I have really enjoyed these Essential Spider-Man books! Sure the originals are the best with the exciting colors, etc., but it is fun to read the continuing storylines in one book. My favorite is the introduction of The Kingpin. It is part of a long storyline running two to three individual comics, all set to the backdrop of the turbulent sixties. Mary Jane, for instance, is a "hippy chick!" If you like Spider-Man, you'll certainly enjoy the thought-provoking stories of Peter Parker's struggles that made this a beloved series.

John Romita (Sr.) took over the penciler chores for "The Amazing Spider-Man" with issue #39, the famous issue where the Green Goblin found out Spidey's secret identity. Volume 3 "The Essential Spider-Man" covers issues #44-68 as Romita and writer Stan Lee try to find a way to follow up that most memorable beginning. What you will find within these pages are more of the multiple-issue story lines that proved so successful in the previous year with Spider-Man taking on the Lizard (#44-45), Kraven the Hunter and the new Vulture (#47-49), the Kingpin (#51-52, 59-60), and Doctor Octopus (#53-56), the new and old Vultures (#63-64), and Mysterio (#66-67).

Looking back at these comic books from 1967-69 from the perspective of the 21st century, it becomes clear that there is a major changing of the guard regarding Spider-Man's main villain. Granted, the Green Goblin is always number one on the list, but he has that amnesia problem. But in this third volume we see what is arguable the last of the great Doc Ock stories (the good doctor takes a room with Aunt May and Spidey ends up with amnesia), and the big debut of the Kingpin, who is featured in five of these issues. Eventually the Kingpin would become the most formidable foe of Daredevil, but at this point in his evolution he is New York City's new crime boss. Stan Lee had come up with several wannabe crime lords for the Big Apple over throughout the Sixties but none of them really worked (remember Fearless Fosdick?). With the Kingpin, Lee and Romita strike the mother lode (and I whole heartedly look forward to see Michael Clarke Duncan play the Wilton Fisk in the Daredevil film).

Besides the standard fare of J. Jonah Jameson's pathological hatred of Spider-Man and Aunt May's continual frail health, the new element in the world of Spider-Man is the emergence of Gwen Stacy as Peter Parker's love interest. Of course, we know what happens to Gwen down the road and what ultimately happens with Mary Jane Watson, but that does not detract from all the soap opera fun this time around. I always think of this as sort of the Archie period for Spider-Man, with Peter as Archie, Gwen and Mary Jane as Betty and Veronica, Harry as Jughead and Flash as Reggie. Think about it, people, it is not that farfetched an interpretation. Note: Pay attention to the evolution of how Romita draws Gwen. There is a as big a difference from what you see of the rather severe looking Miss Stacy in issue #44 and mega-babe who feels weak as a kitten in Peter's presence by issue #68. When it came to drawing the ladies in the Marvel Universe, Gene Colan was always my favorite (especially when he did the Black Widow), but Jazzy Johnny Romita (Sr.) was always a close second.

It's cheap, it's more than 20 issues, and most importantly, you'll love it. You'll speed through this thing faster than you thought possible. The sub-plots, mainly Peter Parker's relationship with Gwen Stacy, is absolutely invigorating. You'll read every last page of this, I guarantee it. John Romita, Sr.'s gorgeous art doesn't hurt, either. Buy it.

Peter Parker is an ordinary teen-aged boy who has many problems like bullies and missing the bus. He also has a major crush on a girl named Mary Jane. Peter's best friend is Harry Osborne and takes pictures for the school newspaper. One day Peter and his class go to a research lab, Peter gets bit by a genetically enhanced spider. Peter acuires superhuman strength and speed. He can leep high, climb walls, shoot webbing, and has a spider sense that tells him when danger is near. I liked this book because of all the fighting scenes. If I could rate this book one to five I would give it a solid four.

As a fifth grade teacher of reading and writing, I always try to give my students literature that they will enjoy. Yes, I of course read the best Newbery Award winning novels, but believe it or not, Spiderman is so good that it has become a terrific teaching tool in my classroom.

