Amazing Fantasy #15

 "So, they laughed at me for being a bookworm, eh?"

The traditional history of this issue, the last of a title called Amazing Adult Fantasy up till now, is that it was always going to be the last issue, so it was used to try out the character of Spider-Man. That isn't what we seem to have, though- the debut of Spider-Man ("Spiderman" at this point) co-exists with two other, one-off tales. And the last page contains an announcement from the editor about format changes (including the intention to run more Spider-Man stories), clearly indicating that the title was intended to continue, What happened?

That aside, though, this surprisingly short origin story is absolutely superb, absolutely head and shoulders above anything in the order to this point in terms of quality. Yes, the style still contains much excitable hyperbole, and this is still melodrama. But there's nothing silly about this, and there's far more emotional depth to Peter Parker, a vulnerable and relatable lad with a conscience, than we've seen thus far.

This is, of course, just the bare bones of the origin, with many core characters yet to appear- although Flash Thompson has appeared already, albeit in a single panel. And Steve Ditko's bespectacled, downtrodden nerd of a Peter Parker, with his expressive eyes, is very well done. John Romita's version, not this one, would go on to define the future, but I like the Ditko version very much, the facial expressions are a huge part of the storytelling.

I can't wait until we see Spider-Man again. This is just so good, in an entirely unironic way, and that's the first time in the Order I've been able to say that.