Welcome one and all to the inaugural edition of The Time Capsule! In this feature I’ll be highlighting an entire month of core titles for one character until his/her story is complete and this edition kicks off the legend that is Spider-Man. I’ll list any notable debuts, big moments, and favourite scenes from each issue. Hope everyone enjoys it as much as I enjoyed journeying back through time to put it together. Let me share the memories with you!
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The Cover
Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962)
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The very first page. This is what kicked off the amazing story of Peter Parker.
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Amazing Fantasy #15 marked the debut of Peter Parker, his Aunt May Parker, and his Uncle Ben Parker.
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Amazing Fantasy #15 also introduced two other notable characters: Liz Allan and (pictured below) Flash Thompson. You’ll be seeing a lot more of them as the years progress.
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A decision to attend a science exhibit that would alter Peter’s life.
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Along came a spider… The bite that changed a young man forever.
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The reason behind Peter choosing to don a mask was simple: if he failed, he didn’t want anyone to know it was him.
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Peter Parker’s first disguise was nothing fancy but his skills at beating Crusher Hogan were nothing to laugh at.
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The promise of fame goes to the young man’s head.
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A brilliant mind leads to the creation of Spider-Man’s greatest invention: the web-shooters. Also, Spider-Man’s first ever costume, an iconic look all these years later.
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The turning point in Spider-Man’s life.
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A selfish attitude leads to severe consequences, consequences that would forever haunt him.
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The death of Uncle Ben.
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The horrible realization that Peter could have prevented his Uncle’s death.
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The first utterance of that iconic saying!
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It’s an origin story you’ve seen played out time after time, be it in comics, television, or the movies. The details may vary but the true essence, the emotional core is always the same. An ordinary boy gains superpowers and then learns the greatest lesson of his life by not using them responsibly. The repercussions of Peter’s actions, or inaction in this case, is what fueled him into becoming the hero we all know and love. My first taste of his origin came from Fox’s television program Spider-Man: The Animated Series. That show is what got me interested in the character of Spider-Man and when I eventually read the actual comic series that started it all, that is what started my passion for comics. I owe it all to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for creating a character that captured my imagination, that has stood the test of time over all the countless decades, and for inspiring generation after generation with that simple message: “With great power, comes great responsiblity!”
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So that is it for the first edition of The Time Capsule. Have any of your memories you’d like to share in relation to this issue? Any other comments? Comment Below!
The Speech Bubble 
Yesterday, when you announced that a new section was about to be launched on your blog, I didn’t write anything about it, because honestly I didn’t perfectly understand what you were talking about.
Now that I see it, I think you had another bright idea: this section is very similar to Retroactive, so I couldn’t appreciate it more.
I would like to know your thoughts about the first appearances of Batman, Superman, Green Arrow, Daredevil and some more recent superheroes like Deadpool, Spawn, Witchblade and so on.
As usual, I’m giving you suggestions, not orders: if you decide not to write about the characters I mentioned, I’ll support you and the Time Capsule anyway.
As for Amazing Fantasy # 15, I was impressed by how rich this issue is. In a very few pages, a lot of characters are introduced, a lot of things happen and an entire new world is depicted in a very fast but not superficial way.
Nowadays, an entire story arc wouldn’t be long enough to show all the things contained in this issue. Nowadays the plot is developed in a much slower way, and this flaw concerns even the comics produced by some high quality writers, like Jeff Lemire.
When people compare old comics with new comics, as I just did, they usually end up saying something like “The 90s killed comics”, or “The 90s have been the worst period ever for comics.” They usually remember the 90s as an era full of excesses for comics — excessive violence, excessive masculinity, excessive pouches and so on.
I don’t think the 90s were so terrible: yes, the characters became ruthless instead of light hearted, manly instead of teen aged and so on, but I liked this process, and I don’t think it was as ridiculous as many readers describe it.
Also, some changes the 90s introduced in comics definitely are positive. For example, before the 90s it was impossible to see a decent action packed scene: neither the superhero nor the villain used weapons, so they used to fight by using only their fists. In the 90s, both of them started using guns, submachine guns, bombs and so on, so the action packed scenes became less predictable, more varied and more spectacular.
Another positive innovation the 90s gave us: the characters became less politically correct. Before the 90s, a superhero was supposed to be irreproachable, so all of them were so full of political correctness that they became ridiculous. When they started holding weapons, killing their enemies and acting in a ruthless way without any resentment, they became more realistic and enjoyable, in my opinion.
I think that all these changes the comics faced in the 90s were due to the success of the movies Arnold and Sly used to make during those years. Boys loved those movies, so they wanted to see the same things in the comics they used to buy: both Marvel and DC decided to give them what they wanted, and, while many readers think it was a wrong move, I did appreciate it. Maybe it’s because I started reading comics exactly in the 90s, or maybe it’s because I love action packed comics and movies – especially when Arnold or Sly is involved.
A character whose physical aspect is undeniably inspired from those movies is Cable. If you see the outfit he used to wear in the 90s, he’s really similar to the characters Arnold and Sly used to play.
To make Cable’s connection with that resentfully remembered period more flebile, Marvel subsequently redesigned his outfit, making him less manly, removing some pouches from his costume and so on. I didn’t appreciate it: it’s like drawing a smile on the Punisher’s T – shirt instead of the skull. The costume is part of the identity of the character, so, if you change it so much, you distort him, in my opinion. Give us back Cable’s pouches, Marvel! : )
“Now that I see it, I think you had another bright idea: this section is very similar to Retroactive, so I couldn’t appreciate it more.”
Thanks! I thought you might like it. Now I’ve got the one-two punch every Tuesday/Wednesday to fill my retro needs. 🙂
“I would like to know your thoughts about the first appearances of Batman, Superman, Green Arrow, Daredevil and some more recent superheroes like Deadpool, Spawn, Witchblade and so on. As usual, I’m giving you suggestions, not orders: if you decide not to write about the characters I mentioned, I’ll support you and the Time Capsule anyway.”
Oooh! That’s a really good idea. I’m going to have to add that to my list of future features I have planned. Thanks for the suggestion! I can not only review 1st appearances that I’ve read but those I haven’t as well. Now to think of what to call it…
“Nowadays, an entire story arc wouldn’t be long enough to show all the things contained in this issue.”
It took Bendis 6 issues to tell this origin in Ultimate Spider-Man… Decompression can be a killer sometimes.
“Give us back Cable’s pouches, Marvel!”
Love it! And thanks for sharing your points on the 90s. All valid and I personally have nothing against the era.
Thank you as well for your replies! : )