IDW proudly presents GIL KANE’S THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: ARTIST’S EDITION, collecting issues 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102 and 121. Eight incredible Spider-Man stories, including some of the very best comics the wall-crawler, has ever appeared in: the infamous non-comics code approved LSD drug issues, the “six-arm” Spider-Man storyline that also introduced Morbius for the very first time, and the classic of classics—The Night Gwen Stacy Died!
Nearly every page has been scanned from the original art at the same size Gil Kane drew it, and in colour (to ensure the best possible reproduction). This Artist’s Edition measures 12 x 17 inches and is an extra-long 216 pages. Each book is shipped in a custom cardboard box for maximum protection.
- IDW Publishing, January 9, 2013
- ISBN: 978-161377-525-7
- 12″ x 17″, 216 pages
- $125 USD
- Order Online: Amazon, eBay, AbeBooks, AE Index Store
As with all AE format material (Artist’s Editions, Artifact Editions, Gallery Editions, Art Editions, Studio Editions, etc.), this is a collection of classic comic material and I’ll be reviewing the book and not the story. For a complete list of all current and announced editions, with review links, please visit our Index. Also, see What is an Artist’s Edition and our Artist Index. This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
It ties with a few other IDW Artist’s Editions as most pages with 216. Of those twelve are not from original art, and oddly those pages just say “This page was not scanned from the original art” whereas they usually say “one of twelve pages not scanned from the original art”.
All scans are clear, with no blurriness or pixelation. Pages seem to have aged at the same rate, with a yellow to light tan discoloration. Blacks are solid with no gradients; no difference between the Romita or Giacoia inks.
A fantastic design by Dahlk. The blue-grey is so powerful when combined with the silhouettes. And changing the lin colour of parts of Spider-Man to red; inspired. Here are Dahlk’s thoughts.
My approach to the design of this book, was to again, be influenced by the time period that the stories originally appeared. It’s kind of a balancing act when designing, I want to pay homage, but also give it a contemporary twist. I used red and blue in the design, based on the colors of Spider-Man’s costume. But, I tweaked the colors, and made them neutral value to give the appearance of being more sophisticated. I also added a cream color, which mimics the art-board color and adds a melding presence to the other two colors. I hope there is a richness that enhances the whole book through these colors.
Production is top notch the whole way. Sewn binding of thick matte paper stock. Unfortunately with this many pages the binding is a little tight and few pages lay flat. The book comes shrinkwrapped in a cardboard case with a small black and white sticker showing cover image and UPC.
