Editing The Amazing Spider-Man (section)

===1960s===
Due to strong sales on the character's first appearance in ''Amazing Fantasy'' No. 15, Spider-Man was given his own ongoing series in March 1963.<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 91: "Thanks to a flood of fan mail, Spider-Man was awarded his own title six months after his first appearance. ''Amazing Spider-Man'' began as a semi-monthly title, but was quickly promoted to a monthly."</ref> The initial years of the series, under Lee and Ditko, chronicled Spider-Man's nascent career as a masked super-human vigilante with his civilian life as hard-luck yet perpetually good-humored and well-meaning teenager [[Peter Parker]]. Peter balanced his career as Spider-Man with his job as a freelance photographer for ''[[The Daily Bugle]]'' under the bombastic editor-publisher [[J. Jonah Jameson]] to support himself and his frail [[Aunt May]]. At the same time, Peter dealt with public hostility towards Spider-Man and the antagonism of his classmates [[Flash Thompson]] and [[Liz Allan]] at Midtown High School, while embarking on a tentative, ill-fated romance with Jameson's secretary, [[Betty Brant]].

By focusing on Parker's everyday problems, Lee and Ditko created a groundbreakingly flawed, self-doubting superhero, and the first major teenaged superhero to be a protagonist and not a sidekick. Ditko's quirky art provided a stark contrast to the more cleanly dynamic stylings of Marvel's most prominent artist, [[Jack Kirby]],<ref name="DeFalco87" /> and combined with the humor and pathos of Lee's writing to lay the foundation for what became an enduring mythos.

Most of Spider-Man's key villains and supporting characters were introduced during this time. Issue No. 1 (Mar. 1963) featured the first appearances of J. Jonah Jameson<ref name="DeFalco91">DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 91</ref> and his astronaut son [[John Jameson (comics)|John Jameson]],<ref>{{cite comic |writer=[[Stan Lee|Lee, Stan]] |penciller=[[Steve Ditko|Ditko, Steve]] |inker=Ditko Steve |story=Spider-Man |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=1 |date=March 1963}}</ref> and the supervillain the [[Chameleon (character)|Chameleon]].<ref name="DeFalco91" /> It included the hero's first encounter with the superhero team the [[Fantastic Four]]. Issue No. 2 (May 1963) featured the first appearance of the [[Vulture (Marvel Comics)|Vulture]]<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 92: "Introduced in the lead story of ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' No. 2 and created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the Vulture was the first in a long line of animal-inspired super-villains that were destined to battle everyone's favorite web-slinger."</ref> and the [[Tinkerer (Marvel Comics)|Tinkerer]]<ref>{{cite book |title=HCA Heritage Comics Auction Catalog |publisher=Heritage Capital Corporation |author1=Dowell, Gary |author2=Holman, Greg |author3=Halperin, James L. |date=October 2006 |isbn=9781599670935 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OCd_8lwvycYC&pg=PA42}}</ref> as well as the beginning of Parker's freelance photography career at the newspaper ''The Daily Bugle''.<ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Ditko, Steve |inker=Ditko, Steve |story=Duel to the Death with the Vulture! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=2 |date=May 1963}}</ref>

