THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 19 (reprinted in Marvel Tales 157)




“Spidey Strikes Back!”

Credits (as they appear in the comic):

Written by Spidey’s Godfather, Stan Lee
Illustrated by Spidey’s Big Daddy, Steve Ditko
Lettered by Spidey’s Poppa Bear, Sam Rosen
Colored by Andy Yanchus (Spidey’s second cousin on his uncle’s side)


Plot Synopsis:

After the events of the last few issues, Spidey is back in action!





Comments:

That image on the cover of Spidey swinging right at you, (and also, a similar image inside the book), should be familiar to anyone who’s ever watched the 1960s Spider-man cartoon.





This issue wraps up pretty much all the major loose ends from the past couple issues and there’s plenty of action! There’s the usual sub-plots with the supporting cast, but the action is the main focus here, probably to make up for last issue’s lack of it! Jameson banging his fists against a brick wall is worth the price of admission.



We also get a follow-up to a plot element introduced last issue, where Peter spotted Betty out on a date with another guy. Betty introduces Peter to Bugle reporter Ned Leeds, but Peter doesn't seem too bothered by it, even though Betty seems like she's going out of her way to make Peter jealous. Did Peter notice Betty refer to him as "boy" in front of Ned?




The Enforcers make their third and final appearance in these pages for quite some time. They’ve worked for the Big Man, Green Goblin and now Sandman, but won’t tangle with Spidey again until the 70s. I believe Ox has some Daredevil appearances around this time, but that’s it for Fancy Dan and Montana for a while

The Human Torch guest-stars for the third issue in a row. He is taken out quickly by the Sandman and the Enforcers early in the issue and needs to be rescued by Spidey, but does get to help out for the big fight at the end. There are other heroes in New York, besides Spidey and the Torch who might pose a threat to the Sandman, but Sandy’s got a personal grudge against these two. Too bad our two teenage heroes can't help but get in each other's way instead of catching the bad guy.

I like how, in the end, it isn’t even the Torch or Spidey who manage to subdue Sandman, just a couple of regular police officers. You’d think Sandman’s powers would provide any number of ways to escape, but these guys actually manage to hand-cuff him? Sandman’s first appearance also had him getting tired while being pursued and he had trouble holding his breath when he fought Spider-man in the Annual, so obviously there’s some sort of limitation to his abilities.







Even though this issue wraps up a story that started a couple issues back, the last page sets up another new plot which will continue into the next issue. I just love that the last panel is a big question mark!





Notable differences in the reprint:

Marvel Mails is included here, with the usual letters commenting on recent issues. Danny Fingeroth, Editor. Bob DeNatale, Assistant Editor

There's a registered trademark symbol added to "SPIDEY" on the cover which wasn't there originally.

The background webbing on the cover is coloured purple, and it looks really good! And for once the UPC box doesn’t cover anything important.

When the Torch first shows up, the original contained a footnote telling readers this takes place right after Strange Tales 127. This was completely removed from the Marvel Tales reprint. Marvel Tales is always making some sort of change to the footnotes, usually just updating Amazing Spider-man #? to the corresponding Marvel Tales issue. I don't always mention this because it's just a standard change, same as the new colouring, but thought this would be as good a time as any to bring it up again, just so you know I'm paying attention to these things


Personal anecdotes:

I managed to get this issue when it was new off the stands, making that probably the first time I ever read three consecutive issues of anything in a row. Even better considering these issues were part of a continuing storyline, so I would get to see the whole thing play out.

I also got Marvel Team-up 143 a few months after this. The issue featured Spidey teaming up with Sandman against the Enforcers, and I’m sure my interest in that issue was because of their recent appearance in Marvel Tales. I’d actually be willing to wager that the decision to feature these specific characters in MTU, at this time was due to the hope that readers interested in the older reprints in Marvel Tales might be interested in checking out newer stories, or vice versa. It certainly worked on me.

I don't want to seem like I'm hijacking your fantastic review thread, jtrw2024, but I wanted to just say something about the rift that had developed or was developing between Steve Ditko and Stan Lee at around this point. I also definitely do NOT want to re-ignite a heated Stan Lee/Jack Kirby/Steve Ditko debate!


I think it's important to note that Amazing Spider-Man #18 is significant for being the first issue that is plotted entirely by Ditko. We know this from a note on the letters page of Amazing Spider-Man #17, in which Stan says, "next ish is gonna be real different! The whole plot was dreamed up by Sunny Steve and it was just nutty enough for Stan to okay it!" It's also confirmed in Sean Howe's excellent book Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, among other sources.

