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Spider-Man (collected editions)
The Ultimate Spider-Man
Stories depict the origins of Spiderman, the search for his secret identity, and the impact of hero worship
349 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1994
About the author
Stan Lee
7,293 books2,200 followersStan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 21, 2020
This is an anthology collecting a dozen prose pieces portraying the pulse-pounding Peter Parker's alter-ego. It should be noted that the use of the word "ultimate" in the title does not refer to the alternate-universe continuity, it's just used as a description in the original sense. The first third of the book contains the traditional origin story as told by Stan Lee and Peter David, and is then followed by shorter tales focusing on some familiar friends and villains. Each story is accompanied by a nice illustration from a different well-known and connected artist. I particularly liked stories by Christopher Golden, Greg Cox, and another Peter David, which closes the book. Recommended for Spidey fans... and I'm sure it has the Irving Forbush seal of approval, too.
March 31, 2020
[ AUDIOBOOK ]
Story: 3/5.
Audio: 5/5.
Narrated by Thom Rivera.
This is a collection of short stories, written by different authors, and their vision of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
For someone who is a fan of Spidey, I found this to be quite entertaining, but I must admit that not all stories were my favorite. Actually, there were only 3 or 4 of them that I was excited to listen to. The others are not bad, but they’re not that remarkable.
Still, it was a nice ride since a lot of Spidey’s favorite villains were here, and the narrator made a wonderful job portraying all sorts of different voices, so they felt like they were alive, straight out of the comics.
One thing that made me cringe a lot was the way authors referred to MJ. I mean, she’s never been a favorite character of mine, but the Peter I know, the Peter I love is not obsessed with her. Also, I would have loved to see more or his love interests like Gwen Stacy and so.
Overall, this is a nice reading, so if you’re a fan of the Amazing Spider-man, I’m sure you’re gonna enjoy this!
Story: 3/5.
Audio: 5/5.
Narrated by Thom Rivera.
This is a collection of short stories, written by different authors, and their vision of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
For someone who is a fan of Spidey, I found this to be quite entertaining, but I must admit that not all stories were my favorite. Actually, there were only 3 or 4 of them that I was excited to listen to. The others are not bad, but they’re not that remarkable.
Still, it was a nice ride since a lot of Spidey’s favorite villains were here, and the narrator made a wonderful job portraying all sorts of different voices, so they felt like they were alive, straight out of the comics.
One thing that made me cringe a lot was the way authors referred to MJ. I mean, she’s never been a favorite character of mine, but the Peter I know, the Peter I love is not obsessed with her. Also, I would have loved to see more or his love interests like Gwen Stacy and so.
Overall, this is a nice reading, so if you’re a fan of the Amazing Spider-man, I’m sure you’re gonna enjoy this!
July 27, 2021
NB: This is a '90s book, no Miles Morales to be found here.
Anthology! Ratings and impressions of the individual stories below:
"Spider-Man" by Stan Lee and Peter David: 3 ⭐, we all know this one...though the reverse gravity ray gun was news to me!
"Suits", by Dean Wesley Smith. 3 ⭐. Decent tale from Spidey's earliest days and a chance encounter with a retired hero ("The Black Bee") with a tragic backstory.
"Cool", by Lawrence Watt-Evans. 2 ⭐. The title is ironic as Spidey is thoroughly uncool throughout.
"Blindspot" by Anne Nocenti. 1.5 ⭐. Just tries to be too much in too little time.
"Kraven the Hunter is Dead, Alas" by Craig Shaw Gardner. 2 ⭐. At least one villain too many.
"Radically Both", by Christopher Golden. 3 ⭐. I've always had a soft spot for the Lizard in Spidey's rogues gallery, and the notion of Dr. Connors helplessly witnessing the monster's rampages is a chilling one.
"Scoop", by David Michelinie. 4 ⭐. One of the better ones, with a proper poignant dilemma faced in addition to the usual superheroics.
