importantly, he understood character. He knew what readers would be able to connect with, and he knew how to pace his typically Shakespearean dialogue across the panels so that it would have the most impact.

As fans, it can be strange returning to the story where it all began. We may find ourselves making little continuity notes in our heads, things like, "Of course the Burglar was really after the treasure that was hidden in the Parker home," or, "This is the moment when Mary-Jane sees Peter change into Spider-Man." It can be difficult to stop such thoughts, but for the benefit of the story, I think we have to. Next time you return to AF #15, try to forget about everything that follows, and just appreciate the joy of seeing two comic book masters at work, spinning a cracking good story as easily as Spider-Man spins a web.

Rating: 5/5

Next time, we'll be taking a look at the very first issue of Spidey's first ongoing title! We'll be introduced to J. Jonah Jameson, pay a brief house call to the Fantastic Four, and Spidey meets his first supervillain in the form of...the Chameleon!