Issue Description

Part I - The Terrible Threat of the Living Brain

The issue opens in Peter Parker's science class. The teacher wheels in a green , "creepy-lookin'" robot that's inactive. Peter appreciates the robot with his intelligence, but his classmates mock him for it. Flash Thompson hits him scornfully in the back of the head, and Peter's glasses fall and break. They exchange angry words, but Liz Allan breaks up the soon-to-be fight. Flash tells Peter to meet him after class-not knowing that Peter is actually Spider-Man! However, the teacher restores order and addresses the class. He says that I.C.M (International Computing Machines Corporation) has created a great electronic machine, and a representative of I.C.M. will show them the machine. The man explains the machine--it's an android--the Living Brain. It can move like a person, and it has a mechanical brain that can think. It can contain more knowledge than any other brain, and it never forgets. He asks Peter up and asks him to feed the Living Brain a question that the class will come up with. Meanwhile, two crooks are watching, and they discuss how much money they could make with the Brain.

The question the class asks is, "What is Spider-Man's secret identity?" They feed information about Spider-Man into the Living Brain, and the Brain decodes it. Peter is very nervous: what if the Brain actually figured out that he was Spider-Man? But he got a big relief, all that came out was mathematical symbols. The scientist asked him to decode it tonight, and he said he would. This was good--it would give him time to think of something. Flash tries to take it, though, and the conflict escalates between them. They decide to settle it in a boxing match in the gym, and Flash is cocky beforehand. Peter has a problem--his punches at full strength as Spider Man could kill Flash! The crowd of kids there all thing he'll win--after all, Flash is the class he-man jock and Peter is the class nerd. When the fight starts, Peter uses his spider-sense and reflexes to easily dodge Flash's blows. But he dodges so fast that it looks like he's staying out of reach. Finally, he hits Flash with his weakest blow. It's so hard that Flash is knocked through the ropes. Meanwhile, the two crooks use the distraction of the fight to sneak in and try to steal the Living Brain. While they take it, the scientist/representative for I.C.M. walks in, notices, and tries to stop them. They knock him unconscious, but one of them accidentally hits the control panel on the Living Brain. That short-circuits it, and it goes insane. It's arms swing wildly and it goes on a rampage--it can't be controlled. It heads toward the gym, where Peter and Flash are fighting. The Brain's scientist bursts in and Flash turns his head instinctively, at the exact second Peter hits him. It looks like a foul, so Peter carries him to the locker room, changes into Spider Man, and investigates upstairs with the Brain. The android is on a rampage, like a "huge, invulnerable engine of destruction." Spider-Man jumps and lands on top of it, but it swats him off. He runs and warns the others, and then comes back and shoots a web block across the hall that blocks the Brain. But the Brain is so smart that it calculates how much pressure to put on the web to break it, and after a few seconds, it rips through the web. Spider-Man runs, but the Brain calculates his speed and goes faster. He escapes and saves more kids, but when he returns, the Brain had set a trap for him. It jumps out of a closet and smashes him on the floor. It thinks he is dead and leaves, but he survived. He goes and tries to sneak up on the Living Brain and hit it's control panel, but it notices him and knocks him away. He bounces around on the walls, but the Brain literally tries to dislodge the walls and use a door as a fly-swatter to kill Spider-Man. Nothing works. He tries to stick to the ceiling, but it dislodges him. The Brain goes after some kids, so Spider-Man jumps on him and manages to turn him off-as the Brain (and him) almost fall out the window and get crushed. He saves himself with web, and knocks out the criminals. Flash runs in as Spidey escapes and changes into Parker and everyone thinks he stopped them. Peter uses the opportunity to say Flash is Spider-Man, and throws the paper out, walking home happily.

Part II - Spider-Man Tackles The Torch

Human Torch, as Johnny Storm, is throwing a party. Girls are there and they love him. He starts showing off in flame form, while Spider-Man makes a bat out of web from outside, he plans to crash Johnny's party. As Storm entertains his guests, Spidey launches the bat in. Everyone is terrified, and Johnny gets tangled in web trying to stop it. Then Spidey crashes in. Human Torch gets angry and flames on!