"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Career", Robert Washington III. 3.5 ⭐. A pretty tight race-against-time story featuring some pretty precise knowledge of NYC geography (of the early '90s, anyhow- the WTC stuff just makes someone my age sad now).
"Thunder on the Mountain" by Richard Lee Byers. 3 ⭐. Spidey gets some fresh air and exercise with his old pal Rhino while imploring a survivalist Dad to come back to civilization with his young son after years in the wilderness following a family tragedy. Byers does well to capture wisecracking-yet-caring Spider-man here.
“Cold Blood”, Greg Cox. 2.5 ⭐. MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORBIUS!!!!"
"An Evening in the Bronx with Venom", John Gregory Betancourt and Keith R.A. DeCandido (sp?), 3.5 ⭐. The familiarity of the writer(s) with police procedures makes me wonder if either or both has a background in law enforcement, or at least writes a lot about it.
“5 Minutes” by Peter David. 4 ⭐. A very solid close featuring some real talk between Peter and MJ.
Anthology! Ratings and impressions of the individual stories below:
"Spider-Man" by Stan Lee and Peter David: 3 ⭐, we all know this one...though the reverse gravity ray gun was news to me!
"Suits", by Dean Wesley Smith. 3 ⭐. Decent tale from Spidey's earliest days and a chance encounter with a retired hero ("The Black Bee") with a tragic backstory.
"Cool", by Lawrence Watt-Evans. 2 ⭐. The title is ironic as Spidey is thoroughly uncool throughout.
"Blindspot" by Anne Nocenti. 1.5 ⭐. Just tries to be too much in too little time.
"Kraven the Hunter is Dead, Alas" by Craig Shaw Gardner. 2 ⭐. At least one villain too many.
"Radically Both", by Christopher Golden. 3 ⭐. I've always had a soft spot for the Lizard in Spidey's rogues gallery, and the notion of Dr. Connors helplessly witnessing the monster's rampages is a chilling one.
"Scoop", by David Michelinie. 4 ⭐. One of the better ones, with a proper poignant dilemma faced in addition to the usual superheroics.
"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Career", Robert Washington III. 3.5 ⭐. A pretty tight race-against-time story featuring some pretty precise knowledge of NYC geography (of the early '90s, anyhow- the WTC stuff just makes someone my age sad now).
"Thunder on the Mountain" by Richard Lee Byers. 3 ⭐. Spidey gets some fresh air and exercise with his old pal Rhino while imploring a survivalist Dad to come back to civilization with his young son after years in the wilderness following a family tragedy. Byers does well to capture wisecracking-yet-caring Spider-man here.
“Cold Blood”, Greg Cox. 2.5 ⭐. MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORBIUS!!!!"
"An Evening in the Bronx with Venom", John Gregory Betancourt and Keith R.A. DeCandido (sp?), 3.5 ⭐. The familiarity of the writer(s) with police procedures makes me wonder if either or both has a background in law enforcement, or at least writes a lot about it.
“5 Minutes” by Peter David. 4 ⭐. A very solid close featuring some real talk between Peter and MJ.
July 12, 2021
Solid collection of stories about the wall crawler, including a novella length retelling of his origin that ties his fate to Doc Ock beautifully. If nothing else, that story is worth the price of admission.
November 12, 2020
This is a great story of the origin of Spider-Man and several subsequent stories. It is well written and exciting.
