Sandman's First Appearance
Issue four of The Amazing Spider-Man introduces another classic Spidey foe: Sandman. It's another full-length story like last issue. Unfortunately, the Spider-Man vs. Sandman story isn't quite as compelling as the Spider-Man vs. Doctor Octopus one. True, it does have some very inventive uses of Sandman's powers, and some dynamic panels by Steve Ditko (though not as dynamic as last issue). But it also has a lot of flaws too... Sandman evading the cops by disguising himself as a pile of sand (no, that doesn't look suspicious at all), Sandman demanding that a high school principal write him out a diploma (?!?), and the matter of what happens to Sandman's clothes when he turns to sand... But overall, the comic is still above average for its time.