The two creators had been butting heads at around this point in late 1964 over what Steve felt was Stan taking far too much credit for the Spider-Man stories. There were also arguments about the future direction of Spider-Man: Ditko wanted more gritty realism and more focus on Peter's private life, whereas Stan wanted more action, more guest appearances from other Marvel characters, and the option to use supernatural/mystical elements when the plot required it. Stan allowing Steve to plot a whole issue himself with ASM #18 was an attempt to smooth things over, and that's why there is more of the teen drama and soap opera elements in that issue, along with an absence of a proper superhero fight.

Unfortunately, Stan throwing Steve this bone didn't succeed in building any bridges between the pair. Ditko was, by this point, enamoured with the philosophies of novelist Ayn Rand, whose objectivist philosophy stressed self-interest, individual rights, and cold, hard logic. This made his working relationship with Stan rather difficult to put it mildly.

By the start of 1965, communication between the two men had completely broken down (this would've been around the time they were working on issues #23 or #24, I believe – certainly, ASM #25 is the first issue where Ditko was credited as the sole plotter). The way the pair worked from issue #25 until Ditko left the book in 1966, was that Steve would plot, draw and ink each issue and then drop the finished artwork off to Marvel's production manager Sol Brodsky to pass along to Lee, so that he could write the dialogue.

That said, Lee was still able to have some degree of input into the stories Ditko was creating because he could pass along general plot suggestions for future issues via Brodsky, although Ditko would often ignore them. Plus, as Howe points out, Lee was still writing the dialogue for these comics and would, in fact, often use the dialogue to change minor story elements or lessen some of Ditko's more extreme Randian objectivism. I would also contend that Stan's dialogue and characterisation were both big factors in what made those later Lee/Ditko Spider-Man stories so enjoyable. But clearly it was Ditko who was captain of the-good-ship-Spider-Man from issue #25 until he left Marvel.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 20 (reprinted in Marvel Tales 158)




“The Coming of the Scorpion!”

Credits (as they appear in the comic):

Illustrated by Steve Ditko
Written by Stan Lee
Lettered by Sam Rosen
Colored by Andy Yanchus


Plot Synopsis:

Spider-man faces his toughest foe yet… the Scorpion!




Comments:

Another great action packed issue with a great new villain!

The plot introduced at the end of last issue is quickly wrapped up to make way for the main story here. Jameson has hired “Mac” Gargan to tail Peter hoping to learn how Pete gets such great news photos, but his plan soon shifts to yet another scheme to destroy Spidey. Jameson convinces scientist Dr. Farley Stillwell to give Gargan powers greater than Spidey, for the measly sum of $10,000.00 apiece.

Stillwell devises the process by which Gargan is granted the powers of a Scorpion and even constructs a special artificial tail (similar to how Spidey developed special mechanical web-shooters to supplement his natural super-powers). Interestingly enough, it’s Jameson himself who comes up with the design for the Scorpion’s costume!

The usual supporting cast are here for their obligatory appearances, but a lot of the drama and action is centered around the Daily Bugle characters. Betty re-introduces Peter to Bugle reporter Ned Leeds again, who is quickly sent away on a foreign assignment. Hooray!




The action takes up a good chunk of the issue. Mostly it’s just Spidey taking beating after beating from the Scorpion. Our hero triumphs in the end of course, but this is probably the most physical punishment he’s ever taken in his brief career. It takes some quick thinking on Peter’s part to come up with an excuse for the bruises he’s suffered from his fight with the Scorpion so no one suspects his secret, and, also has to do some sewing in the last panel to make sure his costume is in good condition for next issue







       





Of all the bad things Jameson has said or done to Spidey up til now, this is probably the worst. I don't think there's any indication that Gargan was a criminal before he became a super-villain (a bit shady maybe, but I guess that's what Jameson paid him for).  I don't think there's any law against creating your own super-"hero" either, so Jameson's plan isn't really illegal, especially since both Stillwell and Gargan are willing to go along with it for the money. Jameson covering things up at the end to hide his involvement is what makes things bad. He'll continue to do stuff like this from time to time, for quite awhile, but, at one point, much later in the series (closely around the time this Marvel Tales issue came out, actually), it does come back to bite him! Somehow he still seems to think he's justified in his actions.




