Written by Stan Lee – Art by Steve Ditko – Letters by Sam Rosen
Five issues in and Amazing Spider-Man already feels like it’s a complete comic book that’s been published for decades.
Jameson uses his television appearances to attack Spider-Man. Peter goes to school with Flash Thompson and Liz Allan, Betty Brant works at the Daily Bugle and catches Peter’s eye, and Aunt May continues worrying about him. Flash is still Peter’s bully and one of Spider-Man’s biggest fans.
Almost everything that will make Peter Parker’s world feel like Peter Parker’s world is already here.
Doctor Doom’s appearance is more than just another Marvel character crossing into a different book. He brings Fantastic Four continuity with him.
The Fantastic Four believed Doom was dead. Now he shows up in Amazing Spider-Man and explains how he survived. If you only read the Fantastic Four, Doom’s next appearance is going to raise a pretty obvious question: Wait, when did he come back?
Marvel has done crossovers before, but this feels like something new. The characters aren’t just visiting each other’s books anymore. Their stories can cross over, too. Doctor Doom now has a history that runs from one series into another, making the Marvel Universe feel a little more like one continuous story.
Doom looks different through Steve Ditko’s eyes. Kirby’s Doom is imposing and theatrical, but Ditko gives him a kind of Phantom of the Opera quality. We see him hunched over strange equipment. There’s something especially creepy about the way Ditko presents him.
Doctor Doom attempts to recruit Spider-Man to help him defeat the Fantastic Four. When Spider-Man refuses, Doom promptly kicks him off his ship.
Back at the Daily Bugle, we get our first hint of a potential romance as Betty defends Spider-Man to Jameson, which impresses Peter. Also, for the first time, Peter seems to see Betty as more than just a coworker, commenting on how attractive she is.
At school, Peter remarks that nobody really knows whether Spider-Man is good or bad. Flash Thompson takes that as an opportunity to buy a Spider-Man costume and scare Peter.
When Peter tries to slip away so he can deal with Doom, Aunt May stops him. She worries about Peter’s safety and doesn’t want him wandering around while Spider-Man is nearby. Peter has to come up with an excuse to get away without revealing why he needs to leave.
All of these supporting characters are becoming important pieces of what makes Amazing Spider-Man work. Peter can’t simply become Spider-Man whenever the story needs him to. He has to navigate all of his personal relationships.
Unfortunately for Flash, Doctor Doom is also looking for Spider-Man.
Doom’s tracking equipment leads him to Peter, but since Flash is dressed as Spider-Man, Doom grabs him instead.
Peter’s first reaction is actually pretty understandable for a teenager. For a moment, he fantasizes about letting Doom keep his high school bully. But Peter knows he can’t just leave Flash in danger, so he goes after him.
The superhero story and the Peter Parker story are constantly intersecting in a way unlike any other Marvel comic in 1963.
Peter tries to get help from the Fantastic Four, but they’re unavailable, leaving Spider-Man to face Doom on his own.
And this is where Ditko gets to have some fun.
Spider-Man works his way through Doom’s defenses, fighting Doombots, dodging laser fire, navigating traps and drones, and eventually confronting Doom himself. The whole sequence feels like Spider-Man has wandered into a creepy science-fiction adventure, with Ditko turning Doom’s technology into something strange and threatening.
The Fantastic Four eventually arrive before Doom can finish off Spider-Man, forcing Doom to escape. Flash is rescued and spends the next day at school bragging about his incredible adventure, completely unaware that Peter was the one who actually saved him.
Amazing Spider-Man #5 manages to juggle a lot of subplots and action without feeling overloaded.
We get Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four, but we also get the Daily Bugle, Peter’s classmates, Aunt May, Betty, Flash, Peter’s secret identity, his moral choices, and the beginnings of a romantic subplot. All of those things are happening in the same story, and none of them feel like they’re completely separate from Spider-Man’s superhero life.
That’s becoming what Amazing Spider-Man is. The superhero story is only part of the book. Peter Parker’s school life, friendships, family, work, romantic interests, and secret identity are all woven into it, and they’re going to keep coming back.
Five issues in, Lee and Ditko have already established something that feels distinctly Spider-Man.
It’s not just about the hero.
It’s about everything happening around him.
Marvel in the 60s – Entry #84