Spiderman. Spidey just wouldn’t have been as cool if that
were just his surname. “Hello, Jim Spiderman here.” So much of his coolness
rests on that hyphen separating “Spider” and “Man,” and the spider from the
man. Spider-Man. Coolness that transcends being a grown man in a full-body
leotard. Coolness that lets kids and adults alike suspend our disbelief to gleefully
take in the comics or the recent film franchise.

The appeal of Spidey is twofold. On the one hand, his powers
are pretty rad--slinging webs, acrobatically swinging from building to
building, engaging in upside-down kisses with the lovely Mary Jane. On the
other hand, Spidey, or Peter Parker, anyway, is the
 everyman of
superheroes. He comes from modest means, unlike, say, Bruce Wayne, who doesn’t
wonder where his next meal’s coming from. Parker values family and friendship
and is never quite sure about this whole hero thing, where he fits in. He’s the
eternal underdog, but when granted superhuman powers, he nobly steps up to the
plate.

 The final straw in our webslinging amigo’s appeal has got to
be his enemies. He’s gone up against some of the coolest, most mischievous
villains, many of whom are  counterparts to Spidey himself, products of science
experiments gone awry. Doctor Octopus, for example, is that most classic of bad
guys, the mad scientist. Then there’s the wealthy folks with too much time on their
hands, like the Green Goblin, aka Norman Osborn.
Yes, Spider-Man has been around for over four decades now,
keeping us safe from all manner of nut jobs bent on world domination, and GIT
Corp., Marvel’s digital publisher, has collected nearly all of it on this DVD. That’s over 575 comic books, including every article,
pinup, and even every advertisement. I wonder what year the first video game ad
made its way in there? Spider-Man and Pong?

For those with a
smaller Spider-appetite, there’s the Amazing Spider-Man: The Last 20 Years DVD as well. You’ll still
get the ever-popular Todd McFarlane-penned issues, and recent work by J.
Michael Straczynski. Enjoy it, but remember: with great power comes great
responsibility.

~Jason

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