For over 50 years, Spider-Man has been a sensational standout in the Marvel Universe, and this summer, the web-slinger swings onto the silver screen once more in “Spider-Man: Homecoming”! In celebration of this stories history, we present Spidey’s spectacular step-by-step story!

After being bitten by an irradiated spider at a science experiment in AMAZING FANTASY #15, high school student Peter Parker failed to stop his beloved Uncle Ben from being murdered by a burglar, thus setting him on a new path to using his powers to become a super hero, Spider-Man.

With no source of income to help his Aunt May with rent and to support his heroic inventions devices, Peter mounted a rescue of astronaut John Jameson in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1, only to be smeared by newspaperman J. Jonah Jameson in “The Daily Bugle.” Desperate, the youngster approached the Fantastic Four for a job as Spider-Man, but the famous heroes turned him down.

In AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #2, Peter tumbled onto the idea of taking photos of himself as the hero to sell to Jameson for extra cash. His first sale included pics of Spidey battling the high-flying Vulture. Later, the wallcrawler clashed with the terrible Tinkerer and what appeared to be a clutch of outer space aliens.

Amazing Fantasy (1962) #15

• Published: August 10, 1962
• Added to Marvel Unlimited: November 13, 2007
• Writer: Stan Lee
• Penciler: Steve Ditko

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Spider-Man bemoaned the lack of real challenges in the crooks he fought in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #3, but soon found himself soundly thrashed by new villain Doctor Octopus. Inspired at school by a talk from the teenage Human Torch, Peter developed a new form of webbing that turned the tide in his war with Doc Ock. For his troubles, though, Jameson labeled the crusader a “menace” in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #4, and Spidey discovered public opinion about his alter-ego to be mixed following a tough scrap with Sandman.

The dreaded Doctor Doom sought an ally to join him versus the Fantastic Four in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #5, and settled on Spider-Man as a prime candidate. Parker refused the offer, and wound up rescuing a disguised Flash Thompson from Doom in the aftermath. The Human Torch also sought Spider-Man in STRANGE TALES ANNUAL #2, but as a fugitive from the law, not a friend. The two heroes teamed up against a thief called The Fox, who’d framed the web-slinger for a painting he’d stolen himself.

“The Daily Bugle” issued a challenge to the hero to capture a strange creature in the Florida swamps in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #6. Peter flew to the Sunshine State to mix it up with The Lizard, only to uncover the truth behind it: a scientist who accidentally transformed himself into the scaly beast. Back in New York, Spidey mixed it up again with an escaped Vulture in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #7, and Peter began a tentative romance with J. Jonah Jameson’s secretary, Betty Brant.

In STRANGE TALES #115, the Human Torch posed as Spider-Man to capture the rampaging Sandman, prompting feelings of inadequacy in the real wall-crawler.

As you’re probably well aware, Free Comic Book Day happens this Saturday! And our talented creators never fail to join in the festivities. Jeremy Whitley, writer of UNSTOPPABLE WASP will appear at Ultimate Comics in Raleigh, North Carolina—and scientist-in-real-life Tamara Robertson, a chemical and bio-molecular engineer, will join him to present some exciting science demonstrations.

We caught up with both and chatted about the role that comics like WASP play in promoting the importance of S.T.E.M. (Science Technology Engineering Math).

Marvel.com: Jeremy, what do you see as the significance of working on a story that promotes both women and girls in S.T.E.M., and the empowerment of young women generally?

Jeremy Whitley: It’s incredibly important to me. Part of why I started writing my creator-owned series Princeless was because I wanted to share my love of comics with my daughter. As she has gotten a little older—she’s five now—she has developed some interests of her own. One of those is science. It’s important to me, despite what she may be told by some of the boys in school, that she knows she can be a scientist. Thanks to UNSTOPPABLE WASP, that’s a message I get to share not just with my own daughter, but with a lot of other daughters out there. I know that is certainly a goal that Tamara and I share.

Marvel.com: What impact do you think having real-world scientists like Tamara involved in the comics world has?

Jeremy Whitley: I think it bridges a gap between telling girls what they can do and showing them what they’re capable of. Tamara is a really amazing scientist—and person for that matter—and being able to share her story helps us show that female scientists and geniuses are not just the things of fiction. Maybe UNSTOPPABLE WASP will help the next girl who will follow in Tamara’s footsteps to find her way.

