Rodriguez 1 Christian Rodriguez Ms.Bell English 4/ Period 4 28 August 2013 Who is Spiderman?

Spiderman is one of the key super heroes of all time. He varies from other superheroes for many different reasons. He is only a teenager in high school when he gets bit by a radioactive spider. Unlike Superman, he does not have a sidekick. His name is widely and easily recognized in and out of the US. Since his debut in August of 1962, his legacy has been astonishing. History of Comic Books The history of comics can be dated back all the way to the 15th century. The first known comic was known as The Adventures of Obadiah Olduck ,which was written by Rudolphe Topffer in Europe, and republished in 1842 in the American version. American comic books, however, began in 1934. They blossomed into an entertainment industry when Jerome Siegal and Joseph Shuster created Superman, the first of the superhero genre that would later bring more heroes to the comic book industry. The popularity of the superhero in the 1930s led to the creation of other characters such as Wonder Woman, Captain America, The Flash, and the Green Lantern. Marvel comics introduced enduring characters such as the Human Torch and Captain America (Coogan 2006). World War 2 was highly affected by comic books. Captain America was seen somewhat as an inspiration to those who wanted to enlist. A sense of patriotism and public welfare was seen

Rodriguez 2 throughout this time, especially when Captain America punched Hitler in the face in one of his comics. From 1956 to 1971 the comic book industry lost readers and publishers due to lack of motive since WW2 was over and competition with the television. By the starts of the 1960s, however, the industry showed signs of recovery. DC Justice League of America came to rise and became popular soon after. This period was known as The Silver Age. History of Spiderman Spiderman was first introduced in August of 1962. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, making his debut in Amazing Fantasy #15, created him. Lee chose to create Spiderman for the youth of his time. He wanted them to be able to relate to the superhero and find inspiration in him. Peter Parker is the person behind Spiderman. He was bitten by a radioactive spider and the bite caused him to develop powers similar to a spider. He was soon able to crawl up walls and sense dangers instantly and eventually developed his own method of creating webs. Once again, Spiderman was created mainly to inspire. Peter Parker was a nerdy high school student who found it hard to fit in. The Spiderman comics Both his parents died in a plane crash when he was only 8 years old. Spiderman was made unlike other superheroes as well. Stan Lee chose to make him somewhat independent, or without a sidekick. Most other creators would throw in a sidekick to praise the superhero, but Lee instead decided to have Spiderman make smirk like comments to himself. Soon after, he found himself living with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. It was also from Uncle Ben that the famous quote With Great Power comes Great Responsibility came to be.

Rodriguez 3 Stan Lee Stan Lee was born on December 28, 1922 in New York City. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx. Since his youth, Lee enjoyed writing. In 1939 he became an assistant at Timely Comics with the help of his uncle Robbie Solomon. He started off doing simple things like fetching lunch for the employees, but later on found himself writing the comics. Lee entered the US Army in early 1942, serving stateside in the Signal Corps. He would write manuals, train film, and often found himself cartooning. In the late 1950s, a company generally known as Atlas Comics, Lee wrote different kinds of genres including Westerns, humor, and Science Fiction, and suspense. By the end of the decade, however, Lee had become dissatisfied with his work and considered quitting. Instead of quitting though, he was told to come up with a superhero team by publisher Martin Goodman. Lee then created his first masterpiece: The Fantastic Four. Soon after, Lee was on a roll. He ended up creating Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and Spiderman. His superheroes were highly favored due to their complex and naturalistic characters. Stan Lee didnt portray his heroes as perfect, flawless individuals. He gave each of one of them their own struggle, and their own flaw. Whether it was a short temper, low self-esteem, or an unique sense of humor, Lee inserted them into his characters. Summary The Amazing Spiderman comic book #529 starts off at Peter Parkers home. He is lying down with Mary Jane. There is a robotic eagle on a counter who starts calling out Parkers name.

Rodriguez 4 The voice is indeed Tony Starks voice. He makes a quick joke of the couple still being asleep, and after tells Parker to meet him at his lab. Soon after, he arrives at the lab and finds Stark working on something very familiar. It turns out that Tony Stark has made a new and improved suit for Spiderman. He explains to him what the new suit has and all the little gadgets that come with it. An hour later there is a car chase in progress on the freeway. Two bank robbers are firing away at the cops behind them. They argue about whether or not they should continue on the freeway or get off on the next exit. Before they can come to an agreement, they hear a loud thump on the roof. Immediately they know that Spiderman is responsible for that sound. They start shooting at the roof, but miss completely. Spiderman then shoots a web at their car and forces them to take an exit where cops have the area surrounded. The two criminals get out the car with their hands behind their heads, but one of them pulls out a gun and aims it at a cop. He pulls the trigger, and immediately Spiderman jumps in front of him and takes the bullet to the chest. Due to his new suit, he does not die however. That evening, Tony Stark invites Peter and Mary Jane to dinner, where he asks Spiderman to work side by side with him. Parker agrees, and soon they are off to Washington D.C.

Personal Review
Truth be told, this comic was a bit hard to comprehend at first. Ive never been too much into comics, so I admit I was lost. Nevertheless, however, when I broke it down to pieces and did a bit of research, I understood it a lot better. I liked the way Marvel threw in Tony Stark into the comic a lot. I never knew that they were close like that until I came across this comic.

Rodriguez 5 One thing that really grabbed and held onto my attention was the drawing in the comics. They were really something else. I could never draw that like that, I know that for sure. It was simple, but popped out of the pages. Repetitive at times, but not once failed to astonish me. Another thing I enjoyed was the sense of humor thrown in the comic. At one part of the story, a robotic eagle made from Tony Stark, is seen inside Parkers room. It then starts speaking to Peter, telling him to meet him at the lab. He quickly hops in the shower, leaving Mary Jane lying in the bed in her underwear. She asks Stark if that robot could see as well, and he responds no. She then starts changing, and the eagle comments Nice tan. I laughed so hard honestly. I know it wasnt that funny, but I enjoyed it. Little aspects of the comic made me happy, some confused, but the comic itself didnt cease to entertain. Which in my opinion, should be the main focus. One thing that I wouldve changed about the comic would be the length of it. I know that comics arent meant to be long, but I felt as if it was a bit too short. The plot could have been a lot better as well. The climax was when two robbers were being chased on the freeway. How clich. They couldnt have thrown in a villain or evil scientist? I understand that in this comic, the main focus was Spidermans new and improved suit and the fact that him and Tony Stark were on their way to Washington D.C. but they couldve at least thrown in that huge lizard. The comic book, overall, was pretty good. I liked the characters thrown in there, the artistic skill was amazing, and the final resolution was satisfying. The only complaints I have with it, is the plot. I was a bit dissatisfied with it, truth be told. But besides that, good job. I think this comic will get me hooked on more, and thats ok. I enjoyed reading about Spiderman and his new suit. I like the fact that him and Stark are working together from then on. Once again though, I am really impressed with the drawing in this comic. Great work.

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Work Cited
Alonso, Axel, ed. Amazing Spider-Man. Vol. 3. New York: Bill James, 2001. Print. Ser. 529. "J. Michael Straczynski." (Person). Wmwadeii, n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2013. "Spiderman Biography." Web log post. , History of Spiderman. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2013.

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