Outhouse From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about a type of building or structure used primarily to house a toilet. An outhouse (or privy) is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a pit latrine or a dry toilet. Outside North America, the term "outhouse" refers not to a toilet but to outbuildings in a general sense. The structures are referred to by many other terms throughout the English-speaking world, including "dunny" or "long drop" in Australia and New Zealand, and "bog" in the United Kingdom. The terms "kybo" and "biffy" are unique to the Scouting movements. In British English the word "outhouse" is used for any kind of separate or leanto structure and does not specifically refer to any kind of latrine or toilet. In the Welsh Language the expression "ty bach" = little house refers to any toilet, including a normal bathroom internal to a house. Design and construction Outhouses vary in design and construction. Common features usually include: A separate structure from the main dwelling, close enough to allow easy access, but far enough to minimize odours. Being a suitable distance away from any freshwater well, so as to minimize risk of contamination and disease. No connection to plumbing, sewer, or septic system. Walls and a roof for privacy and to shield the user from the elements—rain, wind, sleet and snow (depending on locale)—and thus to a small degree, cold weather. Floor plans typically are rectangular or square, but hexagonal outhouses have been built. Thomas Jefferson designed and built two brick octagons at his vacation home. There is no standard for outhouse door design. The well-known crescent moon on American outhouses was popularized by cartoonists and had a questionable basis in fact. There are authors who claim the practice began during the colonial period as an early "mens"/"ladies" designation for an illiterate populace (the sun and moon being popular symbols for the sexes during those times). Others refute the claim as an urban legend. What is certain is that the purpose of the hole is for venting and light and there were a wide variety of shapes and placements employed. In Western societies, many, though not all, have at least one seat with a hole in it, above a small pit. Others, often in more rural, older areas in European countries, simply have a hole with two indents on either side for your feet. In Eastern societies, there is a hole in the floor, over which the user crouches. A roll of toilet paper is sometimes available. However, historically, old newspapers and catalogs from retailers specializing in mail order purchases, such as the Montgomery Ward or Sears Roebuck catalog, were also common before toilet paper was widely available. Paper was often kept in a can or other container to protect it from mice, etc. The catalogs served a dual purpose, also giving one something to read. Old corn cobs, leaves, or other types of paper were also used. Outhouses are typically built on one level, but two-story models are to be found in unusual circumstances. One double-decker was built to serve a two-story building in Cedar Lake, Michigan. The outhouse was connected by walkways. It still stands (but not the building). The waste from "upstairs" is directed down a chute separate from the "downstairs" facility in these instances, so contrary to various jokes about two-story outhouses, the user of the lower level has nothing to fear if the upper level is in use at the same time. The Boston Exchange Coffee House (1809–1818) was equipped with a four-story outhouse with windows on each floor. U.S. President Calvin Coolidge had a window in his outhouse, but such accoutrements are rare. Outhouses are commonly humble and utilitarian, made of lumber or plywood. This is especially so they can easily be moved when the earthen pit fills up. Depending on the size of the pit and the amount of use, this can be fairly frequent, sometimes yearly. As pundit "Jackpine" Bob Cary wrote: "Anyone can build an outhouse, but not everyone can build a good outhouse." However, brick outhouses are known. Some have been surprisingly ornate, almost opulent, considering the time and the place. For example, an opulent 19th century antebellum example (a three-holer) is at the plantation area at the state park in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The outhouses of Colonial Williamsburg varied widely, from simple expendable temporary wood structures to high-style brick. See Jefferson's matched pair of eight-sided brick privies Such outhouses are sometimes considered to be overbuilt, impractical and ostentatious, giving rise to the simile "built like a brick shithouse." That phrase's meaning and application is subject to some debate; but (depending upon the country) it has been applied to men, women, or inanimate objects. Construction and maintenance of outhouses is subject to provincial, state, and local governmental restriction, regulation and prohibition] It is potentially both a public health issue, which has been addressed both by law and by education of the public as to good methods and practices (e.g., separation from drinking water sources). This also becomes a more prevalent issue as urban and suburban development encroaches on rural areas and is an external manifestation of a deeper cultural conflict. A modern analogy to the outhouse is the "Clivus Multrum", which is an electric and waterless composting toilet. They are an alternative to outhouses and septic fields, and provide effective sanitation in areas too remote for sewer lines. Worm hold privies, another variant of the composting toilet, are being touted by Vermont's Green Mountain Club. These simple outhouses are stocked with red worms (a staple used by home composters). Despite their environmental benefits, composting toilets are likewise subject to regulations. In suburban areas not connected to the sewerage, outhouses were not always built over pits. Instead, these areas utilized a pail closet, where waste was collected into large cans positioned under the toilet, to be collected by contractors (or night soil collectors) hired by property owners or the local council. The used cans were replaced with empty, cleaned cans. Until the 1970s Brisbane relied heavily on this form of sanitation. Biological processes 1940 WPA Community Sanitation poster by John Buczak of Illinois promoting sanitary outhouse designs Main article: Pit latrine An outhouse is primarily a hole dug into the ground, into which biological waste solids and liquids are introduced, similar to a cesspit. If