The Amazing Spider-Man (1963)

Publisher

Marvel

Volume Description

After the success of Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962) a few months later the same creative team came back to start an ongoing series focusing on the character the two of them created.

The book's run continued until issue number 441 (Nov. 1998) when Marvel relaunched the title as Amazing Spider-Man Volume 2 with a new number 1 in January 1999. After issue #30 (#471) Marvel used a dual numbering system, yet the indicia still stated The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2. On the title's 40th anniversary the numbering was reverted to go from issue 58 to issue 500 (Dec. 2003) as The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1.

This volume ends with #700 and is picked up by the Marvel Now! revolution volume Superior Spider-Man.

Collected EditionsMarvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 (#1-10)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 (#11-19)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3 (#20-30)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 4 (#31-40)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 5 (#41-50)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 6 (#51-61)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 7 (#62-67)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 8 (#68-77)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 9 (#78-87)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 10 (#88-99)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 11 (#100-109)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 12 (#110-120)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 13 (#121-131)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 14 (#132-142)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 15 (#143-155)Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 16 (#156-168 and Annual #10)Spider-Man vs. Black Cat (#194-195, 204-205, 226-227.)Spider-Man: Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut (#224-230)Birth of Venom (#252-259, #298-300)The Amazing Spider-Man: The Complete Alien Costume Saga Book 1 (#252-258)The Amazing Spider-Man: The Complete Alien Costume Saga Book 2 (#259-263)Kraven's Last Hunt (#293-294)The Amazing Spider-Man: Life in the Mad Dog Ward (#295)Amazing Spider-Man by David Michelinie & Todd McFarlane (#296-329)Sinister Six (#334-339)Powerless (#341-343)Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Round Robin (#351-360)Round Robin (#353-358)Maximum Carnage (#378-380)

Collection of sequentially numbered trades, Amazing Spider-Man.

Spider-Man: Mark of the Tarantula (#231-237)Coming Home (#471-476)Revelations (#477-480)Until the Stars Turn Cold (#481-486)Life and Death of Spiders (#487-491)Unintended Consequences (#492-497)Happy Birthday (#498-502)The Book of Ezekiel (#503-508)Sins Past (#509-514)Skin Deep (#515-518)New Avengers (#519-524)

Individual trades with their own volumes because of sub-titles.

The Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Great Power (#1-17)Punisher vs. the Marvel Universe (#161-162)The Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Ghosts of the Past (#259-272)The Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Return of the Sinister Six (#334-350)Spider-Man: The Gathering of Five (#440-441)The Other (#525-528)The Road to Civil War (#529-531)Civil War (#532-538)Back in Black (#539-543)One More Day (#544-545)Brand New Day Vol 1 (#546-551)Brand New Day Vol 2 (#552-558)Brand New Day Vol 3 (#559-564)Kraven's First Hunt (#565-567)New Ways to Die (#568-573)Crime and Punisher (#574-577)Death and Dating (#578-583)Election Day (#584-588)24/7 (#589-594)American Son (#595-599)Died in Your Arms Tonight (#600-601)Red-Headed Stranger (#602-605)Return of The Black Cat (#606-611)The Gauntlet, Vol 1 (#612-616)The Gauntlet, Vol 2 (#617-621)The Gauntlet, Vol 3 (#622-625)The Gauntlet, Vol 4 (#626-629)The Gauntlet, Vol 5 (#630-633)The Grim Hunt (#634-637)One Moment in Time (#638-641)Origin of the Species (#642-647)Big Time (#648-651)Matters of Life and Death (#652-657)The Fantastic Spider-Man (#658-662)Big Time Ultimate Collection (#648-662)The Return of Anti-Venom (#663-665)Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time - The Complete Collection vol. 2 (#663-676)Spider-Island (#666-673)Flying Blind (#674-677)Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time - The Complete Collection vol. 3 (#677-687 and 679.1)Trouble on the Horizon (#678-681, #679.1)Ends of the Earth (#682-687)No Turning Back (#688-691)Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time - The Complete Collection vol. 4 (#688-697)Danger Zone (#692-697)Dying Wish (#698-700)Amazing Spider-Man: Peter Parker The One And Only (#700.1-700.5)

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