What's worse is that Spidey's ultimate adversary is the father of his college roommate. Spider-Man's rogue gallery is no less well stocked, but as with the Dark Knight, there is a single arch nemesis of our hero that stands above all the others: Gotham has The Joker, and Marvel's New York City has the Green Goblin. It's at least part of the reason for Batman's popularity – that cavalcade of colorful bad guys he comes up against. Your mum might even like this Spider-Man comic!Ī superhero is only as good as his villains. Much like what Ultimate Spider-Man does for the character's origins, Spider-Man: Blue takes an existing storyline that was a little thinner, adding weight and depth along with making it more palatable to contemporary sensibilities. Exactly right for an in-depth retelling of older Spider-Man stories, focusing on the burgeoning relationship between Peter and Gwen. Sale's work in Blue is a nice middle ground, stylised and strong and painterly, with a nod to the retro. Whilst Ditko and Romita's art is iconic, it might be a little difficult for those used to the slicker, modern-day comic book style. TV series – in their 2002 miniseries Spider-Man: Blue. As played by Emma Stone in The Amazing Spider-Man film series, the chemistry between the two has never been better put down on the comics page than by artist Tim Sale and writer Jeph Loeb – the latter of whom works on the Agents of S.H.I.E.LD. In one bravura sequence, the webhead talks himself into escaping from beneath a huge piece of machinery that would otherwise have been his certain doom – if that doesn't give you chills, you must have been chugging anti-freeze.Īlthough Mary Jane Watson is probably the better known of Peter Parker's love interests (again, as evidenced by certain movies), Gwen Stacy was the first to claim Spider-Man's heart as her own. It's the final chapter, cannily named “The Final Chapter”, which makes this one of the most iconic Spider-Man stories in the character's history. To get a sense of this, and the classic sixties era of the original Amazing Spider-Man comic book series, you should check out writer Stan Lee and genius artist Steve Ditko's “If This Be My Destiny.!” Facing a new, unseen enemy manipulating a series of trials behind the scenes – all whilst trying to get medicine to his elderly Aunt May, close to death in hospital – Spider-Man comes up against some of his most difficult challenges thus far. From his earliest stories Peter Parker's life is tinged by tragedy, and what makes Spidey such an enduring and beloved character is his ability to carry on in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, in situations which would cause your average to just tap out. But more than anything, his superhero side is defined by his indomitable spirit. Teenage drama, the difficulty of balancing high school crushes with crimefighting and hip lingo are all important parts of Spider-Man as a character. The teenage slang and dialogue are a lot better than Stan “The Man” Lee ever managed, too. Instead of fifteen pages, the origin is told over seven issues, which allows us to really get to know Peter and all his high school tormentors, his friends and family – which makes everything that happens later all the more exciting, amazing and tragic. For a more modern and involved take on the hero's early days, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley's Ultimate Spider-Man is a good place to start. It's also clearly an early version of Spidey before all of Peter Parker's foibles were properly decided upon. That is a rather condensed version, and not the easiest to read for modern audiences. All of that gets explained succinctly in the character's first appearance, 1962's Amazing Fantasy #15. Even the greenest Spider-Man novice knows the basics of the friendly neighborhood hero's origins: A radioactive spider bite gives high school nerd superpowers and he has a sense of responsibility instilled in him by subsequent murder of the uncle who raised him.
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