WHY COLLECTORS WANT IT
first Spider-Man
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) — introduction · origin
- May Parker (Peter Parker's aunt) — introduction
- Flash Thompson (bully then friend of Peter Parker) — introduction
- Ben Parker (Peter Parker's uncle) — introduction
- Crusher Hogan (wrestler from Spider-Man) — introduction
- Sally Avril (Marvel, Bluebird) — introduction, only first name revealed
- Maxwell Shiffman (television producer) — introduction
Dates
- Cover date
- September 1962 (see Notes)
- On sale
- June 5, 1962
- Pages
- 36
Editions and covers (2)
Copies of #15 are not all the same book. Here is how to tell each one apart.
- Original edition12¢ coverSource ↗
- UK pence edition9d [0-0-9 GBP] cover
British
Printed cover price 9d [0-0-9 GBP].
This edition’s page
Amazing Fantasy #15 Facsimile Edition (2019). A facsimile reproduces this issue with a modern cover price and barcode; check before buying.
Creators
Stories
- Spider-Man! · 11 pages
Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider and gains the abilities of a spider. When he fails to stop a burglar who runs past him, his uncle is killed as a result. He therefore swears never to shirk his responsibility again.
- The Bell-Ringer! · 3 pages
On a small Mediterranean island of fisherfolk, Old Pedros is the town bell-ringer. One day the volcano atop the island begins to erupt. The villagers evacuate and put out to sea. Old Pedros, though, stays at the church. "The bells must be rung," he tells himself. "Someone will hear. For centuries someone has always heard!" Molten rock streams toward the church. Before it reaches Old Pedros, a ray of sunlight surrounds him. The superstitious villagers swear they saw him ride that ray into the sky, but they don't know if their eyes played tricks on them, or if someone could hear the bells.
- Man in the Mummy Case! · 5 pages
A fugitive accepts a mummy's help to escape the police, only to find himself an ancient Egyptian slave.
- Important Announcement from the Editor! · Fan Page · 1 pages
- There Are Martians Among Us! · 5 pages
The discovery of a crashed flying saucer frightens a small town, especially when the townspeople realize that the Martians are among them. A month goes by with the aliens still at large. A man leaves for the city and tells his wife to stay in the house where she is safe. Later that day, though, she has to go to the store for coffee. On her way home she is captured. When her husband gets home and finds her missing, he makes a desperate phone call to another Martian, who like him must have four arms.
Characters
Reprinted in
Amazing Stories of Suspense (1963), Marvel Milestone Edition: Amazing Fantasy #15 (1992), Amazing Fantasy Vol. 1 No. 15 [Spider-Man Classics Reprint] (2001), The 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time (2001), The Amazing Spider-Man Pop-Up (2007), Amazing Fantasy Omnibus (2007), Amazing Fantasy #15 Facsimile Edition (2019), The Amazing Spider-Man (Penguin Classics Marvel Collection) (2022), Marvel Masters of Suspense: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko Omnibus (2019), The Marvel Saga the Official History of the Marvel Universe (1985), The Essential Spider-Man (1996), Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man (2003), Spider-Man Collectible Series (2006), The Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus (2007), Out of This World (1963), The Amazing Spider-Man (1963), Marvel Tales Annual (1964), Marvel Tales (1966), The Mighty World of Marvel (1972), Origins of Marvel Comics (1974)