| Amazing Fantasy | |
|---|---|
 Amazing Adult Fantasy #7 (Dec. 1961). First issue following title change fromAmazing Adventures, cover art bySteve Ditko. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing |
| Publication date | Amazing Adventures #1–6 (June 1961 – Nov. 1961) Amazing Adult Fantasy #7–14 (Dec. 1961 – July 1962) Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 10, 1962) Amazing Fantasy #16–18 (Dec. 1995 – March 1996) Amazing Fantasy(vol. 2) (Aug. 2004 – April 2006) Amazing Fantasy(vol. 3) (Sept. 2021 – Feb. 2022) |
| Main character(s) | Spider-Man debuted inAF #15 (Aug. 1962) Anya Corazon #1–6 Carmilla Black #7–12 Vegas #13–14 Death's Head #16–20 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | (1961–62):Stan Lee, et al. (1995):Kurt Busiek (2004):Fiona Avery,Fred Van Lente,Simon Furman, et al. (2021):Kaare Andrews |
| Artist(s) | (1961–62):Steve Ditko,Jack Kirby,Don Heck,Paul Reinman, et al. (1995): Paul Lee (2004): Various (2021):Kaare Andrews |
| Inker(s) | (1961–62):Dick Ayers, et al. |
Amazing Adult Fantasy, retitledAmazing Fantasy in its final issue, is an Americancomic book anthology series published byMarvel Comics from 1961 through 1962, with the latter title revived withsuperhero features in 1995 and in the 2000s. The final 1960s issue,Amazing Fantasy #15 (cover-dated Aug. 1962), introduced the popular superheroSpider-Man who would go on to become one of the most famous superheroes of all time.Amazing Adult Fantasy premiered with issue #7, taking over the numbering fromAmazing Adventures.
The science fiction-fantasy anthologyAmazing Adult Fantasy began with issue #7 (cover-dated Dec. 1969), having taken over the number of the similar anthologyAmazing Adventures. The earlier issues before the title change featured stories drawn by a number of artists includingJack Kirby,Don Heck andSteve Ditko.Amazing Adult Fantasy featured exclusively the quick, quirky, twist-ending tales of artist Ditko and writer-editorStan Lee that had appeared inAmazing Adventures and sister titles primarily featuring rampaging monsters. The cover of the comic carried the motto "The magazine that respects your intelligence".[1]
Lee in 2009 described these "short, five-page filler strips that Steve and I did together", originally "placed in any of our comics that had a few extra pages to fill", as "odd fantasy tales that I'd dream up withO. Henry-type [twist] endings". Giving an early example of what would later be known as the "Marvel Method" of writer-artist collaboration, Lee said: "All I had to do was give Steve a one-line description of the plot and he'd be off and running. He'd take those skeleton outlines I had given him and turn them into classic little works of art that ended up being far cooler than I had any right to expect".[2]
With issue #15 (Aug. 1962)Amazing Adult Fantasy was retitledAmazing Fantasy.[3] This issue's lead feature introduced thesuperheroSpider-Man, written by Lee and drawn by Ditko, although Lee rejected Ditko's cover art and commissionedJack Kirby to pencil a cover that Ditko inked.[3] As Lee explained in 2010: "I think I had Jack sketch out a cover for it because I always had a lot of confidence in Jack's covers".[4] In numerous interviews Lee has recalled how the title had been slated for cancellation, and so with nothing to lose, publisherMartin Goodman reluctantly agreed to allow him to introduce Spider-Man, a new kind ofsuperhero – one who would be a teenager, but not a sidekick, and one who would haveeveryman doubts, neuroses and money problems.[5] However, while this was indeed the final issue, its editorial page anticipated the comic continuing and that "the Spiderman [sic] ... will appear every month inAmazing".[3][6]
Regardless, sales forAmazing Fantasy #15 proved to be one of Marvel's highest at the time,[7] so the company launched the seriesThe Amazing Spider-Man seven months later.[8]
The DVD release of the collector's edition of theSpider-Man film included a copy ofAmazing Fantasy #15. In 2001, Marvel published the 10-issue historical overviewThe 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time, withAmazing Fantasy #15 topping the list.
