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Amazing Adult Fantasy, retitled Amazing Fantasy in its final issue, is an American comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics from 1961 through 1962, with the latter title revived with superhero features in 1995 and in the 2000s. The final 1960s issue, Amazing Fantasy #15 ( Aug. 1962), introduced the popular Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. Amazing Adult Fantasy premiered with issue #7, taking over the numbering from Amazing Adventures.
Lee in 2009 described these "short, five-page filler strips that Steve and I did together", originally "placed in any of our comics that had a few extra pages to fill", as "odd fantasy tales that I'd dream up with O. Henry-type twist endings". Giving an early example of what would later be known as the "Marvel Method" of writer-artist collaboration, Lee said: "All I had to do was give Steve a one-line description of the plot and he'd be off and running. He'd take those skeleton outlines I had given him and turn them into classic little works of art that ended up being far cooler than I had any right to expect".Stan Lee, "Introduction", in Yoe Craig, The Art of Ditko (IDW Publishing, January 2010), , , p. 9
With issue #15 (Aug. 1962) Amazing Adult Fantasy was retitled Amazing Fantasy. Amazing Fantasy (Marvel, 1962 series) at the Grand Comics Database. "The decision to cancel the series had not been made when it went to print, since it is announced that future issues will include a Spider-Man feature". This issue's lead feature introduced the superhero Spider-Man, written by Lee and drawn by Ditko, although Lee rejected Ditko's cover art and commissioned Jack Kirby to pencil a cover that Ditko inked. As Lee explained in 2010: "I think I had Jack sketch out a cover for it because I always had a lot of confidence in Jack's covers". In numerous interviews Lee has recalled how the title had been slated for cancellation, and so with nothing to lose, publisher Martin Goodman reluctantly agreed to allow him to introduce Spider-Man, a new kind of superhero – one who would be a teenager, but not a sidekick, and one who would have everyman doubts, neuroses and money problems. However, while this was indeed the final issue, its editorial page anticipated the comic continuing and that "the Spiderman sic ... will appear every month in Amazing"."Important Announcement from the Editor!", Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962), reprinted at (2025). 9780785124580, Marvel Publishing. ISBN 9780785124580
Regardless, sales for Amazing Fantasy #15 proved to be one of Marvel's highest at the time,Daniels, p. 970 so the company launched the series The Amazing Spider-Man seven months later. The Amazing Spider-Man at the Grand Comics Database
The DVD release of the collector's edition of the Spider-Man film included a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15. In 2001, Marvel published the 10-issue historical overview The 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time, with Amazing Fantasy #15 topping the list.
In 2008, an anonymous donor gave the original 24 pages of Ditko art for Amazing Fantasy #15 to the Library of Congress, which included Spider-Man's debut and the stories "The Bell-Ringer", "Man in the Mummy Case", and "There Are Martians Among Us".
The first arc ran through (vol. 2) #1–6 and featured a new teenaged heroine, Anya Corazon. The second arc, in (vol. 2) #7–12, published after a short hiatus, featured a revamped, female version of the supervillain the Mac Gargan. A back-up feature in (vol. 2) #10–12 (Sept.-Nov. 2005) starred the character Nina Price, the Vampire by Night, and (vol. 2) #13–14 (both Dec. 2005) led with the modern-West feature "Vegas", backed up by "Captain Universe". In an attempt to replicate history, Marvel announced that the new issue #15 would introduce a new generation of heroes in a 48-page standalone issue. These heroes included Amadeus Cho, Blackjack, the Great Video, Monstro, the Heartbreak Kid, and Positron. The cover to #15 was a revamped version of the original Amazing Fantasy #15 cover, complete with Spider-Man swinging through a modern-day New York City, while the new heroes watch in awe in the background.
The final arc, in (vol. 2) #16–20 (Feb.-June 2006), introduced Death's Head 3.0, a revamp of the Marvel UK character, written by the original version's creator, Simon Furman. Issues #18–19 contain two "Tales of the New Universe" stories as backup features, while #20 featured a Western backup, "Steamrider".
| + !Title !Material collected !Published date !ISBN | |||
| Amazing Fantasy Marvel Omnibus | Amazing Adventures #1–6, Amazing Adult Fantasy #7–14, Amazing Fantasy #15 | July 2020 | |
| Untold Tales of Spider-Man Omnibus | Amazing Fantasy #16-18, Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1-25, -1, Annual 1996-1997, Strange Encounter and material from Amazing Spider-Man Annual #37 | May 2021 | |
| Untold Tales of Spider-Man: The Complete Collection Vol 1 | Amazing Fantasy #16-18, Untold Tales of Spider-Man #1-14 | November 2021 |
| + !Title !Material collected !Published date !ISBN | |||
| Arana Volume 1: Heart Of The Spider | Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #1-6 | January 2005 | |
| Arana: Here Comes the Spider-Girl | Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #1-6, Arana #1-6 | October 2020 | |
| Scorpion: Poison Tomorrow | Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #7-12 | November 2005 | |
| Captain Universe: Universal Heroes | Material from Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #13-14 and Captain Universe: Daredevil, Incredible Hulk, Invisible Woman, Silver Surfer, X-23 | February 2006 | |
| Amadeus Cho: Genius At Work | Material from Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #15, Incredible Hulk (vol. 2) #100, Incredible Hercules #126,133,135,137 | April 2016 | N/A |
| Death's Head 3.0: Unnatural Selection | Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #16-20 | August 2006 |
| + !Title !Material collected !Published date !ISBN | |||
| Amazing Fantasy | Amazing Fantasy (vol. 3) #1-5 | April 2022 |
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