60 Summers Ago: Amazing Spider-Man Annual 1

Note: This post originally appeared on July 9, 2014 - a decade ago - and four years after my  online premiere. Since this is the sixtieth anniversary of when the first Spider-Man Annual was published I thought it deserved another look back. Some of the analysis has been revised and updated. I hope you enjoy the results. 

On a bygone spring day one can only imagine the delight kids felt when they entered a candy store and encountered a rack of comic books! Further enthusiasm would be generated when he or she saw what amounted to a 25 cent extravaganza that was more than triple the output of the regular, monthly titles, which at the time were priced at 12 cents. This was indeed a special event, understood by both management and the purchaser. With the promise of a long summer ahead there was a sense of magic in the air, and for those who loved comics it became a reality.       

In June of 1964 the first Amazing Spider-Man Annual arrived on newsstand shelves. Marvel had been publishing a number of oversized titles since 1961, with such best sellers as the Fantastic Four and Millie the Model, supplementing their regular product line with a larger variant, generally in the summer months*. Spider-Man seemed like a natural next choice. For fans of the character it was a smorgasbord of his most infamous villains; which were presented in a double-size 41-page story by Stan Lee and co-plotter/artist Steve Ditko. An additional 31 pages of pin-ups and other atypical offerings followed.

*See the feature post on the right-side for further exciting details on Marvel Annuals. You won't be disappointed! Exuberant Nick 

    
 The Circus comes to town!  Amazing Spider-Man Annual # 1, June, 1964. Cover by Steve Ditko, letters by Artie Simek and colors by Stan Goldberg. With the exception of Sam Rosen, who did the interior lettering, the same creative team is responsible for the compete book. Stan Lee wrote all the dialogue and cover copy.

With it's multi-colored logo and simple but effective design the first Spider-Man Annual offered a world of excitement. Priced at 25 cents the comic was a bargain, offering a total of 72 pages of interior story/art and only three pages of advertising (inside front cover, inside back cover and back cover). Unfortunately the ad pages grew in the following year, but it was nice to read a story with no interruptions!  

A little background is needed for the uninitiated. Editor/writer Stan Lee wanted to promote the entire Marvel Comics Group, which meant having heroes from other books appear in different comics. He saw it as one self-contained and insular landscape where super-real and real worlds collided in an almost natural but paradoxical fashion. This occurred during the gestation of Marvel; Ant-Man or the Hulk for instance, would get involved with the Fantastic Four. Lee very likely got this idea from radio programs such as Jack Benny, where rival comedian Fred Allen, who broadcast on the same network, would often get into a feud with Benny on HIS program. This helped to cross-promote both shows. In actuality this was not a new idea for Lee; early on he would have Millie the Model meet Patsy Walker in the teen-humor titles. Ditko had other ideas regarding this, though.    

Ditko did not like the idea of using guest-stars in the books he was working on [Spider-Man and the "Dr. Strange" series in Strange Tales] feeling that they undercut the character's story world and the development of the supporting cast. He believed a hero should be able to face any difficulty on their own. Lee had an opposing view, with an eye towards promoting the entire line, thus crafting a "world" where everyone could conceivably meet. From this synergy between titles sales could grow from fan interest. Guest-stars and villains from other strips were common during the time they produced the Annual. Furthermore it was customary for Lee to provide Ditko with a short synopsis, which they discussed before the work began. Once Ditko started to plot solo (circa Amazing Spider-Man # 25) the use of outside characters came to an abrupt end. Ditko made a few exceptions, as he explained in the essay, A Mini-History 1: The Green Goblin:* *

"Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2 (1965) featuring Dr. Strange, was,  as an Annual should be, a special event. It does not necessarily have to connect to the monthly adventures."  

 **The Comics, Vol 12, No. 7, July 2001.

While Ditko's commentary was about the second Annual, it points to the idea that he was more amenable to add guest-stars to these special events, and went along with Lee's edict to include Marvel's heroes throughout the book. What's worth exploring is exactly how he creatively accomplished this without compromising his core beliefs. 

The first costumed hero Spider-Man literally "runs into" is Thor, in a two-panel sequence as he zooms past him. Lee provides the humorous dialogue: "He's either on his way to a meeting with the Avengers..or he's late for his BARBER!". For the edification of the newcomer Lee adds a caption to the panel where the character appears, citing the title's particulars - a simple but effective promotional ploy.  

