Daily Comics Digression #6: Why Spider Man is the Best!

Daily Comics Digression #6: Why Spider-Man is the Best!

So in my last post, I mentioned that I think Spider-Man is the most significant hero ever. I would like to explain my reasons a little: 

1. Consummate popularity. He is constantly the subject of television shows, movies, video games, and toys. His comic, which some people buy just because they feel they must, is consistently one of the top sellers. Heck, they made a show of him in Japanese for crying out loud. 

   

   No way he affords a robot with his camera work salary. 

2. Widespread appeal. Whoever you are as a person, there is something to connect to in Peter Parker. Everyone feels like an outsider at some point; everyone gets a stroke of bad luck. Peter's life of hard knocks and setbacks reach out to the struggles in each of us. Despite all of his power, Spider-Man continually faces life situations outside of his control. Unlike Superman, he can't just snap his fingers and pull a deus ex machina out of his butt. He has to deal with life like any normal person.
3. Powerful, but not overpowered. Spider-Man has a well rounded power set that lets him do cool things, but he's still ultimately flesh and blood, so readers never lose narrative tension. 
4. Design. There's just something magical about Spider-Man's design. He's got a timeless superhero look that barely needs any adjusting decades later. 
5. Humor. While some writers definitely go too far with this point, Spider-Man is able to take the serious situations superheroes face and inject some good natured fun into them.
6. Pathos. For all of his jokes, Peter has faced true heartbreak. The mixture of humor and tragedy in his stories gives them a bittersweet quality that doesn't feel overwrought or saccharine. 
7. Awesome theme songs. Whether it's the 90's synth tune or the classic "does whatever a spider can," Spider-Man seems to bring the best out of everything. 

So there you have it. My short list of why Spider-Man is truly the most important and significant superhero ever. You're certainly free to disagree with me, but my opinion is right.