“Spider-Man: Great Power” was officially published in 2014 (same year Guardians of the Galaxy came out) as part of a paperback line, “Marvel Epic Collection.” I already talked about Spidey’s history in my review of the 2002 film. As you already know, Tom Holland will reprise his role in “Spider-Man: Brave New World.” He and his co-star, Jon Bernthal will also appear in Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated epic, “The Odyssey.”
It doesn’t matter if SPOILERS are listed. We all know Spider-Man’s origin story told countless times. So, allow me to share my thoughts on his early years.
Strong & Weak Qualities
Strong: Stan Lee did an amazing job introducing readers to Marvel’s mascot and his classic villains.
Steve Ditko’s drawings capture images that lets the readers eyes to see every panel.
Random Thoughts
- Whenever I read a Spidey comic, I always listen to Danny Elfman’s score from the movies. You know, relive my childhood. By the way, I got my pic with Mr. Elfman at Fan Expo Dallas 2024.
- Every time I read Spider-Man’s dialogue in a comic, I can hear Tobey Maguire or Christopher Daniel Barnes. I’d like to have a pic with the latter in a future event at Fan Expo Dallas.
- I used to have reprints of Spider-Man’s early comics growing up.
Action Sequences showcase the wallcrawler’s battles with his enemies.
At the time, Stan Lee & Steve Ditko innovated comic book history. They created a character young reader can relate to a loner disregarded and picked on by his peers. Peter Parker’s a flawed individual who’s not rich like Batman or doesn’t have a mentor to teach him the ropes. Spidey does it all by himself. Struggling to maintain a normal life and a crime fighting career while financially supporting Aunt May, having a hard time maintaining a relationship and studying hard at school. “With Great Power Comes Great Blah Blah Blah.”
Besides Spidey’s origin story, his adversaries have their own ones too.
Great Power includes the following material. 19 issues in one. More bang for your buck.
- Amazing Fantasy #15 (The one that started it all)
- The Amazing Spider-Man #1-17 (Main series)
- The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (The Sinister Six)
Prior to Mary Jane “MJ” Watson & Gwen Stacy, Peter’s first love interest is Betty Brant. J. Jonah Jameson’s secretary. Peter had a crush on Liz Allen.
Other characters crossover including Fantastic Four, X-Men, The Avengers & Daredevil.
In issue #12, Peter said this line. “If you don’t mind Liz, I’d rather not talk about it.” This predates Jim Morales’ catchphrase from “Code Lyoko.” “I’d rather not talk about it.” As TV Tropes calls it, Hilarious in Hindsight.
Before she made her first official appearance in issue #25, MJ was mentioned in issue #15. Aunt May handpicked her as a blind date for Peter. A few issues later, Peter finally meets her in person. The rest is history. Peter eventually married MJ and have kids.
Weak: In Spider-Man Annual #1, Aunt May’s oblivious to the fact Doc Ock has taken her and Betty hostage. She thinks he’s a nice guy. Doesn’t suspect he has mechanical arms. She’s as ignorant as The Queen from Snow White? Why? Because The Queen thinks Snow White’s prettier than her. The former still looks beautiful. Sorry, I think it’s ludicrous.
Continuity Error: In the second half of Issue #1, Peter’s last name is Palmer instead of Parker.
Typo: In issue #14, Green Goblin said, “I’ll go you one better.” Here’s a proper way of saying it. “I’ll get ya a better one.”
The Final Verdict: B, FOR BEAUTY!
I was gonna give it, a B-, but upon reevaluating Spider-Man as a groundbreaking character in comic book history, it gets a B. A must-read for pure Spidey fans. Which Spider-Man storyline should I review next? Please leave a comment.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 