sufficient moisture is available, natural bacteria within the waste materials begin the process of fermentation. Earthworms, amoebas, molds, and other organisms in the surrounding ground soils, and flying insects entering the privy hole also consume nutrients in the waste material, slowly decomposing the wastes and forming a compost pile in the base of the pit. Bacteria form a complex biofilm on the wastes and in the surrounding exposed soils around the perimeter of the pit and feed on the wastes splashed or dropped into the pit.In most outhouse designs, the privy hole is covered by a small building. The primary purpose of the building is for privacy and human comfort, so that the user is not exposed and does not get wet when it is raining or cold when it is windy. However, the building has the secondary and (possibly unintended by the builder) effect of protecting the privy hole from large influxes of water when it is raining, which would flood the hole and flush untreated wastes into the underlying soils before they can decompose. On flat or low-lying ground, the privy hole can be further protected from rain and floodwaters by constructing a small raised hill or berm around the edge of the hole, using material from the hole when the pit is first excavated, to raise the outhouse foundation. This helps falling rain and surface water to flow away from the sides of the outhouse so it does not enter the pit and lead to groundwater contamination.[citation needed] Rain and surface water flowing into a low-lying open pit will also lead to soil erosion around the edges of the pit, that may eventually undermine the building foundation and potentially lead to collapse of the structure into the enlarging hole. End of pit life Eventually, over a period of many years, the solid wastes form a growing pile that fill the pit. A new pit is dug somewhere nearby, and soil obtained from digging the new pit is used to cover and cap off the old pit. Underground organisms such as earthworms continue decomposition of the old pit until the fecal material becomes indistinguishable from the surrounding ground soils.
Insect control
Some types of flying insects such as the housefly are attracted to the odor of decaying material, and will use it for food for their offspring, laying eggs in the decaying material. Other insects such as mosquitoes seek out standing water that may be present in the pit for the breeding of their offspring. Both of these are undesirable pests to humans, but can be easily controlled without chemicals by enclosing the top of the pit with tight-fitting boards or concrete, using a privy hole cover that is closed after every use, and by using fine-grid insect screen to cover the inlet and outlet vent holes. This prevents flying insect entry by all potential routes. Parasites One of the purposes of outhouses is to avoid spreading parasites such as intestinal worms, notably hookworms, which might otherwise be spread via open defecation.
Trends
The growing popularity of paddling, hiking, and climbing has created special waste disposal issues throughout the world. It is a dominant topic for outdoor organizations and their members. On August 29, 2007, the highest outhouse (actually, not a building at all, but a pit toilet surrounded by a low rock wall) in the continental United States, which sat atop Mount Whitney at about 14,494 feet (4,418 m) above sea level, offering a magnificent panorama to the user, was removed. Two other outhouses, in the Inyo National Forest, were closed due to the expense and danger involved in transporting out large sewage drums via helicopter. The annual 19,000 or so hikers of the Mount Whitney Trail, who must pick up National Forest Service permits, are now given Wagbags (a double-sealed sanitation kit) and told how to use them. "Pack it in; pack it out" is the new watchword. Solar-powered toilets did not sufficiently compact the excrement, and the systems were judged failures at that location. Additionally, by relieving park rangers of latrine duty, they were better able to concentrate on primary ranger duties, e.g., talking to hikers. The use of Wagbags and the removal of outhouses is part of a larger trend in U.S. parks. In 2007, Europe's two highest outhouses were helicoptered to the top of France's Mont Blanc at a height of 4,260 metres (13,980 ft). The dunny-cans are emptied by helicopter. The facilities will serve 30,000 skiers and hikers annually, thus helping to alleviate the deposit of urine and feces that spread down the mountain face with the spring thaw, and turned it into 'Mont Noir'. More technically, the 2002 book Le versant noir du mont Blanc ("The black hillside of Mont Blanc") exposes problems in conserving the site. Upon the 5,642-metre (18,510 ft) Mount Elbrus—Russia's highest peak, the highest mountain in all of Europe and topographically dividing Europe from Asia—sits the world's "nastiest outhouse" at 4,206 metres (13,799 ft). It is in the Caucasus Mountains, near the frontier between Georgia and Russia. As one writer opined, "...it does not much feel like Europe when you're there. It feels more like Central Asia or the Middle East." The outhouse is surrounded by and covered in ice, perched off the end of a rock, and with a pipe pouring effluvia onto the mountain. It consistently receives low marks for sanitation and convenience, but is considered to be a unique experience. Australia's highest "dunny"—located at Rawson's Pass in the Main Range in Kosciuszko National Park, which each year receives more than 100,000 walkers outside of winter and has a serious human waste management issue, was completed in 2008. A stone outhouse in Colca Canyon, Peru, has been claimed to be "the world's highest". Many reports document the use of dunny cans (complete with pictures) for the removal of excrement, which must be packed in and packed out on Mount Everest. Also known as "expedition barrels" or "bog barrels", the cans are weighed to make sure that groups do not dump them along the way."Toilet tents" are erected. This would seem to be an improvement over the prior practices, including the so-called "McKinley system"; there has been an increasing awareness that the mountain needs to be kept clean, for the health of the climbers at least. A Norwegian invention challenges the conventional outhouse. The toilet incinerates waste into ashes, using only propane and 12 V DC. This incinerating toilet is installed in several thousand cabins in Norway. The Swedish Pacto toilet uses a continuous roll of plastic to collect and dispose of waste.
