Spider-Man Debuts: Marvel's Teenage Hero Swings In
Stan Lee and Steve Ditko introduced Spider-Man in Amazing Fantasy #15, published on August 10, 1962, breaking every rule of superhero comics. Peter Parker was a teenager, not a sidekick. He was bullied, broke, and responsible for his uncle's death. He worried about rent. Publisher Martin Goodman had told Lee that teenagers couldn't carry their own title and that readers wouldn't like a hero with spider powers because people hate spiders. The issue sold so well it spawned The Amazing Spider-Man series within months. Ditko's angular, neurotic art perfectly matched Lee's dialogue about a hero whose personal problems were as compelling as his villains. Spider-Man became Marvel's most profitable character and redefined what a superhero could be.
August 10, 1962
64 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on August 10
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