Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comicssuperhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962). Lee and Ditko conceived of the character as an orphan being raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, and as a teenager,
having to deal with the normal struggles of adolescence in addition to
those of a costumed crime fighter. Spider-Man's creators gave him super
strength and agility, the ability to cling to most surfaces, shoot
spider-webs using devices of his own invention which he called
"web-shooters", and react to danger quickly with his "spider-sense",
enabling him to combat his foes.
When Spider-Man first appeared in the early 1960s, teenagers in superhero comic books were usually relegated to the role of sidekick to the protagonist. The Spider-Man series broke ground by featuring Peter Parker, a teenage high school student to whose "self-obsessions with rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness" young readers could relate.[1] Unlike previous teen heroes such as James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes and Robin, Spider-Man did not benefit from being the protégé of any adult mentors like Captain America and Batman,
and thus had to learn for himself that "with great power there must
also come great responsibility" — a line included in a text box in the
final panel of the first Spider-Man story, but later retroactively attributed to his guardian, the late Uncle Ben.
Marvel has featured Spider-Man in several comic book series, the first and longest-lasting of which is titled The Amazing Spider-Man.
Over the years, the Peter Parker character has developed from shy, high
school student to troubled but outgoing college student, to married
high school teacher to, in the late 2000s, a single freelance
photographer, his most typical adult role. He is even been a member of
an unofficial splinter group of the Avengers,
one of Marvel's flagship superhero teams. In the comics, Spider-Man is
often referred to as "Spidey," "web-slinger," "wall-crawler," or
"web-head."
In 1962, with the success of the Fantastic Four, Marvel Comics editor and head writer Stan Lee
was casting about for a new superhero idea. He said that the idea for
Spider-Man arose from a surge in teenage demand for comic books, and the
desire to create a character with whom teens could identify.[5]:1 In his autobiography, Lee cites the non-superhuman pulp magazine crime fighter The Spider as a great influence,[6]:130 and in a multitude of print and video interviews, Lee stated he was further inspired by seeing a spider
climb up a wall---adding in his autobiography that he has told that
story so often he has become unsure of whether or not this is true.[note 1] Looking back on the creation of Spider-Man, 1990s Marvel editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco
stated he did not believe that Spider-Man would have been given a
chance in today's comics world, where new characters are vetted with
test audiences and marketers.[5]:9 At that time, however, Lee had to get only the consent of Marvel publisher Martin Goodman for the character's approval.[5]:9 In a 1986 interview, Lee described in detail his arguments to overcome Goodman's objections.[note 2]
Goodman eventually agreed to let Lee try out Spider-Man in the upcoming
final issue of the canceled science-fiction and supernatural anthology
series Amazing Adult Fantasy, which was renamed Amazing Fantasy for that single issue, #15 (Aug. 1962).[7]:95
Comics historian Greg Theakston says that Lee, after receiving Goodman's approval for the name Spider-Man and the "ordinary teen" concept, approached artist Jack Kirby. Kirby told Lee about an unpublished character on which he collaborated with Joe Simon
in the 1950s, in which an orphaned boy living with an old couple finds a
magic ring that granted him superhuman powers. Lee and Kirby
"immediately sat down for a story conference" and Lee afterward directed
Kirby to flesh out the character and draw some pages. Steve Ditko would
be the inker.[note 3] When Kirby showed Lee the first six pages, Lee recalled, "I hated the way he was doing it! Not that he did it badly -- it just wasn't the character I wanted; it was too heroic".[8]:12 Lee turned to Ditko, who developed a visual style Lee found satisfactory. Ditko recalled:
One of the first things I did was to work up a costume. A vital,
visual part of the character. I had to know how he looked ... before I
did any breakdowns. For example: A clinging power so he wouldn't have
hard shoes or boots, a hidden wrist-shooter versus a web gun and
holster, etc. ... I wasn't sure Stan would like the idea of covering the
character's face but I did it because it hid an obviously boyish face.
It would also add mystery to the character....[9]
Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962). Cover art by Jack Kirby (penciller) & Steve Ditko (inker).