Marvel.com: How did you and Tamara connect, and how did this event come together?

Jeremy Whitley: Our “Agents of G.I.R.L.” column in the back of UNSTOPPABLE WASP was shared with Tamara by mutual friends online. I saw that she was excited about it and asked if she would like to be profiled for the column. She was super excited, so we went for it. As it turns out, Tamara went to college just down the street from the Ultimate Comics in Raleigh we’ll be appearing at. It just so happened that the stars aligned and Tamara was going to be in town for a talk at the school just before Free Comic Book Day. And seeing as her interview was going to be in the issue of UNSTOPPABLE WASP coming out that week, the opportunity was too good to pass up. Both she and the folks at Ultimate Comics were super psyched about accompanying our Free Comic Book Day festivities with a some awesome science demonstrations from Tamara.  It all came together perfectly.

Marvel.com: What do you hope attendees get out of the event?

Jeremy Whitley: I hope first and foremost they have fun and get a chance to check out what comics have to offer. But beyond that I hope it gives everybody a chance to learn a little something about science. Obviously, having Tamara means that any girls who come out and are interested in science will get to meet a pretty amazing and inspirational woman in S.T.E.M. and that’s super important. Hopefully everyone leaves with something to read and something to think about.

Tamara Robertson by Elsa Charretier

Marvel.com: Tamara, what do you feel is the role of comics like UNSTOPPABLE WASP in encouraging young women to pursue careers in S.T.E.M.? You also competed on “Mythbusters: The Search,” which probably also had a similar role in impacting young people.

Tamara Robertson: I think that the presence of women who are in S.T.E.M. as well as the portrayal of Women in S.T.E.M. in mainstream media, such as comics like UNSTOPPABLE WASP, shows like “Mythbusters: The Search,” and movies like “Hidden Figures” is vital because it gives young girls role models while also showcasing to young boys that it’s normal to see different genders and races in these roles. For so long scientists have always been old white men and while it was never the intention of these portrayals, for young people, this creates an unconscious bias and perception that those roles aren’t for them. I grew up with these media portrayals and never thought I as a woman could be an engineer; my only role model in this role was Scotty from “Star Trek,” so when my college professor approached me about it I literally remember saying, “I don’t think girls do those jobs.” We have to recognize that media shapes young people’s perceptions of the world, themselves, and who they could one day be, and be better at including all genders and races so that everyone feels they can be in S.T.E.M.

Marvel.com: What sparked your interest about the event on Saturday? Why did you want to get involved?

Tamara Robertson: Jeremy’s creation of the Agents of G.I.R.L. is brilliant because it combines the world of super heroes with scientists so clearly! In most comics, the super heroes are in S.T.E.M. or have someone in the field creating their tech but people often just concentrate on their super powers. Everyone loves the Hulk’s strength but often the fact Bruce Banner is a scientist isn’t seen. In UNSTOPPABLE WASP, Nadia is a scientist and she’s a super hero and both are represented in the comics, and then to take it a step further, real scientists are included in each comic that debuts! So kids get to celebrate a comic-based scientist super hero and an everyday scientist super hero all in one. Additionally, I recently read Jeremy’s article on the guiding principles of G.I.R.L. and these are principles that all people can benefit greatly from learning and embodying in life!

As for Free Comic Book Day, when Jeremy asked me if I’d be interested, I jumped at the chance! I love comics and I love science outreach so the combination of the two was right up my alley, and I truly enjoyed trying to make a science exhibit around Marvel! I am really excited to present my “Marvel at Science” show at Free Comic Book Day because I’m going to be doing an homage to some diverse and incredible Marvel comic book characters that I’m hoping fans will enjoy!

Marvel.com: You’ve also worked as an actress and costume designer. How have those different interests impacted your career path? As a designer, I’d imagine you’d enjoy super hero costumes!

Tamara Robertson: Super hero costumes would be awesome! Currently I’m dabbling in these firsthand for the first time as I dive into cosplay, but I’ve always been obsessed with the costumes and tech that science fiction brings to shows and movies!

As an engineer, design in all aspects is part of daily life; examining others’ designs, re-engineering existing designs and making your own designs. As a North Carolina State engineer, I went to school with some incredible textile engineers but my focus was always on the process side for plants and product design. It wasn’t until I came to L.A. that I was blessed to find and work under an incredible wardrobe designer, Catherine Baumgardner. She opened my engineering mind to the textile design side of the world.

