I've been reading these Masterworks volumes one by one, and it's been amazing to see how much this comic evolved over time. By the end of this volume, the storytelling and visuals have really matured a lot from the first Stan Lee / Steve Ditko comics -- especially with the landmark "Spider-Man No More" issue.

Personally, I like John Romita's art better than Ditko's. This is the first Masterworks volume to contain all Romita art and finds the artist carving out his own style (Romita has said that initially he tried to copy Ditko's style as closely as possible so the changeup wouldn't seem so drastic). While some of the issues contained are not as memorable as others, by the end Stan Lee and John Romita are swinging for the bleachers. Recommended! ( )

The second volume of Marvel's collected Spider-Man books, this one introducing the Green Goblin, Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio and the Scorpion. Spider-Man was the cream of the early Marvel crop, combining excellent artwork, memorable characters and villains, and the light touch of humor and irony that the other Marvel comics were all too lacking in. ( )

It took Steve Ditko 2 years to peak as Spider-Man's artist. John Romita seems to hit a peak immediately. Put simply these classic issues offer Marvel Age perfection. Where do I start? Mary Jane Watson's onscreen debut in issue 42? The return of long-gone Ditko villains like The Lizard and The Vulture? The return of Jonah's astronaut son as a supervillain (sort of). The debut of The Rhino? The Shocker? Peter Parker's motor cycle? His moving into an apartment with Harry Osborne as he moves out of his unpopular nerd phase and becomes one of the gang? Gwen Stacy's first overt interest in Peter as she feels the competition with MJ? The classic sequence where Peter dumps his Spidey suit in a trash can? Simply perfection, and the standard would continue for some years after this. ( )

This is actually the variant edition of Marvel Masterworks, volume 22 (ISBN978-0-7851-1294-5) 2nd printing and is limited to 550 copies, but it has been eroniously listed as volume 1 and attributed volume 1's cover. ( )