Superheroes - An Introduction

The superhero genre has dominated comic books for around half a century and has provided some of the greatest cinematic moments ever. The late Christopher Reeve`s Superman, for instance, embodied exactly what it meant to be a superhero on the major screen – powerful, just, morally righteous and clearly suffering from dissociative identity disorder! Indeed, superheroes invariably have an alter ego of some form or another, which is normally self-induced but can be uncontrollable, such as when Dr David Banner transforms into the Incredible Hulk. Usually, however, the superhero`s alter ego is more of a secret identity – although whether the superhero`s real identity is that which is in or out of costume is often unclear.

Ultimately, superheroes are defenders of justice, but not necessarily the law, and aim to fight crime with an array of special powers and unique skills. Superheroes will often be lucky enough to reside in special secret headquarters to plot their next moves, such as Superman`s Fortress of Solitude and Batman`s Batcave. Indeed, Superman and Batman are among the most iconic of superheroes, although there are many others, both male and female, including Captain America, Wonder Woman and He-Man. Whilst for many there is no greater superhero than Superman – indeed, what other character can fly around the world so fast that he time travels back into the past to save the woman of his dreams – for others the greatest ever superhero was none other than Spider-Man.

Spider-Man first appeared in comic books back in 1962, when he made an appearance in the 15th edition of Amazing Fantasy and then, in March 1963, was rewarded with his own series that started out life as The Amazing Spider-Man. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Spider-Man emerged from a growing demand for superhero fiction by teenagers obsessed with comic books, which was a significant medium of entertainment in its day. Featuring Peter Benjamin Parker as a troubled orphan living with his uncle in New York City, Spider-Man became Spider-Man when a young Peter was bitten by a radioactive spider that was part of a scientific experiment. Where most people would capture the spider and travel to the nearest hospital for anti-venom shots, Peter instead developed remarkable skills and physical properties that would completely transform him from the dorky, pigeon-chested kid that was routinely bullied by a hot-headed Flash Thompson into an immensely strong individual with phenome! nal capabilities such as being able to climb walls, leap huge distances and fire adhesive webbing from his wrist – originally through home-made gadgetry and, in later incarnations, as an innate ability.

Spider-Man moved from comic book to television cartoon in 1981, which was a successful transition that was revised numerous times and continues to date. Such is the popularity of Spider-Man, which is not limited to the old or young primarily because the fundamental premise behind the character is one that can be identified by all ages, the superhero has also made a successful impression on Hollywood. Indeed, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3 and the forthcoming Spider-Man 4, all starring Toby Maguire as the web-firing hero, have performed extremely well in cinemas throughout the world.

With arch-rivals such as the Green Goblin, who was played by Willem Defoe in the original Spider-Man movie, Doctor Octopus and Venom, Spider-Man will always have his work cut saving the world. Largely on the back of recent Hollywood successes, Spider-Man`s popularity has seen a rise in the sale of related merchandise, such as clothing, games, books, toys and various bedroom accessories such as the superb Spiderman duvet set.