For starters, it contains all of the elements of story in grand fashion: Character (Spiderman), setting (New York), plot (Nerd gets superpowers), movement through time(From TV show to Aunt May's house), and change(Nerd becomes a human spider). Plus, the drama is first rate. When spiderman realizes that he should have stopped that crook earlier in the night instead of letting him run free, his reality becomes a tortured mission to rid the world of evil. The fact that he must live with this torture his entire life creates drama that is of Shakespearean magnitude.

My students have made their own comic books and this Marvelworks edition has been their guide. What better dialogue to give them than such classic lines as:"Someday I'll show them!>sob< Some day they'll be sorry!-Sorry that they laughed at me!" This is so delicious, it's a perfect set up for the life altering experience that will soon hit Peter Parker head on.

As for the comic itself, Spiderman is simply great entertainment and this edition does it justice in the best possible way.

Read it for enjoyment; teach it as quality literature.

You will love this book I gerinteeit! It tells you all about the mighty web-slinger himself!

This volume of short stories was published just as Peter David ended his long run as writer of The Incredible Hulk, so his last Hulk story "The Last Titan" is his way of saying farewell to the character. I liked most of the stories in this book. Pierce Askegren, Glenn Greenberg, and Keith R.A. DeCandido were among the good writers who contributed to the anthology. It covers the early days of the Hulk from his birth in a gamma bomb explosion to a possible future time when an older Hulk faces the end of the world. I hope some of the writers who worked on these short stories get to write future Hulk novels.

I've always been a Hulk fan, but I lent it to my boyfriend and nade him a convert as well. Favorite story: "The Samson Journals" by Ken Grobe. A story about the guy who psychoanalyzes ALL THREE of the Hulk's personalities. Pretty cool. Dennis Brabham's take on Rick Jones was great too. Let's see another of these anthologies soon!

The Hulk has probably had the most complicated history of any Marvel superhero, and this anthology covers all of it. I wish there were more of the "merged Hulk" -- he only gets one story, and it's the good-but-not-great "Playing it SAFE" by Keith R.A. DeCandido. Peter David's "The Last Titan" is really really really really great, the perfect ending to his decade writing the Hulk comic. And there isn't a bad story in the entire book -- even the usually-awful Danny Fingeroth's story is good -- and three great ones (by Dennis Brabham, Ken Grobe, and Steve Lyons). I only wish Jason Henderosn, who wrote the fantastic novel _Abominations_, had done a story.

In the late '90s, Marvel was going down the tubes, both financially and creatively. There was an enormous amount of dreck flooding the shelves, and no matter what schemes they tried, either with product or licensing, they were losing money like crazy. Before declaring bankruptcy, they released two trade paperback collections of their Golden Age material, presenting a selection of the best of that era. While they may not have been well-received by the younger crowd, it was one of the best ideas Marvel had in a while (definitely going against the grain), and it was a treat for fans of comic history. Once again, readers could enjoy the simplistic stories of classic WW-II Marvel characters such as Captain America, Sub-Mariner, the Angel, the Destroyer, Marvel Boy, the Fin, Citizen V, and the Human Torch.

The Golden Age of Marvel Comics, Volumes 1 and 2 can be considered Marvel's equivalent of a public service. It's historical preservation in a market that has a notoriously short attention span. When the majority of fans and retailers were demanding more high-octane heroes showering their foes with bullets, we got two beautiful yet affordable collections of Golden Age greats, showing readers that, while the stories and art of the Golden Age might not have been all that "golden", the characters and their appeal more than made up for it. You can clearly see the elements of these stories that fascinated aspiring writers and artists, leading to their expanding these characters in ways never dreamed of during Marvel's Silver Age and beyond. The covers for both volumes are beautiful: for 1, a battle scene by Ray Lago; for 2, a Kirby/Theakston image. The intros provide some very good historical perspective on the contents.

Marvel is now back on its feet, sort of, but don't expect these books to be reprinted anytime in the near future. The current crowd at Marvel seems to be even more out of touch than the previous one and apparently has no understanding of the treasure it is sitting on.