Society and culture
The double-decker outhouse has been used as an unflattering metaphor for the "Trickle-down theory" of politics, economics, command, management, labor relations, responsibility, etc. Depending on who is depicted on top and below, it is an easy and familiar cartoon. On November 10, 2003, a drawing of an outhouse was used by B.C. cartoonist Johnny Hart as a motif in a controversial and allegedly religiously-themed piece. The cartoonist denied the allegations and the convoluted analysis of the alleged iconography of the cartoon. In Michigan, the Upper Peninsula's Trenary has the largest outhouse race, but Mackinaw City is home to an annual and largest "outhouse race south of the Mackinac Bridge". Other famous outhouse races are during the Yale Bologna Festival and in Dawson City, Yukon. Charles "Chic" Sale was a famous comedian in vaudeville and the movies. In 1929 he published a small book, The Specialist, which was a hugely popular "underground" success. Its entire premise centered on sales of outhouses, touting the advantages of one kind or another, and labeling them in "technical" terms such as "one-holers", "two-holers", etc. Over a million copies were sold. In 1931 his monologue "I'm a Specialist" was made into a hit record (Victor 22859) by popular recording artist Frank Crumit (music by Nels Bitterman). As memorialized in the "Outhouse Wall of Fame", the term "Chic Sale" became a rural slang synonym for privies, an appropriation of Mr. Sale's name that he personally considered unfortunate. In Newfoundland, a well-known song entitled "Good Old Newfie Outhouse" sings the praises of using the outhouse when it is -25 degrees out, mentioning pleasures like pants being frozen in position at the knees. A version by singer Bobby Evans is available on an album called Silly Songs on iTunes. The U.S. National Park Service once built an outhouse that cost above $333,000.[52] As a college student, Richard Nixon achieved renown by providing a three-hole outhouse to be tossed onto the traditional campus bonfire. Old outhouse pits are seen as excellent places for archeological and anthropological excavations, offering up a trove of common objects from the past—a veritable inadvertent time capsule—which yields historical insight into the lives of the bygone occupants. It is especially common to find old bottles, which seemingly were secretly stashed or trashed, so their content could be privately imbibed.
Spider-Man From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Publisher Marvel Comics First appearance Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962) Abilities Superhuman strength, speed and agility Ability to cling to most surfaces Genius-level intellect Precognitive Spider-sense Utilizes web-shooters to shoot strong spider-web strings from wrists Spider-Man is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics existing in its shared universe. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962) in the Silver Age of Comic Books. Lee and Ditko conceived the character as an orphan being raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, and as a teenager, having to deal with the normal struggles of adolescence in addition to those of a costumed crime-fighter. Spider-Man's creators gave him super strength and agility, the ability to cling to most surfaces, shoot spider-webs using wrist-mounted devices of his own invention, which he calls "web-shooters", and react to danger quickly with his "spider-sense", enabling him to combat his foes. When Spider-Man first appeared in the early 1960s, teenagers in superhero comic books were usually relegated to the role of sidekick to the protagonist. The Spider-Man series broke ground by featuring Peter Parker, the high school student behind Spider-Man's secret identity and with whose "self-obsessions with rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness" young readers could relate. While Spider-Man had all the makings of a sidekick, unlike previous teen heroes such as Bucky and Robin, Spider-Man had no superhero mentor like Captain America and Batman; he thus had to learn for himself that "with great power there must also come great responsibility"—a line included in a text box in the final panel of the first Spider-Man story but later retroactively attributed to his guardian, the late Uncle Ben. Marvel has featured Spider-Man in several comic book series, the first and longest-lasting of which is titled The Amazing Spider-Man. Over the years, the Peter Parker character has developed from shy, nerdy high school student to troubled but outgoing college student, to married high school teacher to, in the late 2000s, a single freelance photographer, his most typical adult role. In the 2010s, he joins the Avengers, Marvel's flagship superhero team. Spider-Man's nemesis Doctor Octopus also took on the identity for a story arc spanning 2012–2014, following a body swap plot in which Peter appears to die. Separately, Marvel has also published books featuring alternate versions of Spider-Man, including Spider-Man 2099, which features the adventures of Miguel O'Hara, the Spider-Man of the future; Ultimate Spider-Man, which features the adventures of a teenaged Peter Parker in an alternate universe; and Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, which depicts the teenager Miles Morales, who takes up the mantle of Spider-Man after Ultimate Peter Parker's supposed death. Spider-Man is one of the most popular and commercially successful