Marvel Comics Library. Spider-Man. 1962-1964

When Stan Lee first introduced the idea of Spider-Man in 1962, his boss had numerous objections: People hate spiders. Teenagers are not main characters; they are sidekicks. The protagonist should be glamorous and successful, not a friendless loser. But Stan remained persistent, and Martin Goodman allowed him to try out the unlikely hero in Amazing Fantasy, which was anyway set to be canceled. Then, with Spider-Man on the cover, issue No. 15 of the doomed comic shot to the top of the Marvel bestseller list for the year, and the rest is history. Amazing Spider-Man, which was released seven months later, broke all comic book traditions. Peter Parker lived in uncool Queens, was always broke, constantly worried about his Aunt May, had bad luck in love, and was regularly yelled at by his boss, J. Jonah Jameson, the editor of the Daily Bugle. Spider-Man had the quick wit and confidence that Parker lacked, but it wasn't always easy to wield his powers. He often seemed on the brink of defeat against the classic rogues' gallery of villains that appeared in the early years: Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Lizard, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, and the Green Goblin. A large part of Spider-Man's success is due to his co-creator and artist Steve Ditko, who had a knack for portraying teenagers and their problems. His drawings gave Spider-Man a light-footed dynamism, and even though many people might fear spiders, swinging through New York made it look like the coolest adventure ever. This compact edition was originally in XXL format.