You must be reading a recent collection - a Masterwork or Omnibus? There was no colorist credit in this or any other Marvel comic until the 1970s. And Andy Yanchus didn't start working for Marvel until 1975. In 1965 he graduated from Pratt Institute and joined Aurora Plastics and worked on their model kits for the next ten years.

So the credits you're seeing are not the originals. I have several issues in the 20s and I don't recall the "borders" credit for Sam Rosen. My copies are not accessible but maybe someone else here has access to the originals.

There's little difference between the two, but I favor ASM #16 over this annual. I find this plot less interesting.

They would meet again seven years later, in ASM #109. What's funny about it, is that Stan signed a caption box (page 7) stating he didn't remember when had they met before. Coming from someone else, I'd take that as a joke.

Amazing Spider-Man #30 (November 1965)



"The Claws Of The Cat!"
Script: Stan Lee
Editor: Stan Lee
Plot: Steve Ditko
Art: Steve Ditko
Letters: Artie Simek
Borders: Artie Simek
Cover: Steve Ditko

Summary: After his battle with the Scorpion Spidey takes off into the night to prowl for crime. But he's so preoccupied with his concerns about Betty that he doesn't notice the Cat Burglar (mentioned last issue) breaking into an apartment. He uses a small explosive to blow open a safe and makes off with the contents. Later, Jameson returns to find his safe destroyed and his sticks, bonds and other important papers missing. He tells the police that he is offering a $1000 dollar reward ($7500 today) for his capture.

Elsewhere, a truck delivering a load of uranium derivatives to Tony Stark's factory is attacked by a very well equipped gang of thieves. Spidey intervenes but he is hurled from the speeding truck and loses them. While searching for the truck he overhears Jameson talking about the reward. He pops his head in and tells Chucklehead to get his checkbook ready for him. Spidey leaves and Jameson realizes he just might have to praise and pay Spidey, which would result in very public humiliation. He calls Foswell and demands that he use every connection he has to track down the Cat Burglar before Spider-Man.

The next morning Peter heads out at the crack of dawn to talk to Betty before she gets to work. He turns a corner and bumps into none other than Liz Allan. They take a moment to catch up. She asks Petey to do her a favor for old time's sake. Flash Thompson is following her to find out where she works and she asks Petey to stall him. Peter does but he spots a man on a roof that could be the cat burglar. He starts a little scuffle and quickly knocks Flash out. He changes into costume and investigates the mystery man but it turns out to be a disgruntled ex-employee holding someone at gun point. Peter webs him up and heads back to Flash. When Flash comes to he tells him they bumped heads and that Liz works at the Dillon department store.

When Peter gets to Betty's apartment she tells him Ned asked her to marry him. Peter panics and realizes he needs to tell her he's Spider-Man and propose. He says that Ned can't compare to Spider-Man but Betty tells him not to mention Spidey and if Ned was anything like him she wouldn't even consider it. She says she's had enough excitement in her life and doesn't want to worry about her husband risking his life every day. She wants a normal guy with a nine-to-five who comes home to a quiet life. That is what attracted her to Peter in the first place. This really bugs Pete and he tells her to marry Ned and storms out of the apartment. Through the door Betty tries to tell him that she loves HIM and wonders about the terrible secret he keeps from her. Outside her building Peter finally admits that he has lost Betty for good.

Peter's navel gazing is interrupted by a gunshot. He changes into his costume and finds a gang of bankrobbers fleeing the scene. Spidey busts them up good as a strangely costumed man, a member of the gang he fought earlier, watches from a van. He heads back to his hideout and reports the gang's failure to his boss. The upside is they were only hired hoods with no ties to their superiors.

At home Aunt May is resting in bed after a dizzy spell when she hears Peter come home. She tells him Betty called him several times but Peter doesn't want to talk to her. It's better to ignore her than prolong the agony. He sees a news report on the Cat Burglar, a report being watched by the Burglar himself. The Burglar plans to make one final score and settle down anonymously. At an underworld bar Foswell -disguised as Patch - calls Jameson to tell him that he may have identified the Burglar as a second-story man who hasn't been seen lately. He plans to collect evidence before calling the cops. Betty calls Peter at home once more. Needing to get away from the phone he heads out to adventure as Spider-Man.

