Creation of Character

According to Stan Lee, the idea for the series sprang out of the apparent increased teenage interest in the new Marvel comics characters and so he decided to create a character that could cater to them specifically.
One of the influences for the character came from the pulp magazine, The Spider, and perhaps from an earlier minor spider themed character, The Tarantula from DC Comics. When Martin Goodman was presented with the concept, he was resistant to the unorthodox ideas of a teenage hero with troubled personal life, but allowed the character to be used as a cover story for a dying anthology title, Amazing Fantasy, since content mattered little for a title slated to be cancelled.

Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962), the first appearance and origin story of Spider-Man with cover art by Jack Kirby
Originally, Lee assigned Jack Kirby to illustrate the story, but after seeing his designs, Lee decided that Jack's style was "too larger than life" for what he wanted. Thus, Lee assigned artist Steve Ditko, who found the concept particularly appealing and developed a visual motif that Lee found satisfactory.
The story was released in Amazing Fantasy #15, and months later, the sales figures revealed that the cover story was unexpectedly popular. Goodman called for a regular series for the character to capitalize on his overwhelming success.

Spider-Man

Spider-Man (Peter Parker) is a Marvel Comics superhero. He was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962). He has since become one of the world’s most popular superheroes.
Spider-Man is the quintessential Marvel character. Blessed with extraordinary, spider-like superpowers, Peter Parker is beset by the travails and problems of ordinary life. His powers gives him the ability to do good, but seriously complicate his career and personal relationships. In spite of this he feels a strong duty to continue his crusade against crime and corruption. The main theme of the Spider-Man series is "With great power comes great responsibility."
The character expanded the dramatic potential of the fantasy subgenre by proving that a series with a strong focus on a more human character and his personal struggles was a viable basis for a successful series.
Spider-Man is tremendously popular and is perhaps the most recognizable superhero outside of DC Comics’ canon. Throughout the years, he has appeared in a handful of animated series, a weekly comic strip and, recently, two phenomenally successful films.
Meanwhile, Marvel has published several comic book series featuring the character (most notably The Amazing Spider-Man). The character has grown from shy high school kid to troubled college student to married man, but has always continued his mission as Spider-Man at all costs.