Spider-Man - Stan Lee

About a year ago, I recall sending an email to the Entertainment category manager, asking for a category on comics to be added. At the time, the suggestion was well received, and I was promised it would appear. Sadly, it did not, and I rather forgot about the whole thing.

Fast forward to last Thursday, Phil’s ill in bed, bored, browsing through Ciao on his (decidedly mediocre) new laptop – and what does he find? A comics category – and it’s been there for some time by the looks of it. So finally, after all this time, I can complete my labour of love – and introduce you to the world of Spiderman…..

The Comics’ History
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Spiderman is a creation of the American comics publishers Marvel Comics. Originally only trading in the States, in the 1970s the company opened up an affiliated UK company Marvel Comics UK, who started to publish reprinted UK versions of the US comics.

Spiderman’s very first comic appearance was in the (now extremely rare) comic Amazing Fantasy (issue number 15). The character ignited such interest and popularity that the following year, Marvel Comics published issue 1 of The Amazing Spiderman. The comic was an unprecedented success, and 38 years later the comic is still in print (now up to issue 477 ), is still enjoying massive popularity, and has now become a valuable collectible commodity.

Current Comics
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There are currently three ongoing Spiderman comics that you can buy:

The Amazing Spiderman
Peter Parker: Spiderman
The Ultimate Spiderman

There is also a spin-off title called Spider Girl, and various limited series or one-off versions. All three comics are printed monthly, in full colour, in the distinctively American size that is somewhere between A4 and A5. Occasionally, there will be two issues in one month, if a special event is taking place, and for milestone issues (such as #400 or #450) there may be a limited edition version with a hologram cover, or some other special edition.

The comics are sadly only available through specialist dealers. When I was younger, you were able to purchase all US Marvel Comics through normal newsagents, but in an aim to give the dealers more stability and to reduce costs for Marvel, this practice ceased some years ago. There is no UK cover price shown on the comics, and according to where you purchase them you will be charged a different interpretation of the currency conversion. The cheapest price that I currently pay is £1.40 per issue – the most expensive I have seen is £2.25, so you can see there is a considerable variance in prices charged.

The Origin of Spiderman
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Spiderman must surely be the most famous “super hero” in the world – and as such, I am sure his origins will be familiar to all. Here’s a brief overview of how he came to be:

Student Peter Parker was a quiet, intellectual sort, who immersed himself in his school books, and lived a solitary existence with his aunt and uncle, following the death of his parents. At a public exhibition on the science behind radiation (fascinating eh?) Peter was accidentally bitten by a spider that had become irradiated in one of the experimental stands. Feeling rather unwell, Peter left the exhibition – but quickly started to develop strange, spider-like abilities. As he gradually became aware of his new found abilities, he decided to design a costume, and capitalised on his skills by becoming an enigmatic television star. One day, he encountered a burglar leaving the scene of the crime, but decided not to apprehend him, as he didn’t believe it was his responsibility. It was a decision he would regret for the rest of his life, as days later, the same burglar broke into his aunt and uncle’s house, and murdered his beloved Uncle Ben. From that day on, he realised the true responsibility behind his new powers, and vowed never to shirk them again.

The Powers
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The effects of the irradiated spider were numerous – and he still continues to learn about his powers to this day. That aside he:

- has superhuman strength, reflexes and equilibrium
- can cling to just about any surface
- has a sixth sense that warns him of danger

Additionally, Peter Parker developed various tools that enable him to spin webs from mechanical web shooters on his wrists.

The Stories
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Ask any fan of American super hero comics what their favourite comics of all time would be, and a large majority of them will nominate an era or episode of Spiderman’s title. The title has simply told some of the greatest stories ever printed in comics – combining tragedy, excitement, danger, and humour in a way that has simply not been bettered or replicated anywhere else. Although the artists and writers have changed many times over the years, the same principles have always been applied – suspense and intrigue coupled with an enormous cast of supporting characters, many of whom have grown to be as much-loved as Spiderman himself.

Without a doubt, my favourite stories have been those that have developed slowly over a period of time. As a monthly title, a six part story can occupy half a year in our time, so it can be a difficult task to keep the reader engaged – many key plots in the series have been developed over a period of time greater than that. I would have great difficulty naming my favourite comics or story lines – but I suppose if I had to, my favourite story of all time comes from the early eighties, when a new villain was in town (The Hobgoblin) and for a period of three or four years the readers were kept guessing as to who it was. Fantastic story telling!

