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Saving New York from supervillains apparently improves your chances of getting a street sign. Spider-Man now has one in Forest Hills, where the neighborhood’s most famous fictional resident received a hometown honor this week.
“Spider-Man Way” was unveiled yesterday, October 12, at Ingram Street and Ascan Avenue, QNS reported, with dozens of fans, elected officials and Marvel representatives gathering to celebrate, alongside several young attendees who arrived dressed as the web-slinger. (The location is steps from 20 Ingram Street, which a 1989 comic identified as Peter Parker’s home.)
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Council Member Lynn Schulman championed the co-naming legislation after Assemblymember Sam Berger advocated for it. The designation was included in a city law enacted July 30 that names 103 thoroughfares and public places. Specifically, the law honors the intersection of Ingram Street and Ascan Avenue, so Ingram Street keeps its name.
“Peter Parker isn’t a billionaire living in a tower. He isn’t an alien descending from space. He’s a kid from Queens who has homework, bills to pay, family problems and a thousand reasons to say he can’t help today, and yet, time and time again, he shows up,” Berger said, according to QNS.
Mark Ditko, nephew of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko, also attended and described his uncle’s efforts to make Parker a regular person from a regular neighborhood. Spider-Man comics editor Nick Lowe emphasized that Forest Hills will always be the character’s home, no matter how far his adventures take him.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards also showed some borough pride, comparing Spidey with other cities’ fictional icons. “Rocky could never lay a glove on Spider-Man,” Richards joked.
Fans now have another reason to make a Forest Hills pilgrimage, with the new sign offering a photo opportunity at the intersection. Consider it a little civic recognition for a character who’s spent decades helping keep his hometown standing.