The Cat Burglar hits a snag on his final score as another patron in the building he's breaking into spots him. The police are called and they stick spotlights up on the buildings. Jameson watches on TV at home but to his horror sees Spider-Man swing into the fray. Spidey and the Cat Burglar fight, with the Burglar using a few of his tools as improvised weapons. He manages to blow up one of the legs on a water tower and knock it off the building but Spidey dodges it and meets him on the roof. The Burglar holds Spidey at bay with gunfire until the cops reach the roof. Not wanting to be caught in the crossfire, Spidey backs off. The Cat Burglar sets off a smoke bomb to escape but the police notice his hiding spot, hanging from a rope down a chimney, He's arrested, saving Jonah from having to pay the reward. Spidey snaps some pictures and heads to the Bugle. Betty tries to talk to Peter but he wants nothing to do with her. He sells the photos (to a very cheery Jonah) and leaves with the spectre of Spider-Man standing between him and Betty, pushing them apart.

Observations: I think this might be the most unjustly forgotten issue of Ditko's run. It features no flashy villain, there is very little humor and in the end Spidey leaves it up to the cops to beat the bad guy. It falls into that weird lull between the excellent Green Goblin/Crime-Master story and the legendary Master Planner saga (which is being built up to this issue) where Spidey's adventures felt a bit miscellaneous.

The Cat Burglar story is just so-so. He's simply a highly competent burglar (who looks remarkably like Walter Kovacs from Watchmen, a character who was heavily inspired by Ditko's work) who plans to make one last score. A very generic character but I did dig how he used his burglary tools as weapons without it feeling gimmicky.

The meat of the story is Peter's personal life. To put it simply, he's in freefall. Ned Leeds asks Betty to marry him (seriously, was there just no respect for relationships in 1965?) but the real killing blow comes from Peter: He realizes he could never have a happy relationship with Betty because she could never accept his double life. It turns out the whole Liz Allan thing was just concealing the real issue. Betty and Peter are completely incompatible for as long as he's Spider-Man and his sense of duty prevents him from quitting (for now, at least). And tragically, Betty can never know the real reason Peter has for walking away. It's an ugly situation to be in. The Betty drama is strong enough to compensate for the minimal presence of Flash Thompson and the almost total lack of Liz (who will be gone for a long, long time) and the final shot of Spidey standing between Betty and Pete is really genius on Ditko's part.

Ditko's art throughout the entire story is excellent. While he's been on fire since the first Annual his art in this issue is particularly moody, with very strong lighting in the night scenes. The cover is my favorite of his run for the sense of scope and atmosphere.

Overall it's not a total masterpiece but it's still quite overlooked for it's dramatic content. 4/5

Other notes:
- The timeline is adjusted once more. This issue starts on the day #29 ended on. This means #29 actually took place in August with this issue. So #20 must have taken place in February, with the first four months of his trip progressing in real time to June in #24, then #24-28 covering June and #29 featuring his return in August. If you remember, ASM #20 was cover dated for January and was released in November. We can see how Marvel time became necessary: Progressing in real time worked when each issue was standalone but Ditko choosing to have a much tighter story arc across several issues made real time impossible. But Ditko deserves credit for timing the stories in a way where Ned Leeds really was on a trip for the six months he said he would be.
- Flash Thompson is pretty blatantly stalking Liz, something that a 21st century Liz probably wouldn't stand for. Of course, today he wouldn't have to stalk her to find out where she works, he would just need to find her on Facebook. The idea that classmates would completely lose touch just two months after graduation is ridiculous today, since it's pretty common practice for entire graduating classes to be Facebook friends.
- Speaking Liz, she won't return again for nine years.

I always loved that panel, which is why that page is the background of my forum.

Facial expression was one of Ditko's strong points, his grip on shadows was one of the others, and this issues reflects that better than no other.

In general, if I had to pick only one issue from Ditko's run, it would have to be this one. If not for that thing with Otto's gang talking about the Cat, as if they worked for him, I would've have rated it higher, too.

Thats definitely of the more notable miscommunications between Stan and Steve. Stan obviously had no idea that the Master Planner existed and assumed the thugs worked for the Cat.

Amazing Spider-Man #32 (January 1966)



"Man On A Rampage!"
Script: Stan Lee
Editing: Stan Lee
Plot: Steve Ditko
Art: Steve Ditko
Lettering: Artie Simek
Kibitzing: Artie Simek

Summary: In his undersea lair the Master Planner rages about Spider-Man costing him his radioactive material. The Master Planner turns out to be none other than Doc Ock, who attempting to become a master of lingering radiation in order to menace the world with its power. He orders one of his minions to search for more atomic equipment.

