Supplemental to Amazing Fantasy 15

Spider-Man appears in a lot of comics. I'm sure this isn't news. Some of them are not very essential to the main story, or were published years later to revise the original material (a "retcon"). In my organization of Spider-Man comics and appearances into reading order, I have separated these as supplemental. I will still be reading them as I go, but they are not as important as the "core" books.

Spider-Man's Tangled Web #14 (2002)

Written by Brian Azzarello and Scott Levy, Illustrated by Giuseppe Camuncoli

This is a fantastic comic, and a perfect example of a story you can find in comic books that usually don't exist in any other media. In this case, it's the story of Crusher Hogan - the wrestler that Peter challenges and beats in his first public masked outing. The story explores Crusher's personal life, and what led to him challenging the audience to take him down. It makes him a very sympathetic character, and after this issue I would have enjoyed another story, exploring his life after being beaten. Whatever became of Crusher Hogan?

Camuncoli's art is fantastic. He's one of the regular rotating artists on Amazing Spider-Man as of this writing, and will be a regular on the upcoming Superior Spider-Man, and I love it. Looking at this issue, you can really see how his art has grown since, but it was still solid back in 2002.

Amazing Spider-Man Family #1 - 48 Hours story (2008)

Written by J.M. DeMatteis, Illustrated by Alex Cal

In Stan's original stories, Peter goes right from stopping the burglar in Amazing Fantasy #15 to actively trying to be a hero as Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #1. DeMatteis isn't the only writer who has wondered "what happened in between?"

This issue covers some of his take on that, showcasing what Peter goes through with Uncle Ben's funeral, being left alone with just Aunt May, and how he changes his attitude from seeking fame and fortune, to realizing it's more important to help people and do the right thing. It's a good story that works in conjunction nicely with the original comics. Alex Cal does a great job on art. I've never really heard of him before, but it looks like he does more work for IDW than Marvel or DC.

Spider-Man: With Great Power... Mini-Series (2008)

Written by David Lapham and Illustrated by Tony Harris and David Lapham

Whereas the above two comics work well in conjunction with the original material, this mini-series really doesn't. The story could have, detailing the days that Spider-Man was on his way to becoming a celebrity, before he learned the responsibility side of the equation, expanding on what was originally only one page in Amazing Fantasy #15, but instead of going traditional '60s style with their artistic approach, the creators chose to update it to a more modern take. It's not a bad mini-series, it just doesn't really work together with Amazing Fantasy #15 and Amazing Spider-Man #1. It's also disappointing that Harris, whose art is in top form in this series, didn't get to do all 5 issues, and that Lapham himself filled in on the final issue. Lapham is still an excellent writer and artist, but the inconsistency of that one issue with different artwork dampens the strength of the series.

In the end, I think this series fits in well with the recent Spider-Man: Season One by Cullen Bunn and Neil Edwards. It should be taken as more of an alternate take on the origin and early years, as opposed to an actual in-continuity story for the character.