Spider-Man, comic-book character who was the original everyman superhero. In Spider-Man’s first story, in Marvel Comics’ Amazing Fantasy, no. 15 (1962), American teenager Peter Parker, a poor sickly orphan, is bitten by a radioactive spider. As a result of the bite, he gains superhuman strength, speed, and agility along with the ability to cling to walls. Writer Stan Lee and illustrator Steve Ditko created Spider-Man as a filler story for a canceled anthology series. At the time, a teenage lead hero was unheard of in comic books. However, young readers responded powerfully to Peter Parker, prompting an ongoing title and, ultimately, a media empire, including video games, several animated and one live-action television series, a live-action film franchise, and a Broadway musical.
Spider-Man was a radical departure from the established conventions of the comic-book superhero: he was a teenage character who was not relegated to sidekick status beside an older, more-experienced hero. In addition to enhanced speed and strength, Parker also possessed a precognitive “spider sense” that alerted him to approaching dangers. Using his inborn scientific talents, Parker synthesized a unique adhesive “web fluid” and built a pair of wrist-mounted web-shooters that enabled him to shape the webbing into various useful forms. He also designed and sewed the web-festooned red-and-blue costume that quickly became Spider-Man’s most visible trademark.
However, Marvel publisher Martin Goodman was not initially receptive to the idea of a teen hero taking centre stage, nor did he want to accept Spider-Man’s neuroses, romantic deficiencies, and chronic concerns about money. Goodman also thought that the audience would be repelled by the character’s spider motif. Fortunately, Lee’s instincts prevailed. Spider-Man’s debut in Amazing Fantasy was an immediate and resounding success.
Credit : Britannica
Picture Credit : Google
