As I walked to my car in the Erie Times-News parking lot Friday evening, I was greeted by dozens of little Spider-Men and Spider-Women. The kids and their parents had come for the unveiling of the big Spider-Man figure, who's presently climbing up the side of the newspaper building at 205 W. 12th Street.

You could sense that this was a happening, and the excitement on the faces of the kids and their moms and dads was gratifying. Because I have no marketing skill, I admire the folks who think up the ideas to promote this newspaper.

Clearly, Spider-Man is a big winner, and even though I liked the idea of printing a retro Spidey comic book and including it with the Sunday paper every week, this was no slam dunk. I don't know if I would have had the guts to pull the trigger on it. When the promotion started in August, I talked to two national comic book experts, and both said that the promotion would probably appeal to adults, but they doubted that many kids would find much interest in it.

The thinking is that the comic books, which are replicas of the originals from the early 1960's, would seem "dated" or "too old fashioned" for kids who are used to today's Spidey from the movies and the modern-day comic books. I really liked the retro comic book idea, but these so-called experts scared me. Perhaps this was a promotion that would have appeal only to 50-something readers like me.

Thankfully, the experts were all wet. Two youngsters who appeared to be 7 or 8 years old said they really like the old Spider-Man. In fact, they didn't even know the comic book dates back 40-plus years. A mom said she likes it because "It's tame compared to today's wild comics." She said she has to censor her older older son's comic books.

A dad also said that the comic book is something that he can read with his two sons and daughter, and they all enjoy it.

So, what does Spider-Man have to do with today's Sunday newspaper? Well, it's been a great tool for getting kids to take a look at the paper. It's part of the "value package" we keep stressing, and one parent told me that her daughter now "believes there's something in the newspaper for her."

The folks in our circulation department also say they're getting numerous calls from readers who want to get multiple copies of the comic book. When there is more than one child -- or grandchild in the family, one Spider-Man comic book might not be enough.

The best news about this promotion is that more than 40 issues remain, so there's still time to join the band wagon. As for me, I'm going to watch the Spidey on the side of our building and see if he's strong enough to make it all the way through an Erie winter. I'm betting that he is.

-- Kevin Cuneo