Spider-Man: Anatomy of an Icon

Born in 1962 from the pen of Stan Lee and the restless pencils of Steve Ditko, Peter Parker forever revolutionized the superhero archetype: not a god fallen from the sky, but a "friendly neighborhood" figure crushed by financial troubles and matters of the heart. This volume explores the genesis and evolution of a myth founded not on power, but on fallibility and guilt. From his debut in Amazing Fantasy no. 15 to the complex branches of the cinematic Multiverse, the book examines how the mantra "with great power comes great responsibility" has become an existential condition capable of speaking to every generation.

A visual and critical journey through the wall-crawler's many lives: from the psychedelic Japanese TV series Supaidāman with the giant robot Leopardon to the "romantic tragedy" of Sam Raimi's films, from Spider-Man's entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the aesthetic revolution of Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Through comics, cinema, animation, memes, and video games, the book traces the extraordinary resilience of a character who has survived rights wars and the transformations of the cultural industry while remaining true to himself.

From the technical schematics of the web-shooters to J. Jonah Jameson's media war of fake news, from villains as mirrors of trauma (Green Goblin, Venom, Doctor Octopus) to the aesthetics of acrobatic poses, Spider-Man - Anatomy of an Iconinvestigates the "Parker curse" and the hero's eternal adolescence. A critical essay that shows how that mask-covering the entire face and erasing every identifying feature-has become a universal mirror in which anyone can see themselves and find the courage to get back up.

Visio Series - Pop Icons
Visual explorations - Between art, architecture, fashion, cinema, and image culture

Intra
Books, ebooks, and audiovisual works, between Innovation and Tradition
16 series, 350 authors, 900 titles in Italian, English, and Spanish
Global readability, Italian charm