Spider-Man J

Spider-Man J (スパイダーマンJ) is a manga by Yamanaka Akira. It ran in the shōnen magazine, Comic Bom Bom, from November 9, 2004 to May 11, 2005. The manga is in no way connected to Ryoichi Ikegami's Spider-Man: The Manga.

Plot
In the year 200X, a supervillain who goes by the name Lord Gokibu wants to steal the fossil of the Insect King, 15 year-old Sho Amano uses his new spider powers to become Spider-Man J, to prevent this from happening. During his time as a superhero, he meets Japanese versions of Elektra, Dr. Doom, Blade, and the Fantastic Four.

Characters
Sho Amano (天野翔) is a 15 year old boy with the paranormal abilities of a spider. He keeps his identity as Spider-Man J a secret, fearing his family or friends might get hurt. The only person who knows Sho is Spider-Man J is Detective Makoto. He specializes in a number of weapons that he creates using his web-shooters. He is shy and clumsy, and barely has any friends. He has 3 pets, a cat named Leo a dog named Par and a bird named Don, a nod to Toei's Spider-Man Show, where Spider-Man had a giant robot named Leopardon. In the English version, he is known as Peter Parker.

Makoto (誠) is a detective who became a cop because he wanted to protect people. He has a goofy sense of humor, but has a good heart and believes in justice. In the English version, he is known as Detective Flynn.

Mami Amano (天野真美) is Sho's young, happy go-lucky aunt. She loves Sho like he is her own son, and is overprotective of him. She owns her own dress shop. She is quite relaxed, and is known for her spicy curry. In the English version, she is known as Aunt May.

Megumi (めぐみ) is Sho Amano's classmate and girlfriend. She is a tomboy, and is very careful for everyone, especially Sho, whom she is madly in love with. In the English version, she is known as Jane-Marie.

Densuke (デンスケ) is Sho's classmate and friend. He is a fan of Spider-Man J and Comic Bom Bom, judgeing by his shirt that reads "Bom". In the English version, he is known as Harold Osborn.

Lord Gokibu (ゴキブ・リーダー) is the main villain of the manga. Not much is known about him, or his past. In the English version, he is known as Lord Beastius.

Reception
When the manga came out in Japan, it enjoyed a loyal fanbase of otakus. However, the response from American fans was mixed, some postive, some negative.

Publishing
The manga was translated into English in Spider-Man Family, starting in issue 1, volume 2. and has been released also in 2 English sized tankōbon, called "Digests" by Marvel Comics. The 1st volume was called "Japanese Knights", while the 2nd was called "Japanese Daze".