Spider-Man The Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon [Hardcover]

Steve Saffel (Author), Stan Lee (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Spiderman | Publication Date: October 23, 2007

THE LIFE AND TIMES
OF A POP CULTURE PHENOMENON

From his modest 1962 debut in Amazing Fantasy #15, Peter Parker — better known to readers as the web-spinning Spider-Man — has evolved from underdog to international icon. Along the way he’s thrilled entire generations through the comics, cartoons, movies, and tons of spectacular toys.

Spider-Man: The Icon traces that unlikely evolution. A lavishly illustrated chronicle, it charts the wall-crawler’s career from counter-culture figure to motion picture superstar, visually portraying every aspect of the web-spinning phenomenon. This deluxe celebration of the ultimate super hero includes insights from key comic book writers and artists, photos of rare, vintage collectibles, and a vast array of scintillating imagery from the comics, cartoons, television series, and movies.

In doing so, it also traces the history of popular culture over the last five decades. Renowned Spider-Man expert Steve Saffel combines a wealth of arcane knowledge and incredibly rare archival material to create the essential book for every Spider-fan!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

STEVE SAFFEL
While on staff at Marvel Entertainment, Steve Saffel developed behind-the-scenes magazines that revealed the secrets of the comics and introduced readers to the worlds of film, animation, toys, video games, and much more. He also spearheaded Marvel’s promotional efforts in the comic book specialty market.

His career as a professional editor has included tie-ins with the first two Spider-Man movies, and allowed him to work with many astonishingly talented people, including fantasists David Gemmell and Greg Keyes, authors Greg Bear, Eric Nylund and Peter David, science fiction legend Robert Silverberg, Star Wars icon Steve Sansweet, thriller writer John Birmingham, actress Amber Benson, and pop culture maven Mark Cotta Vaz.

Currently he’s a writer, an editorial and marketing consultant, and a multi-platform project developer. He's also a long-standing Spidey fan, and many of the rarer items of memorabilia showcased in Spider-Man: The Icon come from his personal collection.

Coincidentally, he lives in Spider-Man’s hometown of Forest Hills.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Titan Books (October 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845763246
• ISBN-13: 978-1845763244
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 1.3 x 12.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,182,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything about Spidey and much, much more!, October 25, 2007

By 

Michael L. Pasqua "Mike Pasqua" (Southern Cal) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Spider-Man The Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon (Hardcover)

This book is both for the novice fan and for the individual who (erroneously) thought that everything about Spider-Man was available in other books. This is a meticulously researched project and an obvious labor of love by Steve Saffel. Going beyond comics and exploring cartoons (including the lyrics for the Spider-Man Theme Song), newspaper strips, toys and films, this is a comprehensive treatise on the web-slinger that should satisfy everyone who even has a marginal interest in Spider-Man. The author probably has information that even Stan Lee is probably unaware of (if that's possible). An excellent volume that sets the bar for similar books. What next, Fantastic Four? Steve Saffel has the credentials to make further volumes equally great!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Behind the mask of Spider-Man, November 2, 2007

By 

Mark Vaz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spider-Man The Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon (Hardcover)

In the classic "Spider-Man" comics, Peter Parker, and his Spidey alter ego never seemed to get respect. Nowadays, Aunt May's favorite nephew is a certified movie star and there's finally a book that celebrates Spider-Man's history with the grandeur, and sense of fun, the character deserves. Author Steve Saffel comes out of the Marvel universe and had a long and successful run as an editor with the Random House Publishing Group, so it's a treat to see him put that experience to work on behalf of the 'ol webslinger. A tip of the hat to Titan Books as well for producing the kind of beautiful, high-class volume that this pop culture phenomenon deserves (those who saw the recent book on Stan Winston know that Titan pulls out all the stops). It's a class act, one that I hope will attract not just the legion of comics fans, but those who only know Spider-Man from the movies. Gazing into my crystal ball, I see a lot of "Spider-Man: The Icon" books wrapped up and waiting under many a Christmas tree.
Mark Cotta Vaz

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Along came a Spider..., October 31, 2007

By 

James - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spider-Man The Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon (Hardcover)

Great compilation of all things Spidey. A must for every collector and fan. This book is not just of Spiderman but for anyone interested in the creation and evolution of an "icon." From the first incarnation to the latest movies, the history is both a fantastic homage to a hero and a thrilling tale of creation, art, and how an icon changes over times. Thoughtful, respectful, funny, and in all ways entertaining.