In case I haven't made it abundantly clear in my reviews on this blog, I'm a big fan of Silver Age Spider-Man. I especially love the Lee and Ditko Era, which will always have the firmest place in my heart, but there's no denying that the stories Stan Lee produced with John Romita Sr. and later, Gil Kane (plus Don Heck, Jim Mooney, and John Buscema) are also very strong favourites for me. This was an era of real growth for the character of Peter Parker, as his supporting cast expanded, his life became more complicated, and his adventures often spanned multiple issues, forming longer storylines than anything we had seen in the Lee and Ditko days. The addition of new adversaries such as the Rhino, the Shocker, and of course, the Kingpin, are the icing on the cake.
This was also an era of great social upheaval in the real world, and Stan sought to reflect that in the comics Marvel was producing. You could see it in the pages of Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, but nowhere was his desire to capture the zeitgeist more obvious than in The Amazing Spider-Man. Themes of race, drugs, human rights, political corruption, and the trauma of war are all addressed throughout these years on the book, and whilst from a modern perspective they can look a tad dated and naïve, the intention to address such topical issues in a superhero comic is, was, and always be, an admirable one.
It has a few wobbles here and there, and a handful of mediocre stories, but the Lee/Romita/Kane run remains one of the most exciting, eventful, and at times, cosiest runs in Spidey history. Sometimes there's nothing like curling up with one of these issues, and having some good escapist fun. As with my list ranking my Top 5 Lee and Ditko stories, I hope this list can serve as a primer for newcomers to this era of Spider-Man, and that you'll be encouraged to seek out more. So, without further ado, let's get started:
5. The Sam Bullit Saga (The Amazing Spider-Man #91-92)
One of the most politically charged stories of the era, the Sam Bullit Saga remains terrifyingly relevant today. Gil Kane's artwork provides the perfect moody, oppressive ambience, and Stan's script remains one of his most mature and confrontational. The superhero action is great as always, but it's the political drama that really makes this story shine. It also boasts some fantastic moments from the supporting cast, particularly Jameson and Robbie.
Full Review (ASM #91): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-91.html
Full Review (ASM #92): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-92.html
4. "The Sinister Shocker!" (The Amazing Spider-Man #46)
It may seem a bit strange to put the first appearance of a villain who has never been much more than a minor nuisance to the wall-crawler, but regular readers will know that I love the Shocker. He's one of my all-time favourite bad guys, and this is a fantastic debut for the character. Plenty of exciting action, where you feel the impact of every attack, mixed with the Lee and Romita soap opera drama that was quickly becoming a staple on the book by this point. It's a pretty perfect issue of this era, and features quite possibly my favourite dialogue exchange in anything ever.
Full Review: https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-46.html
3. "Spider-Man No More!" and the Kingpin Saga (The Amazing Spider-Man #50-52)
Easily the most iconic story that Lee and Romita produced, and a contender for the most iconic Spider-Man story of all time, "Spider-Man No More!" lives up to the hype. It's a brilliantly told tale that remains pretty timeless, and offers us one of the most striking images ever featured in Spider-Man, with Peter walking away from his discarded costume in the rain. It would be remiss of me not to include the following two Kingpin issues, as Issue #50 really is just part one of an excellent trilogy that introduces everyone's favourite crime lord in swinging style. Three top notch issues that open with an unforgettable classic, and end with the death of a long-time recurring character. This is the moment that the Lee and Romita style is fully established, and it's one of their very best outings.
Full Review (ASM #50): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-50.html
Full Review (ASM #51): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-51.html
Full Review (ASM #52): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-52.html
2. The Doctor Octopus/Nullifier Saga (The Amazing Spider-Man #53-56)
Straight off the back of delivering one of their best stories, Lee and Romita outdo themselves with what is quite possibly my favourite ever appearance of Doctor Octopus. Ock is more menacing, more powerful, more destructive than ever before, thanks to Romita's incredible pencils, and the plot takes all kinds of crazy twists and turns, from the action packed attempt to steal the top secret nullifier, to Doc Ock moving into Aunt May's house as a boarder, to Spider-Man losing his memory and being tricked into joining forces with the villain! It's a high-octane, thrill-a-page storyline that never fails to keep me engaged. It's a phenomenal piece of work.
Full Review (ASM #53): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-53.html
Full Review (ASM #54): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-54.html
Full Review (ASM #55): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-55.html
Full Review (ASM #56): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/08/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-56.html
1. The Petrified Tablet Saga (The Amazing Spider-Man #68-75)
In one sense, it feels a bit weird putting this story at the number one spot, as it's the only one on this list to feature any issues that rate below a 4.5 out of 5. The thing is, it's not always individual issues that count; sometimes the accumulated brilliance of several great ones that make for one of your favourite Spidey stories of all time (and let's not forget that several of these issues, especially ASM #68, rate very highly indeed). The Petrified Tablet acts as a fantastic McGuffin to bring all kinds of bad guys out of the woodwork, from the Kingpin, to the Shocker, to the sinister Silvermane, with Spider-Man caught in the middle. Not every issue is top tier, but the scope and ambition of this storyline outweigh all of that, and it will probably always remain my number one favourite of this era.
Full Review (ASM #68): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-68.html
Full Review (ASM #69): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-69.html
Full Review (ASM #70): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-70.html
Full Review (ASM #71): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-71.html
Full Review (ASM #72): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-72.html
Full Review (ASM #73): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-73.html
Full Review (ASM #74): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-74.html
Full Review (ASM #75): https://crawlingthewallsblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/the-amazing-spider-man-vol-1-75.html
Honourable Mentions
The Rhino Trilogy (The Amazing Spider-Man #41-43)
The Prowler Saga (The Amazing Spider-Man #78-79)
The Death of Captain Stacy (The Amazing Spider-Man #88-90)
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