We continue the adventures of Spider-Man with the second volume of stories in the Marvel Masterworks series from the Amazing Spider-Man stories by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. I was quite impressed with the first volume of Spider-man comics so let's see if the second volume can bring the same amount of passion and charm as before.
The Adventures of Spider-Man continues as find Peter Parker still balances his double life of being normal Peter Parker and being New York’s greatest Superhero. Peter will have to deal with the traumas of his life as he’ll be confronted by people like his Aunt May and J Jonah Jameson as well as new surfacing villains such as an escaped Doctor Octopus, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, and even the Green Goblin.
Like before these stories were made in the 60s but they still hold up to today’s standard as the adventures and character interactions still feel fresh and engaging at times. These stories still have that unmistakable campiness that was prevalent in the previous collection of comics in the first Marvel Masterworks series, but the campiness makes these particular Spider-Man stories unique from the modern interpretations of the web-slinger. The stories do a good job at not repeating too much from past stories and even when they do they still tell those stories in a fresh and entertaining way. You can expect to see new foes for Spider-Man to face but also come in contact with characters from other Marvel comics franchises such as Daredevil and the Human Torch from the Fantastic 4.
Peter Parker has the same amount of charm and charisma from being himself and being Spider-Man as even his most silly catchphrases still managed to put a smile on my face. J Johna Jameson is still a fan favorite of mine as his goal to try and frame Spider-Man never fails to make me laugh out loud. The new villains such as Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter bring a fresh new take on what a comic book supervillain can be, not to mention that they too can be as much entertaining as our hero. All the characters are just as entertaining here as they were in vol 1, they all have a level of complexity but also a level of wackiness that is fun and lovable.
The illustrations bring the same action-packed level of excitement that I have come to expect from Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The human characters are posed in very interesting and over-the-top ways that are indeed engaging and lovely to look at. The backgrounds from the streets of New York to the lushness of Central Park are well utilized and they take advantage of the locations we get to stay around in. like before i do wish they could have minimized the text boxes and thought bubbles so we could take in more of the scenery but that’s only a minor complaint.
These stories are not necessarily better or worse than the first volume of comics from the first volume. Still, they are indeed enjoyable and great to read now as they were back in the days when comic stores were a mainstay. As a major Spider-Man fan, I still adored volume two of the comics from one of my favorite Superheroes ever and if you are like me, chances are you’ll find yourself engaged with these delightful and campy stories as much as I was engaged.
(Final Grade: B+)