superheroes. As Marvel's flagship character and company mascot, he has appeared in countless forms of media, including several animated and live-action television series, syndicated newspaper comic strips, and in a series of films. In films, Spider-Man has been portrayed by actors Tobey Maguire (2002–2007) and Andrew Garfield (2012–2014), while Tom Holland will portray him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Captain America: Civil War in 2016. Reeve Carney starred as Spider-Man in the 2010 Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Spider-Man has been well received as a superhero and comic book character and is usually ranked as one of the greatest comic book characters of all time alongside DC Comics characters such as Superman and Batman. Stan Lee stated that it was the name of this character that inspired him to create a character that would become Spider-Man. In 1962, with the success of the Fantastic Four, Marvel Comics editor and head writer Stan Lee was casting about for a new superhero idea. He said the idea for Spider-Man arose from a surge in teenage demand for comic books, and the desire to create a character with whom teens could identify. In his autobiography, Lee cites the non-superhuman pulp magazine crime fighter the Spider (see also The Spider's Web and The Spider Returns) as a great influence, and in a multitude of print and video interviews, Lee stated he was further inspired by seeing a spider climb up a wall—adding in his autobiography that he has told that story so often he has become unsure of whether or not this is true. Though at the time teenage superheroes were usually given names ending with "boy", Lee says he chose "Spider-Man" because he wanted the character to age as the series progressed, and moreover felt the name "Spider-Boy" would have made the character sound inferior to other superheroes. At that time Lee had to get only the consent of Marvel publisher Martin Goodman for the character's approval. In a 1986 interview, Lee described in detail his arguments to overcome Goodman's objections. Goodman eventually agreed to a Spider-Man tryout in what Lee in numerous interviews recalled as what would be the final issue of the science-fiction and supernatural anthology series Amazing Adult Fantasy, which was renamed Amazing Fantasy for that single issue, #15 (cover-dated August 1962, on sale June 5, 1962) In particular, Lee stated that the fact that it had already been decided that Amazing Fantasy would be cancelled after issue #15 was the only reason Goodman allowed him to use Spider-Man. While this was indeed the final issue, its editorial page anticipated the comic continuing and that "The Spiderman [sic] ... will appear every month in Amazing." Regardless, Lee received Goodman's approval for the name Spider-Man and the "ordinary teen" concept, and approached artist Jack Kirby. As comics historian Greg Theakston recounts, Kirby told Lee about an unpublished character on which he had collaborated with Joe Simon in the 1950s, in which an orphaned boy living with an old couple finds a magic ring that granted him superhuman powers. Lee and Kirby "immediately sat down for a story conference", Theakston writes, and Lee afterward directed Kirby to flesh out the character and draw some pages. Steve Ditko would be the inker. When Kirby showed Lee the first six pages, Lee recalled, "I hated the way he was doing it! Not that he did it badly—it just wasn't the character I wanted; it was too heroic". Lee turned to Ditko, who developed a visual style Lee found satisfactory. Ditko recalled: One of the first things I did was to work up a costume. A vital, visual part of the character. I had to know how he looked ... before I did any breakdowns. For example: A clinging power so he wouldn't have hard shoes or boots, a hidden wrist-shooter versus a web gun and holster, etc. ... I wasn't sure Stan would like the idea of covering the character's face but I did it because it hid an obviously boyish face. It would also add mystery to the character.... Although the interior artwork was by Ditko alone, Lee rejected Ditko's cover art and commissioned Kirby to pencil a cover that Ditko inked. As Lee explained in 2010, "I think I had Jack sketch out a cover for it because I always had a lot of confidence in Jack's covers. Lee gave Ditko the premise of a teenager bitten by a spider and developing powers, a premise Ditko would expand upon to the point he became what Bell describes as "the first work for hire artist of his generation to create and control the narrative arc of his series". On the issue of the initial creation, Ditko states, "I still don't know whose idea was Spider-Man". Kirby noted in a 1971 interview that it was Ditko who "got Spider-Man to roll, and the thing caught on because of what he did". Lee, while claiming credit for the initial idea, has acknowledged Ditko's role, stating, "If Steve wants to be called co-creator, I think he deserves [it]". He has further commented that Ditko's costume design was key to the character's success; since the costume completely covers Spider-Man's body, people of all races could visualize themselves inside the costume and thus more easily identify with the character. Writer Al Nickerson believes "that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created the Spider-Man that we are familiar with today [but that] ultimately, Spider-Man came into existence, and prospered, through the efforts of not just one or two, but many, comic book creators".
