Marvel Milestone Edition: Amazing Fantasy 15

"So, they laughed at me for being a bookworm, eh? Well only a science major could have created a device like this!"

- Spider-Man

"Spider-Man!" is a Marvel Milestone Edition reprint of the fifteenth and final issue of the anthology comic series Amazing Fantasy. It continues the numbering sequence from Amazing Adult Fantasy. The issue was written by Stan Lee and illustrated by Steve Ditko. Cover artwork was provided by Jack Kirby with Ditko on inks. It was lettered by Art Simek and edited by Stan Lee. It was published by Marvel Comics and shipped with a cover-date of August, 1962.

This seminal issue introduces the character of Peter Parker - a kind-hearted but nerdy teenage high school who is loved by his adoptive parents, Aunt May and Uncle Ben, but is the subject of derision by the other students of Midtown High School. Pete's life changes forever when he is bitten by a radioactive spider during a visit to a science hall and develops the proportionate strength and speed of a spider. Donning a costume, he becomes the masked superhero Spider-Man.

"Spider-Man!"
Teenager Peter Parker is awakened by his Uncle Ben, who tells him it is time to get ready for school. He sits at the table where Peter's Aunt May makes his favorite breakfast, wheat cakes. Uncle Ben warns her not to fatten him up too much. Peter goes to school where he excels at science and earns the admiration of his teachers. Unfortunately, the rest of the student body do not think of fondly as him as his family or teachers. They think Peter is a bookworm and a nerd. The other students crowd around the school's resident athlete, Flash Thompson. Peter tries asking a girl named Sally out on a date, but she dismisses him in favor of hanging out with Flash.

Peter goes to a new exhibit hosted by the Science Hall that evening where the subject of study is radioactivity. While observing the scientist perform an experiment, Peter fails to notice a small spider descending down between two radiation generators. The radioactive spider then bites Peter before dying. Peter falls immediately ill and excuses himself. While stumbling towards home, he wanders into the path of an oncoming car. Instinctively, he leaps to the side and is amazed when he finds that he can scale the side of a building as easily as an insect. Reaching the rooftop in a matter of seconds, Peter grabs a pipe and crushes it in his bare hands. He finds that he can also crawl across an electrical cable with perfect balance. He deduces that it is the spider bite that is responsible for these fantastic newfound abilities. Peter learns about a special wrestling exhibition in which a cash reward of $100.00 is being offered to any volunteer who can stay in the ring for three minutes with their star athlete, Crusher Hogan. Peter creates a cheap mask for himself to disguise his identity and enters the contest. Not only does he stay in the ring with Hogan, but he actually defeats him by evading his lunges and then hauling him up the tall steel post. One of the witnesses to the spectacle is a television producer who tells Peter that he can make him a fortune if he sticks with him.

Consumed with excitement, Peter rushes home to make a new costume for himself. He also creates a device that can fire synthetic webbing to make the entire effect complete. Donning the new red and blue costume for the first time, he calls himself Spider-Man. Spider-Man appears on a variety show where he demonstrates fantastic feats of strength and amazes the audience with his web tricks. When the show is over, Peter collects his pay and is walking down a corridor when a man comes rushing past him. The man is pursued by a security guard who yells for him to stop. Peter does nothing and the thief escapes via an elevator. The security guard admonishes Spider-Man for letting him slip past him, but Spidey scoffs, telling him that nobody pushes him around anymore and that he only looks out for number one.

Spider-Man becomes an overnight Show Biz sensation and closes out theaters across the city. One evening, while walking back home he sees a police squad car outside of his house. The police officer has the misfortune of telling Peter that a burglar had broken into his house. His Uncle Ben had startled the man and was fatally shot as a result. The officer tells Pete that the police are tracking the burglar and have him trapped at the old Acme warehouse.

Consumed by both rage and grief, Pete changes into his Spider-Man costume and races down to the warehouse. Using his wall-crawling abilities, he is able to gain access to the building before the police can. He finds the burglar and corners him. The man pulls a gun, but Spider-Man webs his hand closed then knocks him out with a right cross. As he pulls him into the light, he is horrified to discover that the man who murdered his Uncle Ben is the same thief that slipped past him at the TV studio. He webs up the burglar and leaves him for the police. He walks home with his head hung low, consumed by guilt over the part he played in his uncle's demise.

Appearances

 * Spider-Man


 * Aunt May
 * Uncle Ben
 * Flash Thompson
 * Liz Allan
 * Bernard O'Brien
 * Crusher Hogan


 * The Burglar


 * Seymour O'Reilly
 * Max Shiffman
 * Sally Avril
 * Unnamed security guard
 * Unnamed scientists
 * Unnamed high school students
 * Mister Warren


 * None


 * Humans
 * Mutated humans


 * New York
 * New York City
 * Queens
 * Forest Hills
 * Parker residence
 * Manhattan
 * Acme warehouse
 * Midtown High School
 * Unnamed television studio


 * Web-shooters


 * None


 * Adhesion
 * Spider-Sense
 * Superhuman agility
 * Superhuman strength

"The Bell-Ringer!"
On an unidentified mediterranean island, an old man named Pedros prepares for his daily work. He is the bell-ringer and dilligently rings the bells in the village's church, hoping that they might be heard by passing ships.

Pedros never shirks from his responsibilities, even when a volcano erupts on the island, causing everyone to panic. The villagers prepare to evacuate and they try to convince Pedros to come with them, but he refuses. Moreover, he returns to the church, convinced that someone must continue to ring the bells. He is convinced that someone will hear them.

As the villagers flee to the edge of the island, the lava flow overwhelms the village. Some of them look back and see what appears to be Pedros rising through the sky above the church in a golden shaft of light. Someone heard the bells after all.

Appearances

 * Old Pedros


 * Various unnamed villagers


 * None


 * None


 * None




 * Unidentified Mediterranen island
 * A church
 * A volcano


 * None


 * None


 * None

"Man in the Mummy Case!"
A petty criminal named Rocco Rank races through the streets, evading capture by two police officers who pursue him. He finds an open window in the side of a building and climbs in. While looking for a place to hide, Rocco realizes that he has broken into a museum. An eerie voice fills the room, promising him that he will be safe. As Rocco spins around, he sees a living mummy standing on a platform beckoning him forward.

The mummy promises to hide Rocco from the law and gestures towards his sarcophagus. He beckons him to step inside, promising that the case will keep him safely hidden. Left with little alternative, Rocco steps into the sarcophagus. Two police officers enter the museum and search the chamber. The mummy remains motionles in plain sight. They open the sarcophagus, but find that it is empty. After they leave, the mummy speaks to the empty air, asserting how he has kept his promise.

Rocco however, finds that the solution is actually far worse than the problem. By stepping into the mummy case he finds that he has been transported backwards through time. He is now a slave in Ancient Egypt.

Appearances

 * Rocco Rank


 * Unnamed police officer
 * Police officer Joe


 * Mummy


 * Egyptian slaves


 * None


 * None


 * Ancient Egypt


 * Mummy's sarcophagus


 * None


 * Teleportation

"There Are Martians Among Us!"
A Martian space vessel spirals out of the sky through the Earth's atmosphere where it is witnessed by a passing passenger jet. It crashes down in the woods outside of a nearby city. Several men arrive at the crash site, but its occupant is already long gone. Before long, word of the strange event reaches the news waves and a radio broadcaster announces that the ship is from Mars. Because the occupants have chosen to hide, it is assumed that they are hostile. The newscaster urges citizens to remain indoors and lock up their homes for safety.

For the next several weeks, search expeditions comb the area looking for the Martians. By analyzing the instrument panel on the ship, they deduce that the Martians must appear at least somewhat humanoid.

In the city, a husband and wife watch the latest news broadcast. The wife wants him to stay at home, but he elects instead to go to work. He insists however that she should remain indoors no matter what. Several hours later, the wife decides that to go to the store to get some coffee. She is confident that if she is quick enough, she should be able to get to the store and back home without incident. She nearly succeeds too, but on her return trip, she encounters something terrifying.

A short time later, the husband returns home. When he sees that his wife is missing he grows frantic. He unbuttons his coat revealing two distinctive pairs of arms. He is a Martian. He knows that with his wife out and about, the bloodhounds will surely pick up her scent and their secret will be exposed.

Appearances

 * Unnamed husband
 * Unnamed wife


 * Unidentified crash-site witnesses


 * None


 * Unnamed radio newscaster
 * Unnamed television newscaster


 * None


 * Martians


 * Unspecified city


 * None


 * Martian space ship

Notes & Trivia

 * "Spider-Man!" is job number V-789.


 * "The Bell-Ringer!" is job number V-792.


 * "Man in the Mummy Case!" is job number V-781.


 * "There Are Martians Among Us!" is job number V-780


 * This issue shipped to retailers on June 5th, 1962.


 * This is the only issue of the original volume of Amazing Fantasy under this title. It was previously known as Amazing Adult Fantasy. The series picks up again 1995, but only prints three issues. A second volume of the title begins publication in 2004, but has no bearing on this series.


 * This is one of the most notable comic book issues in history, as well as being highly sought after by collectors. It is the first appearance of Peter Parker, aka, the Amazing Spider-Man, who will go on to become one of the most popular superhero characters of all time. Spider-Man appears next in the premiere issue of his own ongoing title, The Amazing Spider-Man.

Quotes

 * Ben Parker: You're not foolin' me, Petey! I know you're awake -- and it's time for school!
 * Peter Parker: Gosh, Uncle Ben -- you're worse than a room full of alarm clocks!

....
 * Peter Parker: Sally, I eh, was wondering if you're busy tonight...?
 * Sally Avril: Peter, for the umpteenth time, you're just not my type... not when dream boats like Flash Thompson are around!
 * Flash Thompson: I admire your good taste, doll. Get lost, bookworm!

....
 * Peter Parker: It's the spider! It has to be! Somehow - in some miraculous way, his bite has transferred his own power -- to me!

....
 * Peter Parker: I can walk down this cable as effortlessly as the spider itself can glide along its web!

....
 * Spider-Man: I'll need a name -- well guess Spiderman is as good as any! Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself!

....
 * Spider-Man: Okay world -- better hang onto your hat! Here comes the Spiderman!

....
 * Security guard: What's with you, mister?? All you hadda do was trip, or him just for a minute.
 * Spider-Man: Sorry, pal! That's your job! I'm thru being pushed around -- by anyone! From now on I just look out for number one -- that means -- me!

....
 * Spider-Man: There's no place on Earth where you can hide from me! First, my web will relieve you of your gun! And then my fists will do the rest!

....
 * Peter Parker: My fault -- all my fault! If only I had stopped him when I could have! But I didn't -- and now -- Uncle Ben -- is dead...