Ditko's other signature character, Dr. Strange, has a cameo strolling nonchalantly through the streets of Forest Hills while Peter is tussling with Flash Thompson! Dr. Strange is depicted in his "spirit form" (differentiated by a lack of color) but this does not follow previously established tenants from his Strange Tales series. Dr. Strange is known to the public as an investigator of psychic phenomenon and recognized by many as an eccentric. There is no reason for him to be in his other form, since he would likely give citizens a heart attack! Further, he has only used that form to battle mystic forces, and usually is drifting above ground. 

Two panels from "The House of Shadows!", Strange Tales # 120, May 1964, published several months earlier. This clearly illustrates that Dr. Strange moving about in public  flamboyantly attired would be as normal to the average bystander as Bob Dylan ambling around Greenwich Village. Maybe they both ran into each other at Cafe Wha? 

I strongly suspect this was an error by Lee in both his dialogue (telling the teens he is in his "ectoplasmic form") and possible instructions to Stan Goldberg to not color Strange. My theory on Ditko's sequence of events: Strange is walking in his flesh and blood form. In panel one his raised hand indicates a spell cast, allowing him to become intangible (panel 2), thus avoiding physical harm to both himself and the boys, protecting everyone from their hooliganism. In the third panel the dumbstruck gang clearly sees Strange and points to him. Fellow fan and master of minuitae Frank Mastropaolo differs with my theory slightly. He suspects the second panel would correctly have been devoid of color to emphasize his intangibility. I postulate that a lighter shade of blue would have gotten the same effect. Since coloring is one of the final processes before printing, it is also possible that production head Sol Brodsky did not notice the mistake. What do you think? Feel free to weigh in on the comments section. Perhaps we're BOTH wrong!    

While Ditko wrote notes and rough dialogue for every panel/page on separate sheets of paper as a rough guide for Lee, it's possible his intent was lost or misunderstood. Ditko also wouldn't have been aware of a mistake until the comic was published. Either way, Ditko's concept was probably a better strategy than Lee would have asked for, since it was a clever way of showing fandom that here is a great character and this is what he does. 

As the Fantastic Four fly around town they spot Spider-Man, who they assume is goofing off. Unknown to the FF, though, he is actually having difficulty with maneuvers he usually performs effortlessly. Peter is beginning to fear that he is losing his powers. After witnessing his Aunt, May Parker, grieving over a photograph of her deceased husband, Peter's feelings of guilt over not saving him from a criminal's bullet resurfaces. The reader has to wonder exactly what is happening to Peter.   

Lost in thought and worried about how his life will change as a normal teenager, Peter is indifferent to Giant-Man and the Wasp stopping a crime.

The Vulture delivers a message to Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson, informing him that his secretary, Betty Brant, and Peter Parker's Aunt are hostages of "The Sinister Six", a group of Spider-Man's old foes seeking revenge. The Vulture wants Jameson to contact Spider-Man, setting him up for a trap. Jameson, of course, has no clue how to get in touch with Spider-Man and calls the Fantastic Four, who in turn contact the Avengers. Captain America answers the call and tells Reed Richards: "I never even MET Spider-Man!". Yes, there was a time Marvel's heroes didn't all know each other!   

The Human Torch fashions a flaming message in the skies to no avail. Professor X, mentor of the teenage mutants known as the X-Men, has no time to worry about Spider-Man, telling his students to get back to work! If only more superheroes minded their own business instead of getting involved in every story-line! 

Convinced that he no longer has special abilities Peter still heads out as Spider-Man in a desperate attempt to save his loved ones. Arriving at the assigned destination he encounters Electro. When his extraordinary reflexes save his life Peter realizes that his loss of powers was only psychosomatic. Surely the first time a superhero had suffered from such an illness! 

After many near misses, Spidey finally has a direct encounter with another hero. Since the prior panels reflect battle scenes with Electro in Tony Stark's factory, it makes sense that his alter-ego, Iron-Man, shows up, but only AFTER Spidey's confrontation! Since Lee was promoting each character, perhaps he deliberately left off the official titles in his captions. By this point Journey into Mystery and Tales of Suspense's cover logos had been minimized. Superheroes were clearly the main selling point so "The Power of Iron-Man" and "The Mighty Thor" were emphasized. Soon Tales to Astonish would follow suit, although Strange Tales' logo remained intact for some time. 

                           Jameson contacts the FF again, worried about his own neck, of course!  

