After the Fantastic Four, Stan Lee wanted to create something new. He knew he wanted the character to be an everyday teenager. One that would deal with everyday problems as well as superhero problems. Stan Lee also decided on a name, Spider-Man. Once Lee came up with Spider-Man, he went to Martin Goodman. Goodman was skeptical about the idea, saying a superhero can't be a teenager. But Lee, with the help of artist Steve Ditko, featured Spider-Man in one of their other comics, Amazing Fantasy. The public loved Spider-Man so much that Stan Lee made Spidey’s own comic series.

"I told Martin I wanted to feature a hero who had just a touch of super-strength but his main power was that he could stick to walls and ceilings. I also mentioned that our hero, whom I wanted to call Spider-man, would be a teenager, with all the problems, hang-ups, and angst of any teenager."
~ Stan Lee, (Pg 126) Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee

The Amazing Spider-Man issue #1.
(The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #1, 1963, Marvel.)

Steve Ditko. The artist behind the Amazing Spider-Man.
(Artist and co-creator of the Marvel superheroes Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, The Guardian)

National Institution of Mental Health

With the Spider-Man comic increasing popularity, the National Institution of Mental Health came to Stan Lee requesting he make an anti-drug comic book with Spider-Man. Stan Lee was surprised but said yes. The only problem was that making a comic with a mention of drugs was forbidden by the Code’s Standard Part C. Stan Lee made it and submitted it anyway. It was rejected by the code. So, Lee published the comic book without the seal of approval. Instead of getting the backlash he was expecting, he was surprised to hear that the code changed its rules slightly due to his comic book. This showed that there was a way to stand up against censorship, Stan Lee's anti-drug comic was only the first step towards the destruction of comic censorship.

A Spider

National Institution of Mental Health