In an early recollection of the character's creation, Ditko described
his and Lee's contributions in a mail interview with Gary Martin
published in Comic Fan #2 (Summer 1965): "Stan Lee thought the name up. I did costume, web gimmick on wrist & spider signal."[10] At the time, Ditko shared a Manhattan studio with noted fetish artist Eric Stanton,
an art-school classmate who, in a 1988 interview with Theakston,
recalled that although his contribution to Spider-Man was "almost nil",
he and Ditko had "worked on storyboards together and I added a few
ideas. But the whole thing was created by Steve on his own... I think I
added the business about the webs coming out of his hands".[8]:14
Kirby disputed Lee's version of the story, and claimed Lee had
minimal involvement in the character's creation. According to Kirby, the
idea for Spider-Man had originated with Kirby and Joe Simon, who in the 1950s had developed a character called The Silver Spider for the Crestwood comic Black Magic, who was subsequently not used.[note 4] Simon, in his 1990 autobiography, disputed Kirby's account, asserting that Black Magic
was not a factor, and that he (Simon) devised the name "Spider-Man"
(later changed to "The Silver Spider"), while Kirby outlined the
character's story and powers. Simon later elaborated that his and
Kirby's character conception became the basis for Simon's Archie Comics superhero the Fly. Artist Steve Ditko stated that Lee liked the name Hawkman from DC Comics, and that "Spider-Man" was an outgrowth of that interest.[9] The hyphen was included in the character's name to avoid confusion with DC Comics' Superman.[11]
Simon concurred that Kirby had shown the original Spider-Man version
to Lee, who liked the idea and assigned Kirby to draw sample pages of
the new character but disliked the results—in Simon's description, "Captain America with cobwebs".[note 5] Writer Mark Evanier
notes that Lee's reasoning that Kirby's character was too heroic seems
unlikely—Kirby still drew the covers for the first issues of Spider-Man. Likewise, Kirby's given reason that he was "too busy" to also draw Spider-Man in addition to his other duties seems false, as Kirby was, in Evanier's words, "always busy".[12]:127
Neither Lee's nor Kirby's explanation explains why key story elements
like the magic ring were dropped; Evanier states that the most plausible
explanation for the sudden change was that Goodman, or one of his
assistants, decided that Spider-Man as drawn and envisioned by Kirby was
too similar to the Fly.[12]:127
Author and Ditko scholar Blake Bell writes that it was Ditko who
noted the similarities to the Fly. Ditko recalled that, "Stan called
Jack about the Fly", adding that "[d]ays later, Stan told me I would be
penciling the story panel breakdowns from Stan's synopsis". It was at
this point that the nature of the strip changed. "Out went the magic
ring, adult Spider-Man and whatever legend ideas that Spider-Man story
would have contained". Lee gave Ditko the premise of a teenager bitten
by a spider and developing powers, a premise Ditko would expand upon to
the point he became what Bell describes as "the first work for hire
artist of his generation to create and control the narrative arc of his
series". On the issue of the initial creation, Ditko states, "I still
don't know whose idea was Spider-Man".[13] Kirby noted in a 1971 interview that it was Ditko who "got Spider-Man to roll, and the thing caught on because of what he did".[14]
Lee, while claiming credit for the initial idea, has acknowledged
Ditko's role, stating, "If Steve wants to be called co-creator, I think
he deserves [it]".[15]
Writer Al Nickerson believes "that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created the
Spider-Man that we are familiar with today [but that] ultimately,
Spider-Man came into existence, and prospered, through the efforts of
not just one or two, but many, comic book creators".[16]
In 2008, an anonymous donor bequeathed the Library of Congress the original 24 pages of Ditko art of Amazing Fantasy
#15, including Spider-Man's debut and the stories "The Bell-Ringer",
"Man in the Mummy Case", and "There Are Martians Among Us".[17]
The Amazing Spider-Man #23 (April 1965), featuring the Green Goblin. Cover art by co-creator Steve Ditko.
Commercial success
A few months after Spider-Man's introduction in Amazing Fantasy
#15 (Aug. 1962), publisher Martin Goodman reviewed the sales figures
for that issue and was shocked to find it to have been one of the
nascent Marvel's highest-selling comics.[7]:97 A solo ongoing series followed, beginning with The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963). The title eventually became Marvel's top-selling series[1]:211 with the character swiftly becoming a cultural icon; a 1965 Esquire poll of college campuses found that college students ranked Spider-Man and fellow Marvel hero the Hulk alongside Bob Dylan and Che Guevara
as their favorite revolutionary icons. One interviewee selected
Spider-Man because he was "beset by woes, money problems, and the
question of existence. In short, he is one of us."[1]:223 Following Ditko's departure after issue #38 (July 1966), John Romita, Sr.
replaced him as artist, and would provide the pencil drawings of the
character over the next several years. In 1968, Romita would also draw
the character's extra-length stories in the magazine The Spectacular Spider-Man, a graphic novel precursor designed to appeal to older readers but which lasted only two issues.[18] Nonetheless, it represented the first Spider-Man spin-off publication, aside from the original series' summer annuals that began in 1964.
An early 1970s Spider-Man story led to the revision of the Comics Code. Previously, the Code forbade the depiction of the use of illegal drugs, even negatively. However, in 1970, the Nixon administration's Department of Health, Education, and Welfare asked Stan Lee to publish an anti-drug message in one of Marvel's top-selling titles.[1]:239 Lee chose the top-selling The Amazing Spider-Man; issues #96–98 (May–July 1971) feature a story arc depicting the negative effects of drug use. In the story, Peter Parker's friend Harry Osborn becomes addicted to pills. When Spider-Man fights the Green Goblin
(Norman Osborn, Harry's father), Spider-Man defeats the Green Goblin,
by revealing Harry's drug addiction. While the story had a clear
anti-drug message, the Comics Code Authority refused to issue its seal
of approval. Marvel nevertheless published the three issues without the
Comics Code Authority's approval or seal. The issues sold so well that
the industry's self-censorship was undercut[1]:239 and the Code was subsequently revised.
The Amazing Spider-Man #96 (May 1971), the first of three non-Comics Code issues that prompted the Code's first update, allowing comics to show the negative effects of illegal-drug use. Cover art by Gil Kane.