Peter stops by the Daily Bugle to drop off some photos and runs into Betty. He doesn't want to give her the time of day and Ned tells him he owes her an explanation. Peter actually gets physical and shoves Ned into the wall, a ploy to try and get Betty to hate him. The scuffle attracts the attention of Jameson, who calls Peter's newest photos (of picketers) crap and won't buy them. Betty tells Peter that she knows his violent outburst was a trick and that she wants to work it out but he walks away. She wonders if he no longer cares for her, when really he just doesn't want to burden her with his secret.

At the hospital the doctor tells Peter the bad news: A radioactive particle is in Aunt May's blood and they can't retrieve it, not can they figure out how it got there. Peter realizes it came from the blood transfusion he gave her back in ASM #9 and is horrified by what he's done. At home he ruminates on how he will have caused the death of both his aunt and his uncle and destroys some furniture. But he realizes there is one man who can help her: Dr Curt Connors, an expert in the field! He makes some phonecalls and finds out Connors is now living in New York. He swipes one of Aunt May's blood samples from the hospital and brings it to Connors. As repayment for his help in Florida Connors will help Spidey in any way he can. He analyzes the blood and tells Spidey that she needs a serum called ISO-36. Connors calls the West Coast lab where it is created and orders it in.

Peter takes his prized scientific equipment (including the Microscope Uncle Ben bought him in AF#15) to a pawn shop to get the money for the serum. He brings the money to Connors, who told him the serum will be flown in on special order. Spidey immediately starts prepping the lab and the two work together preparing for the serum.

At his base Ock recieves word that Iso-36 is being shipped out from the West Coast. It is crucial to his research and he orders it stolen. When the Serum arrives at the airport it is immediately taken to the horror of Connors and Spidey. Spidey heads out after the Master Planner. First he stops in the Bugle looking for Foswell. A terrified Betty tells him he just left. Spidey spots him in the street and tells him he wants all of his information on the Planner. After that he spends hours terrorizing underworld bars looking for info. He finds a car theft operation. When the crooks try to escape Spidey destroys their vehicle and rips their staircase out of the wall! But they don't know anything. Spidey's search leads him to an empty alleyway but his spider sense detects a trap door under the floor.

The hatch leads to an underground hideout filled with the Master Planner's men. He fights them valiantly and reinforcements come from a hidden door. He slips inside and heads down the tunnel to the planner's lair. But Ock is waiting for him and plans to use the serum as bait, a golden opportunity to trap and kill Spider-Man. At the end of the tunnel Spidey sees the serum but when he reaches for it he gets an electric shock. Ock comes out of a hidden door and attacks our hero. But as powerful as Ock is, he cannot stand up to the rampaging hero. But Spidey is too destructive and the battle destroys a support pillar. The upper levels of the lair collapse down on Spidey. Ock flees as Spider-Man, trapped under several tons of rubble, watches a small leak in the ceiling grow larger and larger. As she slips into a coma Aunt May calls for Peter while Connors waits for Spider-Man to return with the serum, which will soon lose potency. Spidey hangs his head in failure.

Observations: Part 2 of this classic opens with a surprising flat note. Ditko completely missed the mark by opening the story with the reveal of the Planner's identity. Had he waited until Spidey was in the Master Planner's base it could have been an incredible twist. Instead it's only a missed opportunity. But the story improves quite quickly. Sticking with Ock, his character gets a major revision. In his first appearance his goal was to conquer the world using a hijacked nuclear lab. His second and third stories were about getting revenge on Spider-Man. But here he seems to have learned a bit. He's gone back to his original goal of world domination and has ignored Spider-Man completely. Some might think it's a bit hokey that Ock would adopt a second identity like that but it makes perfect sense. Instead of going on a rampage of Dr Octopus he's been working sneakily as the Master Planner. And after two stories of basic revenge and robbery he's back playing to his strengths, atomic science. He's also the first Spidey supervillain to successfully put together a criminal empire (something Goblin tried and failed to do three times now). And hey, he's finally wearing some sort of costume, donning the classic green jumpsuit and triangular goggles for the first time!

Aside from the return to Ock's origins this story all calls back to two other stories. Dr Connors and the blood transfusion, both from stories two years ago (ancient history in the pre-reprint drug store days). It's a nice touch and it gives you the feeling Ditko is starting to wind things down. Peter consulting Connors is especially nice because Spider-Man finally has an ally he can call on for help.

The only other disappointment this issue is the total absence of Empire State. No Harry or Gwen just one issue after their debut. But the pace of this issue is so frantic thats totally understandable.

