Spider-Man

The origin

Peter Parker, a bullied science student from Queens, is bitten by a radioactive spider and gains its proportional strength, agility and a warning sense. He uses it to make money on television, and when a burglar runs past him he lets the man go, because it is not his problem. That same burglar later kills his Uncle Ben. Peter learns, in the cruellest way available, that with great power there must also come great responsibility.

What makes Spider-Man different

Before Spider-Man, teenagers in comics were sidekicks. Lee and Ditko made one the hero and, more importantly, made his real problems as pressing as his supervillains. Rent, homework, a sick aunt, a girlfriend who is fed up. Every relatable superhero since is downstream of Peter Parker. He is also the only major hero whose origin is fundamentally about guilt rather than duty or vengeance.

Where to start reading

The full reading order