It was Steve Ditko that made Spider-Man the well-known character that — Spider-Man

"Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions"

"I needed Spidey in my life as a kid, and he gave me hope...Peter Parker has inspired me to feel stronger, he made me, Andrew, braver. He reassured me that by doing the right thing its worth it, its worth the struggle, its worth the pain, its worth even the tears and the bruises and the blood...He saved my life."

"Spider-Man: The Animated Series"

"Peter Parker is such a positive character, hes pure wish fulfillment, an underdog."

"People often say glibly that Marvel succeeded by blending super hero adventure stories with soap opera. What Lee and Ditko actually did in The Amazing Spider-Man was to make the series an ongoing novelistic chronicle of the lead characters life. Most super heroes had problems no more complex or relevant to their readers lives than thwarting this months bad guys.... Parker had far more serious concern in his life: coming to terms with the death of a loved one, falling in love for the first time, struggling to make a living, and undergoing crises of conscience."

"Peter Parker is not a typical action hero. Hes probably the most down-to-earth, most carefully drawn, and least plastic of comic book figures."