J.M. DeMatteis wrote an intro to Matt Singer's Spider-Man: From Amazing to Spectacular, an oversized art book that takes a detailed tour through Spidey's entire history.
He posted it on his blog.
http://www.jmdematteis.com/2019/10/s...ese-years.html
An excerpt where he talks about what makes Spider-Man so important...
Fittingly for an art book, he also describes the impact of seeing Ditko and Romita Sr's work.In my experience, the vast majority of people are decent and compassionate at heart: we want to be kind, to do what’s right, to treat others fairly and be treated fairly in return. And, like Spider-Man, we do our share of failing, of not living up to our own ideals. What’s wonderful about Peter Parker is that, no matter how discouraged he may be, he always picks himself up and tries again; and every time Peter triumphs, it’s a triumph for the human spirit, because he’s such a wonderful example of that spirit at its best. Spider-Man both mirrors our human weaknesses and inspires us to reach for our highest ideals—and that makes for a truly timeless character.