When Stan Lee first presented the idea of Spider-Man in 1962, his boss had numerous objections: People hate spiders. Teenagers aren’t main characters; they’re sidekicks. The protagonist should be glamorous and successful, not a friendless loser. But Stan was persistent, and Martin Goodman allowed him to try out the unlikely hero in Amazing Fantasy, which was going to be canceled anyway. Then, with Spider-Man on the cover, issue No. 15 of the doomed comic shot to the top of Marvel’s bestseller list for the year, and the rest is history.

Amazing Spider-Man, which appeared seven months later, broke all comic traditions. Peter Parker lived in uncool Queens, was always broke, constantly worried about his Aunt May, had bad luck in love, and was constantly yelled at by his boss J. Jonah Jameson, the editor of the Daily Bugle. Spider-Man had the quick wit and confidence that Parker lacked, but it wasn’t always easy to use his powers. Often, he seemed on the verge of defeat against the gallery of classic villains who appeared in the early years: Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Lizard, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, and the Green Goblin. A large part of Spider-Man’s success is thanks to his co-creator and artist Steve Ditko, who had a knack for portraying teenagers and their problems. His drawings gave Spider-Man a light-footed dynamism, and even if many people were afraid of spiders, Ditko made swinging through New York on webs look like the coolest adventure ever.

This collector’s dream in XXL format contains the first 21 stories of the beloved web-slinger from 1962–1964 and is nearly as large as the originals. Instead of recoloring the originals (as was the case with reprints of classic comics from earlier decades), TASCHEN made sure to present the issues as they looked at the time of their release. In close collaboration with Marvel and the Certified Guaranty Company, the most flawless comics were opened and photographed for reproduction. Each page was photographed exactly as it was printed more than half a century ago, then digitally retouched with modern techniques to correct the flaws of the cheap, imperfect printing of the time—making it look as if it just came fresh from a top-quality printing press of the 1960s.

With an extensive essay by Marvel editor Ralph Macchio, original artworks, rare photographs, and many other treasures across 698 pages, this book is prime catch in the web of every Spider-Maniac!

© 2021 MARVEL

About the series

MARVEL COMICS LIBRARY is an exclusive, long-term collaboration between TASCHEN and Marvel. The rarest comic classics, including Spider-Man, Avengers, and Captain America, are meticulously reproduced in their original beauty in extra-large format. The library offers collectors around the world the unique opportunity to literally hold the most coveted comics in the world in their hands. Each volume contains an essay by a comic historian as well as hundreds of photos and finds, including rare original comic art.