In 1972, a second monthly ongoing series starring Spider-Man began: Marvel Team-Up, in which Spider-Man was paired with other superheroes and villains. In 1976, his second solo series, The Spectacular Spider-Man began running parallel to the main series. A third series featuring Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man, launched in 1985, replacing Marvel Team-Up. The launch of a fourth monthly title in 1990, the "adjectiveless" Spider-Man (with the storyline "Torment"), written and drawn by popular artist Todd McFarlane,
debuted with several different covers, all with the same interior
content. The various versions combined sold over 3 million copies, an
industry record at the time.[1]:279 There have generally been at least two ongoing Spider-Man series at any time. Several limited series, one-shots,
and loosely related comics have also been published, and Spider-Man
makes frequent cameos and guest appearances in other comic series.
The original Amazing Spider-Man ran through issue #441 (Nov. 1998). Writer-artist John Byrne then revamped the origin of Spider-Man in the 13-issue limited series Spider-Man: Chapter One
(Dec. 1998 - Oct. 1999, with an issue #0 midway through and some months
containing two issues), similar to Byrne's adding details and some
revisions to Superman's origin in DC Comics' The Man of Steel. Running concurrently, The Amazing Spider-Man
was restarted with vol. 2, #1 (Jan. 1999). With what would have been
vol. 2, #59, Marvel reintroduced the original numbering, starting with
#500 (Dec. 2003).
When primary series The Amazing Spider-Man reached issue #545 (Dec. 2007), Marvel dropped its spin-off ongoing series and instead began publishing The Amazing Spider-Man three times monthly, beginning with #546-549 (each Jan. 2008). The three times monthly scheduling of The Amazing Spider-Man
lasted until November 2010 when the comic book was increased from 22
pages to 30 pages each issue and published only twice a month, beginning
with #648-649 (each Nov. 2010).
Fictional character biography
This section traces the ongoing narrative of the fictional Marvel Comics' character Peter Parker, the superheroSpider-Man, created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko in 1962. It refers to the character's mainstream comic book appearances and does not reflect representations of Spider-Man in other media.
As comics historian Peter Sanderson
writes, "People often say glibly that Marvel succeeded by blending
super hero adventure stories with soap opera. What Lee and Ditko
actually did in [The] Amazing Spider-Man
was to make the series an ongoing novelistic chronicle of the lead
character's life. Most super heroes had problems no more complex or
relevant to their readers' lives than thwarting this month's bad
guys.... Parker had far more serious concern in his life: coming to
terms with the death of a loved one, falling in love for the first time,
struggling to make a living, and undergoing crises of conscience."[19]
In Forest Hills, Queens, New York City,[20]high school student Peter Parker is a sciencewhiz orphan living with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. As depicted in Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962), he is bitten by a radioactivespider at a science exhibit and "acquires the agility and proportionate strength of an arachnid."[21]
Along with super strength, he gains the ability to adhere to walls and
ceilings. Through his native knack for science, he develops a gadget
that lets him fire adhesive webbing of his own design through small,
wrist-mounted barrels. Initially seeking to capitalize on his new
abilities, he dons a costume and, as "Spider-Man", becomes a novelty
television star. However, "He blithely ignores the chance to stop a
fleeing thief, [and] his indifference ironically catches up with him
when the same criminal later robs and kills his Uncle Ben."[22]
Spider-Man tracks and subdues the killer and learns, in the story's
next-to-last caption, "With great power there must also come — great
responsibility!"[22]
Despite his superpowers, Parker struggles to help his widowed aunt
pay rent, is taunted by his peers — particularly football star Flash Thompson — and, as Spider-Man, engenders the editorial wrath of newspaper publisher J. Jonah Jameson.[23] As one contemporaneous journalist observed, "Spider-Man has a terrible identity problem, a marked inferiority complex, and a fear of women. He is anti-social, castration-ridden, racked with Oedipal guilt, and accident-prone ... [a] functioning neurotic".[20]
Agonizing over his choices, always attempting to do right, he is
nonetheless viewed with suspicion by the authorities, who seem unsure as
to whether he is a helpful vigilante or a clever criminal.[24]
Notes cultural historian Bradford W. Wright,
Spider-Man's plight was to be misunderstood and persecuted by the very public that he swore to protect. In the first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of the Daily Bugle,
launches an editorial campaign against the "Spider-Man menace." The
resulting negative publicity exacerbates popular suspicions about the
mysterious Spider-Man and makes it impossible for him to earn any more
money by performing. Eventually, the bad press leads the authorities to
brand him an outlaw. Ironically, Peter finally lands a job as a
photographer for Jameson's Daily Bugle.[1]:212
He quickly faces such new supervillains as the Chameleon (introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #1, March 1963), the Vulture (#2, May 1963), Dr. Octopus (#3, July 1963), the Sandman (#4, Sept. 1963), the Lizard (#6, Nov. 1963), Electro (#9, Feb. 1964), Mysterio (#13, June 1964), the Green Goblin (#14, July 1964), Kraven the Hunter (#15, Aug. 1964), and the Scorpion (#20, Jan. 1965).[25] In his personal life, he begins dating Jameson's secretary, Betty Brant,[26] and in issue #28 (Sept. 1965),[25] he graduates from high school and enrolls at Empire State University, a fictional institution evoking the real-life Columbia University and New York University.[27]