The Villains
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Spiderman has built up a considerable number of foes over the years – many of which have crossed over into other Marvel titles and fought other heroes. Given the fact that Spiderman’s abilities are based on that of an animal, this has often cropped up as a theme within his foes – hence the appearance of The Lizard, The Scorpion, The Vulture and The Rhino to name but a few. In recent years, his arch-nemesis was born from an alien symbiote that blended with a street criminal to form the supremely evil creature known as Venom. Venom has a penchant for eating brains – and for killing the man he blames for the death of his wife (Spiderman of course).

But the greatest arch-nemesis of all time that Spiderman has had to face is The Green Goblin. Throughout the 1960s, he was a scourge in the lives of both Peter Parker and Spiderman, as he was the only man who knew Spiderman’s secret identity. He framed him for murder, tried to kill his Aunt, and even murdered his girlfriend in a twisted attempt to wreak havoc. Finally, following a pitched battle atop the Brooklyn Bridge he was killed by his own machinery. Or so Spiderman thought – until twenty years later when, in one of the most controversial story lines of all time, the Green Goblin returned – and everything you believed to be the truth became a lie. Today, the Green Goblin is still at large – and still scheming to exact his ultimate revenge.

The Appeal of Spiderman
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Over the years, Spiderman has become as big a part of New York history as the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty. Images of Spiderman swinging across the New York skyline have adorned posters on bedroom walls for tens of years, and there is something uniquely American about this character. It was a fitting tribute to the power of Spiderman’s reputation that issue 477 of the comic was dedicated to the bravery of the firemen who lost their lives in The World Trade Centre disaster, and portrayed a horrified Spiderman, swinging across Ground Zero, trying to help the rescue attempt.

Spiderman is the sort of character that everyone can empathise with. Unlike Bruce Wayne’s millionaire riches or Superman’s cosmic awareness Peter Parker had nothing that set him aside from any ordinary person – and this is a key character trait that every writer has continued to portray. He oversleeps, he falls out with his girlfriend, he loses his job – and his Aunt still does his washing for him. These are the things that make Spiderman human. Despite the fact that he sticks to walls, and spins webs, at the end of the day, he still messes up – and this is why he is simply so engaging to watch and read about.

The Collector’s Lot
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Here’s some good news for the capitalists amongst you. Spiderman comics and merchandise are highly collectible and in many cases quite valuable. I’ve only ever been interested in the comics, so I can only comment on those. Comics should be stores in polythene bags, in acid free cardboard boxes, to ensure that they remain in mint condition. Sounds like a lot of hassle – but it’s a worthwhile investment.

Amazing Fantasy #15 currently changes hands for around £20,000.
Amazing Spiderman #1 currently fetches for roughly £10,000.

Prices not to be sniffed at ! (although these are of course dependant on condition). But it’s not just the old ones that are valuable. Issue 300 featured the debut of the villain Venom – a mint copy of that is currently worth £50. Comics can be a good investment – buy when the time is right, and you can make lots of cash. Which brings me on to…..

The Hype
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2002 is going to be a big year for our webbed friend, because Sony pictures are due to release the $100,000,000 film version of Spiderman. Trailers of the film look superb – as the character has really been brought to life by modern special effects. Expect the hype to reach fever point, with Spiderman merchandise everywhere. What this means is that now is a VERY GOOD time to buy Spiderman comics- because next Summer demand will go sky high. A similar thing happened with the X Men movie a couple of years ago. Remember – you heard it here first!

My Verdict
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I don’t think I need say much more about this guy. I’ve enjoyed reading these comics ever since I was about five – so I have watched the legend grow for over twenty years now. Surprisingly enough, most comic buyers seem to be adults these days – I think that’s more because you have to get the comics from specialist shops, whereas when I was little you could buy them everywhere. I can’t imagine any child that won’t find these colourful comics exciting – and most adults will probably be surprised at how enduring they are.

Some people might say I’m sad.
Some people might say I’m mad.
I say, some people don’t know what they’re missing!!