As for the acting, I think ultimately I needed an outlet that I could be creative and emotional in because as an engineer you don’t often get to do this. The human emotional range is so beautiful when harnessed creatively, and just like any other machine, the body can do amazing things when fine-tuned and allowed to operate. So getting to push those limits within myself has been a fun adventure.

Marvel.com: What message do you hope people take away from the event on Saturday?

Tamara Robertson: I hope attendees leave the event wondering how they could be like the science fiction characters in their favorite comics through applying S.T.E.M. principles, and that they go home and start asking questions about the incredible worlds they read about in comics. While they may be science fiction today, the things we read about in comics and see in science fiction shows and movies are what inspires S.T.E.M. operatives to start innovating and creating new things.

Read the latest issue of UNSTOPPABLE WASP and celebrate Free Comic Book Day this Saturday!

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Each week, we use our super sleuth skills to dig into the histories of the characters fighting on both sides of Secret Empire!

Anyone thinking that there still might some goodness left in Captain America saw those dreams fade at the very end of SECRET EMPIRE #1 when he ordered a firing squad to kill his one-time partner and long-time friend Rick Jones. The issue, by writer Nick Spencer and artist Steve McNiven, marked an end point for a long career in the super hero community. Rick first appeared in INCREDIBLE HULK #1 as the near-victim of a gamma bomb test. Thanks to the quick thinking of Dr. Bruce Banner, Jones lived, but his savior turned into The Hulk.

The following year, Rick found himself at the center of another monumental moment in the Marvel Universe when he and his Teen Brigade pals sent out a warning about the Jade Giant to the Fantastic Four that Loki made sure other heroes heard, including Thor, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Iron Man. In other words, he proved at least partially responsible for starting the Avengers as seen in that book’s very first issue!

That might be enough adventure for a lifetime in some cases, but Jones still had plenty of thrilling moments ahead. He trained with Captain America briefly and even shared a heroic career with Captain Marvel for a time, switching places with the Negative Zone-based hero when appropriate. After the events of the Kree-Skrull War—which Rick actually turned the tide of thanks to the Destiny Force inside him—the two bound themselves together willingly.

After that, Rick palled around with the Hulk again, this time in his Doctor Banner form, got married, pursued a career in music, teamed up with a new Captain Marvel ,and even attempted to supervise the Runaways so they wouldn’t head down the same kid-hero path he went down. Later, when his old friend attacked Earth during World War Hulk, Rick tried talking to the Green Goliath, but found himself on the wrong end of betrayer Miek’s spear. In the HULK series, Jones discovered that he’d been turned into the Abomination-like A-Bomb. The Leader and M.O.D.O.K. orchestrated the transformation to use Rick as a weapon against Bruce Banner, but the Hulk’s alter ego figured out the plan and put a stop to it.

Rick ran around as A-Bomb for a while until Hulk, in his Doc Green persona, gave him an antidote to turn him back to normal. In the process, Jones gained the ability to learn things with incredible speed. As he explained in AVENGERS STANDOFF ALPHA, the longtime sidekick used his newfound gift to figure out everything he could about computers and information before becoming the hacktivist known as Whisperer. In that identity, he tried revealing Maria Hill’s Cosmic Cube plans early, but eventually got found out.

Leading up to Secret Empire, Rick actually worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. in an effort to avoid jail time, which put him in direct contact with his old friend Steve Rogers. Cap tried keeping Rick comfortable, but his repeated efforts to get information out to the world—including to young Rashaun Lucas as seen in SECRET EMPIRE #1—got him locked back up in a cell and eventually led to his death in front of a firing squad at the end of the issue.

The Empire Strikes Back

For those wondering if Rick’s really dead, it’s a fair question to ask! If he could avoid a gamma bomb by being thrown into a ditch, maybe he’s tougher than we think. Maybe he’s got some Destiny Force or excess radiation kicking around inside of him that will save his life. Or, maybe he’s still in good with Death after being kinda-sorta married to her for a time. Oh, and don’t forget about that guy who ran around New York City claiming to be Rick Jones seen in the pages of ALIAS. Really, we just want Rick Jones to be okay!