Top 5 Spider-Man Stories of All Time

The top 5 Spider-Man stories of all time and where to find them...

5) "Kraven's Last Hunt" - Amazing Spider-Man #293-294, Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132 and Web of Spider-Man #31-32

One of Spider-Man's strangest foes, Kraven, is set to prove that he is the greatest hero in the world. After besting Spidey and taking over his persona, Spider-Man is left with the task of defeating Kraven and reclaiming his title. No spoilers here but the art and story contained within are truly something to behold. If you've read Kraven's Last Hunt before then you might want to try to picture Spidey as Batman and Kraven as The Joker as it has been rumored that John DeMatteis originally wrote the story for the Dark Knight.

Collected in:
Spider-Man: Kraven's Last Hunt - Deluxe Edition
Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Kraven's Last Hunt

4) "If This Be My Destiny" - Amazing Spider-Man #31-33

One of the most iconic scenes in all of Spider-Man's history. The weight of the world is squarely on Spidey's shoulders and the only choice for a hero is to fight until nothing is left. If that wasn't enough, you also have the first appearances of Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborne

Collected in:
Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus v. 1
Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Great Responsibility

3) "Spider-Man No More" - Amazing Spider-Man #50-52

What do you do when no matter how hard you try to do the right thing everyone turns their back on you? Do you give up or keep moving forward? For the answer to that difficult question and many more look no further. The theme of responsibility and wanting to give up seems to occur over and over with Spidey but the choice has never felt more real than in this story. Let's not forget that the sinister Kingpin makes his debut in these issue as well.

Collected in:
Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus v. 2
Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Spider-Man No More

2) "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" - Amazing Spider-Man #121-122

Spoiler alert! In case you couldn't tell by the title of issue #121... yes, these are the issues where Spidey's first love, Gwen Stacy, passes away. That only scratches the surface of what makes this such an outstanding story though. Along with a ton of other lessons we have a wonderful example of what makes Spider-Man the greatest hero. In this story Spidey has every reason, power, and opportunity to completely demolish his adversary but will he act on his raw emotions or make a responsible decision?

Collected in:
Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus v. 4
Spider-Man: Death of Stacys

1) "Spider-Man!" - Amazing Fantasy #15

The story that started it all. Everything you need to know about Spider-Man is perfectly summed up in only 11 pages. From the spider bite to the web shooters to the timeless lesson from Uncle Ben "with great power must also come great responsiblity". Brilliantly written by Stan Lee and masterfully illustrated Steve Ditko. What else could have taken the top spot?

Collected in:
Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus v. 1
Marvel Mastworks: Amazing Fantasy #15 + Amazing Spider-Man #1-10

Honorable Mention: Revenge of the Sinister Six - Spider-Man v.1 #18-23

How did VZA get started reading Spider-Man? I was in the sixth grade and two of my closest buddies would always boast about how great Todd McFarlane's art was and that Spidey was the greatest hero ever. I always argued that nobody could ever top Jim Lee and the X-Men (some things never change) but because these two guys were so passionate about it I decided to ask what Spider-Man comics I should read. Surprisingly these two didn't hand me a McFarlane book. As great as Todd's run on Spider-Man was, they both agreed that it wouldn't serve as a great starting point. They instead handed me a copy of Spider-Man #18 written and drawn by Erik Larsen and the book forever shaped my idea of who Spider-Man is... strong, vulnerable, flexible, funny, charming, jerky, and lovable all in one package. I can't make an argument to include this story in the top 5 greatest of all time but it will always be #1 for me. The way Erik was able to capture so much of who Spidey is in one story is amazing to me.

Collected in:
Spider-Man: Revenge of the Sinister Six
Spider-Man by David Micheline and Erik Larsen Omnibus

Greatest Spider-Man Artist of All Time

Who is the best Spider-Man artist of all time?

