Tuesday, June 03, 2025

Stan's Version: Amazing Spider-Man 1966

 














How did Stan Lee’s partnership with John Romita differ from his earlier, famously fraught collaboration with Steve Ditko?

And how does that shift play out on the comic book page?

Following his acclaimed series on the formative Ditko years, Rilstone turns his scholarly eye—and fannish heart—to the next era of The Amazing Spider-Man: the 1966 run, where John Romita gave Spidey a new face and Stan Lee gave him a new voice.

This new series offers close readings of each issue, with equal parts critical insight and Watsonian speculation. (When is Peter Parker’s birthday? Why is he always broke? And seriously—what is wrong with Aunt May?)

Patreon subscribers get early access to each essay. If you enjoy deep dives into old comics and want to support niche writing, please consider joining the Patreon—$5 (£3.75) a month.

NEW! If you don't want to commit to a full subscription, you can now buy individual essays for a one-off payment. Just $3 for roughly 2,000 words.


Spider-Man Phase 2: Stan's Version 

How Stan Lee and John Romita Created Spider-Man

Amazing Spider-Man 41: The Horns of the Rhino

Commentary

Annotations 


Amazing Spider-Man 42: Birth of a Superhero

Commentary

Annotation


Amazing Spider-Man 42: Rhino on the Rampage

Commentary

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Infrequently Asked Questions

I decided it was time I set up a Bloggers Q and A.

It runs for seven days, until June 11th. I will attempt to answer any question anyone throws at me . Whether about the blog, Spider-Man, the price of fish, or any other subject.

Although in some cases the answer may be "Mind your own business."

Felt like it might be a good idea.

Skip over to the Patreon if you are interested. 

https://www.patreon.com/posts/post-your-here-130585876


1: Your old pre-blog site contained much that is worthy of preservation, including your thoughts on the LotR films. Do you have any plans to restore these posts?