My Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man

Spider-Man has been the only superhero I’ve ever adored, admired, looked upto... everything!

Our first meeting must have been circa summer of ’86. And then there was no equal! I don’t even consider the rest of the superheroes in the same category as Spider-Man. The masked menace is well and truly a class apart. And kindly do not picturise Tobey Macguire or relate what I’ve written to the movies. Though the movies are a decent representation of the real Spider-Man, comic books is the real real stuff and that's what I have in mind while writing this.

Spider-Man is probably the only one who has a personality and a mind of his own even in comic books. The number of “thought bubbles” in any Spider-Man comic beat any other comic hands down. He thinks, he reflects and that’s what sets him apart. He isn’t invincible or near-invincible, or have flashy gadgets or have some secret weapon to transform himself. It's just a suit he pulls on himself and we're ready to rock-n-roll.

Spider-Man doesn’t lose his sense of humour and jest even when he's in some serious trouble. Some of the one-liners are just awesome. He doesn't seem to have a stiff upper lip or some notion that he's to be a role model. He's after all just a common guy who's doing his bit to help others.

He’s a lone ranger who relies on his genius, on his gift, on out-thinking the villain rather than beating them by sheer force. He isn’t someone who likes to make an entrance or go in for confrontation but more likely to use a red herring. Not exactly the qualitites that make a great superhero!

The best part of Spider-Man is Peter Parker. The young man behind the mask who’s a science freak but undergoes transformation which he believes is the cure for all problems in his life. He’s wrong. It complicates his life to an extent that it becomes unmanageable. He has powers to accomplish things that he had never dreamt before but still his struggle continues. This is the reality that no other superhero seems to be depicting. They may have the greatest of powers but they're ultimately just as human as you and me!

He doesn’t mind crossing over to the dark-side which I felt was a really interesting part of the series. It showed a whole new side to the till-then good boy next door. I must confess that for a while I even loved him that way but then... that wasn't the 'right' way!

The fact that despite being a superhero and having the ability to have anything he wants, he’s not-so-successful in aspects of his personal life. He has trouble with his boss, never seems to get things right with the girls but does miraculously well in academics and ofcourse crime-fighting! That ironically makes him by far the most realistic superhero. He actually has two distinct sections in his life which keep over-lapping and causing trouble to him.

When I read a Spider-Man comic, the what-the-hell syndrome never sets in. I actually do relate to things that he goes through. There is a certain connect which Spider-Man has with his readers. It's not just wham-bam-bam but a lot more to to know/learn about him as a person.

Spider-Man has probably the most conflicting persona imperfect in many ways. But for me, it's these imperfections that seem to result into the perfect superhero... My friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man!

Cheers!