Amazing Spider-Man Items

Without further ado, here are a selection of goodies featuring your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!

Available from Amazon . If you're going for Spider-Man bedding for your kids (or yourself, hey, it's possible), then you want the bedding to be vivid. You want the bedding to jump out and wow. This Spider-Man bedding is exactly that. It celebrates the character it depicts and fires up the enthusiasm for Spidey, especially if the bed's owner is a real fan of the movies or the animated tv series. You should be prepared to fight a mini-battle when wash day comes around.

People who buy this bedding will approach things three ways. The first, and simplest, is just the bedding and that's it. No other decor Spider-Man stuff in the room. The eye-catching design ensures that the bed would most likely become the natural center of any room it's in. The second way is getting these as a part of a superhero-themed room. The third way is the best, Spider-Man all over the place! From lamps to wallpaper to rugs, don't forget the action figures and statues, and, of course, this bedding. That's the kind of childhood that a kid will eventually look back to with fondness.

Another important point is that this is soft and comfortable bedding. This feedback isn't from the company that makes the bedding but from people who've bought it. So you can rest easy that not only have you given your kid a fun dose of Spidey but you didn't compromise on practical comfort while doing so.

It's time to make a Spider-Man fan very happy.

I want to see all available Spider-Man beddings

Available from Amazon . A-U-T-H-E-N-T-I-C, this is pretty much what sets this costume apart from the other Spidey costumes. Those costumes aren't bad, not at all. Two or three piece costumes with Spidey's color and logo and, maybe, a mask - there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that some kids want the a costume closer to the costume they see in the movies and in the animated series. Especially if they're going to a Con (a Comics Convention). You don't want to look lame besides the other cosplayers at a Comics Convention - most of those costumes are handmade and made to fit. Don't have time to make your own? This Spider-Man costume is the best you can get ready made and still get respect at the Con. Let's take a closer look . . .

One piece costume with mask gloves and socks included. Okay, I know, you have to add some red shoes since you can't just walk around with just socks. Still, this will feel like its an actual Spider-Man costume. Kids who've worn this wear it around the house, sometimes all day, that's how much they love it.

Now, let's tackle some obvious questions. First, getting in and out of this suit. Zipper at the back and under mask near the chin. Second (but maybe should have been first), breathing and seeing. The mask is see-through and breathable. The zipper right under the chin makes it easy to lift up the mask from the lower part of the face.

And just like that, your authentic-looking Spidey is ready to go. Wait, web shooters! Don't forget to add web shooters.

I want to see more Spider-Man costumes

Available from Amazon . For the Spider-Man and Lego fan, this set is made to satisfy! Three figures are included: Spider-Man (of course), Doctor Octopus, and Iron Fist. Spider-Man is popular from the movies, Iron Fist might be less known since he's only from the comics. Iron Fist is a Marvel character who is a master of the martial arts - trained in the hidden city of K'un-L'un (think Shangri-La of Far Pavilions fame. Iron Fist can focus his power or chi into his right fist which then becomes hard as steel and crackles with energy. And yes, Iron Fist is one of the heroes of the Marvel universe.

Backing up the figures is Doc Ock's laboratory and car! Doc Ock's lab is quite amazing, with an examination table for all his ghastly experiments, an air vent shaft (Spider's love to crawl on air vent shafts), and a containment cell. Lot's of playtime here. Moving on to Doc Ock's ride, the car has an octopus arm and missle launchers!

Lego is a tool for expanding a child's imagination and, unsurprisingly, this toy welcomes so many possible scenarios. One of them would be Iron Fist getting captured by Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man swinging in for the rescue. Anyway you cut it, this translates to hours of Lego-quality fun!

Show me more Spider-Man Lego

I'm not looking for the comics, I'm looking for the tv series

Available from Amazon . Welcome to the Ultimates Universe where Peter Parker is not Peter Parker. Actually, it would be more accurate for me to say 'Welcome to the Ultimates Universe where Peter Parker is dead'. If that sounds confusing, take a seat and let me explain. The Ultimates Universe is another separate universe created by Marvel so that they can take the characters that we know and love - like Spider-Man - and retell their stories with a twenty-first century spin. The Spider-Man you will see in these pages is a different one from the one in the Spider-Man films.

