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J. Michael Straczynski
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Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1: Coming Home Paperback – December 1, 2001

by J. Michael Straczynski (Author), John Romita Jr. (Illustrator), Scott Hanna (Illustrator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 160 ratings
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Shortly after starting to teach science in a public high school, Peter meets spider-powered Ezekial, who has come to warn him that an immortal hunter named Morlun is after Spider-Man, and if they should meet, Spider-Man will surely die.
Previous page
  1. Part of Series
    Amazing Spider-Man (1999-2013)
  2. Print length
    152 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Marvel Comics
  5. Publication date
    December 1, 2001
  6. Grade level
    4 - 6
  7. Dimensions
    6.5 x 0.25 x 9.75 inches
  8. ISBN-10
    0785108068
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0785108061
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Marvel Comics; 2nd Printing edition (December 1, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 152 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0785108068
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0785108061
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 4 - 6
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 0.25 x 9.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 160 ratings

About the author

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J. Michael Straczynski

J. Michael Straczynski

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J. Michael Staczynski was born in Paterson, NJ in 1954, from a lower-middle-class blue-collar family that moved 21 times in his first 18 years. He began writing in earnest and selling at the age of 17 and hasn't stopped since. He graduated San Diego State University with degrees in Psychology and Sociology.

As a journalist, he has written over 500 published articles for such periodicals as The Los Anglees Times, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Writer's Digest, San Diego Magazine, the San Diego and Los Angeles Reader and TIME, Inc. He has also published numerous short stories in Amazing Science Fiction Magazine, Pulphouse, and various anthologies.

As a television writer and producer, he has written over 300 produced episodes, including work on The New Twilight Zone and Murder She Wrote. He also wrote, created and produced the series Babylon 5, Crusade, Jeremiah and most recently, Sense8 for Netflix.

Moving from TV to film, he wrote Changeling (directed by Clint Eastwood), Ninja Assassin (produced by the Wachowskis), provided the story for Thor (directed by Kenneth Branagh), wrote Underworld 4 (starring Kate Beckinsale), and has written numerous other films that are currently slated for production.

He has won the Hugo Award (twice), the Saturn Award, the Eisner Award, the Inkpot Lifetime Achievement Award, the E Pluribus Unum Award from the American Cinema Foundation, the Space Frontier Foundation award, the Ray Bradbury Award, the Christopher Award, and over a dozen others.

He was also nominated for a British Academy Award (BAFTA) for his screenplay for Changeling.

He writes ten hours a day, every day, and he likes it a lot.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
160 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Cai Yixin Jeremy
5.0 out of 5 stars The Amazing Spiderman Vol. 2 #30-35 by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr.
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2011
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Through the long-running and storied history of the Marvel Universe, the highly recognized and sometimes misunderstood mythos of our friendly neighborhood superhero, Spider-man, has been the basis of many story plots, ranging from the clone saga to the more recent Spider-man movies. So for Straczynski to create a satisfying and entertaining story walking through that beaten, treaded path is a feat not to be underestimated.

He didn't just bring back accounts of Spider-man's mythos (or past for that matter) but he went one step further by challenging the assumptions many, including probably even past creators of the book, have taken for granted. Technical aspects of the radioactive spider who bit Peter gets expounded in a great way, with Straczynski putting forth a bold and audacious dialogue between Peter and Ezekiel, the new guy in the block who just so happens to possess the same powers as Spider-man's.

The ideas are pretty complex, even with the light and playful atmosphere displayed at times, but they were handled with such concise and yet flavorful stylishness that it seems Straczynski has been doing this for years and not mere weeks. There is no question as to the veteran scribe's knowledge being lavished upon most of the more critical dialogue scenes. How can one not be intrigued with an idea implying that the Spider could be passing on his powers to Peter before dying to the radiation rather than the radiation itself being the source?

If that somehow influences public perception to see this book as overly technical and thus boringly tedious, think again. Straczynski applied a soft touch, perhaps as a much-needed balance to the information-laden sections, to the more kinetic action scenes as well. Could anyone else have done as well as having a lady, taken hostage, scream at the sight of the often shocking and extraordinary Spider-man? Could such delicate inferences be made at the rate of three pages each?

But it seems Straczynski never had a problem achieving such quality in his pants-on-fire writing, where the reader can no doubt see the hungry passion overflowing from every page of this trade paperback. The Babylon-5 creator pours so much effort into the first arc of his run as if he would be losing the book right after. Just bask at the absolute brilliance of the few but oh so poignant and delicately done Aunt May scenes, and understand just how much of a good first story (and Spider-man story) this is.