October 18, 2019
Ultimate Spider-Man : 01 Spider-Man - Stan Lee and Peter David – A pretty solid and slightly modernized re-telling of Spidey’s origin story. Good voice-work, and a nice story for both new and old fans alike. Tragic, of course, but classic. – ****
Ultimate Spider-Man : 02 Suits - Tom De Haven and Dean Wesley Smith – This was a new story, one I don’t think ever featured in the comics (Black Bee? I think that was the name). Anyway, it was actually a pretty good story, heart-warming, nice, and true to Spidey and how he is/would react. Enjoyable - ****
Ultimate Spider-Man : 03 Cool - Lawrence Watt-Evans – A tragic story of a Spidey-fan trying to impress. Sad, but could totally see this story happening. Interesting, but sad - ***
Ultimate Spider-Man : 04 Blindspot - Ann Nocenti – Probably my least favorite story in the collection. It was weird and felt forced. I didn’t like the pacing, and it seemed to jump around to try and make a cohesive tale when it was all said and done. - **
Ultimate Spider-Man : 05 Kraven the Hunter Is Dead Alas - Craig Shaw Gardner – Another mediocre tale, an odd team-up (Mysterio and the Vulture) as a means to an end. The story seemed out of character for both villains, and the underlying monologue by Spider-Man was the most interesting part. Even with that, it still seemed a mediocre effort, and I wasn’t invested, had potential, didn’t capitalize on it. - **
Ultimate Spider-Man : 06 Radically Both - Christopher Golden – Ah, the Lizard, a tragic story. I liked the take, from the viewpoint of Conners. Visually, I kept picturing the McFarlane Spider-Man stories in the 90’s (the Torment storyline). I’ve never loved the Lizard, but appreciated this insightful piece into the mind and workings of the good doctor. - ***
Ultimate Spider-Man : 07 Scoop! - David Michelinie – I love Michelinie’s writing, and this story gave a very human feel to Spider-Man. Focusing more on the humanity of Spider-Man, with journalistic integrity. A sad, yet heart-warming story. Seemed a little rushed, but was still really good! - ****
Ultimate Spider-Man : 08 Tinker Tailor Soldier Courier - Robert L. Washington, III – Spidey doing what Spidey does, until he’s interrupted by Chance. Will good intentions win out? - ***
Ultimate Spider-Man : 09 Thunder on the Mountain - Richard Lee Byers – Interesting back-country tale where we join right in the middle of the action. I like how these stories are non-cannon, but have characters from the books that we know. Decent story - ***
Ultimate Spider-Man : 10 Cold Blood - Greg Cox – On a frigid winter day, a freezing Spidey faces off against a mindless Morbius. Decent action and overall story - ****
Ultimate Spider-Man : 11 An Evening in the Bronx with Venom - John Gregory Betancourt and Keith R. A. DeCandido – Venom is my favorite Spidey character, so I was glad he made an appearance in this collection. This tale was a little too long for what I got out of it. Also, since I listened to this on audio, the reader’s interpretation of Venom was way off base, so that detracted. All said, it was a good story about the Lethal Protector and how he goes about his business, and as always, his interactions with Spider-Man are top-notch! - ****
Ultimate Spider-Man : 12 Five Minutes - Peter David – A very sad story, and frustrating (you can feel the pain and sympathize with one or both characters). This was a good story, very well-written, but I’m rating it lower because it almost hurt to read it… - ***
Overall rating (based on each story) was 3.25*
I’d listen to another similar collection!