The Human Torch appeared in a number of Spider-Man's monthly adventures, but the two teenagers were often antagonistic towards each other. Spider-Man declines Johnny's offer of assistance; most assuredly Ditko's take that a hero had to fight his own battles and doesn't need outside help. Ditko explained a specific instance of this in "A Mini-History 12: Guest Stars: Heroes and Villains"*** 

"I also deliberately made S-M (Spider-Man) and the HT (Human Torch) ineffective as a "team" in capturing the B (Beetle)...In yet another S-M/HT team up (#19) I had two policeman capture the Sandman." 

*** The Comics, Vol 14, No. 7, July 2003.

New York's finest save the day! Panel from Amazing Spider-Man # 19, Dec, 1964

Ditko grudgingly accepted Lee's use of guest-stars on occasion, but cleverly turned the idea on its head, making them a detriment to each other, not a boon.  

Spidey battles the X-Men...or does he? They turn out to be robots created by Mysterio. Lee gets his wish to publicize the new team (whose seventh issue was on the stands when the Annual appeared) while Ditko avoids a meeting with the real heroes.

  In one of the most amusing panels Jameson desperately tries to contact Spider-Man by conversing with a spider outside his window. I bet JJ was a fan of Mr. Ed!

The final cameo goes to the Human Torch, who checks in with an aggravated and bombastic Jameson. Ditko included a total of 27 panels featuring guest stars in a 41 page story, most of which were "walk on" appearances. Ditko cannily followed Lee's directive in his own inventive and unique way. 

The story was immediately followed by an outstanding collection of special features that represented exactly WHY these Annuals were highly anticipated. The gallery of Spider-Man's foes included every lowlife the hero had encountered up to publication. Ditko knocked it out of the park with every meticulous illustration he rendered. I'm particularly impressed by the details, such as the lurking rats and the expressive tiny lizard. Lee added details in the copy and a sense of drama and enthusiasm to the mix.       

"The Secrets of Spider-Man" feature included cameos of Thor, the Hulk, the Thing, Mr. Fantastic and The Human Torch, explaining Spider-Man's strength in proportion to other heroes and the capability of his webbing.

The "Guest-Star Page" includes Ditko's versions of the Hulk and the FF, described by Lee as drawn in "the somewhat different Ditko style". Some fans may not have been impressed with Ditko's interpretation of the Kirby characters, but that distinctivness is exactly what made each man stand out as brilliant stylists. To this viewers eye, Kirby's boldness, as exemplified by The Thing's craggy protuberances, was antithetical to Ditko's more organic, down-to-earth figures. That said, he did a fine job on the other members of the FF, particularly the Torch, and the following month Ditko would sucsessfuly revise Kirby's Hulk, plotting and drawing the new co-feature in Tales to Astonish for eight issues. It should be pointed out that the vision exuded by both creators helped set Marvel apart from the competition, and launched them - a relativity small company at the time - to the very top of the industry. 

Finally, we close with this delightful image of Stan Lee being assaulted by Marvel's heroes, including Daredevil and Sgt. Fury, the only characters who didn't make it into the main story. Fury, of course, was set in World War II, and DD may have been omitted because Lee and Ditko worked on the Annual before his first issue was published. Or, as Joseph William Marek pointed out, it may simply be that they were both aware that the character was featured in that month's Amazing Spider-Man (issue #16).     

While I don't totally agree with Ditko's theory that guest-stars diminish a heroes importance, his point that they interfered with the development of the protagonist, his supporting cast and ongoing sub-plots (particularly in the monthly comic book) is valid. For kids reading the comics however, it was often an exciting and welcomed event. In the early 1960's they were used sparingly, resulting in a hightened sense of novelty, but the practice escalated to the point of overuse and excess. As the years went by an "anything goes" mentality produced many poorly plotted stories, lacking in either logic, characterization or originality. All too often these encounters resulted in forced exchanges until they became indistinguishable xerox copies: predictable and cliche ridden. Where's the creativity in that? The Innovation? 

Back in June of 1964, though, few - if any - fans debated the merits of guest-stars. The Amazing Spider-Man Annual # 1 was appreciated by both casual readers and rabid collectors with a quarter to spare for an afternoon's entertainment. They all recieved their money's worth. It was a well-concieved publication, made special by the efforts of sedulous craftsman who did far more than put together a larger version of the monthly iteration. These were seasoned veterans in their prime, maybe visionaries, arguably delivering the best work of their careers. Looking back, it was, and continues to be, a rarefied moment that stands the test of time, when a confluence of forces revitalzed the art form. It was an amazing (no pun intended) epoch we naively thought would last forever. Although in many ways it has. Revisiting this material, even through an adult lens, evokes a sensation of dream-like surrealism, coupled with a persistent awareness that we will not see its like again.