Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus - Volume 1 (New Printing)

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Coming Home (#30-35). JMS' first storyline for Spider-Man is a somewhat mixed bag. He certainly leaves an indelible mark on the character, and at times his writing is strong, but the question ultimately is whether it's for good or ill .. It’s all jealousy all the time with another Strange Tales villain with a Torch guest appearance. Now, I’m a Spidey/Torch fan, but this is bad superhero rom com antics. Dorrie Evans is not great. There’s a much better follow up in Untold Tales of Spider-Man Annual ‘96. A rushed gangster mystery story that doesn’t really deliver on much. The Big Man is much better used later on. I think the Enforcers are fine, but they are a rather silly remnant that probably seemed dated even in the early sixties. Betty’s past catches up with her, and I like her leaving to deal with it all on her own, but the last panel is not great. Chvilku jsem váhal zda tomu přeci jen nevystřelit "jen" 4, ale to prostě nejde. K takhle starým kouskům se nemůže přistupovat bez nějakých ohledů.

I’d argue that the Vulture is Spider-man’s first supervillain. The Chameleon is more of a super-spy. The vulture fight is really fun and creative with the water tower scene being the first example of Spider-Man having to overcome a predicament that his powers might not cover. The end is a little out of nowhere, but the rest is great! This is a comedy issue with the only sane one being Betty, astonishingly. It seems like J.J.J. forgets about the Scorpion at the slightest provocation. I guess I also really dislike the robot, which will become the first of the Spider Slayer line. Also, this has the famous faceless on-panel appearance of Mary Jane where she looks like a flower is eating her face. Basically, many things bolster this fairly crappy issue. On the subject of the art, I found Steve Ditko's classic art style to be simple yet never dull. I consider the mark of a great comic book or graphic novel to be one whose art is never poor enough to detract from the story being told, nor goes so overboard as to derail the reader's attention from the story at hand. Steve Ditko's art never infringed on either precept, which is something I cannot say for newer comics. Today, you will either find most comics to be bland and colorless to the point of losing all personality, or too stylized and out of touch with the characters of the comic (or just plain ugly). I like my comics, especially for Spider-Man, to be colorful and vibrant yet not overly busy, and Ditko achieved this balance beautifully. His artwork set the precedent for how Spider-Man should generally look and flow in comics, and for that he has my admiration.Sins Past (#509-514). This is definitely JMS' most controversial story arc, amidst a somewhat controversial run. It's so hated by a large portion of the fan base, that even if it hasn't exactly been dropped out of continuity, it's one of those stories that is just generally ignored by everyone who came after. Which is a pity, because I think it's one of JMS' best story arcs.

A máme tu hlavně origin Spider-mana provázaný s jeho osudovou lekcí o zodpovědnosti, který se neobešel bez legendárního "S velkou mocí..." řečeným ve žlutém vypravěčském rámečku a ne strejdou Benem. Origin a první výskyt zde nachází i většina slavných Spider-manových záporáků. Electro is a cool villain and a real threat for Spider-Man. The subplot of May’s illness is good, though Betty and Peter’s rift seems somewhat forced; it’s still not my favorite. Also, much like the first Vulture defeat, Electro’s end comes out of nowhere. However, I feel like that last panel really works for me and the action is fun, so I’m willing to forgive quite a bit.The art is always pretty solid with some standout fight scenes and moments of Spider-man posing. I'm not always a mega-fan of Romita Jr. art but he fits Spider-Man very well. Especially when Peter is fully suited, it looks amazing. The faces on the human characters though can use some work sometimes. It’s a fun adventure story with a lot of interaction between Jonah and Peter. Lizard stories are all a little samey, and this is the archetype. The lizard is a neat foe, though his motivations are less than clear. It’s good spider fun! The beginning of the Master Planner Saga! It’s also the first Empire State University story, but Gwen and Harry are kind of jerks in their first appearances. This isn’t helped by Flash, and I can’t help but long for the time when they will all be friends. The continuation of the outsider stuff from high school is out of place because college is very different. I think the Master Planner arc starts of well as Peter’s life spins out of control. The writing for Peter is great. His ranting has a wonderful quality to it and gives everything he says so much personality. You can see him take so much responsibility even as just Peter when he starts teaching in the old HS he went to and nurturing the minds of every kid he meets. With so many classic moments and characters, this Omnibus delivers it all with wonderful reproductions and colour work including the letters and design of the original. A fascinating document and a lovely, if chunky book.

