See any of about a hundred Joe Kubert covers for how to make this kind of scene look dynamic.

What struck me as I've been reading the omnibus is how they all call Ben "Thing."  It's quite rude!  Ben does call them out for it once, and I think afterwards they started using his given name more.

To be fair, he was killed off in the same issue.

Amazing Spider-Man #1 “Spider-Man” (first story)

Written by Stan Lee
Art by Steve Ditko
Letters by Johnny Dee (Jon D'Agostino)



Cover: (Kirby/Ditko)

It's still a pretty grey and somewhat monochrome cover. But Spidey and the Human Torch do kind of pop. And the idea that Spider-Man is being held by the FF does lead one to think this might be a book a kid would want to pick up off the newsstand.

The Story:

The splash page shows J. Jonah Jameson (who we are first meeting) and a number of hands pointing at Spidey and calling him a menace. Spidey himself is in a pose that only he and Steve Ditko could have come up with. The story itself opens with a three-panel re-cap of Spidey's origin (though Peter doesn't mention his culpability in Uncle Ben's death). We also find out that with Ben's demise Aunt May is having financial problems and can't pay the rent. Apparently they aren't getting any of that rice money.  Peter tells Aunt May that he'll quit school and get a job but she insists Ben dreamed of him being a scientist. He then briefly contemplates crime, but can't bring himself to do it. He'll just have to go back to performing as Spider-Man.




A few days later at school the kids are excited about going to see Spider-Man, particularly a blonde who seems likely to become Liz Allen. Peter preemptively declares he can't go (this kid is a whiz at social cues) which gets him declared a “bookworm.”



After his performance his agent says that he has to be paid by check so there's a paper trail for taxes (damn IRS). Peter doesn't want to reveal his ID so he has the check made out to Spider-Man and then finds he can't cash it without ID in Spider-Man's name.



Meanwhile J. Jonah Jameson (the Roger Ailes of the early 60s) writes a scathing article about Spider-Man that causes Spidey's agent to cancel his shows. That's right kids, people not understanding the difference between bad opinion and actual news is not a new thing. Jameson continues his tirade in various media making Peter wonder how the FF and Ant-Man manage to not have these problems.



He tries to find a job, to no avail, and then sees Aunt May pawning her jewelry to pay the rent.



The next day Peter attends a rocket launch that just happens to be piloted by John Jameson, the son of J. Jonah Jameson. Of course the flight goes awry and when they aren't able to drop a net on the capsule (I have no idea where the hell they dropped the net from). Peter puts on his Spidey togs and is given a “guidance unit” by some uniformed official, because, why not? He then commandeers a fighter jet, rides on the outside of it, webs the capsule (which is so far below orbital height it's ludicrous) and replaces the guidance system (conveniently on the outside of the capsule).



John Jameson is safe, but JJJ decides it's all been a plot by Spider-Man to discredit his son. And the public eats it up, including Aunt May.



Thoughts…

The cover promised us the FF. But we have to wait to the second story to get to them.

Apparently Ben didn't have life insurance. Shame on him. Let this be a lesson to you kids to provide for your dependents.

While it's certainly not preferred, Peter absolutely could have been paid in cash for his performance. Or the check could have been made to cash. The more problematic issue would have been a 1099 form for the IRS. And I can promise you based on over 23 years as a criminal attorney...someone would have cashed that check. They would have charged a hell of a surcharge on it. But someone would have taken that gamble.



The story introduces both J. Jonah Jameson and John Jameson. More importantly it establishes JJJ as Spider-Man's arch-nemesis. That's my take and I'm sticking to it.

The population of Queens in 1963 was over 1.8 million but Peter runs in to Aunt May hocking her jewelry. Coincidence of Burroughsian proportions.

Apparently New York City is the center of the Space industry in the Marvel Universe. Because it makes sense to launch rockets in the middle of the largest urban center in the U.S.

The entire rocket sequence of the story may be the most ludicrous display of “Marvel science” we've seen. Or will ever see. The laws of physics simply don't work in the MU. A net drops from nowhere. Rockets orbit at a height that could no way maintain orbit. Jet fighters can reach a height to intercept an “orbiting” space capsule. “Guidance units” of a space capsule are installed from the outside of the capsule where they'd be subject to the friction of atmospheric exit and entry...and they control the parachutes on the capsule. Honestly the entire thing is absurd and could have been better written by a reasonably smart 6th grader.



On the other hand, the public's willingness to eat up Jameson's bullshit rings 100% true. And it's something that simply hasn't changed a bit.



The plot... I'll deal with the history of the book below. The story is weird. The first half of the story is extremely off-brand for a super-hero story. Not much happens really, but it completely sets the scene for what will come with Spider-Man for at least the next 200 issues. The action sequences however, are atrocious. Grade: B+

The art Ditko's art is frequently wonky as hell. But it absolutely works for Spider-Man. Grade: B+.

The toll: No collateral damage

Grade for historic importance: A. Not only is this the second Spidey, story we get so many elements that make the character honestly unique among super-hero comics of the time. Stan always talked about “super-heroes with problems.” But up to now that wasn't really true. With Peter Parker and Spider-Man that became fact. And this story was a huge part of setting those elements.

This is fascinating. I like to know about real-world interpretations of what we see in comics.

Not quite the same, and I’m not the first person to ask this, but exactly how is the Batmobile insured?

I did smile at your comment about New York City being the centre of the US space industry. 

That could work in retrospect but at this point we don’t have nearly enough info about Stark to come to that conclusion. And the gentleman that Spidey got the crucial gizmo from was in a military uniform. It certainly could be a joint military-civilian operation, but there are a number of rockets being launched awful close to New York City.

We also have the space complex from FF #1 that was seemingly somewhere near New York.