As Spider-Man Turns 60, Fans Reflect on Diverse Appeal

In these undated photos provided by Tyler Scott Hoover, a professional Spider-Man cosplayer and model, Hoover is pictured in the classic costume of the Marvel comic superhero. (AP)

Spider-Man fandom is in Tyler Scott Hoover’s blood — but not because he was bitten by an irradiated arachnid. His father had collected Marvel comic books featuring the character since the 1970s.

“He passed down a ton of comics to me,” says Hoover, 32, of Glen Burnie, Maryland. “It would have been hard for me not to become a fan of Spider-Man.”