Amazing Fantasy #15 may be the greatest comic ever created. By which of course I DON’T mean THIS Amazing Fantasy #15. I mean the first one.
Issue #15 of this reboot of the Amazing Fantasy title is probably the whole reason they started this reboot in the first place. So far, this title has been largely underwhelming, creating yet-another female Spider-Man type character, a new Scorpion, and a dude named Vegas who we’ve all already forgotten. For this “big celebration” issue, we get fifty pages and seven stories of varying quality—but mostly pretty good. I am guessing that the idea here was to introduce a TON of new characters and hope that at least one had the sticking power of Spider-Man (pun intended), who was introduced in the first Amazing Fantasy #15.
#1: Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa try once again to make a Marvel book influenced by Manga. It’s not a great story, but it does introduce a great character: Amadeus Cho, a boy genius who uses applied sciences (physics, geometry, etc.) to evade capture from…SHIELD? I think it’s SHIELD.
He befriends Hulk in this story, foreshadowing Greg Pak’s wonderful run on Incredible Hulk.
Grade: B.
The even-numbered stories are series of short vignettes by Dan Slott and Peter Woods that introduce a new organization called G.R.A.M.P.A.—Global Reaction Agency for Mysterious Paranormal Activity—and its strike team Blackjack.
It’s a two person team, Ace and One-Eyed Jacquie, and they fight vampires and Terminus(!), among others. It’s basically a bunch of action-heavy freak-of-the-week stories. Believe it or not, Ace and Jacquie do appear in a few more stories after this issue.
Nothing bad here but each story is self-contained and lasts under 5 pages. Extra points for the title of story #2: “Heavy on Action, Light on Plot.”
Grade: C+
Stories #3 and 9 introduce new characters who are never seen again. ‘Nuff said there. Nothing bad, nothing that matters. Grade: C
Story #5, Monstro, by Robert Kirkman and Khary Randolph introduces the title character, an big, heroic firefighter. He’ll be back—and will later join Damage Control.
Grade: C+
We’re up to the SEVENTH story now in just a 50-page comic. And it’s finally about Spider-Man…
This is the best story in the book. It’s an origin retelling, but instead of focusing on plotpoints and action (the way Stan Lee writes) it focuses on feelings and character (the direction comics were moving in the 2000s). Love, love, love this!
Grade: A-
Wait. Hold on. There’s a closer that might be even better. “I was the that guy in Spider-Man’s armpit” tells the story of the guy Spidey is carrying on the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15. It’s two pages and it’s hilarious.
Dan Slott wrote it (because he’s one of the few guys who writes short comic book stories that are ACTUALLY FUNNY) and Patrick Scherberger drew it.
Grade: Solid A.