It’s easy to understand why people love Spider-Man. A geeky teenager given superpowers by a fantastical accident, he was perhaps the very first ground- level superhero. Since his introduction in 1962, he’s been one of the most popular characters in comic books. Part of the reason is how relatable he’s always been. Sure, he had special abilities, but quite different from so many fictional heroes, he had real-world problems. Spider-Man was working through adolescence, while dealing with school, a job, money issues, family and all the things that so many of us deal with as we grow up. We’ll be taking a deep dive into everything Spidey-related. It all starts with the comics, of course, and hundreds of stories told in all their four-color glory as they not only introduced both versions of the Wall-Crawler, but also the incredible roster of friends and foes who either support or battle Web-Head. But it doesn’t stop there. Spider-Man has been all over television, video games and, of course, the movies, where eight different live-action Spider- Man films have hit theaters in this century alone (as well as one very popular animated one). Add Spidey’s role in three other Marvel movies, and he has appeared on-screen more than any other superhero in that time. And there’s plenty more of him in store, with the first of two more animated flicks— Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse— hitting theaters in June and the second next year, plus, the announcement of another live-action film in the not-too- distant future. So grab onto one of Spidey’s webs and prepare to swing through more than six decades of history, from the brainchild of a pair of longtime comics professionals to the casting of a British teenager to play that creation on-screen, and beyond.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SPIDER-MAN
HERO NEXT DOOR • WE LOVE SPIDER-MAN BECAUSE HE’S JUST LIKE US.
HEAD BACK INTO THE SPIDER - VERSE • MILES MORALES AND A WHOLE NEW GANG OF WEB-SLINGERS ARE BACK FOR THE SEQUEL.
THE SPIDEY-SOUNDS
6 FAN THEORIES
NOT QUITE OUR EARTH
BRING ON THE SPIDER-PEOPLE
SIX DECADES OF STORIES • SINCE 1962, SPIDER-MAN HAS SWUNG THROUGH THE PAGES OF COMIC BOOKS.
THE MARVEL METHOD
FAMOUS PHRASE
JUST WHAT CAN SPIDEY DO?
A 21ST-CENTURY TAKE
THE AMAZING SPIDER-GWEN • HOW PETER’S GIRLFRIEND WENT FROM VICTIM TO VICTORIOUS.
FRIENDS & FAMILY • MEET THE SUPPORTING PLAYERS IN SPIDER-MAN’S WORLD.
WEB OF LOVE
20 BIGGEST BADDIES • COUNTING DOWN SPIDER-MAN’S MOST FORMIDABLE FOES.
WEB OF HEROES • SPIDEY HAS HAD SOME AMAZING TEAM-UPS OVER THE YEARS. HERE ARE A FEW OF THE BEST.
CRAWLING UP THE BIG SCREEN • SPIDER-MAN IS THE REIGNING KING OF THE BOX OFFICE.
TOP TOBEY MAGUIRE SPIDER-MOMENTS
TOP ANDREW GARFIELD SPIDER-MOMENTS
JAMES CAMERON’S FILM THAT WASN’T
TOP TOM HOLLAND SPIDER-MOMENTS
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE WALL-CRAWLER?
SPECIAL SPIDEY EFFECTS
SPIDER-MEN • A LOOK AT THE FOUR ACTORS WHO’VE PLAYED THE CHARACTER ON THE BIG SCREEN.
SMALL-SCREEN ADVENTURES • THE WALL-CRAWLER’S HAD SOME HITS AND MISSES ON TV.
THE ELECTRIC COMPANY’S SILENT SPIDEY
SUITED FOR THE TASK • EXPLORING THE FASHION AND FUNCTION OF SPIDER-MAN’S MANY MOVIE COSTUMES.
WEB-HEAD ❤‘S NY • THE BIG APPLE IS IN A SPIDEY STATE OF MIND.
SPIDEY STUFF • LIVE YOUR BEST WEB-HEAD LIFE WITH THESE FUN FINDS!
The Ultimate Guide to Spider-Man
PHOTO CREDITS