Let's get this out of the way really quick... it's not Todd McFarlane. I love and appreciate Todd's work but as far as Spider-Man goes, he really did not capture the essence of "Your Friendly Neighbordhood Spider-Man."

Todd's Spider-Man had webs and spiders everywhere with a mean menacing look. Looks cool for a pin-up but if this was your introduction to Spider-Man then you probably didn't get a true sense of just who the character really is.

So what exactly should Spider-Man look like? Well, Spider-Man usually has an upbeat personality. He isn't always the happiest to do his job but he realizes just how important his role is due to his tragic origin story. "With great power comes great responsibility." There's also a great deal of keeping up with day to day tasks that Peter struggles to come to terms with. Most importantly, Spidey is one of the greatest trash talkers in comics.

Does this sound like a character who should be creeping out of the shadows or hunkering down on you like a savage monster? Alright, enough harping on how Todd got Spidey wrong. Let's shift our focus towards those who got him right.

First up is legendary artist Steve Ditko. He's the guy who created Peter Parker alongside Stan "The Man" Lee. Of course he gets a nod. How can anybody have a better sense of a character over the creator? Just look at that cover. After all this time it stands up as one of the most iconic covers ever created. What words spring to mind when you see it? Responsible, free, wild, daring... all in one package. THIS is Spider-Man.

Somebody actually did come along to draw good ol' web-head better shortly after Ditko left Marvel and that would be none other than famed artist John Romita Sr. When you picture Spider-Man, you'll most likely conjure up an image drawn by this fantastic artist.

As much as I love Romita, he always drew Spider-Man a bit too bulky for my taste so I can't really give him the crown. Many may disagree but I feel Spidey should be lean as he zips through the city not looking like he's been hitting the gym with Batman.

Through the years several spectacular artists came along to draw Spidey rivaling the two celebrated artists mentioned above.

 Joe Quesada

 Humberto Ramos

 Rick Leonardi

 Olivier Coipel

Mark Bagley

Joe Madureira

All of these gentlemen are deserving of their own praise but as far as the BEST Spider-Man artist of all time... there can only be one in my mind and his name is Mr. Erik Larsen...

Let's take a look at Erik's art and note just what he does to give Spider-Man the energy, sizzle, and pop that he deserves. The image above is one of the best ever at capturing exactly who Spider-Man is. You can feel the power from Spidey's fist that knocks the Vulture back as he glides through the splash page to deliver a swift kick to Electro. Erik also wrote the issue so you can observe just how methodical Spidey is while giving the classic one liners all at once. All of this in one single panel! I challenge you to find anything close to the genius exploding from this page.

Oh, but one single page doesn't make you the greatest Spider-Man artist of all time. A picture is worth a thousand words and my words can never do Erik's art justice so I'll leave you with thousands upon thousands of words below...

  

  

  

  

Think I'm wrong? Let me know who you think the greatest Spider-Man artist of all time is in the comments below...

Dank Deathmatches featuring @BThanBTI

In an effort to bring some variety over to our channel and spread awareness of the awesome podcast that is Blacker Than Black Times Infinity I reached out to Cthulhu's Prodigy to help form a web series called Dank Deathmatch.

Dank Deathmatch is a series of debates discussing who would win in fights featuring your favorite comic book characters. The series starts off with Batman vs. Superman and swings on over to the Marvel Universe with Spider-Man vs. Wolverine.

We want you to get involved so be sure to leave comments in the videos letting us know who you think would win and also who you'd like to see the guys at Blacker Than Black Times Infinity debate next.