Ultimate Spider-Man : 02 Suits - Tom De Haven and Dean Wesley Smith – This was a new story, one I don’t think ever featured in the comics (Black Bee? I think that was the name). Anyway, it was actually a pretty good story, heart-warming, nice, and true to Spidey and how he is/would react. Enjoyable - ****
Ultimate Spider-Man : 03 Cool - Lawrence Watt-Evans – A tragic story of a Spidey-fan trying to impress. Sad, but could totally see this story happening. Interesting, but sad - ***
Ultimate Spider-Man : 04 Blindspot - Ann Nocenti – Probably my least favorite story in the collection. It was weird and felt forced. I didn’t like the pacing, and it seemed to jump around to try and make a cohesive tale when it was all said and done. - **
Ultimate Spider-Man : 05 Kraven the Hunter Is Dead Alas - Craig Shaw Gardner – Another mediocre tale, an odd team-up (Mysterio and the Vulture) as a means to an end. The story seemed out of character for both villains, and the underlying monologue by Spider-Man was the most interesting part. Even with that, it still seemed a mediocre effort, and I wasn’t invested, had potential, didn’t capitalize on it. - **
Ultimate Spider-Man : 06 Radically Both - Christopher Golden – Ah, the Lizard, a tragic story. I liked the take, from the viewpoint of Conners. Visually, I kept picturing the McFarlane Spider-Man stories in the 90’s (the Torment storyline). I’ve never loved the Lizard, but appreciated this insightful piece into the mind and workings of the good doctor. - ***
Ultimate Spider-Man : 07 Scoop! - David Michelinie – I love Michelinie’s writing, and this story gave a very human feel to Spider-Man. Focusing more on the humanity of Spider-Man, with journalistic integrity. A sad, yet heart-warming story. Seemed a little rushed, but was still really good! - ****
Ultimate Spider-Man : 08 Tinker Tailor Soldier Courier - Robert L. Washington, III – Spidey doing what Spidey does, until he’s interrupted by Chance. Will good intentions win out? - ***
Ultimate Spider-Man : 09 Thunder on the Mountain - Richard Lee Byers – Interesting back-country tale where we join right in the middle of the action. I like how these stories are non-cannon, but have characters from the books that we know. Decent story - ***
Ultimate Spider-Man : 10 Cold Blood - Greg Cox – On a frigid winter day, a freezing Spidey faces off against a mindless Morbius. Decent action and overall story - ****
Ultimate Spider-Man : 11 An Evening in the Bronx with Venom - John Gregory Betancourt and Keith R. A. DeCandido – Venom is my favorite Spidey character, so I was glad he made an appearance in this collection. This tale was a little too long for what I got out of it. Also, since I listened to this on audio, the reader’s interpretation of Venom was way off base, so that detracted. All said, it was a good story about the Lethal Protector and how he goes about his business, and as always, his interactions with Spider-Man are top-notch! - ****
Ultimate Spider-Man : 12 Five Minutes - Peter David – A very sad story, and frustrating (you can feel the pain and sympathize with one or both characters). This was a good story, very well-written, but I’m rating it lower because it almost hurt to read it… - ***
Overall rating (based on each story) was 3.25*
I’d listen to another similar collection!
February 21, 2017
This is a collection of short stories from different authors featuring Spidey. This collection has Spider-Man fighting against small crimes like muggers or facing off against his arch enemies like Venom and Doc Ock. The time period ranges from his origin story (does anyone not know this story by now?) to him being married to Mary Jane.
Once again an anthology gets a three star rating from me (at least I am consistent). Some stories were exception and some were not. I did enjoy that these stories seemed like they were actual prose stories and not comic book adaptations. I also liked it seemed as if every villain made an appearance somewhere within this book (the exception was the Green Goblin). My only real complaint about this book is I believe we didn't need the origin story as this is known throughout. I understand why they did it but they also tweaked it a little and I did not like the changes. That being said I did get the "feels" when I read the line "with great power comes great responsibility".
This was a nice collection of stories and it was a quick read. If you enjoy comic book characters and don't want to get bogged down in a lengthy story this book will work for you.
Once again an anthology gets a three star rating from me (at least I am consistent). Some stories were exception and some were not. I did enjoy that these stories seemed like they were actual prose stories and not comic book adaptations. I also liked it seemed as if every villain made an appearance somewhere within this book (the exception was the Green Goblin). My only real complaint about this book is I believe we didn't need the origin story as this is known throughout. I understand why they did it but they also tweaked it a little and I did not like the changes. That being said I did get the "feels" when I read the line "with great power comes great responsibility".
This was a nice collection of stories and it was a quick read. If you enjoy comic book characters and don't want to get bogged down in a lengthy story this book will work for you.
December 3, 2020
i really enjoyed these stories. from the retelling of his origin story, to comic interludes, i really liked the different themes and aspects of his identity explored and their consequences
February 25, 2020
Pretty good collection of Spider-Man prose stories. The first quarter of the book was an updating of his origin and I didn't care for it too much. Once it got to the stories, it picked up. SOme of the stories were great. A few were not so much. All in all, it was enjoyable.
