Amazing Spider-Man #15, offered us a lot, the cover alone shows us that  it is the first appearance of Kraven The Hunter, as well as the return of the Chameleon. But this issue offers us a lot more then just what can be derived from the cover.  On the pages in between; we have drama in peter porkers love life, a spider-man faced with dealing with his abilities failing, but possibly most notably the first hint of ‘Mary Jane’ although not named at this point.  But I won’t spend to many more words in introduction, please feel free to read on to see my review of this classic comic book.

Artwork

In this issue, I feel Steve Ditko’s  style had its ups and downs, offering panels that both seemed well done and true to his -by then developed – spider-man style.  others seemed to offer less quality. one of the strengths of the issue I found was the detail in close up faces; but to counter that, many panels seemed flat, and even two dimensional.  The panel i share here I feel showed a bit of both,  between the detail of J. Jonah Jameson face, and a fairly flat peter in the background.

Characters & Development

Betty Brant being Jealous of Liz Allan

the dynamic between Betty Brant, Peter Parker, and Liz Allan was as much a part of the story as any action Spider-Man faced. In many ways his teenage alter-ego antics are just as important to the story and the success of the stories as the heroic side.  In this issue, we see the dynamic that was hinted at not to long ago beginning to develop between Betty, Peter, and Liz.

In fact there is no denying, no way of even misinterpreting the drama. I included a panel at the start of it, showing just how cold they show Betty’s words to be  (complete with ice sickles).   Although, i doubt they where needed,  even her words, and her face betray  her emotion, even while the ongoing seen and drama just brings a laugh to the readers lips.

This drama continues throughout this issue;  and is likely something that will become an ongoing dynamic between the three characters for the duration of Parker and Betty’s relationship.    But one thing is for sure, Steve and Stan sure captured Jealousy and teenage emotion in this issue.

Peter Parker & Aunt May

Beyond just the troubles spider-man faces, and the love life of Peter Parker, it is not complete without Aunt May trying to  help out her nephue by hooking her up with the neighbors Nease, the Watson girl.  While this is the first time  Mary Jane is hinted at;  it does show the bond between Peter and his Aunt, as well as  how she can (like most guardians) help tamper with and affect his teenage life.

Story

In the end, the story was great; and that is a lot less due to the super-hero action, as it is with how Peter Parker (Spider-Man) Balance all the aspects of his life happening around him, playing both Super-Hero and teenage boy is hard work, and this issue shows us that clearly.   Steve and Stan did a great job at telling a great story in this one; and  at the risk of using one word way to much in this paragraph, this comic book’s story was great as a result.