Spider-Man: Explosions and Parades
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Spider-Man: Explosions and Parades
Spider-Man has proven staying power in the world as it embarks on its 52nd year of publication. Adults are drawn to the comic perhaps of nostalgia, when they read the comics perhaps they recall fond memories of their childhood. Children are drawn to the comic because Spider-Man has done an excellent job of staying current, for example, releasing new a Spider-Man movie every few years. Spider-Man’s history, cultural and economic significance, and cultural values are very much reflected today as they were upon its creation over 50 years ago.
Spider-Man History and Profile
Spider-Man has transcended the world over proving to have a lasting effect among its audience. In 1962 Spider-Man, also known as Peter Parker, made his introduction, taking to fighting crime for a reason; his motivation steams from the murder of his Uncle Ben. As an orphan, Peter lives with his aging aunt and uncle. However, Spider-Man’s motivation is not guilt or retaliation; he must live forever with his haunting thoughts that he could have prevented the murder if he had not been so selfish. While attending a science exhibit, Peter is bitten by a spider that accidently received a dose of radioactivity. As a result, Peter acquires the quickness and comparable strength of an arachnid. He carelessly overlooks the chance to stop an evading robber, but his unresponsiveness surprises him when the same criminal later mugs and murders his father figure, his Uncle Ben. He wonders regretfully off into the night.
Creator and Authors of Spider-Man
Stan Lee, the creator of the famed comic book series Spider-Man was born Stanley Martin Liber in 1922 in New York City. Leiber, who later condensed his name to Lee, took employment at firm that would ultimately develop into Marvel Comics. In the early 1960s Lee was asked to compose a series for Marvel Comics which could compete with the leading comics of the day. Together with another artist, Lee unveiled the super-hero team the Fantastic Four in 1961 debuting popular characters like Spider-Man, Thor, the Hulk, and the X-men. “He introduced Spider-Man as a syndicated newspaper string that became the most successful of all syndicated adventure strips and has appeared in more than 500 newspapers worldwide” (The Real Stan Lee, 2013). Lee illustrated and wrote the comic until 1972 when he was given the promotion of editorial director. Fast forward a number of years to 1990 and a budding young talent Todd McFarlane took over writing and illustrating the famed comic. With the help of another collaborator, McFarlane changed the super-heroes appearance, making him more spider-like with wiry limbs and large eyes. McFarlane continued his career for several years at Marvel Comics before leaving for reasons of creative differences and to help found Image Comics and publishing firm.
Spider-Man Comic: “Torment” Part Five of Five
In the “Torment” Part Five of Five” Spider-Man comic McFarlane begins with the New York City police receiving reports of a massive explosion. The police race to support the fire department. The comic reads, “The stillness of night has been broken. Sirens begin to wail as they speed along Central Park. High above the city, smoke snakes upward. It’s point of origin being left behind for others to care for. The confusion, the destructions, have no meaning to the smoke, the sky, the wind. The smoke’s sole purpose is the drift aimlessly and to…RISE ABOVE IT ALL” (McFarlan, 1990). Spider-Man, who was inside the building at the time of the explosion, is in disarray; however he is awake and elevated suspended above the debris. The captions advise the reader that, “It will take four and a half minutes for the fire trucks to arrive. The next four minutes will seem like an eternity to our hero” (McFarlan, 1990). He is dangling there, contemplating his next move, and worrying about the toxins now flowing through his body. In