This volume contains some clunky stories but also some innovations—like an entire issue without a villain or a fight, something very unusual for the time. While most of the other Marvel comics being published at the time followed the model of the superheroes getting respect, even while they continuously destroyed property during their battles (Avengers, Giant-Man, Fantastic Four), Stan Lee was playing with the concept of the hero not being able to catch a break in stories about the Hulk and here in Spider-Man. In each of the solo hero titles (Daredevil, Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor), Lee’s goto complication involved the male hero’s inability to find/express his romantic interest because of the need to keep his identity as a hero a secret. While this had also been done over at DC with Superman for years, you never felt that Clark Kent was frustrated by the problem. For Spider-Man, Lee also got to hang complications on Peter’s frail Aunt May; the problems at school with Flash Thompson, Spider-Man’s biggest fan and Peter’s worst enemy; and the ongoing harassment from J. Jonah Jameson, publisher and media gadfly who hates Spider-Man because he hides his identify from the world. ( )

Classic Marvel! Steve Ditko artwork is amazing. The teenager-as-superhero angle is still fun to dive into all these years later. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko knew they had something special with Spider-man and their enthusiasm shines through. ( )

This second volume of vintage Ditko-era Spider-Man continues the high standard set by the first volume. And better was to come.

In Amazing Spider-Man #11-19 more classic Spidey villains are introduced: Mysterio, Kraven The Hunter, The Scorpion and of course the webslinger's ultimate nemesis The Green Goblin whose identity would be not be revealed for another 2 years.

Add to this the return of Dr Octopus and The Sandman plus a team-up of 6 of Spidey's enemies in the first Annual and this volume is another indispensible addition to a Spidey fan's bookshelf.

Note that 2 different versions of this volume exist: one contains issues 11-20 of The Amazing Spider-Man while the other replaces #20 with the Spider-Man Annual #1. Issue 20 is also contained in volume 3 so the latter version of volume 2 is the one to get. ( )