“Spider-Man!”
Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Let’s see how many Spider-Man comics I can read this year. Today I picked up The Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus vol. 1. This book starts with Amazing Fantasy #15, where we witness the origin of Spider-Man!
This story has been told and retold many times, yet it remains a classic. In just 11 pages, we meet Peter Parker, get a thorough view of the world around him, and see his life changed forever, as he becomes the hero known as Spider-Man!
This is one of the three most iconic superhero origins, along with Batman’s and Superman’s. The art by Steve Ditko brings Peter’s world to life. And Stan Lee’s script takes us deep into Peter’s mind so that we can identify with the protagonist.
Despite its simplicity, this story has a lot of dimension to it. It’s a superhero story where Peter receives the “gift” of superpowers, and his realization that he should use his gift for good, instead of his own benefit. But when reading this story in the context of the first 14 issues of Amazing, it also serves as a cautionary tale, where Peter receives the “curse” of great power, and is destined to use his power responsibly or face the consequences of his inaction.
This is the quintessential superhero origin story and every comic book fan should read this at least once.
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