That is without the shocking conclusion taken into account even. That is how smooth, warm, smart and hard-hitting, the writing in here feels, like a roller-coaster ride that will surely climax into a mind-numbing peak.
7 people found this helpful
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Ladyethyme
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2023
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Incredibly well packed, item is in pristine condition, and I am very happy
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Peter Alcaraz
4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2014
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This is my first Spider man comic and it was a good first experience and good first spider man read I would recommend
3 people found this helpful
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Owen Myatt
5.0 out of 5 stars J. Michael Straczynski: One of the Best ASM Writers of All Time
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2018
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J. Michael Stracynzski might just be one of the best writers to grace the ASM series. The only two storylines I really didn’t care for from him were butchered by executive meddling(Sins Past and One More Day). Thankfully, this volume takes place quite some time before either of those events, and its sets up his overarching stories with Peter Parker perfectly, from his bittersweet attempts to reconcile with MJ, to his time as a school teacher, to the Spider-Totem antics, to even—well, I’ll have to leave that one unspoiled. I implore any Spider-Man enthusiast to read this and more of Straczynski’s run.
6 people found this helpful
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Avid Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Outside the box
Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2021
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Very good story with original thinking. Action, excitement, adventure all rolled into one. Highly recommended for all the spidey fans out there.
One person found this helpful
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Jedi Dropout
5.0 out of 5 stars Mind Blowing
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2018
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This is Spider-Man at his best, maybe not prime or nostalgic Spider-Man but certainly his best. A new twist on his origin story, an unstoppable villain that can only be defeated by Spidey's brain, a twist ending and a million other things going on. This is a must read for any Spidey Fan!!!
10 people found this helpful
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KnightOfHumility
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2016
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I really enjoyed this volume from the beginning to the end. Sometimes when I read comic volumes I can get a little bored of the story towards the end but that didn't happen with this book that's why I gave it 5 stars. The art was great the villain is admittedly forgettable however J. Michael Straczynski nailed it when writing Peter Parker. Overall it is 100% worth the money I paid.
4 people found this helpful
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David Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Story If You Don't Mind All the Lapses in Logic (spoilers)
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2019
This is hailed as one of the best Spider-Man stories since Fearful Symmetry. It's quite apt if only because a lot of 90s Spider-Man was absolute dross.

We get an exciting new character in Ezekiel who makes perhaps the best entrance of any character EVER. Spidey goes on a mindless rampage against an empty building! Marvelous! We get a nice look at NYC; this is as much a "Spidey as the guardian of NYC"-story as there's ever been. The insight to his powers (and the supposed relationship between Spidey and foes like the Lizard, Rhino, Vulture, etc) is pretty cool. On the overall atmosphere of this story its a great one. And the humour is on point.

If Disney is wondering about stories to adapt for films this is one they should be looking at.
Things I DIDN'T LIKE:
1) Peter Should Be DEAD Halfway Through. It's well established that he's strong, but not THAT strong and he's not invulnerable. "I've been fighting him for 12 hours" That's just impossible giving the damage hes sustained. Doesn't even go to the hospital or the Night Nurse or anything by the end.

2) Apparently, He's The Only Superhero in NYC: The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, The X-Men, even Daredevil --- they're absolutely NOWHERE TO BE FOUND during all the mayhem Morlun is causing. Doctor Strange should be able to notice Morlun the INSTANT he enters the city. But he's MIA as well. There's not even any COPS who try to take him on! No Swat Team, No Code Blue, No Hulkbusters, NO NOTHING. It's thoroughly unbelievable.

3) Ezekiel Sims is this fantastically wealthy guy with an (unnamed ) multi-national company and a huge skyscraper in Manhattan and...PETER HAS NEVER HEARD OF HIM. This is a guy who, even if he likes keeping a low profile, would at least occasionally be on the front pages of the Daily Bugle and in Time, Forbes, Wall St Journal, etc. This was really hard to buy.
4) Fight scenes are great -- the overall art is, only JRJR can do brutality like this justic -- but Spider-man would NEVER spend so much time hitting Morlun with his bare fists after seeing that it does nothing. Going back to my first point, his knuckles would be reduced to jelly. The Hulk, The Juggernaut...he never spends a ton of time going toe to toe with superior beings.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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wilf.nelson
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good villain and a strong arc for Peter to meet not only an equal but also a monster he can't defeat as he is
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2014
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I read this because I wanted to get to the conversation between May and Peter in volume 2, i was reading this as a filler to make sure I understood the background. i was not disappointed, it is the first occurrence of Morlun who is a near deity like creature who feeds on people but can only survive so long before he needs to devour a totem, someone like the spiderman who represents a pure creature. The story looks at Parker trying to live his life after Mary Jane has left him so he becomes a teacher at a school. During this we also meet Ekeziel (I think I spelled that right), a man with powers surprising like Spider Man but in a far more affluent position. The two show the dichotomy of power for money or power for being a hero.

Morlun on the other hand is an incredibly powerful villain and comes across like a terrifying monster that destroys everything he touches. The solution, as is always best with Spider-Man comics, is routed in sciences not sheer power and looks very much at the nature of what Peter is now versus how everyone sees him.

This is very good, I've tried to avoid spoiler as best as I can
2 people found this helpful
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anko
5.0 out of 5 stars 読み応えあります
Reviewed in Japan on November 25, 2013
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内容が濃く、読み応えがあります。
ゆっくり、じっくり、繰り返しながら読んでいきます。
One person found this helpful
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Mr. D. Ryan
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 23, 2007
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The title is The AMAZING spider-man and thats exactly what this story is AMAZING. I read this book the day it arrived I would not move from the sofa until I finished what I had started. The plot is unexpectable just when you think spider-man had it tough and couldn't have it any tougher somehow a mystery villian sees to it that spiderman meets a challenge. I am a huge fan of manga and storied with a bit of a gothic side to them however it's nice to pick up a colour full graphic novel like this one from time to time.

The story is very dark and sad at times however it does contain great art work and humour this is a must for spiderman fans and fans of graphic novels.

The ending will shock you I can promise you that.
2 people found this helpful
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Jordan
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 17, 2016
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Great read
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Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
Such a boring story, with uninteresting Characters.
Not to mention the abismal art by John Romita Junior, it
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