Amazing Fantasy
Amazing Adult Fantasy, later renamed Amazing Fantasy, is an American comic book published by Marvel Comics. It is best known for its fifteenth issue, which introduced Spider-Man.
| Amazing Fantasy | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Spider-Man debuted in Amazing Fantasy #15. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing |
| Publication date | Amazing Adventures #1–6 (June 1961 – Nov. 1961) Amazing Adult Fantasy #7–14 (Dec. 1961 – July 1962) Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 10, 1962) Amazing Fantasy #16–18 (Dec. 1995 – March 1996) Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) (Aug. 2004 – April 2006) Amazing Fantasy (vol. 3) (Sept. 2021 – Feb. 2022) |
| Main character(s) | Spider-Man debuted in AF #15 (Aug. 1962) Anya Corazon #1–6 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | (1961–62): Stan Lee, (1995): Kurt Busiek (2004): Fiona Avery, Fred Van Lente, Simon Furman (2021): Kaare Andrews |
| Artist(s) | (1961–62): Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Don Heck, Paul Reinman, et al. (1995): Paul Lee (2004): Various (2021): Kaare Andrews |
| Inker(s) | (1961–62): Dick Ayers |
Throughout its publication, Amazing Adult Fantasy was marketed as a magazine that respected the reader's intelligence, featuring many short stories that primarily focused on large monsters and aliens from another planet.
History
[change | change source]Amazing Adult Fantasy began with issue #7, taking the numbering from another magazine that was cancelled, named Amazing Adventures. However, Amazing Fantasy was also not popular, and Marvel planned to cancel it.
A few months before the book was to be cancelled, Stan Lee came up with a new idea for a superhero, named Spider-Man. Stan imagined Spider-Man as a teenager, who had everyday problems like acne, bullies, and money issues. When he pitched the idea for the hero to Marvel's publishers, they hated it. They told Stan that people were afraid of spiders and wouldn't like a superhero named Spider-Man.
Around the time Amazing Adult Fantasy was ending, Stan still could not get the idea for Spider-Man out of his head. Knowing that nobody cared about the last issue of an unpopular book anyway, he asked Jack Kirby to draw Spider-Man for the cover of the fifteenth and final issue of Amazing Fantasy, and got Steve Ditko to draw the comic.
Amazing Fantasy #15 turned out to be a massive success. Entire printings were sold out and Marvel was getting fan-mail telling them how much they loved Spider-Man. Realising their mistake, Marvel worked with Stan Lee and Steve Ditko to create The Amazing Spider-Man, which released seven months later in March 1963.
Publication
[change | change source]Volume 1 began in June 1961, under the name Amazing Adventures. Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby drew many monsters and aliens that would be featured in these books.
From issue #7, the book was retitled Amazing Adult Fantasy. The trend of giant monsters continued until issue #15, which featured Spider-Man for the first time.
In August 2004, Marvel launched a second volume of Amazing Fantasy under the "Marvel Next" slogan, which aimed to introduce new modern characters. One of these was Anya Corazon, who would go on to become Spider-Girl.
In September 2021, a third volume was begun. It was a mini-series starring Captain America, Black Widow, and Spider-Man who all end up on a mysterious island after dying. Captain America meets a woman and her son whom they nickname America. Black Widow is brought in to be crowned as queen of the island in order to bring peace. Spider-Man meets his Uncle Ben who is the leader of a tribe, and a warrior named Fey.
The series culminates when the island descends into war, fighting for control of the island. Spider-Man discovers the real villain is an alternate version of himself. The evil Peter Parker brings Spider-Man to a fake world, where he tricks him into thinking he can save Uncle Ben from being killed. Spider-Man refuses, and before the world dissapears, he shares a few final words with his uncle.
It is revealed that the three heroes did not die after all. Captain America washes ashore from the sunken ship with the men whom he had saved, as well as the ship's cargo; J. Robert Oppenheimer. Black Widow wakes up covered in snow and is rescued by her fellow spies. Spider-Man breaks his way out from under a pile of rubble, and swings off to save the day.
Later, America raises a child who he names Aether. Wolverine arrives on the island after dying once again, and tells Uncle Ben stories about Peter's adventures as Spider-Man.
Amazing Fantasy #15
[change | change source]The fifteenth issue of Amazing Fantasy is one of the most important comic books in history. It is very rare to find an original copy today, and most are either sealed in plastic cases, or lost. They can go for hundreds of thousands of dollars on the comic market, and in some cases, millions.
In 2021, a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 sold for $3.6 million,[1] a world record at the time. It is so expensive because of how old it is, and how rare it is. Due to Amazing Adult Fantasy being unpopular, Marvel didn't print many copies of the final issue, as they didn't expect it to be a success.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Kit, Borys (2021-09-09). "First Spider-Man Comic, Amazing Fantasy No. 15, Sells for Record $3.6M". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
