The Ultimate Spider-Man [Paperback]

Stan Lee (Author)

Book Description

Series: Spider-Man | Publication Date: February 1, 1996

An action-packed anthology of original short stories chronicles the adventures and exploits of the popular superhero, from an account of the origins of Spider-Man through the events of his spectacular career. Reprint. LJ.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA?Twelve stories written by different authors about the adventures of the Amazing Spider-Man. Much like a baker's dozen, there is an extra treat thrown in: an introduction by the superhero's creator. Lee explains how Spider-Man was serendipitously conceived in the drawing room at Marvel Comics. Then he, along with co-author Peter David, spins the book's first tale of how Peter Parker evolved into a crime-fighting arachnid. In the rest of the stories, as Spider-Man battles supercriminals, a variety of writers use psychological nuance in describing Peter, the ne'er-do-wells he encounters, and the adventures they incur. Illustrations by a variety of artists accompany each story. Biographies of the authors and illustrators conclude a volume that YA fans of comics, light sci-fi, or the action genre will enjoy.?Karen Sokoll, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

From Spider Man's "birth" in a freak radioactive accident to his later career as the intrepid, wise-cracking crusader for justice, the 13 stories in this collection (including a novella by creator Lee) pay tribute to one of the comics industry's most endearing superheroes. Numerous comics writers and fantasy authors contribute their personal visions, capturing both heavy action and the moral sentiment of the original comics series. This volume should be popular with both fantasy and comics fans.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 347 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (February 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572971037
• ISBN-13: 978-1572971035
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,346,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stan Lee is a man who needs no introduction. Nevertheless: Having begun his career with wartime Timely Comics and staying the course throughout the Atlas era, Stan the Man made comic-book history with Fantastic Four #1, harbinger of a bold new perspective in story writing that endures to this day. With some of the industry's greatest artists, he introduced hero after hero in Incredible Hulk, Amazing Spider-Man, X-Men and more -- forming a shared universe for rival publishers to measure themselves against. After an almost literal lifetime of writing and editing, Lee entered new entertainment fields and earned Marvel one opportunity after another. He remains one of Marvel's best-known public representatives.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Super Reader, October 27, 2007

By 

Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ultimate Spider-Man (Paperback)

An anthology of Spider-Man stories, taken from many periods in his career. One of the cool things about it is that there is an illustration to go with each story at the start, from Ditko and Romita right on through. There is also an introduction by Stan Lee, the editor.

The stories are generally of pretty good quality.

Ultimate Spider-Man : 01 Spider-Man - Stan Lee and Peter David
Ultimate Spider-Man : 02 Suits - Tom De Haven and Dean Wesley Smith
Ultimate Spider-Man : 03 Cool - Lawrence Watt-Evans
Ultimate Spider-Man : 04 Blindspot - Ann Nocenti
Ultimate Spider-Man : 05 Kraven the Hunter Is Dead Alas - Craig Shaw Gardner
Ultimate Spider-Man : 06 Radically Both - Christopher Golden
Ultimate Spider-Man : 07 Scoop! - David Michelinie
Ultimate Spider-Man : 08 Tinker Tailor Soldier Courier - Robert L. Washington, III
Ultimate Spider-Man : 09 Thunder on the Mountain - Richard Lee Byers
Ultimate Spider-Man : 10 Cold Blood - Greg Cox
Ultimate Spider-Man : 11 An Evening in the Bronx with Venom - John Gregory Betancourt and Keith R. A. DeCandido
Ultimate Spider-Man : 12 Five Minutes - Peter David


A novella telling the origin of Spider-Man, with James rants and Doc Ock included.

3 out of 5


After getting beaten up by the Vulture, a young Spidey is thinking fo giving it away until a trip to Atlantic City with his aunt leads him to meet the Black Bee, a much older ex-hero with a similar story.

3.5 out of 5


A kid takes his hero worship of Spider-Man into gun wielding vigilante territory.

3.5 out of 5


Spidey finds an organlegger who apart from those crimes is making something nasty.

2.5 out of 5


Spidey would rather fight supervillains than have to go shopping with his wife and aunt, so he does. Luckily for him a cancer ridden Vulture and Mysterio, who has a magical mistake problem, are definitely available.

3.5 out of 5


Curt Connors latest transformation allows his consciousness to watch helplessly as the Lizard goes on rampage, threatening his own family.

3.5 out of 5


A small town reporter comes to the Bugle, and wants to work with Peter Parker. Why? To find out who Spidey is, of course. When they undercover your good old New York variety gangs of hoods with powered armour complications ensue.

3.5 out of 5


Spider-Man gets asked to transport a donor liver for a dying young girl, after its couriers get stuck in traffic. Unfortunately a super powered mercenary has been hired to retrieve it.

3 out of 5



Spidey has tracked a group of mercenaries, including the Rhino to a buried energy weapon. Unfortunately this is where a guy and his son have decided to do the mountain man thing.

4 out of 5


On a freezing night of too many snowstorms Spidey wonders why he is out, given there is no-one to help. Except one old man. Morbius the Living Vampire has the same problem. No bad guys outside, no-one to eat. Just one old man.

3.5 out of 5


A terrified man is running from Brock, and Spider-Man lends a hand. All is not as it seems, however.

3.5 out of 5


Decisions on when to go and when to stay cause arguments in the Parker household.

4 out of 5

3.0 out of 5 stars A decent read for Spider-Man fans..., March 13, 2003

By 

"zoolerscom" (Gretna, NE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ultimate Spider-Man (Paperback)

This is a decent read for Spider-Man fans. All the stories are varied and use a good variety of villians. None of them are anything to write home about, but are good filler on a boring day. At least the book is enjoyable.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Collection of Short Stories, May 29, 2002

By 

Jamy Shaffer (Edgerton, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ultimate Spider-Man (Paperback)

This book has been sitting away for about three years and upon the release of the movie, I decided to revisit my meager collection of Spidey novels. Some of the stories in this collection are quite good while others are placed in for filler.
The story Spider-Man itself provides a new take on the origins of the web-slinger. How ironic is it that the same man who penned the novelization for the movie could put an entirely different spin on the spider bite while at the same time introduce one of our hero's most celebrated adversaries.
"Suits" was also an insightful look into the workings of another superhero from the past who decided to hang up his tights and attempt to live a normal life.
"An Evening in the Bronx with Venom" provided more details about Spidey's most mysterious villain. I did not realize that Venom had vowed to protect the innocent and only preyed on the criminal.
I think my favorite story was "Five Minutes." The reader gets an inside glimpse at the married life of Peter and Mary Jane. We see what effects peter's double life has on his relationship with his wife. Although she knew going into the marriage that her husband would ot be a normal nine-to-fiver, MJ is a normal woman with feelings and it was nice to see how her mind works. What wife of a superhero would not long to have a normal life? Firefighter and police officers can't be everywhere at once so why must Spider-Man be expected to?
All-in-all the stories in this anthology were quite enjoyable. Some of them were just too short to be memorable. But most were quite exceptinal.