The Lee-Ditko era continued to usher in a significant number of villains and supporting characters, including [[Doctor Octopus]] in No. 3 (July 1963);<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 93: "Dr. Octopus shared many traits with Peter Parker. They were both shy, both interested in science, and both had trouble relating to women...Otto Octavius even looked like a grown up Peter Parker. Lee and Ditko intended Otto to be the man Peter might have become if he hadn't been raised with a sense of responsibility"</ref><ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Ditko, Steve |inker=Ditko, Steve |story=Spider-Man Versus Doctor Octopus |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=3 |date=July 1963}}</ref> the [[Sandman (Marvel Comics)|Sandman]] and Betty Brant in No. 4 (Sept. 1963);<ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Ditko, Steve |inker=Ditko, Steve |story=Nothing Can Stop...The Sandman! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=4 |date=September 1963}}</ref> the [[Lizard (character)|Lizard]] in No. 6 (Nov. 1963);<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 95</ref><ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Ditko, Steve |inker=Ditko, Steve |story=Face-to-Face With...the Lizard! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=6 |date=November 1963}}</ref> [[Living Brain]] in No. 8 (Jan. 1964); [[Electro (Marvel Comics)|Electro]] in No. 9 (Mar. 1964);<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 98</ref><ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Ditko, Steve |inker=Ditko, Steve |story=The Man Called Electro! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=9 |date=February 1964}}</ref> [[Mysterio]] in No. 13 (June 1964);<ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Ditko, Steve |inker=Ditko, Steve |story=The Menace of... Mysterio! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=13 |date=June 1964}}</ref> the [[Green Goblin]] in No. 14 (July 1964);<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 101: "When the Green Goblin soared into the webhead's life, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko didn't bother to discuss his secret identity. They just knew they had an interesting character to add to Spider-Man's growing gallery of villains."</ref><ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Ditko, Steve |inker=Ditko, Steve |story=The Grotesque Adventure of the Green Goblin! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=14 |date=July 1964}}</ref> [[Kraven The Hunter]] in No. 15 (Aug. 1964);<ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Ditko, Steve |inker=Ditko, Steve |story=Kraven the Hunter! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=15 |date=August 1964}}</ref> reporter [[Ned Leeds]] in No. 18 (Nov. 1964);<ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Ditko, Steve |inker=Ditko, Steve |story=The End of Spider-Man! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=18 |date=November 1964}}</ref> and the [[Mac Gargan|Scorpion]] in No. 20 (Jan. 1965).<ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Ditko, Steve |inker=Ditko, Steve |story=The Coming of the Scorpion! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=20 |date=January 1965}}</ref> The [[Molten Man]] was introduced in No. 28 (Sept. 1965) which also featured Parker's graduation from high school.<ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Ditko, Steve |inker=Ditko, Steve |story=The Menace of the Molten Man! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=28 |date=September 1965}}</ref> Peter began attending Empire State University in No. 31 (Dec. 1965), which featured the first appearances of friends and classmates [[Gwen Stacy]]<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 111: "Gwen Stacy, the platinum blonde ex-beauty queen of Standard High, met Peter Parker on his first day in college in this issue."</ref> and [[Harry Osborn]].<ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Ditko, Steve |inker=Ditko, Steve |story=If This Be My Destiny! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=31 |date=December 1965}}</ref> Harry's father, [[Norman Osborn]] first appeared in No. 23 (April 1965) as a member of Jameson's country club but was not named nor revealed as Harry's father until No. 37 (June 1966).

One of the most celebrated issues of the Lee-Ditko run is No. 33 (Feb. 1966), the third part of the story arc "[[If This Be My Destiny...!]]", which features the dramatic scene of Spider-Man, through force of will and thoughts of family, escaping from being pinned by heavy machinery. Comics historian [[Les Daniels]] noted that "Steve Ditko squeezes every ounce of anguish out of Spider-Man's predicament, complete with visions of the uncle he failed and the aunt he has sworn to save."<ref name=DanielsMarvel>{{Cite book |last=Daniels |first=Les |author-link=Les Daniels |title=Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics |publisher=[[Abrams Books|Harry N. Abrams]] |date=1991 |location=New York City |page=129 |isbn=9780810938212}}</ref> [[Peter David]] observed that "After his origin, this two-page sequence from ''Amazing Spider-Man'' No. 33 is perhaps the best-loved sequence from the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko era."<ref>{{cite book |last1=David |first1=Peter |author-link=Peter David |last2=Greenberger |first2=Robert |author2-link=Robert Greenberger |title=The Spider-Man Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles Spun from Marvel's Web |publisher=[[Running Press]] |date=2010 |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |page=[https://archive.org/details/sinatrahollywood0000knig/page/29 29] |isbn=978-0762437726 |url=https://archive.org/details/sinatrahollywood0000knig/page/29}}</ref> Steve Saffel stated the "full page Ditko image from ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' No. 33 is one of the most powerful ever to appear in the series and influenced writers and artists for many years to come."<ref name=saffel>{{cite book |last=Saffel |first=Steve |title=Spider-Man the Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon |publisher=[[Titan Books]] |date=2007 |location=London, United Kingdom |isbn=978-1-84576-324-4 |chapter=A Legend Is Born |page=22}}</ref> and Matthew K. Manning wrote that "Ditko's illustrations for the first few pages of this Lee story included what would become one of the most iconic scenes in Spider-Man's history."<ref>{{cite book |last=Manning |first=Matthew K. |editor-last=Gilbert |editor-first=Laura |chapter=1960s |title=Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |date=2012 |location=London, United Kingdom |page=34 |isbn=978-0756692360}}</ref> The story was chosen as No. 15 in the 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time poll of Marvel's readers in 2001. Editor [[Robert Greenberger]] wrote in his introduction to the story that "These first five pages are a modern-day equivalent to Shakespeare as Parker's soliloquy sets the stage for his next action. And with dramatic pacing and storytelling, Ditko delivers one of the great sequences in all comics."<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Greenberger |editor-first=Robert |title=100 Greatest Marvels of All Time |publisher=Marvel Comics |date=December 2001 |location=New York City |page=67}}</ref>