There he begins to balance the aspects of his life and goes from being a
social outcast to a young adult with friends, including erstwhile
antagonist Thompson.[28] He meets Harry Osborn, who will become his best friend and college roommate, and future girlfriend Gwen Stacy (both in issue #31, Dec. 1965).[25][29] He discovers that Harry Osborn's industrialist father, Norman Osborn, is secretly the Green Goblin, who in turn discovers Spider-Man's true identity.[30]
These mid-1960s stories reflected the political tensions of the time, as early 1960s Marvel stories had often dealt with the Cold War and Communism.[1]:220-223 As Wright observes,
From his high-school beginnings to his entry into college life,
Spider-Man remained the superhero most relevant to the world of young
people. Fittingly, then, his comic book also contained some of the
earliest references to the politics of young people. In 1968, in the
wake of actual militant student demonstrations
at Columbia University, Peter Parker finds himself in the midst of
similar unrest at his Empire State University. ... Peter has to
reconcile his natural sympathy for the students with his assumed
obligation to combat lawlessness as Spider-Man. As a law-upholding
liberal, he finds himself caught between militant leftism and angry
conservatives.[1]:234-235
Following months of attempts by Aunt May to introduce him to her friend Anna Watson's niece, Mary Jane Watson, Parker agrees to a date and discovers, at the climax of issue #42 (Nov. 1966),[25] that Mary Jane is a beautiful, vivacious redhead.[31] Artist John Romita, Sr. recalled that writer and editor-in-chief Stan Lee "wanted her to look something like a go-go girl. I used Ann-Margret from the movie Bye Bye Birdie,
as a guide, using her coloring, the shape of her face, her red hair and
her form-fitting short skirts. I exaggerated her dimples and the cleft
in her chin."[32] Regardless, Parker begins dating Gwen Stacy.[33] As Spider-Man, he has his first encounters with supervillains the Rhino (#41, Oct. 1966) — the first original Lee/Romita Spider-Man villain[34] — the Shocker (#46, March 1967), and the physically powerful and well-connected criminal capo Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the Kingpin (#50, July 1967).[25] Gwen's Stacy's father, New York City Police detective captain George Stacy is accidentally killed during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus (#90, Nov. 1970).[35]
Death of Gwen Stacy
In issue #121 (June 1973),[25] the Green Goblin throws Gwen Stacy from a tower of either the Brooklyn Bridge (as depicted in the art) or the George Washington Bridge (as given in the text).[36][37] She dies during Spider-Man's rescue attempt; a note on the letters page of issue #125 states: "It saddens us to say that the whiplash effect she underwent when Spidey's webbing stopped her so suddenly was, in fact, what killed her."[38] The following issue, the Goblin appears to accidentally kill himself in the ensuing battle with Spider-Man.
Working through his grief, Parker eventually develops tentative
feelings toward Watson, and the two "become confidants rather than
lovers."[39] Parker graduates from college in issue #185,[25] and becomes involved with the shy Debra Whitman and the extroverted, flirtatious costumed thief Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat,[40] whom he meets in issue #194 (July 1979).[25]
In the 200th issue (Jan. 1980), Spider-Man confronts the burglar who killed his uncle, in a story written by Marv Wolfman, with the final page scripted by character co-creator Stan Lee.
As one historian wrote, "This event was still quite recent to Peter,
as, thanks to the magic of comics, only four or five years had passed
since he was bitten by the spider."[41] In issue #257 (Oct. 1984), Watson reveals to Parker that she knows he is Spider-Man.[42]
Costume change
From 1984 to 1988, Spider-Man wore a different costume than his
original. Black with a white spider design, this new costume originated
in the Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Warslimited series,
on an alien planet where Spider-Man participates in a battle between
Earth's major superheroes and villains. The first comic book appearances
of the suit occurred in three comics all cover dated May 1984: Marvel Team-Up #141,[43]The Amazing Spider-Man #252,[25] and The Spectacular Spider-Man #90.[44] In a later-published but chronologically earlier story in Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #8 (Dec. 1984),[45]
Spider-Man's original red-and-blue costume is destroyed in a battle;
Parker comes across a machine that conjures him a uniform that responds
to his thoughts, greatly enhances his powers, provides him with its own
supply of web-fluid, and can change its appearance at his command.
Sometime after his return to Earth, however, he discovers in issue #258
(Nov. 1984)[25] that the costume is actually an alien symbiote bent on permanently bonding with its host.[46] Parker rejects and defeats the symbiote in the spin-off title Web of Spider-Man #1 (April 1985)[47]
and begins wearing a cloth replica, initially alternating between it
and his original costume, then wearing it full-time after his last
original is destroyed in battle against the villain Magma in Web of Spider-Man #17-#18).[48]NYPD detective Jean DeWolff, one of Parker's friends, is murdered in a storyline running through The Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110 (Oct. 1985 - Jan. 1986),[49] Meanwhile, the symbiote merges with reporter Eddie Brock to become the cannibalistic supervillain Venom in issue #298 (May 1988),[25] and Parker returns to his original red and blue costume.