This story will be combined with the story from the Scorpion’s next appearance to make-up a whole 10 minute adventure for the 1960s Spider-man cartoon. It would also be adapted in a more modern form for the 1990s Animated series. Both of these cartoon adaptations omitted Stillwell's death, (which wasn't too unusual, since cartoons aimed at kids generally stayed away from that subject), and actually had him reappear for later stories. Even though he didn't survived his first appearance, a few of Stillwell's relations, with similar scientific hobbies, have popped up in other Spider-man comics over the years.

A pin-up was included in the original ASM 20 and is retained for the Marvel Tales reprint


Worth pointing out (but hopefully without igniting any major Stan bashing in this thread), are this issue's credits, with Steve Ditko's name first, but Stan Lee's name in larger letters. Something that might appear to be a bit of light humour at first, may actually come across as mean-spirited considering the context of what was going on behind the scenes around this time.





Notable differences in the reprint:

Another flipped cover, with some bright, bold colours.




In the original, they couldn't seem to decide on a title for the story. The original splash page called it, “The Coming of the Scorpion!” or "Spidey Battles Scorpey!". For the reprint they settled on just the first one!



The letters page introduces a new feature which will become more popular in future issues. It’s still called Marvel Mails and it’s now 2 pages long, but there’s a new sub-feature called Post Office of the Past which reprints letters from the original comics. Actually it specifically prints letters commenting on the story we just read, which is something that confused me at the time, through I think I’d eventually figure it out. This one reprints old letters from some fans who would eventually go on to more prominent comics related careers, namely “James Shooter”, “Don McGregor” and “Buddy Saunders”.


Personal anecdotes:

This is another issue I got new off the stands when it came out and it’s one of my favorites. I was super excited when I saw the cover with Spidey and the Scorpion! I actually had no idea who the Scorpion was, but I’d see him over and over in the reruns of the 60s cartoon which had been playing lately. I didn’t actually see the episodes he was in until a short time later, but he’d be featured in scenes which played during the closing credits or coming attractions and I kept wondering who he was.

I’d seen episodes with other villains like the Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, Electro, Mysterio, etc, or been exposed to them through other comics so I knew who they were even before I’d read any of their Marvel Tales appearances, but the Scorpion was one villain I’d never heard of. Around the same time, and shortly before I got this comic, I remember my Father taking me and my Brother to an office he was working at one weekend, where they had a Spider-man pinball machine in the basement. Me and my Brother both played a game or two on it, but I doubt they lasted much more than a few seconds. To me, one pinball game is the same as another, but of course this one had pictures of Spidey and all his villains, including the Scorpion, whose name I still didn’t know. With this issue I’d finally learn all about him, and for a time he was my favorite villain.

Sometime in the summer of 1996, I actually bought the original Amazing Spider-man 20. It’s the oldest Spider-man comic I own. I’m not sure what kind of grade it would get since I don’t have any understanding how grades work anyway, but it’s good enough to read. Not sure why I bought it when there were still plenty of other comics I didn’t own, that I probably could have bought. It was surprisingly cheap, only around $20.00, which I think was something that surprised me at the time, since I just assumed all old comics from this series were worth loads more! Come to think of it, I was buying the Spider-man Megazine reprints around that same time, which would have included this same story, among others. Like I said it’s one of my favorites, so I probably didn’t care how many different formats I had it in, and still don't!

OK, I'm gonna tie my colours to the mast and say that, yes, this is without doubt my favourite single issue of the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko run on Amazing Spider-Man. There's just so much of everything that made these early issues of Spider-Man great packed into one issue.





And what a great villain! Scorpion rocks! I think Mac Gargan is an interesting and genuinely threatening bad guy, as well as a somewhat tragic figure.

As I think I've said before in this thread, there were more classic Spider-Man villains introduced during the first twenty issues of Amazing Spider-Man than there were in the next hundred. That's a clear testament to Steve Ditko's powers of character design and his sheer imagination.





The panels where the shadowy stranger who has followed Peter Parker home is stood outside his house, while our hero anxiously watches him from his darkened bedroom window, are brilliantly atmospheric. This sequence has great artwork and beautifully moody colouring in both the original Stan Goldberg version and the later Andy Yanchus one.





One of the best things about this comic is how it fleshes out J. Jonah Jameson's character and makes him a much more nuanced creation. His sudden realisation that he's gone too far with his obsessive hatred of Spider-Man and created a monster in the shape of the Scorpion is a pivotal moment that transforms him into a fully three-dimensional character. As you point out, this is by far the worst thing Jameson's done up to this point and, personally, I think it does cross the line into criminal activity. The events of ASM #20 will, in much later comics, be shown to be something that haunts Jameson.