Although credited only as artist for most of his run, Ditko would eventually plot the stories as well as draw them, leaving Lee to script the dialogue. A rift between Ditko and Lee developed, and the two men were not on speaking terms long before Ditko completed his last issue, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' No. 38 (July 1966). The exact reasons for the Ditko-Lee split have never been fully explained.<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 117: "To this day, no one really knows why Ditko quit. Bullpen sources reported he was unhappy with the way Lee scripted some of his plots, using a tongue-in-cheek approach to stories Ditko wanted handled seriously."</ref> Spider-Man successor artist [[John Romita Sr.]], in a 2010 [[Deposition (law)|deposition]], recalled that Lee and Ditko "ended up not being able to work together because they disagreed on almost everything, cultural, social, historically, everything, they disagreed on characters..."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B_lZovnpi13JNWQ5MDJmOTgtZDMzYy00MzI3LTllYjctNmM0ZWE4NjgyOWEx&hl=en_US |title=Confidential Videotaped Deposition of John V. Romita |publisher=United States District Court, Southern District of New York: "Marvel Worldwide, Inc., et al., vs. Lisa R. Kirby, et al." |page=45 |location=Garden City, New York |date=October 21, 2010}}</ref>

In successor penciler Romita Sr.'s first issue, No. 39 (Aug. 1966), nemesis the Green Goblin discovers Spider-Man's secret identity and reveals his own to the captive hero. Romita's Spider-Man – more polished and heroic-looking than Ditko's – became the model for two decades. The Lee-Romita era saw the introduction of such characters as ''[[Daily Bugle]]'' [[managing editor]] [[Robbie Robertson (comics)|Robbie Robertson]] in No. 52 (Sept. 1967) and NYPD Captain [[George Stacy]], father of Parker's girlfriend [[Gwen Stacy]], in No. 56 (Jan. 1968). The most important supporting character to be introduced during the Romita era was [[Mary Jane Watson]], who made her first full appearance in No. 42 (Nov. 1966),<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 119: "After teasing the readers for more than two years, Stan Lee finally allowed Peter Parker to meet Mary Jane Watson."</ref> although she first appeared in No. 25 (June 1965) with her face obscured and had been mentioned since No. 15 (Aug. 1964). Peter David wrote in 2010 that Romita "made the definitive statement of his arrival by pulling Mary Jane out from behind the oversized potted plant [that blocked the reader's view of her face in issue no. 25] and placing her on panel in what would instantly become an iconic moment."<ref>David and Greenberger, p. 38</ref> Romita has stated that in designing Mary Jane, he "used [[Ann-Margret]] from the movie ''[[Bye Bye Birdie (1963 film)|Bye Bye Birdie]]'' as a guide, using her coloring, the shape of her face, her red hair and her form-fitting short skirts."<ref>Saffel "A Legend is Born", p. 27</ref>

Lee and Romita toned down the prevalent sense of antagonism in Parker's world by improving Parker's relationship with the supporting characters and having stories focused as much on the social and college lives of the characters as they did on Spider-Man's adventures. The stories became more topical,<ref>Manning "1960s" in Gilbert (2012), p. 46: "Stan Lee tackled the issues of the day again when, with artists John Romita and Jim Mooney, he dealt with social unrest at Empire State University."</ref> addressing issues such as [[civil rights]], racism, [[prisoners' rights]], the [[Vietnam War]], and [[Election|political elections]].

Issue No. 50 (June 1967) introduced the highly enduring criminal mastermind the [[Kingpin (comics)|Kingpin]],<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 122: "Stan Lee wanted to create a new kind of crime boss. Someone who treated crime as if it were a business...He pitched this idea to artist John Romita and it was Wilson Fisk who emerged in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #50."</ref><ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=[[John Romita Sr.|Romita, John Sr.]] |inker=[[Mike Esposito (comics)|Esposito, Mike]] |story=Spider-Man No More! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=50 |date=July 1967}}</ref> who would become a major force as well in the superhero series ''[[Daredevil (Marvel Comics series)|Daredevil]]''. Other notable first appearances in the Lee-Romita era include the [[Rhino (character)|Rhino]] in No. 41 (Oct. 1966),<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 119: "The first original super-villain produced by the new Spider-Man team of Stan Lee and John Romita was the Rhino."</ref><ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Romita, John Sr. |inker=Esposito, Mike |story=The Horns of the Rhino! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=41 |date=October 1966}}</ref> the [[Shocker (comics)|Shocker]] in No. 46 (Mar. 1967),<ref>DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 121</ref><ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Romita, John Sr. |inker=Romita, John Sr. |story=The Sinister Shocker! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=46 |date=March 1967}}</ref> the [[Prowler (Marvel Comics)|Prowler]] in No. 78 (Nov. 1969),<ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=[[John Buscema|Buscema, John]] |inker=[[Jim Mooney|Mooney, Jim]] |story=The Night of the Prowler! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=78 |date=November 1969}}</ref> and the Kingpin's son, [[Richard Fisk]], in No. 83 (Apr. 1970).<ref>{{cite comic |writer=Lee, Stan |penciller=Romita, John Sr. |inker=Esposito, Mike |story=The Schemer! |title=The Amazing Spider-Man |issue=83 |date=April 1970}}</ref>