Issue(s): Amazing Spider-Man #8 (second story only)
Cover Date: Jan 64
Title: "Spider-Man Tackles the Torch!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
Jack Kirby - Penciler
Steve Ditko - Inker

Review/plot:
This is the back-up story from Amazing Spider-Man #8. See the Considerations section for why it's been placed so far away from its publication time. This story is extra interesting due to the fact that it's drawn by Jack Kirby, probably due to the Fantastic Four appearance.

Spider-Man crashes a party at the Human Torch's gf Doris Evans' house, to show Doris "what she's missing by not dating Spider-Man".

None of the kids like Spidey, and he basically acts like a real jerk. He ends up fighting with the Torch and the Torch more or less kicks his ass.

Then the rest of the FF show up.

Spider-Man always does a little better fighting a group of people instead of an individual opponent...

...but the Invisible Girl breaks up the fight and hits on Spidey a little. He bugs out, but leaves Sue a little heart made of webbing, which seems to make an impression on her.

Spider-Man comes off a bit of a heel in this story, so it really would have worked better during the time period when it was published. One thing that's consistent is that the poor guy still isn't very comfortable around girls, which causes him to act stupid.

It's cool seeing Kirby draw Spider-Man for an entire story, but Ditko's inks keep things relatively consistent.

Quality Rating: C+

Historical Significance Rating: 7 - Formative Spider-Man story. First (published) Spidey/Torch battle.

Chronological Placement Considerations: Both the MCP and the chronology chart in Untold Tales of Spider-Man '96 place this second story way later than publication time: between Amazing Spider-Man #21-22 and Fantastic Four #34-35. Both are following George Olshelvsky's Official Marvel Index to the Amazing Spider-Man, who notes that when Peter Parker meets Doris Evans in ASM #21, it's seemingly for the first time. So thanks to Stan's bad memory when writing Amazing Spider-Man #21, this story has to get pushed way forward in time.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Tales #145

This story was reprinted with altered dialogue in Crazy magazine #82.

I have a very strong suspicion that this story was created for FF Annual 1, then rejected by Stan in favour of the revised version that appeared in the Annual. This story would then have been inventory, and we know that Marty Goodman hated carrying inventory. So Stan dusted off the story to use up in ASM 8. That would also explain why Spider-Man's acting like an idiot in this story. I can't imagine what Ditko felt as he inked this, given that it really showed "his" character in a poor light ...

How does Johnny afford a car like that? The FF isn't a for-profit company, and he doesn't have another job.

I used the same placement for the same reasons on my reading list.

I think this works in its chronological placement, too: Spidey has some reasons, albeit stupid teenage ones, for wanting to get back at the Torch after ASM #21, and he's basically using his poorly thought out "hit on Dorrie as Spidey" plan that the Beetle interrupted last time he tried it.