Released in 1997, The Golden Age of Marvel Comics volume 1 is a collection of early comic book stories from the Golden Age of comic books. Featuring Marvel Comics' Big Three: Captain America, The Sub-Mariner and the original Human Torch, along with stories of other characters like The Vision, The Destroyer, The Angel, and the Black Knight, this is a book that every fan of old comic books will enjoy again and again.

Representing the works of writers and artists of the Golden Age like creators Joe Simon & Jack Kirby, Bill Everett, Carl Burgos, Russ Heath, Stan Lee, John Romita Sr., and others, this book is a great example of the early days of Marvel Comics' history, back then called Timely Comics. It shows how the art form of comic books was done in a time of war and depression. This is a worthwhile read.

This book was followed up with The Golden Age of Marvel Comics volume 2 released in 1999.

The Golden Age of Marvel Comics volume 2, released in 1999, is a collection of various stories from Marvel Comics' Golden Age era (the first volume of The Golden Age of Marvel Comics was released in 1997). Back then, Marvel Comics was known as Timely Comics, and would later go on to become one of the most successful comic book publishers (alongside longtime competitor, DC Comics).

This book features stories with Marvel's "big three": the original Human Torch, Captain America, and The Sub-Mariner, as well as lesser known, now obscure characters like The Fin, Red Raven, and The Vision (I don't think this is the same one as the android Vision now appearing in Marvel's The Avengers series), as well as a few others. These classics are by the writers and artists of comics' Golden Age: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Bill Everett, Carl Burgos, and many others, including one story written by Stan Lee. The book also features an introduction by the legendary Mickey Spillane.

Overall, this book makes for an excellent read, especially for people interested in the early years of comic books. Most of the stories are set during World War II, so some people may be offended with the Germans and Japanese as the Nazis villains.

I know I could never tell you where Jim Steranko came from before he started drawing Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division), in Marvel's "Strange Tales" comic book in 1966. Actually, way back when, I was more interested in Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystical Arts. Besides, it was hard to believe Nick Fury, from "Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos," was a one-eyed spymaster. But the development of Steranko's signature style as an artist became THE reason for bothering with a comic that was, in many regards, the bottom of the line at Marvel. Steranko began by doing the finished artwork over layouts by Jack "King" Kirby and ended up not only drawing the series but scripting it as well. The rest was most definitely comic history.

Included in this collection are "Strange Tales" 150-168, which provides one of the greatest examples of artistic growth ever seen in the field of comic books (Barry Windsor-Smith's legendary run on "Conan the Barbarian" is the only other example on the same plateau). Here we have Nick Fury's one-man assault on Hydra and the epic battle with the Yellow Claw. Early in the Sixties Marvel had labeled its comics as "Pop Art," in a feeble attempt to market themselves as more than just comics for kids. Well, when Steranko started incorporating elements from the psychedelic films and art of the time you could argue he achieved "Pop Art" in comics. Steranko used photography, optical art effects and unorthodox page designs to create his own unique style. Ultimately, his work had much more to do with cutting-edge cinema than it did with traditional comic books, which is why his reputation endures.

It is hard not to look at these Steranko's striking designs in these super spy stories and find yourself thinking more of "Bladerunner" and "The Matrix" more than James Bond. But as much as we admire Steranko's use of fine, defined ink line we also need to pay attention to his use of pacing, which is undeniably cinematic. I heard Steranko went on to do storyboards for movies, including "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "Bram Stoker's Dracula," which is fitting, but also rather ironic. Speaking of irony, Steranko's best work in comics, both with Nick Fury and other characters (most notably Captain America and The X-Men) was yet to come. So while this collection does not represent Steranko's best work, it does capture the evolution of a major talent in comics. Besides, it will probably cost you more than the price of this collection to pick up just ONE of the comics reprinted within.

Reading level: ages 4-8. Ages 4 to 8?!?! Come on, Amazon, how many four year olds are going to pick up a 60's mod spy books? Have some common sense, please. I'm twenty-two and these books aren't exactly "Goodnight Moon". Why America has such a disrespect for graphic storytelling, when it is highly respected in essentially the rest of the world, is beyond me. [...]

