“Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man vs. The Chameleon”
Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Amazing Spider-Man #1 contains two stories: “Spider-Man” and “Spider-Man vs. The Chameleon” In “Spider-Man”, we return to Peter Parker’s life and find that things haven’t been going well for him. He’s struggling to pay his bills, his TV act gets cancelled, and newspapers are calling him a menace. Despite this, Spider-Man doesn’t cease to be a hero, going as far as risking his life to save astronaut John Jameson, who lost control of his space capsule.
In “Spider-Man vs. The Chameleon”, Spidey tries (and fails) to join the Fantastic Four. Meanwhile, a Soviet spy known as “the Chameleon” disguises himself as Spider-Man to steal a set of nuclear plans while framing our hero. To clear his name, Spider-Man must capture the Chameleon.
Instead of continuing with Amazing Fantasy #16, Lee and Ditko started a new series, dedicated to Spider-Man. And what a first issue they created! We quickly see that bad luck and disappointment follow Spidey wherever he goes, leaving us with no choice but to pity our hero while also rooting for him. Despite his circumstances, Peter does not allow his predicament to consume him, and continues to to the right thing, save lives, and protect people. I don’t like comics where Peter goes through hard times, but seeing him persevere in the end remind me why Spider-Man is my favorite superhero.
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