For today’s Comic book review I read Amazing Spider-Man #5 and the story “Marked For Destruction By Dr. Doom!”  it is a grand story for the marvel universes development, like so many in the year of 1963. This one, while having the Fantastic Four play  a minor role, while one of there main advisories Dr. Doom faces off against spider-man! This is the first time in the comics I have reviewed that a villain has appeared in another ‘comic’.  In other words, the first time that we show that not only can hero’s be guest stars, but Villain can go against different hero’s then just the same old ones over and over.

The summary of the story is, after Dr. Dooms last defeat at the hands of the Fantastic Four (See Fantastic Four # 17) He decides much like he did when teaming up with Namor the sub-mariner that he alone can’t defeat the Fantastic Four.

Having watched a special on Spider-Man bay J. Jonah Jameson he decides to recruit him, but when that fails he chooses instead to capture him, and use him as bait for the Fantastic Four!

Artwork

I feel Steve Ditko did an OK job with this issue of spider-man.  However I do not feel it offered some of the detail that I have begun to see in the other marvel titles of the time,  the depth of shadow or world.  This seems to be more standard to what time and course.

Story

in this case, for this story it is impossible to review the story without also thinking about the character development and the world building that it was doing.  mostly because these later facts played a much more important role then did the idea of how it would appeal as a one shot read for the casual comic fan.

Character and Development of Spider-Man

Spider-man had seen some development in this issue, but more for his human alter-ego Peter Parker.  We watch peter as he has to lie to Aunt May, as he struggles with the internal battle of what to do about Flash Thompson and as he discovers the first mutual interest between him an a woman in his history.  All there things help define our hero, and his existence, making him more real than most comic book super-heroes!

Continuity the marvel Universe

We have the Fantastic Four, Dr. Doom, and the normal spider-man cast all appearing here, all building upon what is now a shard universe, a shared story,  letting spider-man’s comic be the current peace of the ongoing saga that is Dr. Doom.  letting him be the hero responsible for this chapter’s defeat of the mastermind.

this is the first step like this, and  a great step that needed to be taken,  this story felt less like a cross over and more like part of the ongoing tale.

Originality – the sacrifice.

for all these great things above, originality is what gets sacrificed in this issue.  I feel the story reeks of bits stolen from every one of Dr. Doom’s appearances so far.  but this all was likely original to someone who was just a spider-man fan without also following the Fantastic Four.