Nick Fury, Agent Of SHIELD is a great collection of Jim Steranko tales done for Strange Tales. It is amazing that these were written and drawn in the mid-60s. You can see the growth of Steranko as an artist as you turn the pages from basic comic book artist to the futuristic styles mimicked by many of today's comics artists. Steranko's style is very cinematic and I would not be surprised if many moviemakers of today did not read these stories in their youth. As beautiful as the artwork is, the stories are exciting and quickly paced (the Fury segment in Strange Tales was usually 10 to 11 pages long). Hope to see more of Steranko's work reprinted, particularly his Captain America, X-Men, and other Nick Fury stories. Too bad he left the series after the Scorpio saga and left monthly comics shortly thereafter. I loved his work while I was growing up and felt that every character he touched stepped up to a higher level.

I've never been a fan of Dr. Strange until I read the graphic novel Dr. Strange and Dr. Doom. It instantly made a fan of Dr. Doom of me. Anyway, I bought this essentials with a grain of salt hoping to get some insight on this mystic hero.

First of all, all B&W didn't do much to diminish the story. Good artwork and visable penciling and words. But the bad is the stories. They are old and short. Old meaning they appeared in the 60's and 70's and Short because they run maybe 10 pages a story. That's bad because there are a lot of cliche's and at times the action is boring. It is also uninteresting because half the time the villians are Mordon or Nightmare. No more. Nothing interesting in those battles.
As for 10 pages a story, let's just say that a good story takes a little more to display intrigue and depth. I was so excited, but yet I was disappointed at the characterization and the brief stories. They were part of Strange Tales which mostly feathered other heros and Dr. Strange is only a part of the side-story.

If you're a fan of Dr. Strange and don't have a comprehensive collection of the early Strange Tales stories, this book is for you. It collects the original Strange Tales run from issue 110 (1963) to issue 168 (1968). It is a monumental collection of some of the most inspired, fantastic and downright weird comic stories ever written.

My only complaint about this volume is the black and white presentation and the fairly cheap paper it is printed on. Be careful when you handle this.

I have been a big fan of the Fantastic Four for many, many years. I found some of the early stories really enjoyable, with Dr Doom being of course being my favorite evil character. Spider-man, The X-Men, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Ironman and others were interesting, with Spider-Man probably being my second favorite comic series next to The Fantastic Four. I thought nothing could compare to the surreal storylines involving Reed Richards and his family, with adventures in outer space or trips into the past, etc. UNTIL I READ THESE STORIES.

I had always avoided reading Dr. Strange in the past for some reason. I remember enjoying the early Defenders series but that was just because I was really into The Hulk and Submariner at the time. Anyway, this has been a real treat! I find the stories highly imaginative and although brief, very compelling. Dr. Strange is the most overlooked Superhero in my opinion, although I've noticed there are some websites devoted to the "Master of Sorcery and Black Magic." Now I know why there are some devoted fans. Stephen Strange has good intentions that rival Super-man and the villains are as exciting as anything I've ever encountered in fiction, all written in a wonderfully spooky manner. I recommend this book to any fan of early Marvel comics. If you've enjoyed The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, The X-Men, etc. then this is too good for you to miss!

These are all supposed to be stories that take place at various points in Spidey's career as a hero, but it's all so much to place within the context of the comic. Spidey's past adventures were very well written from Stan Lee and Steve Didko to more recent writers like David Michelinie, and to say that these stories take place between this issue of the comic or that issue, is too difficult to keep track of all of it. Maybe they can get away with this with the X-Men, but not Spider-Man. No more untold tales from the past, let's focus on the present.

This edition features the first of what will be a long list of stories written by John S. Drew. Watch for his name in the future. He writes as though he's been writing the characters of Aunt May and Peter Parker all his life! His story is called "Moving Day," and it is the best in the collection.

