Spider-Man is one of the most beloved characters in fiction, I think that's fair to say. However, take a second and think about how huge that is. Everyone loves Spider-Man, or near enough. Your five year old niece, and your dentist and the garbage man all probably love Spider-Man! But what is it about the character that is so universal that makes him so widely loved, outside of the fact that he beats up a dude dressed like a Keebler Elf on a hoverboard?

I think it's his relatability and his personality, and that's something that's explored in new, fun and interesting ways in Hannah Blumenreich's twenty-page Spidey Zine, which you can get right now on Gumroad for free (or pay-what-you-want). Whether Spidey is watching television with Aunt May, hanging out in the street, or mourning the loss of his Uncle Ben, Blumenreich's slice of life comics cut to the core of why we all love Spider-Man.

You may have seen some or all of these comics floating around on Tumblr or Twitter, with the most notable one likely being "Walk Home" where a woman approaches Spider-Man for help with street harassers. In true Spider-Man fashion, he doesn't macho up and escalate the situation; he listens to the woman's concerns and accompanies her to her door while regaling her with the story of Cowboy Bebop.

Hannah Blumenreich's take on Spider-Man isn't bombastic, end-of-the-world stuff; instead her stories are intimate and personal in a way that some critics think can't work in superhero universes. However, there is a large audience for exactly these types of stories, and when superhero publishers wake up to that fact, they're going to realize there's a whole demographic just waiting to hand over their money.

You can get Spidey Zine from Gumroad for free or pay-what-you-want.