Until this time Jack Kirby had been drawing all of the company's new characters, but Spider-Man ended up in the hands of another artist. Kirby drew several pages of a version of Spider-Man, but he never completed a story. Kirby's version was as bold and dynamic as the rest of his work, but Lee wanted something a bit more offbeat and edgy. Steve Ditko was the artist to provide it, an Lee asked him to illustrate the initial Spider-Man adventure. The now famous cover for the first story was drawn by Kirby and Ditko together. "Steve Ditko was a fine artist, " says Kirby, "and he did a fine job on Spider-Man".

Born in 1927 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Ditko had already won a cult following with the dark moody tales he had illustrated for comic books like Amazing Adult Fantasy. An intensely private individual who shuns personal publicity and consistently refuses interviews, Ditko has always preferred to let his work speak for itself. The analogy to Peter Parker working behind the mask of Spider-Man may not be entirely inappropriate. Ditko was the perfect choice to depict the new antihero, a skinny kid who just didn't know what to do with the extraordinary gift that had unexpectedly come his way. "Steve was every bit as inventive as Jack Kirby was," says Lee. "He always added so much." As time went on, Ditko also began to contribute significantly to the plotting of the stories. From the very start, Ditko's sensitive, humanistic portrayal of the beleaguered Peter Parker was enough to alter the look of the medium forever: he brought a touch of realism into a world of fantasy.

Peter Parker - His Life and history
Peter Parker was only a young boy when his parents died in a plane crash. He immediately moved in with his fathers older brother and wife. Ben and Mary Parker were an elderly couple with no children of their own, and they raised Peter as if he were their son. They rarely spoke about Peter's real parents, so Peter became convinced that his parents had left him because of something he had done. Afraid of being abandoned, Peter worked hard to win his uncle's approval - though he didn't have to worry. Ben and MAry truly loved their nephew and would have done anything to please him.

High School
Peter was an honor student, and his teachers always thought very highly of him. He always came prepared for class, and completed all of his asignments. The other students , however, had little time for a know-it-all like puny Peter. The girls thought he was too quiet, and the boys considered him a wimp. Peter was pinfully shy, and some of his classmates misinterpreted his silence for snobbery. He had trouble making friends, but never stopped trying. He often invited other students to join him at science exhibits or monster movies. But they usually responded with ridicule, and almost never asked him to join them.

May Parker insisted that peter wear glasses, but after he became Spider-Man his eyesight improved. Flash Thompson broke Peter's last pair of glasses during a shoving match, and Peter never got around to buying a new pair. Before hi gained his spider powers, Peter had considerably less than average strength for a boy of his age. Clumsy and uncoordinated, he also had no athletic ability. He had a fear of heights - even getting a book from the top shelf in the library resulted in his suffering severe symptoms of vertigo.

Peter always thought of his Uncle Ben as his best friend. Ben had an extensive collection of old comic books and science fiction magazines that he enjoyed sharing with his nephew. Peter spent hours reading these comics and their stories about outrageous heroes and their intriguing adventures. He dreamed of being a costumed adventurer like Captain America, striking terror in the hearts of criminals.

Peter Parker graduated from Midtown High with the highest scholastic average in the school's history, but he almost missed the ceremony. Instead of attending to last minute graduation details, Peter was trading punches with a superhuman villain, the Molten Man. He won his fight and arrived home just in time to change for the ceremony. Later, he was thrilled to discover that he had won a full scholarship to Empire State University.

College
Fascinated with science ever since Uncle Ben took him to his first monster movie, Peter Parker immersed himself in his studies. Despite web swinging and a hectic social life, he was determined to be success and to make his Aunt May proud. Peter was more self confident in college than he had been in high school. Leaving home for the first time, he moved into a bachelor pad and even bought a motorcycle. Spider- Man ruined Peter's college graduation. In the week before the ceremony, Spidey was battling the Green Goblin and the Rocket Racer. He couldn't graduate with the rest of his class since he'd missed a required gym class.

Peter finally got his degree from Empire State University, but he continued his studies as a graduate student, and took a job as a teaching assistant. With all these activities, as well as being Spider- Man, Peter's life got a little too hectic. He decided he needed a rest, and he withdrew from the graduate program. Later, taking Aunt May's advice, he returned to college and continued working toward his master's degree.

Throughout his career as Spider-Man, Peter has always been torn between his sense of duty and the mixed feelings he has received from the public. This reception has varied from praise to outright condemnation, and it has left the teenager confused about his role. It has even driven him to the brink of despair, causing him to throw away his costume and renounce his alter ego. Nevertheless, his dedication to using his powers responsibly has always led to Peter donning the mask again in the hope that some day the world will learn to appreciate Spider-Man.

Spider-Man's Powers

His Spider-Sense
He may not know if you've been bad or good, but he can always sense when you're dangerous. Spider- Man possesses many incredible abilities, but his most amazing power must be his uncanny spider-sense. This strange tingling sensation, which originates in the back of his skull, warns him of danger. The danger could be something immediate, like a gun being aimed at him or a punch being thrown at the back of his head. Or it could be something subtle, like a slippery floor or a sandwich that contains tainted meat. While his spider-sense cannot tell Spider-Man the exact nature of a particular threat, it always lets him know when and which way to move in order to avoid the danger.

Spider-Man's spider sense is like having a personal radar unit. He doesn't have to worry about watching where he's walking or web-swinging because it always guides him away from danger. Loose ceiling tiles or rotted roof tops don't trouble Spider-Man because his spider-sense warns him in plenty of time to avoid them. Even if he were trapped in complete darkness, hi spider-sense would prevent him from bumping into anything. And Spidey's spider-sense tingles if someone can see the web-slinger out of costume, warning him that he may be spotted.

Like a Geiger counter that somehow reacts to danger, Spider-Man often uses his spider-sense to track down enemies. He has also developed special spider-tracers that are attuned to his spider-sense and can help him to pinpoint foes who are far away. Thanks to his spider-sense, it's practically impossible to sneak up on Spider-Man to ambush him. Not only can he sense the exact direction of an impending threat, but his spider-sense immediately triggers his amazing reflexes to help him avoid injury. He often dodges blows before they are actually thrown. ...Its one weakness is its inability to detect Carnage and Venom.

Since his spider-sense instinctively reacts to trouble, Spider-Man depends on it most when he is in a fight, weaving his way through a hail of bullets without a scratch. Over the years he has come to realize that his reflexes work a lot faster than his mind. Because he can trust his Spider quick reflexes completely, Spidey is free to come up with the witty one-liners he spouts to distract his opponents.