Commercial success
A few months after Spider-Man's introduction, publisher Goodman reviewed the sales figures for that issue and was shocked to find it to have been one of the nascent Marvel's highest-selling comics. A solo ongoing series followed, beginning with The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (cover-dated March 1963). The title eventually became Marvel's top-selling series with the character swiftly becoming a cultural icon. Following Ditko's departure after issue #38 (July 1966), John Romita, Sr. replaced him as penciler and would draw the series for the next several years. In 1968, Romita would also draw the character's extra-length stories in the comics magazine The Spectacular Spider-Man, a proto-graphic novel designed to appeal to older readers. It only lasted for two issues, but it represented the first Spider-Man spin-off publication, aside from the original series' summer annuals that began in 1964. An early 1970s Spider-Man story led to the revision of the Comics Code. Previously, the Code forbade the depiction of the use of illegal drugs, even negatively. However, in 1970, the Nixon administration's Department of Health, Education, and Welfare asked Stan Lee to publish an anti-drug message in one of Marvel's top-selling titles. Lee chose the top-selling The Amazing Spider-Man; issues #96–98 (May–July 1971) feature a story arc depicting the negative effects of drug use. In the story, Peter Parker's friend Harry Osborn becomes addicted to pills. When Spider-Man fights the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn, Harry's father), Spider-Man defeats the Green Goblin, by revealing Harry's drug addiction. While the story had a clear anti-drug message, the Comics Code Authority refused to issue its seal of approval. Marvel nevertheless published the three issues without the Comics Code Authority's approval or seal. The issues sold so well that the industry's self-censorship was undercut and the Code was subsequently revised. In 1972, a second monthly ongoing series starring Spider-Man began: Marvel Team-Up, in which Spider-Man was paired with other superheroes and villains. From that point on there have generally been at least two ongoing Spider-Man series at any time. In 1976, his second solo series, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man began running parallel to the main series. A third series featuring Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man, launched in 1985 to replace Marvel Team-Up. The launch of a fourth monthly title in 1990, the "adjectiveless" Spider-Man (with the storyline "Torment"), written and drawn by popular artist Todd McFarlane, debuted with several different covers, all with the same interior content. The various versions combined sold over 3 million copies, an industry record at the time.
Fictional character biography The spider bite that gave Peter Parker his powers.
In Forest Hills, Queens, high school student Peter Parker is a science wiz orphan living with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. He is bitten by a radioactive spider at a science exhibit and "acquires the agility and proportionate strength of an arachnid." Along with super human strength, Parker gains the ability to adhere to walls and ceilings. Through his native knack for science, he develops a gadget that lets him fire adhesive webbing of his own design through small, wrist mounted barrels. Initially seeking to capitalize on his new abilities, Parker dons a costume and, as "Spider-Man", becomes a novelty television star. However, "He blithely ignores the chance to stop a fleeing thief, [and] his indifference ironically catches up with him when the same criminal later robs and kills his Uncle Ben." Spider-Man tracks and subdues the killer and learns, in the story's next-to-last caption, "With great power there must also come—great responsibility!" Despite his superpowers, Parker struggles to help his widowed aunt pay rent, is taunted by his peers—particularly football star Flash Thompson—and, as Spider-Man, engenders the editorial wrath of newspaper publisher J. Jonah Jameson. As he battles his enemies for the first time, Parker finds juggling his personal life and costumed adventures difficult. In time, Peter graduates from high school, and enrolls at Empire State University (a fictional institution evoking the real-life Columbia University and New York University), where he meets roommate and best friend Harry Osborn, and girlfriend Gwen Stacy,[46] and Aunt May introduces him to Mary Jane Watson. As Peter deals with Harry's drug problems, and Harry's father is revealed to be Spider-Man's nemesis the Green Goblin, Peter even attempts to give up his costumed identity for a while. Gwen Stacy's father, New York City Police detective captain George Stacy is accidentally killed during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus (#90, Nov. 1970). In the course of his adventures Spider-Man has made a wide variety of friends and contacts within the superhero community, who often come to his aid when he faces problems that he cannot solve on his own. In issue #121 (June 1973), the Green Goblin throws Gwen Stacy from a tower of either the Brooklyn Bridge (as depicted in the art) or the George Washington Bridge (as given in the text). She dies during Spider-Man's rescue attempt; a note on the letters page of issue #125 states: "It saddens us to say that the whiplash effect she underwent when Spidey's webbing stopped her so suddenly was, in fact, what killed her." The following issue, the Goblin appears to kill himself accidentally in the ensuing battle with Spider-Man. Working through his grief, Parker eventually develops tentative feelings toward Watson, and the two "become confidants rather than lovers". A romantic relationship eventually develops, with Parker proposing to her in issue #182 (July 1978), and being turned down an issue later. Parker went on to graduate from college in issue #185, and becomes involved with the shy Debra Whitman and the extroverted, flirtatious costumed thief Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, whom he meets in issue #194 (July 1979). From 1984 to 1988, Spider-Man wore a black costume with a white spider design on his chest. The new costume originated in the Secret Wars limited series, on an alien planet where Spider-Man participates in a battle between Earth's major superheroes and villains. He continues wearing the costume when he returns from the Secret Wars, starting in The Amazing Spider-Man #252. Not unexpectedly, the change to a longstanding character's iconic design met with controversy, "with many hardcore comics fans decrying it as tantamount to sacrilege. Spider-Man's traditional red and blue costume was iconic, they argued, on par with those of his D.C. rivals Superman and Batman." The creators then revealed the costume was an alien symbiote which Spider-Man is able to reject after a difficult struggle, though the symbiote returns several times as Venom for revenge. Parker proposes to Watson a second time in The Amazing Spider-Man #290 (July 1987), and she accepts two issues later, with the wedding taking place in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 (1987)—promoted with a real-life mock wedding using actors (with model Tara Shannon as Watson) at Shea Stadium, with Stan Lee officiating, on June 5, 1987. Peter later becomes a member of the New Avengers, and reveals his civilian identity to the world, furthering his already numerous problems. His marriage to Mary Jane and public unmasking are later erased in another controversial storyline "One More Day", in a Faustian bargain with the demon Mephisto, resulting in several adjustments to the timeline, such as the resurrection of Harry Osborn, the erasure of Parker's marriage, and the return of his traditional tools and powers. That storyline came at the behest of editor-in-chief Joe Quesada, who said, "Peter being single is an intrinsic part of the very foundation of the world of Spider-Man". It caused unusual public friction between Quesada and writer J. Michael Straczynski, who "told Joe that I was going to take my name off the last two issues of the [story] arc" but was talked out of doing so. At issue with Straczynski's climax to the arc, Quesada said, was ...that we didn't receive the story and methodology to the resolution that we were all expecting. What made that very problematic is that we had four writers and artists well underway on [the sequel arc] "Brand New Day" that were expecting and needed "One More Day" to end in the way that we had all agreed it would. ... The fact that we had to ask for the story to move back to its original intent understandably made Joe upset and caused some major delays and page increases in the series. Also, the science that Joe was going to apply to the retcon of the marriage would have made over 30 years of Spider-Man books worthless, because they never would have had happened. ...it would have reset way too many things outside of the Spider-Man titles. We just couldn't go there.... Following the "reboot", Parker's identity was no longer known to the general public; however, he revealed it to his teammates in the New Avengers and his friends in the Fantastic Four.