Not unexpectedly, the change to a longstanding character's iconic
design met with controversy, "with many hardcore comics fans decrying it
as tantamount to sacrilege. Spider-Man's traditional red and blue
costume was iconic, they argued, on par with those of his D.C. rivals
Superman and Batman. The negative response was puzzling for a medium
where constant change is the norm: characters are regularly killed off
and brought back from the dead."[50]
Marriage
Parker proposes to Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man #290 (July 1987), and she accepts two issues later, with the wedding taking place in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 (1987) — promoted with a real-life mock wedding using actors at Shea Stadium, with Stan Lee officiating, on June 5, 1987.[51]David Michelinie, who scripted based on a plot by editor-in-chief Jim Shooter,
said in 2007, "I didn't think they actually should [have gotten]
married. ... I had actually planned another version, one that wasn't
used."[51] Parker published a book of Spider-Man photographs, Webs.[52] and returned to his Empire State University graduate studies in biochemistry in #310 (Dec. 1988).[25]
In the controversial[53] 1990s storyline the "Clone Saga", a clone of Parker, created in 1970s comics by insane scientist Miles Warren, a.k.a. the supervillain the Jackal, returns to New York City upon hearing of Aunt May's health worsening. The clone had lived incognito as "Ben Reilly", but now assumes the superhero guise the Scarlet Spider and allies with Parker. To the surprise of both, new tests indicate "Reilly" is the original and "Parker" the clone.[54] Complicating matters, Watson announces in The Spectacular Spider-Man #220 (Jan. 1995) that she is pregnant with Parker's baby.[25] Later, however, a resurrected Green Goblin (Norman Osborn) has Watson poisoned, causing premature labor and the death of her and Parker's unborn daughter.[55]
The Goblin had also switched the results of the clone test in an
attempt to destroy Parker's life by making him believe himself to be the
clone. Reilly is killed while saving Parker, in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75 (Dec. 1996), and his body immediately crumbles into dust, confirming Reilly was the clone.[55]
In issue #97 (Nov. 1998) of the second series titled Peter Parker: Spider-Man,[56] Parker learns his Aunt May was kidnapped by Norman Osborn and her apparent death in The Amazing Spider-Man #400 (April 1995) had been a hoax.[57][58] Shortly afterward, in The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2, #13 (#454, Jan. 2000), Watson is apparently killed in an airplane explosion.[59] She turns up safe and alive in vol. 2, #28 (#469, April 2001),[59] but she and Peter become separated in the following issue.[60]
21st-century
Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski began writing The Amazing Spider-Man, illustrated by John Romita Jr.,
beginning with vol. 2, #30 (#471, June 2001). Two issues later, Parker,
now employed as a teacher at his old high school, meets the enigmatic Ezekiel,
who possesses similar spider powers and suggests that Parker having
gained such abilities might not have been a fluke — that Parker has a
connection to a totemic
spider spirit. In vol. 2, #37 (#478, Jan. 2002), May discovers her
nephew Parker is Spider-Man, leading to a new openness in their
relationship.[58] Parker and Watson reconcile in vol. 2, #50 (#491, April 2003),[58] and in #512 (Nov. 2004) — the original issue numbering having returned with #500 — Parker learns his late girlfriend Gwen Stacy had had two children with Norman Osborn.[61]
He joins the superhero team the Avengers in New Avengers
#1-2. After their respective homes are destroyed by a deranged,
superpowered former high-school classmate, Parker, Watson, and May move
into Stark Tower, and Parker begins working as Tony Stark's assistant while again freelancing for The Daily Bugle and continuing his teaching. In the 12-part, 2005 story arc "The Other", Parker undergoes a transformation that evolves his powers. In the comic Civil War #2 (June 2006), part of the company-wide crossover arc of that title, the U.S. government's Superhuman Registration Act
leads Spider-Man to reveal his true identity publicly. A growing unease
about the Registration Act prompts him to escape with May and Watson
and join the anti-registration underground.
In issue #537 (Dec. 2006), May is critically wounded by a sniper and
enters a coma. Parker, desperate to save her, exhausts all possibilities
and makes a pact with the demon Mephisto,
who saves May's life in exchange for Parker and Watson agreeing to have
their marriage and all memory of it disappear. In this changed reality,
Spider-Man's identity is secret once again, and in #545 (Jan. 2008),
Watson returns and is cold toward him.
