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Krissy Rivard Ms. Bell English 4, Per. 3 4 September 2013 Comic Books Comic Books are not only for children, but for adults as well and have been around for thousands of years now. They consist of many different fictional stories involving super heroes and villains and tell you a different story about each of them. According to A History of the Comic Book in the United States in the late 1800s the first comic book was created. Comic Books consist of a combination of everyday language, slang, color, and images with different texts around it to tell a story. The two major publishers of Comic Books which have become a huge part of American culture today are called Marvel and Detective Comic. Neither of the publishers started off with those names but as time progressed the titles became permanent and are famous all around the world today. One very famous character made by Marvel Comics was Spider-Man. The first Detective Comic was created in 1937. THE HISTORY OF COMIC BOOKS The two largest superhero comic books publishers are Detective Comics and Marvel Comics who have become the most famous publishes in the world. The Detective Comic is the largest published comic book in America with 881 monthly issues just in its first volume. The first appearance of Superman was in the first Detective Comic written and from there it became popular and a worldwide phenomenon. Batman was featured in Detective Comics #27 and it ended up becoming the star of the title. Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas reports that a rare copy of Detective Comics No. 27 from 1939 -- in which "The Batman" made his debut --

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sold for a record-setting $1,075,500. (Cavna). There are less than 200 copies of Detective Comics in existence and it is rare for the books to still be in good condition, which is one of the reasons the copy sold for so much. Another huge publisher of comic books is called Marvel Comics, which is the creator of the popular story Spiderman. Marvel Comics, which was created in 1939 and founded by Martin Goodman is one of the biggest publishing groups in America to this day. (The History of Marvel Comics) According to DC and Marvel Comics Marvel Comics were founded in 1939, but were first known as Timely Comics. Marvel Comics most well-known characters are Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and Captain America. Marvel Comics had characters that were based off of World War 2 so in the comics they fought Nazis. War did generate great sales of comic books, though, and World War II- and Korean War-themed comics remained popular throughout the 1950s. (Walker) Captain America was portrayed as a superhero that fought communists and these specific stories were appreciated greatly by many. As time progressed they moved on to having the enemies in the stories as communists and had the superheroes fight those enemies. Next was Atlas Comics which did not have many sales and failed instantly so the outcome was Marvel Comics taking over and being successful. Spider-Man was a huge character in Marvel Comics and became one of the most popular comic books ever created. THE GREAT SPIDER-MAN Marvel Comic books feature a fictional superhero named Spider-Man who is also referred to as Spidey. In the story, only few citizens in the town know the real identity of Spider-Man, which is an ordinary boy named Peter Parker. When Peter Parker got bitten by a radioactive spider one day on a field trip at a science exhibit, it changed his life for the better

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because it turned him into an amazing human being. From the moment he officially became Spider-Man he was known as a superhero and was loved worldwide. According to Marvel Universe a boy named Peter Parker was orphaned by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May when his parents were killed overseas in a plane crash. Parker was a shy boy who didnt have many friends, but was very academically gifted and was a genius especially in science. While visiting a science exhibit Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider which soon turned him into Spider-Man, changing his life forever. He was extremely selfish at first and decided to only use his powers for his aunt and uncle and his own wellbeing and didnt care for the safety of anyone else. Marvel Universe also states that Parker knowingly let a burglar escape from the scene of robbery one night and that same burglar shot and killed a man who ended up being Parkers uncle Ben. From that moment on Peter decided he was going to use his powers for good and help others. Although Spider-Man is a superhero, he was not seen that way at first. Unlike heroes like the Fantastic Four or the Avengers, Spider-Man was mistrusted and feared by the public. (Marvel Universe) Spider-Man had to gain his trust from the public and prove that he was not a villain but actually a true hero that saved many lives. When Parker graduated from high school he received a science scholarship to Empire State University (ESU). Parker was chosen to receive this scholarship because he had the highest scholastic average in Midtown High Schools history. In college Peter befriended a boy named Harry Osborn, son of Norman Osborn who ended up being one of Spider-Mans greatest enemies named the Green Goblin. The Green Goblin kidnapped Spider-Man and tried to kill him, but Spider-Man defeated him. Spider-Man Biographies states that Spider-Man was nothing close to a regular superhero; he also dealt with regular life problems and was still just known as Peter Parker to many because Spider-Mans

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identity was kept a secret. He is one super-hero who has not lost the common touch, and in fact he is frequently described as "your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. (Spiderman Biography). Peter Parker has to live with the guilt forever of not stopping the burglar that shot his uncle and that is his motivation to save lives and prevent crimes. Spider-Man is still known to this as one of the most popular fictional characters ever created and that will never change. His very first appearance was in a comic book, but he has been involved in many other projects since then. According to Spider-Man biography SpiderMan has also been featured in animated movies, television shows, live-action films, newspapers, and comic strips. Spider-Man is unlike any other superhero because although he saves the day and stops crimes from happening at night, underneath all of his super powers and spider webs he is still just another ordinary boy trying to find his place in the world. The creation of Spider-Man wouldnt have even been possible without an exceptional man named Stan Lee. SPIDER-MANS CREATOR, STAN LEE The creator of Spider-Man was a man by the name of Stanley Martin Lieber, also known as Stan Lee. He was an American comic book writer, television host, editor, publisher, and many more. Stan Lee also co-created The Hulk, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, X-Man and other characters that are still popular to this day. Stan Lee was only sixteen years old when he went to work for Marvel Comics. (Cyber Spacers.) His journey began at a young age and he is now one of the most influential men in history. Cyber Spacers states that Stan Lees fellow employees left Timely Comics to join their rival publishers, DC Comics. At a young age of 18 Stan Lee became Timely Comics temporary editor and chief writer because of the two employees leaving the company. In 1962 Stan Lee was asked to come up with a new superhero idea that would be successful and create attention for

