AMAZING FANTASY #15 - FACTS VERSUS FICTION...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

It's surprising just how many people still think that SPIDER-

MAN was thrown into AMAZING FANTASY #15 because it was

the last issue, just so that STAN LEE could get the character out of

his system while assuaging MARVEL publisher MARTIN GOOD-

MAN's reservations about the teenage hero by the fact that, hey,

it was the mag's last ish, so what did it matter?

As you can see from the above lower cover caption box (and if

that's not a contradiction-in-terms, then I don't know what is), there

was "An important message to you, from the editor -- about the new

Amazing!"  And just what was this message?  Read it below.

So there you go - AF #15 was never intended to be the last

issue.  It was meant to be the first in a new direction for the mag, so

clearly the decision to cancel it was made after it had been prepared

for (or sent) to the printers, and maybe even after it had gone on sale.

(See the final caption below for further proof.)  When later recounting

Spidey's debut, Stan remembered that it had appeared in the final ish

of AF, joined two and two together - and came up with five.  Which

is not to suggest that he set out to deceive, only that much of his

'reminiscence' belonged more properly to what he thought

had probably happened that what actually did.

Regular readers will be aware that I've covered this subject

before, but this time I decided to include the actual pages to show

that I ain't just whistlin' Dixie.  So, yeah, AF #15 was the last ish,

but that's not why Spider-Man appeared in it.  Excelsior!

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