Best of Spider-Man Honorable Mentions: Stan Lee Edition

Last year, we came up with a list of our fifty favorite Spider-Man comic book stories. It should come as a surprise to no one that Stan Lee was very well-represented in the selection. It included four of his stories with Steve Ditko: Amazing Fantasy #15 with the first appearance of Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man #1 with too many firsts to list, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 with the Sinister Six, and the Master Planner saga from Amazing Spider-Man #31-33; as well as three of his stories with John Romita Sr: the unmasking of the Green Goblin from Amazing Spider-Man #39-40, the first appearances of the Rhino and Mary Jane from Amazing Spider-Man #41-43, and Spider-Man No More/ the first appearance of the Kingpin from Amazing Spider-Man #50-52. It’s astounding the way his work holds up, when compared to the early appearances of many comic book icons. Even with that mind, there are some excellent stories that were overlooked. In no particular order, this is my selection of the honorable mentions from the Crawlspace Top 50 written by Stan Lee.

The End of Spider-Man (Amazing Spider-Man Volume One #17-19)

Writer: Stan Lee. Artist/ Co-Writer: Steve Ditko

One of the things that made Stan Lee’s comics interesting was the pacing. A story could end in an unexpected way that has consequences later on. Here, Spider-Man gets into a fight with the Green Goblin that earns him a reputation as a coward. The next issue deals with the aftermath, as Flash Thompson is seriously injured trying to avenge his idol’s honor, Spider-Man has to flee one of his greatest enemies, and one of the frailest characters in the series (and let’s be honest: all of comics) ends up inspiring him. It’s bookended by team-ups with the Human Torch (who would reappear in Amazing Spider-Man #21, so it was a well Lee/ Ditko were hitting often at this point) where the two young heroes spend a lot of time getting in one another’s way. The story includes a lot of classic scenes as throwaways: Spider-Man ruining a movie shoot because he thinks there’s a crime in progress, the Human Torch encountering Peter Parker, major victories and disappointments for J. Jonah Jameson, a Green Goblin battle in a public location with the supporting cast in danger, a big mistake in Peter’s relationship with Betty Brant, and a cliffhanger that introduces one of Spider-Man’s greatest enemies.

It ranked 48th in CBR’s list of the Top 50 Spider-Man Stories, and was selected as one of the Spider-talk podcast’s essentials series.

Spider-Man Goes Mad (Amazing Spider-Man Volume One #24)

Writer: Stan Lee. Artist/ Co-Writer: Steve Ditko.

This might be the most underrated Lee/ Ditko story, in that it’s not mentioned as much as the big first appearances or the longer arcs. It’s simply a clever standalone, that follows on a theme from Amazing Spider-Man #13 in which Spider-Man decides he needs professional help. It features a great trap for the hero, as he’s afraid he’s losing his mind, a challenge that provides fantastic visuals for Ditko, who illustrates the things Spider-Man appears to be hallucinating (attacks from his greatest enemies; a world gone upside down) as well as a Peter Parker as feverishly afraid as the leads of Ditko’s old horror/ sci-fi comics. One of Spider-Man’s greatest enemies is involved, but Lee/ Ditko subvert expectations by avoiding the typical fight between the hero and his enemy in full costume. The story also has fun moments from Jonah, on the verge of contributing to Spider-Man’s downfall, and Flash Thompson, pissed off at what the Daily Bugle is saying about his greatest hero. It also some excellent media criticism, as Daily Bugle reporters manipulate people into saying bad things about Spider-Man in exchange for getting their name in the paper.

Disaster (Amazing Spider-Man Volume One #53-59)

Writer: Stan Lee. Artist: John Romita Sr.

For a little while, I was convinced that this was the best Spider-Man story I’ve ever read, and it’s only fallen a little bit in my esteem. The story begins with a decent Spider-Man VS. Doctor Octopus battle which doesn’t become truly great until Doc Ock finds a spider tracer, and sets a nice and suitably nasty trap for Spidey. The next issue ups the ante as Otto meets an old friend—May Parker, and agrees to be a boarder at her house. Peter finds him, but I love the sincerity with which Otto comforts May and simultaneously threatens Peter. They fight of course, but May has a heart attack, and the wall gets destroyed, and in the next issue Peter worries whether or not insurance will pay for it, a perfect example of Stan Lee exploring the disadvantages of being a superhero. In later issues, Ock steals a weapon called the Ultimate Nullifier from Stark International, a device which can stop any machine, and I just love how he gloats and hopes that Iron Man tries to stop him. Eventually, Spider-Man loses his memory during a battle, and Doctor Octopus uses the opportunity to convince Spidey that he’s a villain; it’s a nice ironic moment when an editorial by J. Jonah Jameson helps him pull off the trick.

