The Amazing Spider-Man

Illustrated throughout, The Penguin Classics Marvel Collection presents specially curated comic book anthologies of the origin stories, seminal tales, and characters of the Marvel Universe to explore Marvel’s transformative and timeless influence on an entire genre of fantasy.

A Penguin Classics Marvel Collection Edition

It is impossible to imagine American popular culture without Marvel Comics. For decades, Marvel has published groundbreaking visual narratives that sustain attention on multiple levels: as explorations of the relationship between power and responsibility; as metaphors for the experience of difference and otherness; as meditations on the pain of adolescence and the fluid nature of identity; as examinations of the meaning, and limits, of patriotism; as ironic juxtapositions of the cos­mic and the quotidian; as resources for the understanding of political and social history; and as high watermarks in the artistic tradition of American cartooning. For the first time, these classic stories of some of the most iconic super heroes in the history of American comics are Penguin Classics.

This anthology goes back to the original source material for The Amazing Spider­-Man, with key stories from the first two years from 1962 to 1964.  These allegories of adolescence permanently transformed the conventions of the super hero genre by insisting that great power is never just a means to an end, but also a burden­some responsibility. The introduction offers fresh insights into character development and the personalities of his creators. Also included are rarely reprinted non–super hero stories, early letter pages, and supplemen­tal materials shedding light on Lee and Ditko’s artistic process.

About the Author

Writer- editor Stan Lee (1922– 2018) and artist Jack Kirby made comic book history in 1961 with The Fantastic Four #1. Lee oversaw the adventures of many super hero creations for over a decade before handing over the editorial reins at Marvel to others. For the remainder of his long life, he continued to serve as a creative figure­head at Marvel and an ambassador for the comics medium. Steve Ditko (1927– 2018) was recruited in 1958 to join Stan Lee’s Atlas Comics, which was later transformed into Marvel. In 1962, Ditko and Lee brought to life the Amazing Spider-Man, changing the industry forever. Ditko left Marvel in 1966 for Charlton Comics and DC Comics. He returned to Marvel during the late 1970s and remained there for much of the 1980s. Jason Reynolds is an award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author. His many books include Miles Morales: Spider- Man; Long Way Down; and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You with Ibram X. Kendi. Reynolds is the 2020– 2021 National Ambassador for Young People’s Litera­ture. Ben Saunders is a professor of English at the University of Oregon and curated several museum exhibitions of comics art.