June 3, 2023
A collection of Spider-Man short stories, and they're mostly fine. None of them is bad, but only a few stand out.
The first, called "Spider-Man," is the longest, a novella retelling Spidey's origin. It's okay, hits the major beats, and I like some of the plot points, like Peter and Aunt May getting mugged, then Peter running into the muggers after getting bitten by the spider and discovering his strength while getting Aunt May's money back. But some of it is rushed, like Uncle Ben; you never quite get a sense of what he means to Peter, so his death doesn't hold the weight it should. Part of this is likely because Spidey's origin is juxtaposed with that of Doctor Octopus, so big chunks are devoted to him.
The best of the stories is called "Radically Both," which is a phrase from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This story is about The Lizard, and it beautifully explores the dual personality of The Lizard and Curt Connors, with Connors trapped inside the monster as it tries to kill his family. Other good ones are "Cool," about the dangers of hero worship and the responsibility a hero has to those who look up to him; "Tinker Tailor Soldier Courier," about Spidey trying to get a donor liver from Midtown Manhattan to Park Slope, Brooklyn, in time to save a little girl's life while a mercenary tries to steal it (how they didn't call this "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spider" is beyond me); "An Evening in the Bronx with Venom," which has Spidey and the police trying to protect a homeless man from Venom; and "Five Minutes," which explores how Peter and Mary Jane both see his responsibilities as Spider-Man.
It's worth a read for big Spider-Man fans, but it's nothing revolutionary.
The first, called "Spider-Man," is the longest, a novella retelling Spidey's origin. It's okay, hits the major beats, and I like some of the plot points, like Peter and Aunt May getting mugged, then Peter running into the muggers after getting bitten by the spider and discovering his strength while getting Aunt May's money back. But some of it is rushed, like Uncle Ben; you never quite get a sense of what he means to Peter, so his death doesn't hold the weight it should. Part of this is likely because Spidey's origin is juxtaposed with that of Doctor Octopus, so big chunks are devoted to him.
The best of the stories is called "Radically Both," which is a phrase from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This story is about The Lizard, and it beautifully explores the dual personality of The Lizard and Curt Connors, with Connors trapped inside the monster as it tries to kill his family. Other good ones are "Cool," about the dangers of hero worship and the responsibility a hero has to those who look up to him; "Tinker Tailor Soldier Courier," about Spidey trying to get a donor liver from Midtown Manhattan to Park Slope, Brooklyn, in time to save a little girl's life while a mercenary tries to steal it (how they didn't call this "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spider" is beyond me); "An Evening in the Bronx with Venom," which has Spidey and the police trying to protect a homeless man from Venom; and "Five Minutes," which explores how Peter and Mary Jane both see his responsibilities as Spider-Man.
It's worth a read for big Spider-Man fans, but it's nothing revolutionary.
July 23, 2019
I had a web-tastic time with this anthology.
Unlike the usual short story collection, this title functions as its own little universe. The opening novella is Stan Lee retelling the Spider-Man myth. From there, we have multiple short stories that bounce back and forth between Spidey's adolescence and adulthood, facing him off against an entire rogues gallery of villains. If effect, it feels as though you're invited to see the Spidey of this collection as his own entity.
Not all of the stories are home-runs, but they all understand who Spider-Man is, and what makes a good Spidey story, versus what makes simply a good story.
It's neat that Venom's appearance has to do with his 'Lethal Protector' days, as coincidentally, "Venom: Lethal Protector" has gotten the novelization treatment.
Since Marvel has been novelizing a few of its earlier storylines and writing new fiction here and there, it's a shame this anthology hasn't been either reprinted or given a sequel.