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Marvel Comics. He wanted to create a character that teenagers could relate to but also one with a storyline that has to do with a spider. Many readers began to relate to Peter Parker and his realistic teenager problems like peer pressure, girls, and the rest...Spider-Man was easily the most unique hero of his time & has stood the test of time even to today. (History of SpiderMan) The fact that many people could relate to Spider-Man was very important to Stan Lee because he also wanted to create a unique character that no one had heard of before and it ending up becoming a huge success. According to Stan Lees biography Stan Lee was inspired by seeing a spider climbing up a wall. Marvels editor-in-chief at the time was a man named Tom DeFalco and he thought that the idea of Spider-Man would never sell and wouldnt be appealing to the public but his opinion was overpowered by the Marvel publisher Martin Goodman who approved of the character. After Amazing Fantasy #15 arrived on the stands, readers loved what they read...Enough to write letter after letter demanding to see more of this new, different hero named Spider-Man and come March of 1963, the "Amazing" was back & in the form of the newly titled comic Amazing Spiderman #1! (History of Spider-Man) Spider-Mans first appearance in Amazing Fantasy #15 is still to this day one of Marvels highest selling comics, it was a huge success from the moment it came out and it became the comic book that saved Marvel Comics at the time. Stan Lees imagine and creativity shaped what comic books have evolved into today and his impact on pop culture will never be forgotten. SUMMARY OF SPIDER-MAN TORMENT (PART 1 OF 5) This comic book starts off with showing the busy city of New York and exaggerating the fact that people are going about their business and not paying attention to anything. A man with a gun threatens an old lady and tries to force her to give him her purse but out of nowhere, Spider-

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Man comes in and saves the day and wraps the criminal up in a million webs and hangs him upside down from the ceiling and walks away. Spider-Man takes off his suit and returns to his ordinary self and enjoys a night with his girlfriend Mary Jane, completely oblivious to what is going on outside. The sea Monster arises from the ground and starts killing people. A man shoots the monster and tries getting away, but hes not fast enough and the creature kills him and his friend. The next morning Peter Parker is worrying about other things on his mind and doesnt figure out that a creature is on the loose killing people. He turns into Spider-Man and sets off to swing through the city, lost in his own thoughts and unaware that below him the creature is killing another man that Spider-Man should be saving. The story ends showing Spider-Man carelessly swaying through the city and the evil beast below waiting to feast on him. REVIEW OF THE COMIC Spider-Man was an interesting character to do a research paper on because of how unique and distinctive he is from other superheroes. He is different not only because hes an ordinary teenage boy under his suit, but also because he has different kinds of powers than other superheroes like being able to shoot webs from the palms of his hands. Spider-Man is an excellent character because he is relatable and the whole story is able to catch any audiences attention right away. The specific storyline of Spider-Man: Torment was the best comic book on the shelf because it proves that under Spider-Mans suit he is just an ordinary boy that everybody in the town treats the same because no one knows his real identity. The fact that his true identity is hidden is what makes the comic book better and more mysterious and pulls in the readers attention. Stan Lee deserves recognition for the rest of his life for being a genius and creating the idea of not only Spider-Man but also many other superheroes that will live on forever. People of all ages are able to look up to the superheroes in the comic book stories and it

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can influence them to do better in their everyday life. Spider-Man is the most loving and humorous superhero ever created. At just fifteen years old he was bitten and gained all of his powers and his uncle passed away all within days of each other; thats a lot to handle for a fifteen year old. Marvel Comics made Spider-Mans character use his powers for good instead of bad which is what any person would expect for him to use it for since he had to handle so much at a young age. The legend of Spider-Man will live on forever and there will never be any other superhero that is anything like him.

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Works Cited

Michael Cavna, . N.p. Web. 1 Sep 2013. <http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2010-

26/news/36874573_1_superman-debut-comic-book-rare-copy>.

"Spider Man (Peter Parker)." Marvel Universe Wiki. Marvel Universe. Web. 1 Sep 2013.

<http://marvel.com/universe/Spider-Man_(Peter_Parker)>.

"Superman Biography." Super Hero Stuff. Super Hero Stuff. Web. 1 Sep 2013.

<http://www.superherostuff.com/biographies/spideybio.html>.

"How to be a Real Superhero." CyberSpacers. CyberSpacers. Web. 1 Sep 2013.

<http://www.cyberspacers.com/exclusive/08020301.html>.

Lacter, Mark. "How I Did It: Stan Lee of Marvel Comics."Inc. Inc. Magazine, 01 0012 2009. Web. 1

Sep 2013. <http://www.inc.com/magazine/20091101/how-i-did-it-stan-lee-of-marvel-

comics.html>.

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Gillette, Eric . "History of Spiderman." History of Spiderman. N.p. Web. 1 Sep 2013.

<http://www.samruby.com/History/history_of_spiderman__ditko_era.htm>.

"Stan Lee." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Sep 02 2013, 12:22

<http://www.biography.com/people/stan-lee-21101093>

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