Third place on my list of "Top 10 Spider-Man comics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko" goes to a sentimental favorite (which also happens to be a great comic), titled "Kraven the Hunter!"It's a sentimental favorite for a simple reason - this is the first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man I bought.
In Elementary School my friends and I often talked about comics, and one of them - no idea who (John? Ben? Don? Doug, maybe?) - mentioned that he had tried Spider-Man's comic and really liked it.
I had seen it in newsstands before - I distinctly remember seeing issue #9, for instance - but while I had been picking up Marvel comics like the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, I had resisted Spider-Man - the character just seemed strange, with an odd costume - and the art was out of the ordinary.
Then I saw this issue and decided to give it a try. (Thank goodness!) In no time, I was hooked.
The issue starts with a quick introduction to The Chameleon, who narrowly avoids being captured by Spider-Man. To deal with Spidey, that villain contacts his old friend Kraven, a big game hunter who is wily, loaded with weapons and tricks and eager to tackle the ultimate challenge - to track and capture Spider-Man.
It sounds like a standard storyline, but Kraven proves to be far more resourceful than you might expect. He fights Spidey to a standstill in their first meeting, and manages to use a potion that leaves our hero shaken and woozy.
When they meet again, Kraven has a series of clever traps, including a pair of metal cuffs he clamps on Spider-Man's wrist and ankle - the cuffs are magnetized, and it takes all of Spidey's strength to keep them apart.
But the issue isn't just about action - it includes Peter Parker dealing with problems at school, at the Daily Bugle (where his girlfriend Betty is jealous of Liz Allen), and at home (where Aunt May is pushing him to go on a blind date).
I was just amazed, reading that issue. The story was like no super-hero comic I'd ever read, loaded with lots of plot twists, action, drama and humor, as Spidey reeled off a series of genuinely funny comments while fighting for his life.
The art took some getting used to, because Ditko's style was so different from anyone working in comics in the early '60s. His figures were rubbery, every character had a unique look (instead of having different hair and clothes on the same faces). I wasn't sure when I first started reading that issue, but by the time I got to the last page, I was sold on Ditko.
Reading that comic was like having someone turn the lights on - I could see that comics could be so much more, and I was an instant fan of Spider-Man.
So to whichever one of my friends who made the suggestion to try Spider-Man in 1964, a long-overdue thanks!
Grade: A+
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