IDW Publishing; $49.99

The Amazing Spider-Man newspaper strip might not be on a par with Secret Agent Corrigan by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson, Rip Kirby by Alex Raymond (or John Prentice), or Steve Canyon by Milton Caniff, but neither should it be dismissed out of hand. Over the course of the series it’s had some very good stories. Beyond that, since it started its run in 1977 and continues through today, its lengthy tenure alone suggests that it’s worth a look. It’s also a safe bet that The Library of American Comics will give anything it does it a superb presentation, so no surprise, that’s what happened in the third volume of this series.

The Amazing Spider-Man: The Ultimate Newspaper Comics Collection, Volume 3: 1981–1982 is notable for a number of things, not least of which is the teaming of Stan Lee and younger brother and fellow Marvel veteran Larry Lieber for the first time on the strip. Lieber had worked with Stan on The Incredible Hulk newspaper strip and would go on to a much longer stint on Spidey (continuing through the Spidey dailies of today). Also featured is the subsequent team-up of Stan and artist Fred Kida, who delivered solid work on the strip.

Doctor Octopus and Doctor Doom (Spidey’s first newspaper foe) are the showcase villains in this volume, one that’s packed with very enjoyable reading.

–J.C. Vaughn