Honestly, this is a solid issue. Now I’ve hated a Torch issue and liked a Goblin issue! What is happening? This episode has a little of the jealousy plague, but the Goblin’s plan is great as is Spider-Man’s call to Aunt May. This is the kind of Gobby I like. Vibes (#505). Once again, JMS' best stories come about when he tells little stories, like this one about Peter and MJ's relationship and a small crime case [4/5]. Despite the repetition, this is still a fun storyline. That's in part because scrappy Peter Parker facing an utterly unbeatable foe is interesting. But it's the character subplots that really make the story. It's of course great to see Ezekiel again, but the heart of the story is Mary Jane, who finally comes to a really meaningful meeting of the minds with Peter, something that's been hanging over JMS' run to date. So, I like Mysterio, but this issue seems like a lot of repeated themes. Spider-Imposter stealing things, Betty frustratingly worrying, and J. Jonah Jameson being webbed at the end, Even Mysterio seems to mostly just have smoke. He does a few other things, but that’s all to confound Spidey before the smoke. The movie studio fight is fun, and Mysterio posing as a hero is nice, but it just leads to very samey Jonah stuff. It’s not a bad issue, this is where the series starts to spin its wheels sometimes. I own a number of these Marvel Omnibus editions now, but this is the one I would grab if there was a fire and I could only take one with me. Sure, most of the material in this volume has been reprinted endlessly elsewhere, but it's never looked this good anywhere else, nor has all the great letter columns and in-house ads of the day been so lovingly restored and included.Caution: handling this book while reading it will make your biceps big... And with great power comes great responsability! I’m always a fan of Peter being desperate, and this issue ends on one of the key moments in Spider-history. Anyone reading it for the first time will probably find it familiar, given that it is often repeated. Much like the Crime Master two-parter, it does a good job of using all the elements of Spider-Man’s life to drive the tension. I do wish the Master Planner’s identity had been revealed with more gravitas, but honestly, I can’t complain.

Unintended Consequences (#55-56). A nice return to Peter as Teacher, as he sees how one of his students has been affected by his vigilantism. Pulling Ezekiel in to deliver the moral of the story is a little heavy-handed, but I suppose it's good that he's becoming a supporting cast member. Overall, a nice thoughtful piece [3+/5]. As for the plotting: that's the weakest part of this story. Peter spends long issues in a punch-em-up fight against an unstoppable villain ... until he suddenly figures out the plot twist to stop him. There are interesting bits, such as Ezekiel's sudden entrance to the fray, but otherwise it's a dull Doomsday-style fight. COLLECTING:Demon Wars: The Iron Samurai (2022) 1, Demon Wars: Shield of Justice (2022) 1, Demon Wars: TBD A (2023) 1, Demon Wars: TBD B (2023) 1 Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Omnibus– October 24, 2023Peter fights a jigsaw-puzzle Hulk that can't be killed because it's already dead. It's charming that JMS is playing in the science side of the Marvel universe pool, and he lets Peter be a bit of a scientist too. But so much of this arc is a big fight against an unstoppable foe (until it's ready to be defeated in the end), which is pretty much never a good look. Fortunately, the arc also has moral dilemmas and the rebuilding of the Peter/MJ relationship, to give it some depth [3+/5]. The Human Torch was at the height of his popularity here in his cash-grab spin-off in Strange Tales. This is one of the run’s better outings as the Torch and Spidey relationship continues here, and they establish their meeting place atop the Statue of Liberty. The highlight is their fight, a staple of superhero misunderstandings, though there is some silliness with the Torch’s hotheadedness (heh) the silly flame images (a power that doesn’t last), and the contrived ice web. The Fox and his gang are the usual uninspired villains that would show up in Strange Tales (Note: This is not the much more fun Fox, also a master thief, who would show up in the 80s). It’s also fun to see Kirby drawing and Ditko inking. It seems a bit rushed, but I enjoyed it. There’s too much fun here for me to really hate this. This volume covers the first-ever Spider-Man arc as written by Stan Lee and plotted/illustrated by Steve Ditko. As a lover of history and, of course, comics, it's essential reading.