That controversial[62] storyline, "One More Day", rolled back much of the fictional continuity at the behest of editor-in-chief Joe Quesada, who said, "Peter being single is an intrinsic part of the very foundation of the world of Spider-Man".[62]
It caused unusual public friction between Quesada and writer
Straczynski, who "told Joe that I was going to take my name off the last
two issues of the [story] arc" but was talked out of doing so.[63] At issue with Straczynski's climax to the arc, Quesada said, was
...that we didn't receive the story and methodology to the
resolution that we were all expecting. What made that very problematic
is that we had four writers and artists well underway on [the sequel
arc] "Brand New Day" that were expecting and needed "One More Day" to
end in the way that we had all agreed it would. ... The fact that we had
to ask for the story to move back to its original intent understandably
made Joe upset and caused some major delays and page increases in the
series. Also, the science that Joe was going to apply to the retcon
of the marriage would have made over 30 years of Spider-Man books
worthless, because they never would have had happened. ...[I]t would
have reset way too many things outside of the Spider-Man titles. We just
couldn't go there....[63]
In this new continuity, designed to have very limited repercussions throughout the remainder of the Marvel Universe, Parker returns to work at the Daily Bugle, which has been renamed The DB under a new publisher.[64] He soon switches to the alternative press paper The Front Line.[65]J. Jonah Jameson becomes mayor of New York City in #591 (June 2008).[61] Jameson's estranged father, J. Jonah Jameson, Sr., marries May in issue #600 (Sept. 2009).[61]
Due to Spider-Man being successfully popular in the mainstream comics of the Marvel Universe,
publishers have been able to introduce different variations of
Spider-Man outside of mainstream comics as well as introducing
reimagined stories in many other multiversed spinoffs such as Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099 and Spider-Man: India. Marvel has also made its own parodies of Spider-Man in comics such as Not Brand Echh, which was published in the late 1960s and featured such characters as Peter Pooper alias Spidey-Man,[66] and Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham, who appeared in the 1980s. The fictional character has also inspired a number of deratives such as a manga version of Spider-Man drawn by Japanese artist Ryoichi Ikegami as well as Hideshi Hino's The Bug Boy, which has been cited as inspired by Spider-Man.[67] Also the French comic Télé-Junior
published strips based on popular TV series. In the late 1970s, the
publisher also produced original Spider-Man adventures. Artists included
Gérald Forton, who later moved to America and worked for Marvel.[68]
Spider-Man's web-shooters, from The Amazing Spider-Man #259. Art by Ron Frenz.
A bite from a radioactive spider on a school field trip causes a
variety of changes in the body of Peter Parker and gives him
superpowers.[69] In the original Lee-Ditko
stories, Spider-Man has the ability to cling to walls, superhuman
strength, a sixth sense ("spider-sense") that alerts him to danger,
perfect balance and equilibrium, as well as superhuman speed and
agility. Some of his comic series have him shooting webs from his
wrists.[69]
Brilliant, Parker excels in applied science, chemistry, and physics.
The character was originally conceived by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko as
intellectually gifted, but not a genius. However, later writers have
depicted the character as a genius.[70] With his talents, he sews his own costume to conceal his identity, and constructs many devices that complement his powers, most notably mechanical web-shooters.[69]
This mechanism ejects an advanced adhesive, releasing web-fluid in a
variety of configurations, including a single rope-like strand to swing
from, a net to bind enemies, a single strand for yanking opponents into
objects, strands for whipping foreign objects at enemies, and a simple
glob to foul machinery or blind an opponent. He can also weave the web
material into simple forms like a shield, a spherical protection or
hemispherical barrier, a club, or a hang-glider wing. Other equipment
include spider-tracers (spider-shaped adhesive homing beacons keyed to
his own spider-sense), a light beacon which can either be used as a
flashlight or project a "Spider-Signal" design, and a specially modified
camera that can take pictures automatically.
After his parents died, Peter Parker was raised by his loving aunt, May Parker, and his uncle and father figure, Ben Parker
(usually referred to simply as Aunt May and Uncle Ben). After Uncle Ben
is murdered by a burglar, Aunt May is virtually Peter's only family,
and she and Peter are very close. Peter's first crush is fellow
high-school student Liz Allan, although his first real love is Betty Brant, the secretary to Daily Bugle newspaper publisher J. Jonah Jameson. After their breakup, Parker eventually falls in love with his college girlfriend Gwen Stacy, daughter of New York City Police Department detective captain George Stacy, both of whom are later killed by supervillain enemies of Spider-Man. Mary Jane Watson eventually became Peter's best friend and then his wife. Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, is a reformed cat burglar who had been Spider-Man's girlfriend and partner at one point.
The many villains of Spider-Man. Art by Sean Chen.
Writers and artists over many years have managed to establish an exciting and notable rogues gallery of villains to face Spider-Man.[note 6] The three most infamous and dangerous enemies as voted by fans are the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Venom.[71][72][73] Other characters include the Hobgoblin, Kraven the Hunter, Carnage, the Scorpion, the Sandman, the Lizard, Mysterio, the Vulture, Electro, the Kingpin, Rhino, the Shocker, and the Chameleon.
As with Spider-Man, the majority of these villains' powers originate
with scientific accidents or the misuse of scientific technology, and
they tend to have animal-themed costumes or powers, and many have green
costumes. At times these villains have formed groups such as the Sinister Six to oppose Spider-Man. It is revealed that Spider-Man has new enemies in New Avengers.
