Spider Books

Spiderman was never so good as Ditko (sometimes getting plot credit) and Lee presented him here. The collaborators are in complete control of Spider-man and the great cast of bad guys--especially the Green Goblin. The ironies of Peter Parkers life are poignant, and each issue seems to develop both Peter's life and the supporting cast. This and the next volume are probably the best collections: the next volume includes the great "Man on a Rampage" trilogy and the switch to John Romita.

Great! These old spider man stories are the best from the early marvel days. A pleasure to read

Finally, the completion of the Spider-Man Silver Age issues. I can vividly remember reading these comics when they came out and I had no idea that this was it -- that there would be no more of this calibre in the future. Spider-Man was literally at his peak of popularity and the issues in this volume are Stan Lee and John Romita in their prime with the characters and stories fully developed.

The volume includes issues 88-99 from 1970-71. The highlight is the first few issues containing a battle with Doctor Octopus that ends up killing Captain Stacy, the father of Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker's love interest. This volume also includes the "drug issues" where the comics code seal of approval was denied because the stories contained images of drug abuse. Hard to imagine today any controversy over such images.

After these issues, Stan Lee didn't write the stories and John Romita didn't draw the pictures and it just wasn't the same. Gil Kane, did his best work here - right up there with his Green Lantern in the 1960's. But this is where the kids moved on to other things along with the talent that abandoned the Marvel franchise at this moment in time.

So savor this and the first 10 Fantastic Four Masterworks as true masterworks. If they publish any more, it will just have the title Masterworks, but the lustre is gone. This is the last of the really good stuff. Enjoy it. The last issue here actually has a happy ending too. It's time to put it all away and behind us now. But what memories... these stories will take you back. A definite buy.

This is a great collection of Spider-Man issues from late 1969 to the early 1970's. Stan Lee and John Romita were creating and publishing the best comics of their careers. And who would know that the era of this quality and style was nearly over? These are the 15 cent issues after the 12 cent tradition was over and before the larger and lamer 25 cent issues signaled the end of the Silver Age.

One of the best features of this volume is the introduction by John Romita which is far more substantive than the light banter of Stan Lee's typical introductions. Romita reveals some details about the mysterious never-published Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine #3. There's even some unpublished Romita pencils that provide several clues about how elements of the story were used in other issues. It seems obvious to me reading Romita's comments and looking at his original pencils that the Electro story in issue #82 was probably very similar to what was planned for the magazine except involving the Kingpin making a deal with JJJ and a Prowler prototype, "The Dreaded Stalker" crashing the TV show. Check it out and see if you agree.

Most of the issues reprinted here are not drawn by John Romita, but by John Buscema who skillfully duplicated Romita's Spider-Man style. The volume does include some of the last Spider-Man works of Romita and Jim Mooney and story foreshadowing that still resonates in the Marvel Universe today. Did anyone ever draw beautiful women as beautifully as Romita drew Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson? This volume includes classic images of Gwen's fringe dress and a smoking hot first appearance of the superhero version of the Black Widow.

This is the last volume of the classic era and a must-have for collectors. The next volume will close out the Silver-Age completely with some more great stories - the last really good ones, but this volume showcases the creators at the peak of their careers with no clues that very little more was left to come.

I just recieved this a few days ago, and I'm very pleased with my purchase. I never got a chance to read the actual comics...being that I live in a one horse town where there is no chance of ever having a comic book store. So that being said....please forgive me my comic brothers for only being familiar with this graphic novel?
I was very suprised at how well the writers transfered our favorite hero's into super monsters and yet still retained some or more of thier former personality. The way Spiderman still had his wit...and his guilt for things he had done. The art was outstanding too. The way the heros where destroyed versions of thier former selves, and the villians hadn't really changed all the much....notice the hobgoblin who looked no different.
Magnetos character was played out perfectly, it was amazing how he still had his elitist personality right up until his end. It's exactly how I would have expected him to go out.
I would definately recommend this title to anyone who loves comics/horror and may be looking for something a little different. Also, if you haven't already, make sure you check out the Walking Dead series, also by Robert Kirkman. I've never been a fan of the Fantastic Four, but intend to start the Ultimate Fantastic Four series just to see how all this started as well as the Exiles #85-86 concerning the Zombie Wolverine crossover.

"A Mealworm's Life" is written and illustrated by John Himmelman. The book combines a simple text with beautiful images. Also included is a short glossary of terms. Set on a farm, the book tells the story of a mealworm's life from her being laid as an egg to the hatching of her own offspring. The text covers its main character's metamorphoses, encounters with other creatures, etc.

This superb book brings a sense of both dignity and magic to the life of this tiny creature. The illustrations are truly beautiful and are rich in subtle details--the scales on a chicken's foot, the patterns on a moth's wings, etc. The rich shades of brown, green, and gold bring a luminous warmth to the book. Himmelman includes some clever visual touches that bring an almost cinematic sense of drama to this miniature epic of one little life. Among the many nature and science picture books for children that I've read, I would certainly rate this as among the best.

The Spider-Man movies have given a new rebirth to the character created by comic books. All children need heroes to immulate. This book selection would make a perfect gift choice to introduce the pre-school to elementary age child to reading. It is not overly graphic in writing tones and the artwork is very child-friendly!

Megabugs - the Natural History Museum Book of Insects lets you discover insects for yourself and marvel at how:

*a swarm oflocusts can munch through 20,000 tons of plants a day
*flies can walk upside down on the ceiling
*some insects repulse their predators by looking like bird droppings
*crickets sing love songs to woo their mates
*certain insects aim hot chemicals at thrir enemies
and much more about the creatures we share our lives with (whether we like it or not

The photography, by the natural history photographers, along with the scientists who make it possible for us to understand the fascinating lives of insects.

I love this book and have begun reading it to my grandchildren

Enjoyed it tremendously. Great for sharing with all young children and grand-children. Art work beautiful as well as colorful and accurate.

"Mexico or Bust" describes the multi-generation migration of monarch butterflies, surely one of the world's great natural spectacles. Underwood does an admirable job of describing the butterfly's life cycle, and the text is accompanied by wonderful photos.