Just some thoughts today about the Amazing Spiderman. This Marvel character almost didn't get created back in 1962, when the idea was being pitched by Stan Lee [artist] & Steve Ditko [writer] to the editor.Now fast-forward over 50 years, and Spiderman is a household name, with global fame.
Every comic character has a certain appeal. The respective appeals of Batman [created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger back in 1939] or even Spawn [created by Todd MacFarlane in 1992] are both unque, and they are uniquely different from the vibe that fans get from Spiderman.
There's one phrase that best describes why Spidey is so popular: he is down to earth, and he's a friendly neighborhood guy.
Spiderman was first presented as an orphan teenager being raised by his grandparents in a small NY neighborhood. And after getting his powers, he was forced to learn that "with great power comes great responsibility". It's just one of those statements that sticks with you, like the words of the wise.
Additionally, Spiderman has always had a peculiar way with the ladies; he's never too strong or over-confident, he is not a classy billionaire playboy and he certainly can't fly faster than a speeding bullet. But the gals / dames / chicks all seem to love him, as shown in the picture above with Ms. Marvel and Spiderwoman.[BTW the term "dames" dates back to the 40s and 50s].
If you followed the classic comic stories, you'd think that the affluent young lady Felicia Hardy [Black Cat] would be attracted more to a Bruce Wayne kinda guy; but yet she finds herself constantly being drawn to Peter Parker, because of his appealing persona.
Nevertheless, I think that the best term to describe Spiderman is not just a hero, he's certainly that.... but the better word is a friend. And that word makes his persona magnetic to fans!
There have been tons of graphic novel collections over the decades that have depicted Spiderman. And some that I will recommend for Google and Amazon searches, based on art styles that I like, are "Spiderman Terry Dodson", "Spiderman Joe Madureira", "Spiderman Mark Brooks", "Spiderman J Scott Campbell", just to name a few.
Check them out, when you get a minute!