Powers, skills, and equipment Main article: Spider-Man's powers and equipment
A bite from a radioactive spider on a school field trip causes a variety of changes in the body of Peter Parker and gives him superpowers. In the original Lee-Ditko stories, Spider-Man has the ability to cling to walls, superhuman strength, a sixth sense ("spider-sense") that alerts him to danger, perfect balance and equilibrium, as well as superhuman speed and agility. Some of his comic series have him shooting webs from his wrists.Academically brilliant, Parker has expertise in the fields of applied science, chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, mathematics, and mechanics. The character was originally conceived by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko as intellectually gifted, but not a genius; however, later writers have depicted the character as a genius. With his talents, he sews his own costume to conceal his identity, and constructs many devices that complement his powers, most notably mechanical web-shooters. This mechanism ejects an advanced adhesive, releasing web-fluid in a variety of configurations, including a single rope-like strand to swing from, a net to bind enemies, and a simple glob to foul machinery or blind an opponent. He can also weave the web material into simple forms like a shield, a spherical protection or hemispherical barrier, a club, or a hang-glider wing. Other equipment include spider-tracers (spider-shaped adhesive homing beacons keyed to his own spider-sense), a light beacon which can either be used as a flashlight or project a "Spider-Signal" design, and a specially modified camera that can take pictures automatically.
Cultural influence
In The Creation of Spider-Man, comic book writer-editor and historian Paul Kupperberg calls the character's superpowers "nothing too original"; what was original was that outside his secret identity, he was a "nerdy high school student". Going against typical superhero fare, Spider-Man included "heavy doses of soap-opera and elements of melodrama." Kupperberg feels that Lee and Ditko had created something new in the world of comics: "the flawed superhero with everyday problems." This idea spawned a "comics revolution." The insecurity and anxieties in Marvel's early 1960s comic books such as The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and X-Men ushered in a new type of superhero, very different from the certain and all-powerful superheroes before them, and changed the public's perception of them. Spider-Man has become one of the most recognizable fictional characters in the world, and has been used to sell toys, games, cereal, candy, soap, and many other products. Spider-Man is well received as a comic book character, always appearing as one of the greatest comic book characters or superheroes of all time and almost always being the top Marvel Comics character. Spider-Man was declared the number one superhero on Bravo's Ultimate Super Heroes, Vixens, and Villains TV series in 2005. Empire magazine placed him as the fifth-greatest comic book character of all time.
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Spider-Man By Matthew K. Manning
Spider-Man is a household name and an icon of popular culture. But how much do you really know about everyone’s favorite wallcrawler? Debuting in a modest 11-page story in August of 1962 in the pages of ‘Amazing Fantasy’ #15, Spider-Man became an instant hit, and soon spun off into his own title, a comic still published 50 years later. And while most people are familiar with the story of high school student Peter Parker’s run-in with a radioactive spider and his transformation from high school wallflower into superhero legend, there are many chapters of his amazing story that aren’t quite as well known. Take a look at 1o things you might not know about Spider-Man below.
10. Peter Parker was the second “Spider-Man” to debut at Marvel other spider man TomHeroes.com By the 1950s, super-heroes had fallen out of vogue with their comic book audience. The larger-than-life costumed adventurers that had made comics such a success in the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s were slowly giving way to monster titles and science fiction stories. And while the revitalization of heroes like The Flash and Green Lantern over at DC Comics was beginning to jumpstart the Silver Age of the comic book industry, Marvel wouldn’t catch up to their main competitor until the release of ‘The Fantastic Four’ #1 in November of 1961. A month before writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby would spring their dysfunctional family foursome onto the reading populace, one of the last gasps of the monster movement came in the form of ‘Journey Into Mystery’ #73 in an odd little yarn entitled “Where will you be, when… The Spider Strikes!” In it, a common household spider was doused with radioactive rays. But instead of biting an unsuspecting high school student named Peter Parker, the spider instead began to develop the intelligence of a human being and grow to massive proportions. Able to speak and even shoot his own web fluid, this man-spider of sorts was killed by the story’s end, just in time for the so-called “Marvel Age of Comics” to begin.