This great anthology covers most of Spidey's career. The best story is "The Stalking of John Doe" by Adam-Troy Castro, which is one of the best Spider-Man stories ever written anywhere. You should buy this book just so you can read this story. Also really really good are the stories are by Tom DeFalco (who captures the early Spidey perfectly), Christopher Golden & Jose R. Nieto (great look at the Spidey/Torch relationship), John Garcia & Pierce Askegren (just a fun adventure story), Michael Jan Friedman (killer ending!), Ann Nocenti (deals with issues the comics _never_ deal with), Ken Grobe & Steven A. Roman (hilarious!), and Keith R.A. DeCandido (best Doc Ock story _ever_). The other stories are OK, too -- the only ones that really stink are Danny Fingeroth's stupid "The Doctor's Dilemma" and Glenn Greenberg's overwritten "Poison in the Soul."

This answers the question, "When exactly did AMAZING SPIDER-MAN as a series go completely to HELL?" No-it WASN'T when John Romita stopped inking. It WASN'T when Gwen Stacy was murdered (which, after all these years, it turned out it was John Romita's...idea). And no-it WASN'T even when Stan Lee stopped writing "his" main character!!! NO!!! It was when GIL KANE started DRAWING the [darn] book, THAT'S when!!! Kane's people are UGLY, his anatomy is AWKWARD, and his storytelling has NO sense of fun or humor about it at ALL!!! Most of these I'd never read before, and I got the book mainly because it was a CHEAP way to fill these huge gaping holes in my Spidey collection. MY GOD!! Reading these is like watching the 6th season of HUNTER. Sure, Dee Dee McCall was still there, but the whole tone, balance and focus of the show had gone terribly astray, thanks to Fred Dryer's massive ego getting in the way.

There's a few issues with pure JOHN ROMITA art, which are a joy to behold compared to the rest. (Romita plotted "Vengeance In Viet Nam" all on his own, it was his big Milton Caniff tribute!) There's also a couple near the end which had Romita pencilling over layouts by JIM STARLIN! But overall, the tone of the series had gotten very dark, downbeat and pessimistic. In a word-- unbearable.

For anyone who'd wonder why I have NO interest in reading ANY new Spider-books ever again, here it is. I have BOXES of the stuff in my back room, and don't have the time for that right now-and that's the GOOD stuff! To me, there are 2 and ONLY 2 Spider-Man artists who matter-- Steve Ditko and John Romita. Everybody else is just wasting their time trying to fill their shoes. 30 years is a LONG time for a character to be living off his past reputation!

Volume 5 of the "Essential Spider-Man" covers the end of Stan Lee's run as the writer on his most famous comic creation. Lee wrote through issue #100, then Roy Thomas penned issues #101-104, Lee returned for issues #105-110, and then Gerry Conway (the man who killed off Gwen Stacy) became Spidey's scripter with issue #111. Spider-Man's artwork features some major revolving door action as well, with John Romita (Sr.) inking Gil Kane and then doing the pencils again, then Kane taking over with a different inker, then... (you get the idea). Anyhow, the cover is wrong because John Buscema does not do any of the artwork (brother Sal does some of the inking); it is Conway's name that should be there instead.

Anyhow, this volume includes several pivotal moments in Spider-Man's history: the death of Captain Stacy, the infamous Green Goblin/Harry Osborn on drugs trilogy where the comic did not receive Comics Code approval, and the 100th issue where Peter Parker decides to concoct a magic formula to take away his spider powers and ends up growing two extra sets of arms instead (talk about weird science, huh?). The Marvel tendency to try and be realistic pops up as well as Flash Thompson returns from Vietnam with a story to tell. There is a nice bookend effect to this volume, which begins and ends with Doctor Octopus. I know the Green Goblin is the most important of Spider-Man's villain (knowing Spider-Man's secret identity sort of makes that a moot point), but overall I think some of the best Spider-Man stories involve Doc Ock, and it is not just because of the similarities of their animal totems. Also includes in these issues are Spider-Man visiting Ka-Zar in the Savage Land and the first appearance of Morbius the Living Vampire (a character that I could never take seriously). But then there is the Gibbon, a "villain" so bad even Spider-Man laughs at him.