Spider-Man's battles with the Scorpion are arguably the best fight sequences that Ditko has given us so far. The combat just feels so brutal, with Gargan's smashing tail sending huge chunks of masonry and brickwork flying about. These really are spectacular and wonderfully staged action panels.

Likewise, the panel where Dr. Stillwell clambers up a tall building in pursuit of the Scorpion and desperately hurls a bottle containing the antidote that he knows can stop the super-villain, only to miss his target and plunge to his death, is a panel that has stuck with me over the years. The desperation and tragedy there is so visceral.





I personally think it's quite funny. Stan is clearly just having fun and mocking his own sometimes over-inflated ego, but Ditko sure didn't see the funny side of it, by all accounts.





I can never decide which version of this cover I like best. They both have their strengths, I think.





Yeah, I bought this issue of Marvel Tales off the local newsagent's shelf at the time too. I can't even begin to imagine how many times I've read that comic. I still have my first copy, though it's crumpled, dog-eared, stained, and its cover is barely still attached. That doesn't matter though: this is a comic that has tremendous sentimental value to me and also one that continues to entertain and delight, regardless how many times I read it.

Like I say, this is surely my favourite issue of Amazing Spider-Man from the Lee/Ditko run. Both creators are firing on all cylinders, giving us a strong plot that unfolds at a perfect pace and some genuinely captivating character moments. There's just so much story, mystery, character development, and action crammed into these 20 short pages. Stan Lee's scripting is some of his best ever, with the development of Jonah's character in particular being very compelling. Oh, and the ending, in which Spider-Man manages to defeat the Scorpion and save Jonah's life, only to see Jonah cast as a hero in the public's eyes, is just classic Peter Parker luck.

Ditko's artwork is predictably excellent throughout and, as I said earlier, wonderfully atmospheric in places. His action sequences are also great, with the bone-crunching rooftop fight between Spider-Man and the Scorpion being a standout.

I'm gonna court controversy a little here and say that I think the sequence in ASM #20 where Spider-Man continues to fight on aginst the Scorpion, never giving up, despite the battering he's receiving, is every bit as powerful as the iconic scene from ASM #33 where he lifts the impossible weight off his back. Nuff said!

The Sandman becomes mostly a Fantastic Four villain after this, as part of the "Frightful Four".  His next Spidey appearance is Marvel Team-Up 1 and followed soon after by another appearance in issue 2.  Spidey even acknowledges that Sandman isn't even really one of his villains anymore and tries to pass off the job of catching him on to the Human Torch.

The Ox shows up not too long after ASM 19 in Daredevil 6 as part of the "Fellowship of Fear".  Versions of the Ox's two new partners from the Fellowship, Mr. Fear and the Eel ,would eventually become part of the much more improved NEW Enforcers nearly 30 years later

For the longest time, I saw images of The Beetle, without his name appearing and had no idea who he was. In no way did the costume suggest a beetle, unlike Ted Kord or even Dan Garrett. The gauntlets with the sucker ends never made sense.

Also, Marvel, in the 80s, seem to think a lot more people were wearing mohawks than actually did (especially gang members). Punk was dead, by 1984. They would have moved on to New Wave. How about a gang of New Romantics, in puffy shirts, long hair and mascara?

"Officer, officer, I was mugged!"

"Did you get a good look at them?"

"Yes, they looked like members of either ABC or Duran Duran."

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 22 (reprinted in Marvel Tales 160)




“Preeeeeesenting… the Clown, and his Masters of Menace!”

Credits (as they appear in the comic):

Written by Stan Lee
Illustrated by Steve Ditko
Lettered by Artie Simek
Colored by ANDY YANCHUS*



Plot Synopsis:

The Circus of Crime is back! They’ve ditched the Ringmaster, chosen the Clown as their new leader and proclaimed themselves The Masters of Menace!




Comments:

This is the third appearance of the Ringmaster and the Circus of Crime, but it’s taken this long to finally establish clear names, and looks for the main members which will remain the standard core line-up for their appearances going forward, with the occasional new member once in a while.

Aside from the Ringmaster who remains relatively the same, we’ve got:

- The Crafty Clown. Several clowns appeared as background characters in both Hulk 3 and ASM 16, so presumably this guy was one of them

- The Great Gamonnos. The acrobat brothers were both part of the earlier Spider-man story, but this is the first time they get named.

-The Man Called Cannonball. He’s called the Human Cannonball in Hulk 3 (where he had a different look), and then Great Gambino in ASM 16 (looking pretty much the way he does here).

