Author Description

The words "Amazing Fantasy" have long been synonymous with Spider-Man, the icon of all comic icons that premiered in the very last issue of this cult classic series. But it would be a grave mistake to say that the debut of Spider-Man, as auspicious and important as that moment may be, is all there is to write about concerning this wonderfully odd little series that served to bridge a gap between two definitive eras of Marvel! The Post-Implosion monster comics, though still bristling with fun and frenetic stories, were winding down in popularity, and years of being adrift to the vagaries of the comics marketplace were taking its toll on the company Stan Lee had guided through good times and bad. By the time the first stories for "Amazing Adventures" were being written and drawn, the new breed of of super-hero adventure comics launched with Fantastic Four #1 were still months away from developing. But in that time, Stan and his ace stable of artists--Jack Kirby with Dick Ayers on inks, and Steve Ditko--turned out some interesting and innovative stories, featuring the classic monsters Sserpo, Monsteroso, and Torr, among others, all in longform (for the first time) thirteen page feature stories. Further, a proto-hero Dr. Doom, made his premiere in these pages months before FF #1 saw print. This master magician would later graduate from his humble beginnings in these oddball stories to a lead role in the Marvel Universe's stable of mystic artists like Dr. Strange! By the time FF #1 premiered in the late summer of 1961, "Amazing Adventures" was given the first of its two makeovers. Perhaps trying to solicit purchases from a mature demographic, the series changed its title to "Amazing Adult Fantasy" and illustration of the entire series was handed over to Steve Ditko. With this quirky new title in place, and a funky tagline to encourage people of taste to give it a look ("The Magazine That Respects Your Intelligence"), "Amazing Adult Fantasy" was a mainline into Ditko's id