Rating:  -
The Marvel Masterworks series srtikes again with The Amazing Spider-Man, Vol. 4. This volume shows change from the first three Masterwork volumes. The collection begins with Peter Parker enrolling at Empire State University. As Peter enters college, he is no longer being teased for being an egghead, but still is outcast from the social circle in the usual Spiderman fashion. Gwen Stacy is introduced, as well as Harry Osborn. Gwen seems different from the one-dimensional Liz Allen or the sterotypical Betty Brant. Finally, Stan comes up with a girl with character. This volume is the book I could identify with the most, being a college student myself. It was a good buy. My only complaint is the lack of new interesting super-villians. It also seems that Spiderman has given up using his brain to out-wit his foes or his agility to out-manuver them. He seemed to take a liking to slug it out like an ordinary street brawler, which isn't quite as interesting as previous spidey battles. At least I now own the complete works of Steve Ditko's Spiderman. I was never a fan of John Romita, who I think drew Spiderman to look like Archie comics. However it was interesting to see the character from another perspective. I would recommend buying this volume, but buy the previous volumes first.
Rating:  -
Spiderman was never so good as Ditko (sometimes getting plot credit) and Lee presented him here. The collaborators are in complete control of Spider-man and the great cast of bad guys--especially the Green Goblin and Doc Ock. The ironies of Peter Parker's life are poignant, and each issue seems to develop both Peter's life and the supporting cast. This volume includes the great "Man on a Rampage" trilogy and the switch to John Romita and his great two-part Goblin battle.
I've read that sales picked up with Romita (and I'll admit that I thought his art was better when I read them ages ago); however, looking back, Ditko's art has withstood the test of time. Romita drew more attractive women and made Peter look more like a leading man from a romance comic--thus more mainstream. But that wasn't what made Spider-man great.
Even so, it was a brilliant move by Lee to start with the secret identities of Spider-man and the Goblin revealed with those transition issues. No one would pass those up. (I've read that revealing the identity of the Green Goblin was the straw that broke the Lee-Ditko team. If so, it's too bad they couldn't see what they had going.)
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