The Spider King!

One of the most successful comic strips of all time must be The Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee and assorted artists in 1977. While we can properly debate the creation of the Web-Slinger, the soap operatic flavor of the series was most definitely the brainchild of Stan "the Man".

And it was that soap opera nature which made the character such a natural for syndication as a daily and weekly series. With artists like Larry Leiber, John Romita, Alex Saviuk and others the misadventures of Peter Parker and his cast have rumbled along for many decades now, a rock-solid hit for King Features.

I first collected up these adventures in two handsome paperbacks way back in the early 80's. Since then though the character has flourished when other comic book transfers have fallen by the wayside. About the same time as the Spidey strip started DC was taking the Justice League and trying them out but that alas folded. Others have come and gone, but Spidey remains.

I follow the strip these days int he pages of the Comic Shop News, the free flak publication I get each week at my local shop. The reprinted Spidey stories add value to a package which mostly serves to inform the reader of upcoming comics and related stuff.

Even the thinnest issue has some Spidey action, all I get hold of these days. But it's still the flavor I prefer for the character, bright and upbeat and minus the darkness which all too often takes hold of the character in the pages of the actual comics dedicated to him.

This is the Spidey I remember. This likely is the only Spider-Man many kids know, aside from the movies and cartoons. For the record this version of Spidey lives on Earth-77013 in the greater multiverse which passes for Marvel Continuity these days.

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