More episodes of Dank Deathmatch are on the way so be sure to follow Blacker Than Black Times Infinity at the links below:

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/bthanbti

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BthanBTI/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bthanbti

iTunes: https://itun.es/i6SJ6Pw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bthanbti/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BlackerThanBlackTimesInfinity

You can follow VZA at:

YouTube: https://youtube.com/vzaage

Facebook: https://facebook.com/vzaxx

Instagram: https://instagram.com/vzaage

Dank Deathmatches Playlist

Top 5 Hidden Messages in Comic Books

Whether it is to give recognition to loved ones or to express something that they probably shouldn't, artists are notorious for sneaking secret messages into their work. My personal favorite has to be Michelangelo's portrayal of God and his chariot drawn in the shape of a human brain. Was Michelangelo upset with his bosses? Was this a sneaky way for Michelangelo to say that God only exists in the human mind? During a time when speaking against the Church could have you executed, it's very possible or it could be something else entirely.

The tradition of hiding messages within artwork continues on today. Below is a quick look at some of my favorite hidden messages contained within the pages of comic books.

5) Felix the Spider-Cat

The story goes that Todd McFarlane knew a guy at a local comic book shop who suffered from some form of  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and he'd carry a Felix the Cat doll with him at all times. The man expressed to Todd that he did not buy any of his books because he was not a fan of superhero books. Todd asked the gentleman if he'd buy his book if Felix the Cat were included in them. The Felix fan agreed and the rest is history. Todd began hiding images of Felix the Cat in issues of Spider-Man which he was working on at the time and continued for several issues.


4) Mad About Swiping

Nobody likes a thief and that goes triple in the art community. The first piece of advice you should follow if you're an aspiring artist is to be original. So when it came to the attention of Joe Madureira that fellow X-Artist Roger Cruz was swiping his work he let him have it and right in the pages of Uncanny X-Men. Lesson of the day... if you try to take the easy way and cruise through life, somebody is bound to get mad! See what I did there... cruise... mad... no? Ok let's move right along.

3) Issue with Sex in Comics

If I told you there is an issue of the X-Men with sex on every page, would you believe me? It's absolutely true and it has even been labeled the "Sex-Men" issue by some. It's nowhere near as bad as it sounds as it's just the word "sex" and not the act hidden in various places. Rumors say that in New X-Men #118 artist Ethan Van Sciver snuck the word into every page because it was Sublime's first issue (get it... sublime... subliminal??) and that he was foreshadowing the relationship between Scott and Emma. Sciver went on to say that he did it because he was pissed off with Marvel at the time for some reason he can't even remember.

2) Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish

Some people tend not to like their bosses. Heck, out of those people some tend to passive aggressively vent about the man (or woman) in charge. The worst way to express your feelings against your boss, especially as an artist, is through your work. That's exactly what artist Al Milgrom proceeded to do when he got the news that his old boss Bob Harras was replaced by Joe Quesada. Milgrom hid the words "Bob Harras Ha Ha He's gone. Good riddance to bad rubbish. He was a nasty S.O.B." along the spines of books on a bookshelf in the background of the Spider-Man Universe X Special. Milgrom was fired up about Bob Harras and fired for his actions when the insult was discovered.


1) Jim Lee Gives VZA a Shout Out

In late 2013, Jim Lee worked on a one shot Superman story titled Superman Unchained and wasted no time dropping a shout out to yours truly. There it is right smack dab on the Man of Steel's face. This was Jim's way of saying that I am like Superman as I go out and face impossible odds in an effort to give hope to aspiring artists...

...

Oh man... I totally had you going for a second there... yeah, this is just a series of random rendering lines that I happened to stumble upon when I was searching for Jim's real hidden messages. How cool would that have been though? The real #1 is below...

1) Jim Loves Carla

A lot of these examples have been about anger, bitterness, and revenge so let's finish things off on a good note. Do you remember that crush you had back in grade school? How you used to write "[Your Name] loves [His/Her Name]" in big bold letters all over your notes? Apparently Jim Lee never grew out of that stage as he continually doodles his love and admiration for his wife all over his work. Check it out in the pages of Superman Unchained...

and again in the pages of Justice League...

There are a few more examples that just missed the list like Barry Windsor Smith's Conan coins or Alan Davis' BATHROOM attack that are just as fun. Share some of your favorites in the comments below...