Unlike the usual short story collection, this title functions as its own little universe. The opening novella is Stan Lee retelling the Spider-Man myth. From there, we have multiple short stories that bounce back and forth between Spidey's adolescence and adulthood, facing him off against an entire rogues gallery of villains. If effect, it feels as though you're invited to see the Spidey of this collection as his own entity.
Not all of the stories are home-runs, but they all understand who Spider-Man is, and what makes a good Spidey story, versus what makes simply a good story.
It's neat that Venom's appearance has to do with his 'Lethal Protector' days, as coincidentally, "Venom: Lethal Protector" has gotten the novelization treatment.
Since Marvel has been novelizing a few of its earlier storylines and writing new fiction here and there, it's a shame this anthology hasn't been either reprinted or given a sequel.
March 5, 2020
A lot of good, a little boring. Most of the short stories are interesting and different ideas worth exploring as prose stories rather than comic books. The 110 page retelling of Spidey's origin was a fun enough read, though I think I've officially reached the point where I never have to read another Spider-Man origin again for the rest of my life. I've earned a break. All in all, only a book worth tracking down by hardcore Spider-Man fans.
January 22, 2019
This is a pretty decent selection of Spider-Man stories, with more hits than misses. I think it works better than the Joker anthology, because the stories have different foci....some put you in the head of Spider-Man, but others peer instead into the souls of his rogues' gallery.
February 23, 2023
Kind of fun to read a book I would have loved as kid about my favourite superhero but I was wanting more fights and stories about the villains (who really set Spiderman apart from other superhero franchises) and all I got was boring and trite interpersonal drama.
July 5, 2023
Perfect for all Spider-Man fans out there. This book contains a lot of details narrated by Stan Lee himself, the one and only creator of this superhero that everyone loves. It’s worth to read/listen. You are going to enjoy and learn a lot about out beloved friendly neighbors Spidey.
October 10, 2023
3.5/5 stars
For whatever reason I got this thinking it was a non-fiction book about the creation of Spider-man and about his legacy. It’s actually an anthology of stories. As with all anthologies, some are better than others, but all of them are at least decently entertaining.
For whatever reason I got this thinking it was a non-fiction book about the creation of Spider-man and about his legacy. It’s actually an anthology of stories. As with all anthologies, some are better than others, but all of them are at least decently entertaining.
September 11, 2018
While these stories do not, in fact, do everything a spider can, they do entertain reasonably well.
October 27, 2019
Ive owned the book for years - unread, but i can't tell you why. Then i saw the audiobook had been released and checked it out - pretty good stuff!
Read
December 1, 2019Short stories from the Spider-Man universe. The origin story was well done. My favorite was the Venom story.
March 24, 2020
amo a spidi, toda la vida lo ame, y por fin ahora me decidí a leer uno de sus cómics, y me encanto, eso era obvio, pero estuvo bueno para pasar el rato
October 20, 2021
great bunch of stories
March 12, 2020
This reads exactly like spider-man comics.
July 22, 2012
I enjoyed the various stories compiled in this book, though I did skip the first two. Sometimes Stan the Man's comic stories are a little better then the written ones. My favorite story was "An Evening in the Bronx with Venom" where I finally got to read how Spider-man saved Hawkins like they kept mentioning in "Venom's Wrath". Other interesting angles were explored.
All in all a nice evening read to borrow from the library.
All in all a nice evening read to borrow from the library.
Read
December 13, 2016The book The Ultimate Spider-Man by Stan Lee, is about a character named Peter Parker and it tells the story about A young man going into a spider exhibit. Then gets bit by a radioactive spider.Then terns into a human spider. He plans on making a suit because he doesn't like crime. He goes and saves a man in a alleyway getting robed by two other guys. So he swings to knock them out. Then when the villains get a hold of him they try to take him down but spider man doesn't quit.
May 24, 2015
This was an amazing way to return to the Marvel universe with Spiderman. I loved the fact that we got to see his beginning, both his lifes (as Peter Parker and has a superhero) and a bit of everything that he has to offer.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews