Amazing Fantasy #1000: Spider-Man's 60th Anniversary

Amazing Spider-Man and Peter Parker: Spectacular Spider-Man were among some of the first comics I read as kid in the '70s- a halcyon era for the character in my universe, with Nicholas Hammond starring in the live-action TV show, and Mego producing 8" and 12" action figures that I loved so much. Though he debuted in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962, artist/writer Steve Ditko's creation had such enduring popularity that Spidey was a childhood favorite of all of us Bronze-Age kids many years later, and remains as strong a property today. Kids and adults of all ages love Spider-Man! While I'm dubious to the "#1000" claim, this 60th celebration of Marvel's top-grossing hero was an issue I couldn't pass up. There is a lot of splashy and diverse art styles throughout the issue and it's many variant covers, mine the John Romita Jr. version. Aesthetically, things got off to a good start with Michael Cho's art in "Just Some Guy", appealing to my love for the kind of retro-styled cartooning Darwyn Cooke or Tim Sale produced.

In "Slaves of the Witch-Queen", a continuation of a story thread from Amazing Fantasy #15 brings a witch from Egypt's past through a portal by a convict lost in time, trying to return to the present...

Spider-Man is late for his 60th birthday dinner with a resigned Mary Jane, who later finds him visited by the denizens of New York, lined up to pay respects for their critically injured hero in Dan Slott's "Sinister 60". I loved artist Jim Cheung's work on this story, very inspired by John Romita Jr. ...

 Spider-Man fan Neil Gaiman's story in this issue retells his visit to the office of Steve Ditko, where the character lives as a real person in the mind of the author, seemingly underwhelmed with his fan's admiration...

616 Spider-Man traverses the Spider-Verse in author Jonathan Hickman's "You Get It", seeking validation of his trials as a Spider-Man, only to be rebuffed by his fellow Spider-Men who have accepted the burden themselves as a part of being who they are...

There are two or three other stories in this celebratory issue as well that CBR contributor Matthew McCreadie said in a recent MSN article, lacked supporting cast. Sure, Harry Osborne, Flash Thompson, and Gwen Stacy weren't really present, nor Iron Man or any of the other Avengers- some notable misses, but there were a few other characters and Easter eggs from Spider-Man's history. There is so much from the character's past that no single issue could reference more than a small percentage of it, and his contemporary stories involving the Spider-Verse and it's characters are changing Spider-Man's mythos more rapidly than ever. Regardless of what may come, I feel confident the wall crawler will be around for a long time to come, each generation telling new stories about their own Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man! Excelsior!

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More Later- Make It FUN!