Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man is the full title of both the daily newspaper comic strip featuring the adventures of the Marvel comics character Spider-Man and the title of his monthly comic book published by Marvel.

In 1962 when the anthology title Amazing Fantasy[?] was slated for cancellation writer/editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko decided to publish a story featuring a teenager who gains superpowers and adopts the costumed identity of Spider-Man. Though publisher Martin Goodman[?] was convinced the character would not find popularity with readers, Lee realized that nobody cared about the contents of a book already slated for cancellation and published the first Spider-Man story in Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962). When the story proved to be a sales success Lee and Ditko put the character into his own title The Amazing Spider-Man, which first appeared in March of 1963.

Lee and Ditko produced the monthly adventures of Spider-Man for 38 issues until a disagreement over a story led to Ditko leaving the title. He was replaced by penciller John Romita[?] who illustrated Lee's stories for several years. Several writers and artists have taken over the monthly comic over the years chroniclling the adventures of Marvel's most identifiable hero. The title was published continuously until 1998 when Marvel comics decided to begin anew by renumbering the title with a new issue 1 published in January of 1999.

The daily newspaper comic strip began on January 3, 1977 written by Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee and illustrated by John Romita[?]. The strip was surprisingly successful in an era with few serialized adventure strips. The strip slowly grew in circulation and has been continuously published to this day.

See also: Spider-Man