It looks like Volume 5 might be the last of the "Essential Spider-Man" series, although this is just a bad hunch on my part. After all, Stan Lee stopped writing the comic at this point and the key issues of what would be the next volume are currently available as "The Death of Gwen Stacy." I have to admit that I do not mind that these comics are in black & white; certainly this helps to keep this a remarkably inexpensive series and the strengths of some of these artists (most notably Steve Ditko) actually stand out more without the color being added. There is also something to be said for not having to take your comics out of their bags to read them (or for having to pay big bucks to go out and buy all these back issues). I am looking forward to picking up some more of the classic Marvel comics from the Sixties in this format.

My only complaint is that the book opens halfway through a continued comic with Spidey battling Dr. Octopus that should have included the comic just before. I actually haven't finished reading this yet because I have been enjoying it so much that I don't want it to end! I have read a chapter or two (monthly issue) each night. After just seeimg the movie SPIDER-MAN, I bought this on an impulse. I found it fascinating to see the "real" story as told by Stan Lee of how Peter Parker felt about Mary Jane (MJ), and there is an exciting battle with the Green Goblin that explains much about that character. In fact, even the first storyline of how Peter became Spider-Man is retold. What made me sad, however, was to realize that the movie messed up a wonderful opportunity of bringing these "classic" comics to life and instead followed a mediocre script that was inaccurate to the early comics. No wonder I hate how Hollywood retells historical events just for "entertainment value!" Still, these are fun and priced inexpensively.

Had been endlessly searching for a follow-up to part two (Villains) for over two years before sporting this on the import shelves in the local Forbidden Planet store. All I can say is "wow".

The first half of the book deals with Harry's formation of a superhero team on the 'utopian' world of Argonia when the bad-guys (called Deviants) start trying to topple the regime. This alternates with what's happening back on Earth. With Harry, Peg and John missing presumed dead, the arrogant Marty Burke has took over the Fantasy Factory, making life hell for the talent there. Plus, hard-nosed reporter Leslie-Ann is starting to pick threads at the giant's cover-story.

The second part of the story hits you slap-bang with the realisation that all the **** that's happening may be a product of John's unconscious mind, warping reality. The Deviant leaders turn out to be Fantasy Factory villains upon which Peg realises that their situation is following the tried and trusted story-threads of a comic-book plot.

Upon defeating the Deviants, Peg and John 'rift' back to Earth to join Harry in defeating whatever nefarious plan the giant's are cooking up. However the rift becomes unstable and starts forming pocket-universes with physical laws far different to our own... universes which intersect ours with devastating consequences as all technology starts (literally) blowing up in our faces.

To add to the chaos, two Deviants have escaped Argonia and have their own plans for Earth, to breed a master race of telepaths. And we find out Robert and the rest of the giants' masterplan... to ignite World War 3 and decimate the lessers (us) in nuclear fire so they can take control of what's left.

Many different people with many different plans for the planet and the only people who can save us are Harry, Peg and John having brought back a few superior Argonian weapons and battle-armour. The end is a real cliffhanger as Robert's plan does it's deadly work sooner than anticipated. All the nuclear missiles have been launched and the first humans have succumbed to megadeath.

Can the world be saved and the Deviants & giants thwarted. I guess we'll just have to wait for the next book. Only this time, I hope Stan and Bill write it and get it published sooner rather than later. Odyssey was dated 1996, so with any luck it should be soon.

I liked this book and I think you would too if you like "superhero" type books. The problem is...they still haven't writen a sequel (as of Feb 98) and this one didn't really have an ending. It left you hanging. I look forward to the sequel if it's ever published.

This book is really something, it got me reading so much that I even had to put my food aside and at the end what does stan lee do?He leaves me hanging, I've been combing bookstores and surfing the net to see if I can find the continuation but up till now I've not yet seen it I hope it will be written soon because it will really be a great sell and story.Why I like this book? Because it's got everything you need to make a book really interesting and it really got me hooked. Stan you gotta do something because I reeeally need to know the fate of the Earth in your book.