Cultural influence
Comic book writer-editor and historian Paul Kupperberg, in The Creation of Spider-Man,
calls the character's superpowers "nothing too original"; what was
original was that outside his secret identity, he was a "nerdy high
school student".[74]:5
Going against typical superhero fare, Spider-Man included "heavy doses
of soap-opera and elements of melodrama." Kupperberg feels that Lee and
Ditko had created something new in the world of comics: "the flawed
superhero with everyday problems." This idea spawned a "comics
revolution."[74]:6 The insecurity and anxieties in Marvel's early 1960s comic books such as The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and X-Men
ushered in a new type of superhero, very different from the certain and
all-powerful superheroes before them, and changed the public's
perception of them.[75]
Spider-Man has become one of the most recognizable fictional characters
in the world, and has been used to sell toys, games, cereal, candy,
soap, and many other products.[76]
Spider-Man has become Marvel's flagship character, and has often been
used as the company mascot. When Marvel became the first comic book
company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1991, the Wall Street Journal announced "Spider-Man is coming to Wall Street"; the event was in turn promoted with an actor in a Spider-Man costume accompanying Stan Lee to the Stock Exchange.[1]:254 Since 1962, hundreds of millions of comics featuring the character have been sold around the world.[77]
Spider-Man joined the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1987 to 1998 as one of the balloon floats,[78] designed by John Romita Sr.,[79]
one of the character's signature artists. A new, different Spider-Man
balloon float is scheduled to appear from at least 2009 to 2011.[78]
When Marvel wanted to issue a story dealing with the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the company chose the December 2001 issue of The Amazing Spider-Man.[81] In 2006, Spider-Man garnered major media coverage with the revelation of the character's secret identity,[82] an event detailed in a full page story in the New York Post before the issue containing the story was even released.[83]
In 2008, Marvel announced plans to release a series of educational
comics the following year in partnership with the United Nations,
depicting Spider-Man alongside UN Peacekeeping Forces to highlight UN peacekeeping missions.[84] A BusinessWeek article listed Spider-Man as one of the top ten most intelligent fictional characters in American comics.[85]
Spider-Man was named Empire magazine's fifth-greatest comic book character,[86] and Fandomania.com rated him as #7 on their 100 Greatest Fictional Characters list.[87]
In 2006, IGN hosted an "Ultimate Marvel Battle" feature to decide which
Marvel character - hero or villain - could win against one another in a
tournament dependent upon votes, and Spider-Man was deemed champion
after defeating Ghost Rider, Captain America, The Hulk, Silver Surfer,
Thor and Magneto in the finals.[88]
A tokusatsu show featuring Spider-Man was produced by Toei and aired in Japan. It is commonly referred to by its Japanese pronunciation "Supaidā-Man". [91]
Spider-Man also appeared in other print forms besides the comics, including novels, children's books, and the daily newspaper comic stripThe Amazing Spider-Man, which debuted in January 1977, with the earliest installments written by Stan Lee and drawn by John Romita, Sr.[92]
Spider-Man has been adapted to other media including games, toys,
collectibles, and miscellaneous memorabilia, and has appeared as the
main character in numerous computer and video games on over 15 gaming platforms. Spider-Man was also the subject of a series of films directed by Sam Raimi and starring actor Tobey Maguire as the title character. The original Spider-Man film was released in 2002, its first sequel, Spider-Man 2, premiered in 2004, and the next sequel, Spider-Man 3, premiered in 2007. Spider-Man 4 was scheduled to be released May 6, 2011, however Sony announced that the series would be rebooted, and a new director and cast would be introduced. The reboot is scheduled to be released in summer 2012.[93][94][95] It was announced on February 10, 2010 that the new film will begin production in December directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt. Avi Arad and Laura Ziskin will produce the 3-D film to be released July 3, 2012.[96]Andrew Garfield will play the new Peter Parker.[97]
2002 Eisner Award: Best Serialized Story — The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2, #30–35: "Coming Home", by J. Michael Straczynski, John Romita, Jr., and Scott Hanna
No date: Empire magazine's fifth-greatest comic book character.[86]
No date: Spider-Man was the #1 superhero on Bravo's Ultimate Super Heroes, Vixens, and Villains show.[103]
^Lee, Stan; Mair, George (2002). Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee. Fireside. ISBN0-684-87305-2.
"He goes further in his biography, claiming that even while pitching
the concept to publisher Martin Goodman, "I can't remember if that was
literally true or not, but I thought it would lend a big color to my
pitch.""
^Detroit Free Press interview with Stan Lee, quoted in The Steve Ditko Reader by Greg Theakston (Pure Imagination, Brooklyn, NY; ISBN 1-56685-011-8),
p. 12 (unnumbered). "He gave me 1,000 reasons why Spider-Man would
never work. Nobody likes spiders; it sounds too much like Superman; and
how could a teenager be a superhero? Then I told him I wanted the
character to be a very human guy, someone who makes mistakes, who
worries, who gets acne, has trouble with his girlfriend, things like
that. [Goodman replied,] 'He's a hero! He's not an average man!' I said,
'No, we make him an average man who happens to have super powers,
that's what will make him good.' He told me I was crazy".
^Ditko, Steve (2000). Roy Thomas. ed. Alter Ego: The Comic Book Artist Collection. TwoMorrows Publishing. ISBN1893905063. "'Stan said a new Marvel hero would be introduced in #15 [of what became titled Amazing Fantasy].
He would be called Spider-Man. Jack would do the penciling and I was to
ink the character.' At this point still, 'Stan said Spider-Man would be
a teenager with a magic ring which could transform him into an adult
hero -- Spider-Man. I said it sounded like the Fly, which Joe Simon had done for Archie Comics.
Stan called Jack about it but I don't know what was discussed. I never
talked to Jack about Spider-Man... Later, at some point, I was given the
job of drawing Spider-Man'".
