On Mon, 13 Apr 1998, Richard D. Lawson wrote:

There *was* a "What-If?" comic:  "What if Mary Jane's child had lived?"

	Which, in fact, May Parker did ... she's just been shuffled off the
stage, because the editors of Marvel Comics are aware that having growing
children on the stage can mess up the "timeless" feeling that a comic book
allegedly has to have.

This gave rise to "Spider-girl".  She leapt around in her dad's old uniform
(and, true to all comic book standards, filled it out lusciously).  She had
all the powers and everything.

One might argue that the spider bite altered Peter's DNA (a. la.  "The
Fly").  This is supported by the old, old comics where Peter at one point
grows four additional arms.

	It's also supported by the fact that the children of at least one
other "altered human" (actually, a couple of altered humans) in the Marvel
Universe have been mutants.

	Namely, Reed and Susan Richards, of the Fantastic Four.

Chris Davies.