Despite the minor disappointments this issue is a blast. 5/5

Other notes:
- Fourth appearance of Dr Octopus. He is the second fourth-timer after the Green Goblin.
- Connors is hardly an expert in this situation, as he was last seen as a biologist specializing in reptiles, not a medical doctor or radiation specialist.
- As cool as it is to have Ock take up another identity, theres just no explaining his lair. Where did it come from? How did he build it?

The Amazing Spider-Man #33 (February 1966)



"The Final Chapter!"
Script: Stan Lee
Editing: Stan Lee
Plot: Steve Ditko
Art: Steve Ditko
Bordering: Artie Simek
Lettering: Artie Simek

Summary: Still trapped under the wreckage, Spidey tries and fails to save himself. He thinks of Aunt May and how he is failing her, just like how he failed Uncle Ben. He must use his great strength to save her and must prove himself worthy of that strength. With a mighty shove pushes the wreckage up and off of him in the greatest illustration of Spidey Ditko has done so far. But his right leg is now injured and he is incredibly fatigued. He grabs the serum as the ceiling caves in and the river floods the base. He goes limp and is carried through the tunnel. Barely managing to dodge wreckage he pulls himself into the vestibule's pool. Thugs in scuba gear try to hold them down but he ripped out their air hoses and forces them to surface. Spidey pulls himself out of the pool but an army of thugs is waiting for him. With his bum leg and battered body he is easily overwhelmed but the thought of Aunt May causes him to lose all inhibitions. When he regains control of himself he finds all of the thugs unconscious.

He leaves the base and gets to Connors' lab. They work up the antidote and Spidey tests it on his own blood. Connors tests the sample and the serum worked to destroy the radiation. He gets the serum to the hospital (who accept it based on a phone call from Connors). The doctors administer the serum on Aunt May (who is barely alive) and they'll get the results in two hours. Spidey goes back to the Planner's base and uses the timer on his camera to photograph himself leaving the base. He also takes photos of the men inside. He calls Foswell and gives him the exclusive (secret photographing his and Foswell's conversation). When the cops come Spidey photographs the arrests as well.

Foswell calls Jameson about the story and Jameson is thrilled, although he wishes he had photos. Peter arrives and Betty is horrified at his condition: Bruised, battered and limping. Reminded of her brother's death, she runs crying. Peter shows Jameson his photos and demands $100 apiece for them, enough to cover the medical bills and buy his equipment back. Jameson wonders what became of Peter and why he isn't a milktoast anymore.

Peter returns to the hospital to check on Aunt May but the doctor is alarmed by his appearance and wants to check him out. Luckily he doesn't test Peter's blood but he advises he get some rest. He visits Aunt May and the attending tells him that the treatment was a success. Peter leaves satisfied and the doctor thinks it a shame that kids don't idolize good, honest, devoted people like him instead of the mysterious Spider-Man.

Observations: What a climax.

The opening scene is probably the most famous scene in Spidey history, barring the origin, and deservedly so. Theres no other scene that sums up the pathos of Spider-Man quite as well. It's a perfect five pages. Spidey's subsequent escape of the base is also great. His journey back through the tunnel is the whole story in a nutshell: Injured and weak he's pulled through a rough current but is able to pull himself out of it through sheer will. His defeat of the Master Planner's gang is the best gang fight Spidey has had so far. He just loses all sense of himself and bludgeons all of them into oblivion. Nothing can stop the Spider-Man!

After that it's all downhill. Not in terms of quality but in pacing. Aunt May is saved and Peter finally has a good scoop for the Bugle. In a way it really does feel like the Final Chapter. The story gives you the feeling that Ditko is cleaning house a bit. Costume villain introductions have ground to a half, previous villains don't come back as much (Goblin, Scorpion and Ock are the only ones to return so far), Betty's relationship with Peter is winding down (he receives final confirmation here that she could never accept Spider-Man), Peter is in college (which doesn't factor into this or the last issue), long forgotten plot points return and while it's not even mentioned, Peter has finally found a cure for being Spider-Man if he so desires it (as Iso-31 successfully removes radiation from blood). Knowing that Ditko has only five issues left, this issue feels like a climax of the entire run and indeed it is the last gasp of greatness in the Ditko run.

A perfect conclusion. 5/5

Other notes:
- Ock escapes! For the first time he doesn't end a story behind bars and in fact he doesn't appear at all.
- Peter sells Jameson nine photos. At $100 a pop thats $900 or $6600 in today's dollars.
- This issue's brilliant cover was painted by Dean White for the fourth Marvel Masterwork TPB: