THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 32 (1966)

At one time I owned a couple of Ditko interior ASM pages, one from # 27 and the other from # 37, but in moments of sheer madness and/or gross stupidity let them both go. I've spent years regretting their departure from my collection and seeing the way prices for Ditko Spidey pages have skyrocketed in the marketplace over the years always thought my chances of ever owning a replacement page lay somewhere between Bob Hope and No Hope.

Several weeks ago (at this time of writing) one of the members of CGC Forums, Mike Kenyon, posted a report with accompanying pictures of his visit to the Los Angeles Comic Art Show, Sunday November 10, 2019. One of the photographs Mike posted was of Ditko's ASM # 32 splash being offered for sale. The asking price was surprisingly do-able for me. I messaged Mike for further information and he was happy to reveal that Bechara Maalouf was the seller and, despite being tempted into buying it for himself, very kindly offered warm words of encouragement that I should pursue it.

I reached out to Bechara who quickly responded to my enquiry and a purchase was subsequently agreed upon. Once monies had been received, Bechara speedily got the art out to me from the USA to the UK (a two-day delivery window - the quickest time I've ever received an art package from America!). Bechara was a true professional to do business with and I'm very appreciative of his high standards.

Content-wise, the ASM # 32 splash is undoubtedly at or near the bottom of desirable examples to own, and I'm not kidding myself on that score, but I couldn't care less or be any happier as I think it's a perfect lead-in to the big reveal (on page two of the story) of Doctor Octopus being the mysterious Master Planner. You get a nice establishing shot of the underwater base with the Doc's disembodied voice that will very soon provide the big reveal you'd been waiting a month for. Interestingly, Doc Ock only appears in this second part of the three-issue storyline . . . one of the best (if not THE best) from the ASM run, with # 33 featuring that much-loved and well-remembered sequence of Spidey overcoming all odds to free himself from the colossal weight of machinery pinning him down.

A lot of Ditko's Spidey splashes were symbolic drawings of the story that would only really begin on page two of that month's issue, but eleven issues from Ditko's run featured splashes that were part of the sequential storytelling process . . . and this is one of them.

To the best of my knowledge, less than twenty Ditko ASM splashes have ever made it to (known) public sale, so I feel absolutely thrilled and priveleged to join that small group of owners. Thanks again, Bechara and Mike!

Oh, and Ditko draws great secret underwater bases and fish . . . ;)