I should say 'the Spider-Men', since there are two of them. In the Ultimates Universe Peter Parker did become Spider-Man but he died. Mile Morales became the second Spider-Man. What that means is that when looking to purchase Ultimate Spider-Man, you get a choice between Peter Parker or Miles Morales.

Ultimate Spider-Man stories were written in the twenty-first century and reflect millenial sensibilities. Meaning you get contemporary viewpoints and lose the idiosyncracies of the original Spider-Man tales which can be a bit dated. Depending on your taste, this could be viewed as an advantages I should also add that the writing style of these stories are decidedly different. The classic Spidey tales seem 'packed' compared to the Ultimates tales which tend to focus on presenting the depth of a particular scenario- taking several panels where the classic tales would only take one. For a 'floppy' or single comicbook this usually made for a 'fast' read, but that shouldn't be an issue given that you will be purchasing a trade paperback collecting many 'floppies'.

If you're not familiar with the Ultimates universe it's time to jump in with Marvel's greatest hero.

Peter Parker stories

Miles Morales stories

Available from Amazon . Superior Spider-Man really challenges my opinion that Peter Parker is the one true Spider-Man. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The Superior Spider-Man series is about a delightful sequence of events that results in Otto Octavius (Doctor Octopus) taking over the body and identity of Peter Parker and, of course, Spider-Man.

I went into Superior Spider-Man a bit of a skeptic but time and time again Doctor Octopus does improve aspects of Peter's life. More than once I found myself mouthing "Doc Ock is the superior Spider-Man.

Definitely not the usual Spider-Man stories, Superior Spider-Man is a breath of fresh air to the legend of one of Marvel's most storied heroes. For fans of Peter (like myself) the whole Superior Spider-Man story arc is easier to read since it's a temporary condition. I do come out of it with a greater respect for Doctor Octopus and I must say in some ways the Doc Ock Spidey is superior. This is an excellent addition to the Spider-Man mythos. One that you shouldn't miss.

I want to see more Spider-Man comics

Available from Amazon . If your kid has a Spider-Man costume these web shooters are the perfect accessory. No gloves or costume? No problem. They can still use the web shooter, of course. And have a roaring great time. After all it's set up just like Spidey's web shooter. If you look closely at the movies (Amazing Spider-Man not Spider-Man) or the animated series, you'll notice that Peter activates the web-shooter by pressing his palms with his fingers. Same with this toy web shooter. It's much bulkier, to be sure but the firing action is authentic Spider-Man.

These shooters shoot missiles not webs. I'm sure a kid's imagination will be able to bridge the gap during play. The mechanism reminds me of a Nerf gun. No surprise there. This product is made by Hasbro, makers of the Nerf gun. And yes, the Hasbro name is an assurance of both quality and safety. Five missiles are provided and can be loaded at the same time. As a missile is fired the next one is automatically loaded for non-stop play. The range is 15 feet. Fun yes, but it also makes the missiles easy to lose.

For real authenticity you might consider buying two of these for your resident Spider-Man - then get out of the way!

I want to see other web shooters

Available from Amazon . Venom is an alien parasite, meaning he can only function if he finds a 'host'. Both Flash Thompson, and, of course, Eddie Brock, have been Venom's host. This parasitic alien is violent, malicious and terribly fearsome looking - combining the bulky-look (but not the the strength) of the Hulk with incredible speed. Venom is one of the few characters that can't be detected by Spider-Man's spider-sense. Venom is also popular with fans, partly because of his qualities and character and partly because Venom is such a indespensable part of Spider-Man lore. If you collect Spider-Man, Venom will most likely be part of your must-have list at some point.

You can hardly do better than this sculptured, limited edition, hand-painted, and, naturally, pricey Bowen statue. If I saw this statue on its own on a collector's shelf I would naturally assume that Venom is that collector's favorite villain. In my opinion, there is very little to commend Venom as a personal totem except for his absolute honesty about his intentions. No double-talk or duplicity here, Venom is loud and proud of what he is, love him or hate him - and I suppose that is a bit commendable. For the collector of means this piece would look great among the other Spidey villains, although not a member of the legendary Sinister Six there is no denying that a list of Spider-Man villains without him is noticeably lacking.

I want to see more Venom