Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase To the average comics fan, Amazing Fantasy is best known for featuring the first published appearance of a certain teenager with arachnid tendencies known to his Aunt May as Peter, to the school bully as Puny Parker, and to the rest of the world as The Amazing Spider-Man. To comic book geeks like me, it's also fondly remembered for featuring the first superhero of what became the 1960s Marvel Age of Comics: Doctor Droom, who made his first appearance in June, 1961, shortly before issue #1 of the Fantastic Four changed the face of four-colour comics forever. Doctor Droom is a medical doctor who travels to a remote part of the Himalayas to see an ageing Tibetan mystic who chooses him as his successor, "to continue the never-ending fight against the diabolical forces that exist in the world." If this sounds familiar, it's probably because this origin story is so similar to that of Doctor Strange, created two years later by Steve Ditko. Doctor Droom was created by the great Jack Kirby and inked by Ditko. Ubergeeks should also know that Doctor Droom was later re-named Doctor Druid and went on to become a regular bit-player in the Marvel Universe, even leading the Avengers for a while.While we're on the subject of prefiguring, Amazing Fantasy #14 contains a 5-page Ditko story that introduces all the basic elements of the X-Men mythos. In 'The Man in the Sky' the central character is a mutant college student with telekinetic and telepathic abilities who is branded a freak and attacked by his fellow students. He is telepathically contacted by an older mentor who tells him he is not alone, that there are many mutants in the world, but that "people fear those who are different! And humans try to destroy those whom they fear!" This story was published more than a year before X-Men #1.Almost all the stories in this collection are by either Ditko or Kirby, with Ditko taking over the entire magazine from issue #7. Most of the tales are typical of the sort of thing Marvel was turning out prior to FF #1, i.e. monster stories with titles like 'Sserpo!' and 'Krogg!,' always with an exclamation mark, and tales of the supernatural. The surprising thing is that even after all these years they are still fun to read, quirky, sometimes comic, sometimes downright odd, usually with interesting twists in the tail. And, of course the brilliant artwork of two of comic books' greatest talents. Kirby could make even the craziest creatures look believable, whilst Ditko's stylised figures, bulging eyes and use of shadows ideally suit odder tales such as 'The Teddy Bear' or 'The Ice-Monster Cometh.' Great stuff, with the usual star knocked off because of the unsuitable shiny paper and too-bright colours. Oh, this volume includes the famous final issue featuring the first appearance of the arachnoid hero mentioned above. Price-conscious consumers might like to know that buying the original 15 comics reprinted here would set them back several thousand dollars. Read more ›