-Princess Python. It’s not too clear if she was part of the earlier capers. The Ringmaster says he’ll find a way to work her into his next scheme, so it’s possible she was previously associated with the circus, but didn’t participate in the action up til now.



The Ringmaster and the Circus of crime are out of jail, and Spidey is right there to keep tabs on them from the start. Considering how often his old foes pop up, out of prison, with no explanation, ready to attack him, it's nice seeing Spidey be a bit more pro-active. We have seen him do a little of this before, like that time Dr. Octopus got released from prison in ASM 11. Once again, Spidey uses his Spider-tracers, planting one on the Ringmaster. Too bad, the Ringmaster is no longer running the show.




This story is a little different from many other Circus of Crime appearances, since there isn't really any circus providing a cover for their crime! Maybe that's why they went with the much more striking name "The Masters of Menace" under the leadership of the Clown. This isn't the only time the Circus of Crime members will work independently from the Ringmaster, but I can't recall any other time they've called themselves "The Masters of Menace".




Betty and Peter manage to straighten out their problems from last issue, just in time to attend an art gallery show which Jameson is sponsoring. When the Clown and his new crew rob the art show, Jameson is injured, and hospitalized. Betty remains with Jameson, while he's in the hospital, but of course Peter has more important things to do, mainly tracking down the bad guys. Even though this is a self-contained story, there is an editor’s note on page seven which reminds the reader of something that happened a few pages earlier. A lot of stuff happens in these panels, so it’s understandable how some readers may forget a thing or two and need this type of reminder from time to time, even within the same issue.


Spider-man tracks down the crooks and handles them in his usual style, though he does have some difficulty fighting Princess Python, since he’s not used to beating up girls. He’s fought the Wasp recently in a story which occurred outside of his own title (remind me to review that one of these days when I get a chance), but a guess it’s a bit different swatting around a normal size female. Even though the Ringmaster was no longer in charge, he does try to hi-jack the Clown's big scheme and run off with the stolen art himself. These villains will pop up again and again all over the Marvel Universe, but outside of out-of-continuity stories like Spidey Super Stories, I don't believe they fight Spider-man again until the late 90s

Once the story wraps up, all the villains have ended up back in jail, and Peter even manages to make it back to the hospital in time for Jameson's recovery and to deliver exclusive photos of the whole thing.

As with most of these stories, Peter has to deal with the usual problems in his personal life, but this time there’s an added complication when Aunt May catches him coming home late without calling or being able to provide a convincing explanation. We’ll see this carry over til next issue





Notable differences in the reprint:

*Andy Yanchus’ name is in extra large text. A comment under the credits indicates “We do this for Andy occasionally—it’s cheaper than giving him a raise). Previously this comment was for Letterer Artie Simek

Marvel Mails is still two pages, but the feature Post Office of the Past hasn’t yet returned, but it will next issue as promised in the next issue box.  Dany Fingeroth, Editor.  Bob DeNatale, Assistant Editor.

A note from the editor in the letters page indicates that going forward changes to the stories will be kept to a minimum and there won’t be anymore updates to celebrity names, dates, etc.. I hope that doesn't mean there will be nothing for me to talk about in my next review




Personal anecdotes:

As I said before, I missed the Ringmaster and the Circus of Crime’s previous appearance, but did manage to get this one new off the shelf when it came out. I’d missed the previous issue of Marvel Tales too, so I wasn’t about to let this one slip through.

Even though I didn’t read the Ringmaster’s previous appearance, I did managed to learn his name before reading this one from a letters page or next issue box. Shortly before getting this issue my friend had asked me if I had seen the Spidey story with the Ringmaster and his hypnotizing hat. For some reason I thought he was talking about a new episode of Spider-man and His Amazing Friends, but more likely he had seen this issue on the stands before I did. The Ringmaster never fought the Spider-friends, but did appear in an episode of the other Spider-man cartoon from the 1980s, but I don’t think my friend was referring to that. I didn’t even learn of that cartoon’s existence until the late 1990s, and I’d like to think my friend would have told me about it if he found out about it before I did.

This same month the Ringmaster and the Circus of Crime, with pretty much this line-up plus a few others, appeared in The Incredible Hulk 292 which I also picked up at the time. It wasn't too obvious from the Hulk cover that the Circus of Crime was in it, so maybe I flipped through it, or just recognized the silhouettes since the Marvel Tales issue was fresh in my mind. I’d like to think their appearance in Hulk this same month was planned, similar to what I was referring to in my earlier review about the Sandman and the Enforcers appearing in Marvel Team-up.