Just ask Stan Lee, super hero to millions of comics fans.

His venerable creation, Spider-Man, turned 40 on Aug. 13, and to celebrate, Lee was joined by 40 school kids from southern Calif. for a birthday party for Spider-Man at Universal Studios Hollywood, where theyve just opened a Broadway-style Spider-Man musical, Spider-Man Rocks.

After four decades on the landscape, Spider-Man is hotter than ever. Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire recently co-starred in the blockbuster feature, Spider-Man.

Lee started at Marvel Comics, where Spider-Man was born, at the age of 16, becoming the industrys youngest editor.

In 1962, he included the then unknown Spider-Man character in a comic collection called Amazing Fantasy.

The rest, as they say, is history.

At its park in Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure park in Orlando, they have a Spider-Man ride that is said to be one of the most cutting edge thrill rides ever built.

As for Lee, hes strictly a terrestrial creature, preferring Broadway show tunes when he relaxes.

If they say movies influence and affect people, I got to tell you, if every kid in the world watched Errol Flynn movies, wed never have crime or anything happening bad ever again, he says.

The DVD of the hit movie hits stores Nov. 1.