Synopses & Reviews
THE LIFE AND TIMES
OF A POP CULTURE PHENOMENON
From his modest 1962 debut in Amazing Fantasy #15, Peter Parker — better known to readers as the web-spinning Spider-Man — has evolved from underdog to international icon. Along the way hes thrilled entire generations through the comics, cartoons, movies, and tons of spectacular toys.
Spider-Man: The Icon traces that unlikely evolution. A lavishly illustrated chronicle, it charts the wall-crawlers career from counter-culture figure to motion picture superstar, visually portraying every aspect of the web-spinning phenomenon. This deluxe celebration of the ultimate super hero includes insights from key comic book writers and artists, photos of rare, vintage collectibles, and a vast array of scintillating imagery from the comics, cartoons, television series, and movies.
In doing so, it also traces the history of popular culture over the last five decades. Renowned Spider-Man expert Steve Saffel combines a wealth of arcane knowledge and incredibly rare archival material to create the essential book for every Spider-fan!
About the Author
STEVE SAFFEL
While on staff at Marvel Entertainment, Steve Saffel developed behind-the-scenes magazines that revealed the secrets of the comics and introduced readers to the worlds of film, animation, toys, video games, and much more. He also spearheaded Marvels promotional efforts in the comic book specialty market.
His career as a professional editor has included tie-ins with the first two Spider-Man movies, and allowed him to work with many astonishingly talented people, including fantasists David Gemmell and Greg Keyes, authors Greg Bear, Eric Nylund and Peter David, science fiction legend Robert Silverberg, Star Wars icon Steve Sansweet, thriller writer John Birmingham, actress Amber Benson, and pop culture maven Mark Cotta Vaz.
Currently hes a writer, an editorial and marketing consultant, and a multi-platform project developer. He's also a long-standing Spidey fan, and many of the rarer items of memorabilia showcased in Spider-Man: The Icon come from his personal collection.
Coincidentally, he lives in Spider-Mans hometown of Forest Hills.