Doctor Octopus is beaten, but this isn’t a conventional superhero comic. The authorities stop the supervillain, and at the end of the story, Spider-Man still hasn’t regained his memory. The next story deals with the consequences, as Peter’s friends think Spider-Man kidnapped him, and J. Jonah Jameson convinces a Marvel Universe superhero to attack Spider-Man—a decision he’ll come to regret. When that plan goes to hell, he teams up with a now psychotic Spencer Smythe, who has built a new Spider Slayer, a powerful robot that Spider-Man can’t defeat by brute force; he has to outsmart his enemy. And even when Peter regains his memories, he has to explain to friends and families just where he was. This is one of the definitive Spider-Man stories, and a daring Silver Age story that really holds up well today.

It ranked 42nd in CBR’s list of the Top 50 Spider-Man Stories.

The Goblin Lives (Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine #2)

Writer: Stan Lee. Artist: John Romita Sr.

This is probably one of the most obscure Lee/ Romita stories, which is difficult to imagine for something that should be high-profile: the long-awaited return of the Green Goblin. However, this was published in magazine format outside the regular Amazing Spider-Man, so in addition to a much lower print run, it also wasn’t reprinted as readily.

It features something we didn’t really see in the comics during the Silver Age: a Norman Osborn who knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, and is tormenting Peter in front of their loved ones, a sequence used in the Thanksgiving dinner scene in the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man film. John Romita Sr took advantage of the larger format to draw some impressive visuals, as Spider-Man is exposed to psychedelic gas and hallucinates some of his greatest fears—because this wasn’t a standard comic book, it could circumvent Comics Code of Authority restrictions on drug references. I could see the argument that it’s a bit padded, but this was an opportunity for one of the best Spider-Man artists to draw some nice splash pages, and double page spreads, and he took advantage of it.

And Then Came Electro! (Amazing Spider-Man #82)

Writer: Stan Lee. Artist: John Romita Sr.

This standalone came at the tail end of Stan Lee’s run on the series. It was also elevated by the art of John Romita Sr, a rarity for the early 1970s. After the ten-part Tablet of Time saga, and a Prowler origin in which ten pages were spent introducing Hobie Brown, Stan Lee opted for a stretch of shorter stories. This was probably the best of the batch; the others were a Chameleon rematch, and the introduction of Kangaroo. The focus on single issuse stories wouldn’t last wouldn’t last, as it was followed by a three-parter with the Kingpin versus the Schemer, a two-parter about a feverish Spider-Man, a Doctor Octopus three-parter, and the aftermath of Captain Stacy’s death.

What makes this story effective is that things go very wrong for Spider-Man. Aunt May’s health has taken a hit after an attempt by Peter to maintain his secret identity caused a serious shock. People around him are getting suspicious about his secret identity. He owes rent and that’s affecting his relationship with his roommate. He’s worried about his future with Gwen. He’s aware that he’s getting into fights with regular guys like Flash Thompson. And that’s just the first page.

Spider-Man tries to make some money with an appearance on network TV, but this provides a chance for Electro to ambush him. It’s one of their finest fights, given the setting and the potential bystanders. The story is full of little indignities for Spidey, who ruins his costume by swinging past a chimney, is having such trouble controlling his strength he’s damaging Subway cars, and has to figure out how to go to the laundry with his costume. Peter’s storyline is also particularly meaningful, as he wants something important: to make something of himself for Gwen. And it doesn’t work out. Stan Lee had figured out that it’s fine that the superheroes win occasionally, but that some days are going to bad, and this is a great example from his run of the hero suffering a disappointment that matters, even if no one dies and there isn’t a major change to the status quo.

There is much more material I could have gone with, since there are so many other beloved Spider-Man stories by Stan Lee. I was tempted to include the six-armed Spider-Man saga, but Roy Thomas wrote the second and third parts. The CBR list also includes the Crime-Master Saga, the Death of Captain Stacy, and the Harry Osborn drug addiction trilogy. Fred Hembeck has described how Amazing Spider-Man #25, with the first appearance of the spider-slayer, is one of his favorite comic books ever. The Tablet of Time saga made Comic Buyer’s Guide‘s list of the best comic books ever. A Doctor Strange team-up involving the legacy of Vietnam was one of John Romita Sr’s favorites. Amazing Spider-Man #10 ends with a major revelation about a supporting character that elevates him from caricature to one of the best in comics.

One of the great things about Stan Lee’s Spider-Man run is that different people are going to have unique favorites. Obvious choices will be well-represented for good reasons, but for some readers, something obscure will speak to them much more.

So, what about you guys? What are your favorite Spider-Man stories by Stan Lee?