Today, I sit down to read and write my review of Amazing Spider-Man #4 from 1963. In Amazing Spider-Man #4, we get introduced to the well-known spider-man foe Sandman.  But is this issue as simple as Hero Vs Villain or is there more to this spider-man comic?

to give a short summary of this comic book, would be to say the following:  The Sandman who seems can not be captured by the police still needs to find a place to hide and lay low. Concluding that they will never look for him in a high school he enters Midtown high.

as luck would have it, he is found in this school, by spider-man as the high-school he picked is the one  Spider-Man’s alter ego Peter Parker attends.

Story

While I give a introduction to the main conflict of the story above, i feel that is just the framing for the real story.  Spider-Man’s conflict with the Sandman is just a way for us to see his conflict with J. Jonah Jameson and his Daily Bugle news paper, as well as his conflict with common thugs.

But just as important as those external conflicts, this story also offers us an internal one, spider-man’s ongoing struggle with who he is.

Artwork

The artwork is key to telling this story, both in its action and character’s.  This story is the first close look at many of our supporting characters as it is told mostly in Midtown High.  I feel that Steve Ditko did a good job capturing the highschool student’s and the feeling of the environment that Peter Parker is in.  even in many of the action shot’s drawing some of the focus from the fight to the student body.

Characters & Development

The characters are at the heart of the spider-man stories. From aunt may and her unwavering love and concern for Peter Parker, to the high school kid’s and how they treat the young genius.  It is all a large part of the backdrop that makes us release and feel for Peter Parker and thus love Spider-Man all that much more.

I feel the reason spider-man grew to such popularity had as much to do with him as it did his supporting cast, as they are all part of what made him who he is.

Spider-Man would just not be the same; if peter was a well liked, popular kid. and by him not being that, I feel it helped him fit in more with the expected readers of the day.

Originality & Continuity

Spider-Man’s battle against  Sandman, was both original and fit well into the continuity that is being built. just as the cast of characters got to grow, so did the continuity and I feel Stan Lee and Steve Ditko did this wonderfully.