The Amazing Spider-Man #7 Review

He’s balder! He’s older! He’s (not) too much for Spider-Man!

Ignorance is bliss? No: Ignorance is seeing this cover in 1963 and thinking the Vulture would end up Spidey’s archnemesis. After all, no one else had returned yet.

By Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Published by Marvel Comics. All images fair use.

“That was so fun!”

No, Dear Reader, that’s not my favorite quote from The Amazing Spider-Man #7 — it’s a quote from yours truly. I said it out loud to myself (several times in a row, and with several different inflections) after reading this issue, partnered with a big, dumb grin plastered across my face. Laugh at me all you want, but half the reason I’m doing these reviews is because I’m having a grand ol’ time delving into the history of my favorite character ever. As I believe I’ve said, I read a chunk of 1960s ASM quite a while ago, so reading it again feels like reading it for the first time since it’s been so long. That sense of pseudo-freshness is no doubt playing a small part in my enjoyment, but only a small part. I could read this stuff all day for the rest of my life — and would if comics weren’t so damn expensive! The fact that I snagged this collection for a mere $50 still boggles my mind; I feel like I might wake up one day only to find none of this ever happened.

But enough about me. Let’s discuss why ASM #7 is, quote, “so fun!”