(A sidebar to this -- Archie really did intend for Jessica Drew to be an evolved Spider, courtesy of the High Evolutionary. It was this that scuttled Chris and Dave's plans to have Wolverine turn out to be a wolverine, via the same source. That was what they were setting up in the scene in 99{?} in which Logan reads as both a mutant and not a mutant.)

whatwhatWHAT?

That's interesting background information about Spider-Woman. Thanks, Mr. Byrne.

I think Spider-Woman carved out her own niche and became more than just a female version of Spider-Man. Her stories (at least the ones I read) seemed to focus more on the supernatural and had a different flavour to Spider-Man stories.

Just out of interest, did Jonah Jameson, in any title, ever comment on Spider-Woman?

I admit that some things about Spider-Woman's powers do not seem very spider-like at first glance, but it was good that Marvel tried to make her different from Spider-Man.  That makes the character even enjoyable today, she was not just a "clone" of Spidey.

If Jessica Drew was an "evolved" spider via the High Evolutionary's experiments, she would be a very interesting character.  But there is certainly the disgust factor.  I wonder how that would have worked out.

There's certainly a lot of interesting things about Spider-Woman's mythos.  There was a lot of potential there.  It's sad that the title just sputtered from one caretaker to the next until it's inevitable cancellation.