9. Peter wasn’t as nerdy as everyone thinks spiderman nerd Universal Dork Files/Marvel A common complaint among internet regulars about the recent film, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man,’ was the idea that the movie’s Peter Parker wasn’t nearly as geeky as his comic book counterpart. But the truth of the matter is, that while Peter was certainly a “professional wallflower” when writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko unleashed him upon the world in 1962, when the teen became Spider-Man, his confidence as well as his popularity were given a significant boost. By issue seven of his own series, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man,’ Peter already had his first girlfriend in the form of the lovely young secretary at The Daily Bugle, Betty Brant. By issue eight, he ditched his glasses after beating up his longtime bully in front of his entire class. And when Peter graduated high school in 1965 (in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ #28), the most popular girl in school, Liz Allen, confessed to having a crush on him. If that wasn’t enough, Peter would go on to spend the majority of his college years being fought over by the beautiful Gwen Stacy and the equally stunning Mary Jane Watson. Not quite the textbook definition of a science nerd…
8. Spider-Man’s web fluid only lasts for about an hour Spider-Man web fluid bp.blogspot.com A common sight for New Yorkers of the Marvel Universe, Spider-Man can often be witnessed swinging overhead on a thin strand of webbing. But unlike the rest of his powers, Peter’s web fluid isn’t a side effect of being bitten by a radioactive spider. Instead, Peter used his scientific know-how to develop his own adhesive web and web-shooters, which allow him to not only travel in style above the rooftops, but to also bind villains for the police to discover at their leisure when they’re done doing whatever it is police do in a city chock full of superheroes. Luckily for window washers and street cleaners alike, Stan Lee was quick to key in readers to the fact that Spidey’s webbing only lasts for about an hour before it evaporates into thin air. This concept was explained in the very first annual of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ from 1964, and expanded upon in many tales afterwards, including a short story in 2005’s ‘Spider-Man Unlimited’ #7 by a brilliant writer unashamed of self-promotion. The webbing’s time limit was Stan Lee’s way of explaining why the often-broke Peter Parker didn’t just quit his life of crime fighting to pursue a lucrative career in the adhesive business.
7. Peter Parker is a Mets fan Peter Parker Mets Fan Wikia/Marvel Growing up in Forest Hills, Queens, it would seem only natural that Peter Parker would become a fan of the closest baseball club, the New York Mets. But the real reason for Peter’s undying support for his local team was revealed in ‘Peter Parker: Spider-Man’ # 33 (September, 2001) by writer Paul Jenkins and artist Mark Buckingham. As the world’s unluckiest superhero, Peter loves the Mets because he can identify with them. In Peter’s own words, the Mets are “a bunch of loveable losers who hit the occasional home run by accident.” But more to the point, like any diehard fan of a particular team, Peter loves the Mets because he was raised to love the Mets. Going to Shea Stadium was a yearly tradition with his beloved Uncle Ben, one that Peter continues even after his Uncle’s untimely death. (The very same death that inspired Peter to don the costume of Spider-Man in the first place.)
6. Spider-Man once literally turned into a spider Spider-man actual spider NoCookie.net As is often the case in the world of comic books, when a successful superhero movie hits theaters, the comics themselves will incorporate bits and pieces of the films into their universe in order to cash in on some of the movie excitement. When the Penguin appeared in ‘Batman Returns’ with a gruesome, unkempt appearance in 1992, his comic book counterpart evolved from a dapper, pudgy felon into a more grotesque and ruthless villain shortly thereafter. A year after the first ‘X-Men’ film hit screens in 2000 debuting matching black leather uniforms for the mutant heroes, their comic book equivalents soon gained similar costumes in the pages of ‘New X-Men’ #114. So when Sam Raimi’s ‘Spider-Man’ hit theaters in 2002 boasting a Spidey with natural web-fluid that shot from slightly disturbing slits in his wrists, it was only a matter of time before the comics followed suit. However, the way Marvel actually went about giving Peter Parker organic web-shooters bordered on the bizarre. In the pages of a six-part adventure that began in ‘The Spectacular Spider-Man’ #15 (August 2004), Spider-Man was mutated into a giant spider when he was kissed by the villainess known as the Queen. Thanks to writer Paul Jenkins and artists Michael Ryan, Humberto Ramos and Paco Medina, Spidey spent a brief time as a giant arachnid before he returned to normal, albeit with the ability to produce webbing from his wrists. Thankfully, Spidey would go back to his standard web shooters in a reboot of sorts years later, allowing fans to finally stop thinking about their favorite hero’s bodily fluids on a monthly basis.
