You've heard of Stan Lee, right? You know, the guy that co-created so many iconic Marvel characters? Of course you have, and this week, we wanted to dive back into two of his earlier runs: THE X-MEN and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. With THE X-MEN, Lee introduced the world to Charles Xavier's team of mutants and villains like Magneto and Juggernaut. With THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, the writer co-created the webhead's world and produced some of his most legendary adversaries. Both titles beg to be read at some point by Marvel fans, but we wanted to know which one you prefer and why. Well, the choice was crystal clear for a majority of Viners: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN wins!
Along with Steve Ditko, Lee crafted a classic series that was action-packed and filled Spidey's life with standout villains and supporting characters. Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, Kraven, Electro... these are just a few of the many foes these two creative minds introduced, and, as you of course know by now, a majority of these threats have lasted over the years, too. In addition to a whole new slew of evildoers, this run revealed Spider-Man's powerful origin story. Lee and Ditko truly established tons of potential with this series and, obviously, it paid off big time. On top of all that, this signature run is also rich with character defining moments (see below for the best example). Sure, much of the dialogue doesn't exactly stand the test of time, but for any Spider-Man fan, these are issues you absolutely cannot miss. They set the stage for who Spider-Man is and the world that surrounds him, after all. Simply put: it's mandatory reading for true believers.
Let's see what some Comic Viners had to say about this match-up.
Viner Post for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is by Life_Without_Progress
"Stan Lee's ASM. I mean his X-Men run was, in sugar coated terms, ok, introducing us to plenty of characters that would be well-known for many years but to be honest, it was Claremont who made the X-Men as well-known as it is today. Meanwhile , Stan Lee and Ditko's ASM run is the stuff of legends. Not only did he introduce us to many iconic characters and some of the best Spider-Man storylines, he gave all us nerds and geeks in comicvine a hero we can relate to and look up to."
Viner Post for THE X-MEN is by Yung ANcient One
"I love Spider-Man to death. I do. He's arguably my favorite superhero but I did not enjoy his first issue as much as I enjoyed the X-Men's first issue. The reason being that I have learned that I prefer team books over solo books. I enjoy reading a bunch of characters all getting some time to shine more than reading about one character and getting some supporting characters to show up from time to time. Yes I enjoy reading solo series too but team books are slightly more enjoyable sometimes.
I felt like The X-Men was more entertaining because there wasn't too much backstory. The issue was more action packed than Spider-Man's first solo issue. Plus, I have read, seen, and heard Spider-Man's origin story more than enough times that I do not need to read, see, or hear it ever again.
Still I can see who's going to win."
Sorry, dudes and dudettes, but there isn't a teaser this week. We won't leave you hanging, though. Instead of the usual guessing game, go ahead and tell us what your favorite issue of Stan Lee's THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is. Oh, and in case you haven't heard by now, Spider-Man is also our very first Character of the Month!
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