The Amazing Spider-Man

Amazing Spider-Man is the full name of the comic strip commonly referred to as Spider-man. The name also refers to the longest-running Spider-Man comic book published by Marvel Comics, which was started after the Spider-man character introduced in Amazing Fantasy became so popular.

Spider-man is the alter-ego of Peter Parker, a young man who was bitten by a radioactive spider and developed the proportinate speed, strength and agility of a spider. He has also developed the ability to detect iminent danger an ability he has dubbed his "Spider-sense". Spider-man displays an astounding amount of agility and strength and, when not clinging to buses or other vehicles, transports himself by shooting "webs" from devices he made at home; the webs can spray out in a variety of forms and densities according to Spider-man's wishes. When used for transport, the web itself is thin and long, with an adhesive at the tip which sticks to the sides or ledges of buildings. The web is also flexible, allowing Spider-man to swing from one to the other, much like Tarzan from one vine to another. At times, the web is sprayed out in a wide fan, which is often used to hold enemies in place until the authorities arrive.

Orphaned in infancy when his government agent parents were killed on a mission Peter was raised by his paternal Uncle Ben and his wife, Aunt May. A thin, bookish and unpopular youth Peter initially found the freedoms that his new spider-powers afforded him exhilarating. Originally Peter Parker had no intention of becoming a superhero and found employment as a masked entertainer. However, after his Uncle Ben was murdered by a thief that Spider-man had failed to stop, Peter Parker developed the axiom that "with great power comes great responsibility," and realized he must put his talents to work fighting injustice. He has attracted a menagerie of villains and opponents over the years. Some of his main enemies have been the Green Goblin, the Hobgoblin, Kraven, Venom, Doctor Octopus, The Kingpin, and at times, The Punisher. He has had some interactions with Doctor Doom, but not enough to consider him a main enemy.

In order to aid his family's financial situation after the death of his Uncle Ben Peter began to take and sell pictures of himself in action as Spider-Man. (Spider-Man webs a camera to some out-of-the-way place and tries to steer the action in front of it; he also has various settings on the camera dictating when the pictures are taken.) His main outlet is the tabloid-style newspaper, the Daily Bugle where Peter Parker's boss, J. Jonah Jameson, has an intense and abiding hate for Spider-Man.

As with many characters spanning a lengthy publishing history, handled by multiple creators Spider-man's history is somewhat convoluted. He continued working as a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle and living with his elderly and somewhat fragile Aunt May until he graduated from high school. He enrolled in Empire State University where he befriended Harry Osborn, who was in fact the son of his arch-enemy the Green Goblin, and Gwen Stacy, with whom he would have a lengthy romance. Stacy was eventually killed by the Green Goblin who died soon thereafter in battle with Spider-man. Parker eventually wed long-time friend Mary Jane Watson. His marriage did not overly affect his career as a crime-fighter and the stresses of his dual identity coupled with Mary Jane's tempestuous career as a model/actress and capricious editorial mandates led to the dissolution of their marriage. He is currently, once again, single, living in a Manhattan apartment receiving the occasional visits from his Aunt May (who was at one point thought dead but it was revealed that the elderly woman who died was merely an actress who had impersonated her), and is currently employed as a science teacher in his old high school.

http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/spidermn/about.htm

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