5. Wolverine and Spider-Man teamed up before Spidey was even born roger and mary spider-man parents CloudFront/Marvel In the 1960s, readers had thought that Peter Parker grew up in a relatively normal household. That was until the 1968 release of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man Annual’ #5 changed everything. In it, writer Stan Lee and his brother, artist Larry Lieber, revealed that Peter’s parents, Richard and Mary Parker, had been spies for the US government before their fiery death in a plane crash. Even more unlikely, years later in 1997’s ‘Untold Tales of Spider-Man’ #Minus 1, a flashback tale by writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita Sr. keyed readers into the fact that Spider-Man’s parents had once saved the life of a fellow agent referred to as Agent-Ten. Later in the issue it was revealed that Agent-Ten was none other than Spidey’s future Avengers teammate, Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine. Sure, saving the life of Wolverine will earn anyone bragging rights. But Mary Parker upped the ante when she saved the life of everyone’s favorite mutant while also a few weeks pregnant with her future son, Peter. So while they might not have been aware of it at the time, Spider-Man and Wolverine first met years before the two would become costume-clad superheroes. Consequentially, the issue also serves as the world’s first Wolverine/Spider-Embryo team-up.
4. Peter’s Aunt May was almost married to the mob aunt may mob story NoCookie.net/Marvel As if the secret life of his parents hadn’t been strange enough, Peter Parker later discovered that his beloved Aunt May had her own mysterious past. As a young woman, May had had an affair with a handsome gangster named Johnny Jerome, a fact exposed by 1984’s ‘Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual’ #4. Penned by writer Bill Mantlo and brought to life by artists Kerry Gammill and Sal Buscema, this story showed the youthful May trading Jerome’s affections for those of the gallant Ben Parker once she learned Johnny’s dark secret. As it turns out, May was one hot item back in the day, despite how creepy that may have sounded to anyone who had ever read a Spider-Man comic book. It’s a good thing no writer would ever expand on that concept by crafting a mini series solely about May’s sexual exploits. Because that would be gross.
3. Peter Parker’s middle name is Ben Uncle Ben Spider-Man ComicVine/Marvel Few heroes have had their personal lives explored to the extent that Peter Parker has over the years. Since his very first appearance, Peter’s life has been just as important as that of his masked alter ego, more so than most of the medium’s other superheroic icons. One indication of this is the simple fact that Peter Parker has a middle name. Peter’s middle name, Benjamin, was meant as a tribute to his Uncle Ben Parker, the man who taught Peter, the world and even Teen Wolf that with great power there must also come great responsibility. The name seems to originate from ‘Web of Spider-Man’ #19 (October, 1986), written by David Michelinie and illustrated by Marc Silvestri, an issue that saw Peter present his birth certificate at the Manhattan Federal Building in order to get a passport. But this minor detail remained under the radar of most comic book writers long afterwards, with even Stan Lee kept in the dark about this factoid for quite some time.
2. Spider-Man once teamed up with the cast of ‘Saturday Night Live’ Spiderman SNL Spider-Fan/Marvel The “Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Players” of ‘SNL‘ made their comic debut in ‘Marvel Team-Up’ #74 (October, 1978) when Spider-Man needed their assistance to stop the nefarious Silver Samurai’s rampage of the NBC studios. (Hey, it was the ’70s.) Writer Chris Claremont and penciler Bob Hall launched the NBC-approved issue that featured the cast of ‘SNL’ pitching in to help Spider-Man, even going so far as to pose as the Avengers to fool Spidey’s evil foe. While readers may have found it a bit unnerving that the web-swinger would let celebrities fight his battles for him, seeing John Belushi pit his samurai skills against a Marvel villain was certainly worth the price of admission. And seeing Stan Lee host ‘Saturday Night Live’ in the Marvel Universe was many a comic fan’s dream come true. In fact, there’s still a Facebook page devoted to seeing that fantasy become a reality.
1. On one occasion, Spidey stopped an alien from tricking an entire generation into having unprotected sex baby machine spider-man bp.blogspot.com As any diehard comic fan knows, Public Service Announcement (PSA) comics can often offer some of the most bizarre plotlines ever to grace the realm of superheroes. But Spidey’s first PSA, an ashcan-size gem from 1976 entitled ‘The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Prodigy’ by writer Ann Robinson and artist Ross Andru, is easily the cream of the weirdness crop. In an incredibly contrived sci-fi plot, the story featured an evil alien named the Prodigy who deliberately misinformed teens about the repercussions of sexual activity. The alien informed shiploads of unsuspecting youths that they couldn’t get pregnant before the age of 15 or on their first sexual experience. The Prodigy’s evil goal? To inspire the youngsters to have babies “right and left” so that he could put the offspring to work in his forced labor camp. While it was never clear why the Prodigy didn’t just kidnap the teens in the first place, Spider-Man nevertheless came through in the end and exposed the evil alien for the intergalactic pervert that he was.
Matthew K. Manning is a comic book writer, historian and fan living with his wife and daughter in Mystic, Connecticut. His newest book, ‘Spider-Man Chronicle,’ was released in early October by DK Publishing.
All info provided by Wikipedia and www.thefw.com