^ Jack Kirby in "Shop Talk: Jack Kirby", Will Eisner's Spirit Magazine #39 (February 1982): "Spider-Man was discussed between Joe Simon
and myself. It was the last thing Joe and I had discussed. We had a
strip called 'The Silver Spider.' The Silver Spider was going into a
magazine called Black Magic.Black Magic folded with Crestwood
(Simon & Kirby's 1950s comics company) and we were left with the
script. I believe I said this could become a thing called Spider-Man,
see, a superhero character. I had a lot of faith in the superhero
character that they could be brought back... and I said Spider-Man would
be a fine character to start with. But Joe had already moved on. So the
idea was already there when I talked to Stan".
^ Simon, Joe, with Jim Simon. The Comic Book Makers (Crestwood/II, 1990) ISBN 1-887591-35-4. "There were a few holes in Jack's never-dependable memory. For instance, there was no Black Magic
involved at all. ... Jack brought in the Spider-Man logo that I had
loaned to him before we changed the name to The Silver Spider. Kirby
laid out the story to Lee about the kid who finds a ring in a spiderweb,
gets his powers from the ring, and goes forth to fight crime armed with
The Silver Spider's old web-spinning pistol. Stan Lee said, 'Perfect,
just what I want.' After obtaining permission from publisher Martin Goodman,
Lee told Kirby to pencil-up an origin story. Kirby... using parts of an
old rejected superhero named Night Fighter... revamped the old Silver
Spider script, including revisions suggested by Lee. But when Kirby
showed Lee the sample pages, it was Lee's turn to gripe. He had been
expecting a skinny young kid who is transformed into a skinny young kid
with spider powers. Kirby had him turn into... Captain America with
cobwebs. He turned Spider-Man over to Steve Ditko, who... ignored
Kirby's pages, tossed the character's magic ring, web-pistol and
goggles... and completely redesigned Spider-Man's costume and equipment.
In this life, he became high-school student Peter Parker, who gets his
spider powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider. ... Lastly,
the Spider-Man logo was redone and a dashing hyphen added".
^Mondello, Salvatore (Mar 2004). "Spider-Man: Superhero in the Liberal Tradition". The Journal of Popular CultureX (1): 232–238. doi:10.1111/j.0022-3840.1976.1001_232.x.
"a teenage superhero and middle-aged supervillains—an impressive
rogues' gallery which includes such memorable knaves and grotesques as
the Vulture,".
References
^ abcdefghijWright, Bradford W. (2001). Comic Book Nation. Johns Hopkins Press : Baltimore. ISBN0801874505.
^ Bell, Blake. Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko (2008). Fantagraphic Books.p.54-57.
^
Skelly, Tim. "Interview II: 'I created an army of characters, and now
my connection to them is lost.'" (Initially broadcast over WNUR-FM on
"The Great Electric Bird," May 14, 1971. Transcribed and published in The Nostalgia Journal #27.) Reprinted in The Comics Journal Library Volume One: Jack Kirby, George, Milo ed. May, 2002, Fantagraphics Books. p. 16
^ Ross, Jonathon. In Search of Steve Ditko, BBC 4, September 16, 2007.
^ Saffel, Steve. Spider-Man the Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon (Titan Books, 2007) ISBN 978-1-84576-324-4, "A Not-So-Spectacular Experiment", p. 31
^Sanderson, Peter. Marvel Universe: The Complete Encyclopedia of Marvel's Greatest Characters (Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1998) ISBN 0-8109-8171-8, p. 75
^ ab Kempton, Sally, "Spiderman's [sic] Dilemma: Super-Anti-Hero in Forest Hills", The Village Voice, April 1, 1965
^Sanderson, Peter (2007). The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City. New York City: Pocket Books. pp. 30–33. ISBN1-41653-141-6.
^ Saunders, Catherine, Heather Scott, Julia March, Alastair Dougall, eds. Marvel Chronicle (DK Publishing, New York City, 2008) ISBN 978-0756641238. p. 117
^
Saffel, p. 65, states, "In the battle that followed atop the Brooklyn
Bridge (or was it the George Washington Bridge?)...." On page 66, Saffel
reprints the panel of The Amazing Spider-Man #121, page 18, in
which Spider-Man exclaims, "The George Washington Bridge! It figures
Osborn would pick something named after his favorite president. He's got
the same sort of hangup for dollar bills!" Saffel states, "The span
portrayed...is the GW's more famous cousin, the Brooklyn Bridge. ... To
address the contradiction in future reprints of the tale, though,
Spider-Man's dialogue was altered so that he's referring to the Brooklyn
Bridge. But the original snafu remains as one of the more visible
errors in the history of comics."
^ Sanderson, Marvel Universe,
p. 84, notes, "[W]hile the script described the site of Gwen's demise
as the George Washington Bridge, the art depicted the Brooklyn Bridge,
and there is still no agreement as to where it actually took place."
^ Spurlock, J. David, and John Romita. John Romita Sketchbook. (Vanguard Productions: Lebanon, N.J. 2002) ISBN 1-887591-27-3,
p. 45: Romita: "I designed the Spider-Man balloon float. When we went
to Macy's to talk about it, Manny Bass was there. He's the genius who
creates all these balloon floats. I gave him the sketches and he turned
them into reality".