In 2008, an anonymous donor gave the original 24 pages of Ditko art forAmazing Fantasy #15 to theLibrary of Congress, which included Spider-Man's debut and the stories "The Bell-Ringer", "Man in the Mummy Case", and "There Are Martians Among Us".[9][10]
For decades, no attempts were made to relaunch the title or to continue it with an issue #16. However, in 1995, Marvel editorDanny Fingeroth decided a story gap existed betweenAmazing Fantasy #15 andThe Amazing Spider-Man #1. In an attempt to fill that gap, Marvel published threeSpider-Man flashback stories inAmazing Fantasy #16–18 (Dec. 1996 – March 1998), each written byKurt Busiek and painted chiefly by Paul Lee.[11]
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The second volume of the series ran 20 issues (cover-dated Aug. 2004 – June 2006).[12]
The first arc ran through (vol. 2) #1–6 and featured a new teenaged heroine,Araña. The second arc, in (vol. 2) #7–12, published after a short hiatus, featured arevamped, female version of thesupervillain theScorpion. A back-up feature in (vol. 2) #10–12 (Sept.-Nov. 2005) starred the character Nina Price, theVampire by Night,[12] and (vol. 2) #13–14 (both Dec. 2005) led with the modern-West feature "Vegas", backed up by "Captain Universe". In an attempt to replicate history, Marvel announced that the new issue #15 would introduce a new generation of heroes in a 48-page standalone issue. These heroes includedAmadeus Cho, Blackjack, the Great Video,Monstro, the Heartbreak Kid, and Positron. The cover to #15 was a revamped version of the originalAmazing Fantasy #15 cover, complete with Spider-Man swinging through a modern-day New York City, while the new heroes watch in awe in the background.[12]
The final arc, in (vol. 2) #16–20 (Feb.-June 2006), introducedDeath's Head 3.0, a revamp of theMarvel UK character, written by the original version's creator,Simon Furman. Issues #18–19 contain two "Tales of the New Universe" stories as backup features, while #20 featured a Western backup, "Steamrider".[12]
The third volume ran for five issues (cover dated September 2021 - February 2023). Written and drawn byKaare Andrews, it follows numerous characters who wake up on a mysterious island with no memory of how they arrived.
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazing FantasyOmnibus | Amazing Adventures #1–6,Amazing Adult Fantasy #7–14,Amazing Fantasy #15 | July 2020 | 978-1302922702 |
| Untold Tales of Spider-Man Omnibus | Amazing Fantasy #16-18,Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1-25, -1,Annual 1996-1997,Strange Encounter and material fromAmazing Spider-Man Annual #37 | May 2021 | 978-1302928612 |
| Untold Tales of Spider-Man: The Complete Collection Vol 1 | Amazing Fantasy #16-18,Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1-14 | November 2021 | 978-1302931773 |
Amazing Fantasy #15 has been reprinted many times, sometimes just reprinting the Spider-Man story.
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arana Volume 1: Heart Of The Spider | Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #1-6 | January 2005 | 978-0785115069 |
| Arana: Here Comes the Spider-Girl | Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #1-6,Arana #1-6 | October 2020 | 978-1302926465 |
| Scorpion: Poison Tomorrow | Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #7-12 | November 2005 | 978-0785117124 |
| Captain Universe: Universal Heroes | Material fromAmazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #13-14 andCaptain Universe: Daredevil,Incredible Hulk,Invisible Woman,Silver Surfer,X-23 | February 2006 | 978-0785118572 |
| Amadeus Cho: Genius At Work | Material fromAmazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #15,Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #100,Incredible Hercules #126,133,135,137 | April 2016 | N/A |
| Death's Head 3.0: Unnatural Selection | Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #16-20 | August 2006 | 978-0785121084 |
| Title | Material collected | Published date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazing Fantasy | Amazing Fantasy (vol. 3) #1-5 | April 2022 | 978-1302931483 |
The first episode of theDisney+ seriesYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is named after the comic book series.
