No, I have not seen the Amazing Spider-Man yet. Yes, I know it is getting rave reviews and made lots of money. I am a big fan of the character (esp the Ditko run) and avidly follow the series today so I am eager to check it out. When I do, watch this space for the best review ever.

In the making of these big budget movies, lots of decisions get made for various reasons. Along the way some beautiful artwork gets lost in the shuffle. The most appealing of these 'almost-designs' that didn't make it is of Spider-Man by the legendary Alex Ross.

Spider-Man designed by Alex Ross

In the meantime, I thought it would be interesting to see some of the initial designs that were passed on by the Aaron Sims Company (click on the link for many more amazing designs). The same studio also designed creatures and costumes seen in Green Lantern, Black Swan, Wrath of the Titans, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Sucker Punch, Transformers 3 and The Thing and their body of work is impressive.

Below are a few samples:

Spider-Man- 1

Spider-Man- 2

Spider-Man- 3

Spider-Man- 4

17 year-old Spider-Man

The Lizard Vs. Spider-Man

The Lizard - 1

The Lizard - 2

The Lizard - 3

From these images it is clear that the studio was trying to push the envelope on how far the design of the Spider-Man costume could go and how horrific the Lizard could appear on screen. Based on the outcome, what's your opinion? Did the better designs win out or was gold left on the drawing table?