"The Superhero Women" was one of the early volumes in the Marvel Origins series, although technically few of the stories reprinted herein are origin stories. Included are: (1) "Make Way for Medusa," which features the scarlet haired Inhuman from an issue of "Spider-Man," story by Stan Lee and art by John Romita (Sr.); (2) "Eyes of the Gorgon," a Red Sonja story by Bruce Jones and Frank Thorne; (3) "The Return of the Mole Man!" from a very early issue of the "Fantastic Four" by Lee and Jack Kirby; (4) "This Woman, This Warrior," featuring the debut of Ms. Marvel, by Gerry Conway and John Buscema; (5) "The Icy Touch of Death" and "And So, To Die!" a pair of tales about Hela, Norse goddess of death from "The Might Thor," by Lee and Buscema; (6) "Beware the Claws of the Cat," one of the least memorable Marvel heroines, by Linda Fite, Marie Severin and Wally Wood; (7) "The Creature from Kosmos," which introduced the Wasp, by Lee, H.E. Huntley, and Kirby; (8) "The Fury of the Femizons," featuring Lyra from "Savage Tales" #1, by Lee and Romita; (9) "The Sahara Connection," with Shanna the She-Devil, by Carole Seuling and Ross Andru; and (10) "Beware...the Black Widow," another "Spider-Man" issue by Lee and Romita.

The two Spider-Man stories are probably the best, but nothing in this collection is particularly memorable in terms of story. The introductions are by Stan Lee in his inimitable patter and are probably the best part of the book. Interesting enough, what stands out in the artwork is not the early stuff by Jack "King" Kirby, but the "Savage Tales" story by John Romita which is done pretty much in pencil. Romita did have a talent for drawing the ladies (not quite in Gene Colan's league when it comes to drawing the Black Widow), but this pencil work is quite good. "The Superhero Women" is worth a look over, but does not qualify as a must have collection of Marvel comics from the 60's and 70's.

"The Superhero Women" was one of the early volumes in the Marvel Origins series, although technically few of the stories reprinted herein are origin stories. Included are: (1) "Make Way for Medusa," which features the scarlet haired Inhuman from an issue of "Spider-Man," story by Stan Lee and art by John Romita (Sr.); (2) "Eyes of the Gorgon," a Red Sonja story by Bruce Jones and Frank Thorne; (3) "The Return of the Mole Man!" from a very early issue of the "Fantastic Four" by Lee and Jack Kirby; (4) "This Woman, This Warrior," featuring the debut of Ms. Marvel, by Gerry Conway and John Buscema; (5) "The Icy Touch of Death" and "And So, To Die!" a pair of tales about Hela, Norse goddess of death from "The Might Thor," by Lee and Buscema; (6) "Beware the Claws of the Cat," one of the least memorable Marvel heroines, by Linda Fite, Marie Severin and Wally Wood; (7) "The Creature from Kosmos," which introduced the Wasp, by Lee, H.E. Huntley, and Kirby; (8) "The Fury of the Femizons," featuring Lyra from "Savage Tales" #1, by Lee and Romita; (9) "The Sahara Connection," with Shanna the She-Devil, by Carole Seuling and Ross Andru; and (10) "Beware...the Black Widow," another "Spider-Man" issue by Lee and Romita.

The two Spider-Man stories are probably the best, but nothing in this collection is particularly memorable in terms of story. The introductions are by Stan Lee in his inimitable patter and are probably the best part of the book. Interesting enough, what stands out in the artwork is not the early stuff by Jack "King" Kirby, but the "Savage Tales" story by John Romita which is done pretty much in pencil. Romita did have a talent for drawing the ladies (not quite in Gene Colan's league when it comes to drawing the Black Widow), but this pencil work is quite good. "The Superhero Women" is worth a look over, but does not qualify as a must have collection of Marvel comics from the 60's and 70's.

I first read this book as a young girl, and was inspired by both the great comic-book art and the strong female role models. Red Sonja, The Black Widow, and Marvel Girl, among others, are represented here. Any young woman would find this inspiring and very entertaining. I plan to pass a copy on to my own little girl.