Spider-Man Statue In Forest Hills Starts To Take Shape

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — One man's idea to build a Spider-Man statue in Forest Hills has started to take shape.

After many months, a 20-inch model of the superhero statue, which was conceived of by Larry Ng and crafted by infamous superhero sculptor Dave Cortes, is complete.

The miniature statue, which depicts Spider-Man hanging from a lamppost emblazoned with his creator's names, brings to life Ng's vision of a dynamic statue honoring the hometown hero.

"Spider-Man was a regular teenager with teenage problems who grew up in Forest Hills, so a lot of people identified with him," he told Patch, alluding to the superhero's alter ego, Peter Parker, who was raised at 20 Ingram Street and attended Forest Hills High School in the original comics.

Given Spider-Man's background, it's important to Ng that the statue be easy to access and prominently displayed in Forest Hills (he has his eyes on MacDonald Park).

"Traditional statues are kind of stiff and unapproachable," he said. "This one won't be on a pedestal that's enclosed by a fence. We want kids to walk up to it and take pictures with it, that's really the intent."

As much as the model actualizes Ng's vision, he still has a ways to go before the statue truly comes to life — namely, getting approval from the city (a complicated process, even for the most notable of statues).

Ng said he submitted a proposal for the statue to the Parks Department a couple of weeks ago, and is now facing an evaluation process that could take two to three years.

The longtime Forest Hills resident, though, hopes that community support — and the fact that he already has a sculptor lined up — will help streamline the process to about a year.

"I think I'll hit critical mass of community support by late summer or early fall," Ng said, pointing to the lengthy list of partners and supporters he's amassed without much effort.

In order to gather more support, though, Ng is distributing free collectible cards throughout the neighborhood. Each card depicts the statue on the front, and has a QR code to his Spider-Man statue website on the back, where neighbors can examine a virtual 3D version of the effigy.

Right now, neighbors can get the cards at Royal Collectibles, a comic book shop on Metropolitan Avenue, Ng said, noting that he plans to distribute thousands of them.

"Hopefully I'll have enough support to convince the Parks Department to approve it sooner rather than later," he said.

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