Crawling Back: Amazing Spider-Man #16 Review
A fun issue develops the perfect setting to have two swashbuckling superheroes collide for the first time
—by Nathan on August 21, 2025—
Ladies and gentlemen! Come one, come all! Grab yourself some popcorn and have yourself a seat, because we're going under the big tent tonight, folks, for a show unlike any other. I would tell you it's the greatest show on Earth, but I won't want to get sued.
Why don't we settle for "the most amazing show on Earth"?
I last reviewed the third issue of the Incredible Hulk's first-ever series, where Stan Lee and Jack Kirby pitted the man-monster against the wily Circus of Crime and its top-hatted head honcho. Any good crime crew will have a ringleader, and this carnival of criminality opted for a Ringmaster, the extravagant Maynard Tiboldt (retroactively, the son of the original Ringmaster, who first popped up in 1941 in a very old Captain America issue). With his green coat, purple hat, and twitchy mustache, the Ringmaster may just dazzle you before he hits you with a dose of his hypnotism.
Cause that's where this circus gets its jollies, pilfering people's pockets after putting them in a deep trance. They tried that trick fairly successfully until the Hulk put the kibosh on 'em two years before this issue was published. Having not learned their lesson, the crew gives it another go, attempting to rob blind the hardworking New Yorkers who have come to see their show in this Amazing Spider-Man installment.
And speaking of "blind," there's one guy who's more immune to a hypnotic trick based on sight. That's right. Ol' Hornhead's in the audience, and the night's unexpected turn means he'll be bumping into another swingin' superhero for the very first time.
"Duel With Daredevil"
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciler: Steve Ditko
Inker: Steve Ditko
Colorist: Stan Goldberg
Letterer: Artie Simek
Issue: Amazing Spider-Man #16
Issue Publication Date: September 1964
A few months after dealing with another boisterous showman with a penchant for silly headwear, Spidey comes face-to-top-hat with the Ringmaster and his Circus this issue, becoming their unwitting pawn for a decent chunk of the narrative. Spidey's name may be on the cover, but you gotta give Daredevil a lotta credit here: he's arguably the real hero of the issue.
ASM #16 marks the first meet-up between our beloved Wall-Crawler and the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. Several comics in the time since have paired the two together, including Peter David's "The Death of Jean DeWolff," a multi-part Spectacular Spider-Man tale which marked Frank Miller's first time drawing Daredevil, and an entertaining arc from Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's Daredevil run. Lots of good comics for the discerning reader to find there, a veritable treasure trove, but if you want to trace back to where the first few gold pieces were clinked into the coffers, this is where you begin.
This issue, in my memory, is one of those middling issues, not one which caught my attention for long or held my imagination after initially reading it many years ago. Upon a re-read, however, I have come to appreciate the historical weight behind ASM #16, that this really is the first time our heroes have come to face-to-face. Given how I've become more of a Daredevil fan over the years, and considering how enjoyable Spidey/Daredevil team-ups generally are, I need to let the retroactive importance of this issue simmer for a while.
The story itself isn't bad, though it isn't terribly memorable for its content either, with the appeal absolutely being watching Spidey and Daredevil fight on the page for the first time. As I indicated, Daredevil becomes the issue's real protagonist once Spidey is placed under the Ringmaster's spell, meaning a chunk of the issue is dedicated to the title's "duel," with a brainwashed Spidey slugging it out with our red-and-yellow devil. It does mean Lee and Ditko forsake the possibility of engaging character interactions this first meeting could contain–yeah, the pair shake hands once the hypnosis is lifted, but we don't get the jostling, joking, or camaraderie you'd see if Spidey was paired with the Human Torch, for instance.
We do get a heckuva fight, however, and if Lee and Ditko's thesis statement for this issue is to see how Daredevil and Spidey work in comics, they defend the lack of meaningful interaction with proving, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the two heroes have chemistry from an artistic standpoint. Placing these particular costumed adventurers, both known for their agility and acrobatics, under the big top is a genius move artistically, enabling Ditko to devise all manner of situations involving circus props, and not just in the Daredevil/Spidey fight. Once the two turn on the Circus of Crime, it's three rings of fun as Ditko pulls out trapezes, cannons, tightropes, and barbells. Clowns, strongmen, and high-wire walkers make up the bulk of our baddies in this issue, and though you may never have asked "How would Spidey fight a circus performer on stilts?" or "How would Spidey fare against trapeze artists?" you get those answers whether or not you want 'em.
A sequence where Spidey takes on the Circus all by his lonesome is a tad aggravating from a narrative standpoint (I just really wanted to see Daredevil punch some daring devils), but it allows Ditko to shine. The props and performers are a clever addition, but Ditko creates some of the best web-slinging scenes of his career in this issue. Spidey's unique method of locomotion allows him fantastic fluidity in his movements, and you can easily place yourself in his super-suit during numerous sequences. Whether he's using one trapeze to launch himself over an acrobatic enemy, snagging a human cannonball to steer him back to the ground, or bouncing between thugs to keep them from mugging a certain blind lawyer in an earlier sequence, Spidey is fantastically fluid and graceful in his movements. There's a kinetic energy you can feel in your own body with each turn he takes, each leap he performs.
In addition to the rousing rabble of circus-themed villains and high-flying fisticuffs, we are given some engaging sequences with our heroes' alter egos, both of whom face concerns with the women in their lives. I've complained about Betty Brant's wishy-washy emotional state in past issues, and she's no less a victim of Lee's writing here, breaking into tears when she assumes Peter is visiting the circus with "some other girl." And Matt Murdock initially refuses to attend the circus with firm partner Foggy Nelson and secretary Karen Page because he believes it's better "that I don't see [Karen] socially." Which is silly, because he can't see her at all.
On a more serious note, both instances are more of the patented soap opera shtick Lee would pepper his scripts with, convoluted and contrived conflicts to prevent our heroes from ever obtaining a permanent measure of happiness. Stranger still is a scene where Aunt May, knowing Peter's relationship with Betty, encourages the young man to give that red-headed niece of Anna Watson's a call. When Peter very rationally argues that he has a girlfriend already, May replies with the most ridiculous dialogue in the script: "But Mrs Watson is such a good friend of mine! And her niece, Mary Jane, would just love to meet you! And you're not really engaged or anything!" That seems like a pretty progressive perspective for 1964, May! And a downright dumb argument. "Date this girl you've never met, Peter, not because you have an actual interest or because you're single, but because her aunt is my good friend!"
So the human drama in this issue is lacking–I haven't even mentioned how Peter defends his "good ol' Aunt May" and her well-meaning intentions in the very next scene!–but the superheroics are up to par. The villains serve as a clever reason to draw Matt Murdock and Peter Parker into a unique setting for them to showcase their abilities, which Ditko renders through multiple engaging moments. I do wish the pair had a few moments to bond this issue, and I also wish Daredevil had been involved in the fight against the sinister Circus, but otherwise, this is a fun first kinda team-up(?) between the two. If anything, this issue lays the groundwork for other stories in the future. Think of this as a test-run to see if Spidey and DD work on the same page. By all accounts, that answer is yes. Their sparring and bouncing around a big top tent is certainly worth the price of admission…definitely more so than Peter's oldest living relative encouraging the guy to date while he's pursuing another young woman! He's just lucky "good ol' Aunt May" doesn't have a hypnotic top hat of her own.