Ethnic Spider-Man versions near

The characters are universal, a spokesman said.
By TERRY MORROW
SCRIPPS HOWARD
Peter Parker isn't the only one hiding under Spider-Man's mask these days.
In the next few months, Marvel Comics, which publishes the adventures of the web slinger, will have a Latino girl and an Eastern Indian boy assuming the mantle of Spider-Man, too.
The new characters represent a plan by Marvel to "localize" Spider-Man to specific readers around the world.
The girl will be the star of her own comic-book series, Amazing Fantasy, out this week. The boy will headline a new Spider-Man comic book, coming in the fall and tailored to readers in India.
Universal characters
"It's long been our belief that our characters are universal," says Gui Karyo, president of publishing for Marvel Enterprises. "The values of the character can be appreciated everywhere.
"It's absolutely true that different cultures have different views of the world ... and these stories show that."
Amazing Fantasy will follow the exploits of a Puerto Rican/Mexican girl named Anya who gains superpowers similar to Spider-Man's and spins off into her own adventures. She'll eventually take on a variation of Spider-Man's costume and go by the name "Spider-Girl."
The Indian interpretation will follow the life of student Pavitr Prabhakar. As Spider-Man, Pavitr will leap around rickshaws and scooters in Indian streets, while swinging from monuments such as the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal.
Green Goblin
He'll also face his own version of the Green Goblin in the form of Rakshasa, an Indian mythological demon, and have an unsuspecting girlfriend named Maria.
"This new character still has the universal values [of the original] while introducing touch points that are true to [the Indian] audience," Karyo says of the new Spider-Man.
Marvel's Spider-Girl was created to speak to a new audience within the United States.
"We thought it was time to introduce a new team protagonist to the world of Spider-Man," says Marvel editor Joe Quesada. "Also the fact she was female and Hispanic was a great idea. It touches upon a large segment of our readership."
Although comics are still predominantly a white-male pastime in the United States, Marvel Comics has a history of recognizing the need for diversity in its characters, Quesada says.
Marvel, he says, introduced the first major black superhero with the Black Panther in 1966 and, later, the first Latino hero with the White Tiger.
These days, superheroes come in all colors and sizes. DC Comics' The Green Lantern is black and is a member of the Justice League. Marvel has a dwarf superhero named Puck. Professor Xavier, leader of the X-Men, commands the team from his wheelchair. "Marvel needs to represent all the colors of the rainbow," Quesada says.
Not a first
This isn't the first retooling of Spider-Man to fit a specific audience, Karyo says. Spider-Man's adventures have been set in Italy before to target readers there.
"Whether he is wearing traditional Indian garb or jeans and a T-shirt, you'll be able to understand this is Spider-Man," Karyo says.