Why? Quite simply, the task of putting together a monthly e-zine, even when mostly automated, still puts a considerable burden on the 'zine editor each month. If life pressures have me running late, new material keeps flowing in, putting me even further behind! In addition, the monthly format means that if one of the sections (such as Letters or Raves) is running late, everything else suffers. The front page goes stale, contributors see their work sitting on the shelf, and that makes everybody sad.

So what have we done to resolve the problem? We've split apart all the sections: Raves (now incorporating "Better Read"), Looking Back, Current Reviews, News, Letters & Oracle, etc. All will now be directly linked from the front page, and all will be updated as soon as new material arrives, on their own schedule.

Nothing is lost, and in fact, I suspect that there will be even more great stuff flowing into the site, especially as we continue to automate the site data entry scripts and make more sections able to be maintained without any editorial input at all. The final result: a more shared workload, fresher front page material, and the same old Spider-y goodness you've come to know and love.

So while it's sad to see the end of an era with the passing of one of the longest running fan-zines on the internet, rest assured that there'll be no less Spidey stuff for you to enjoy. So join us as we say "Farewell" to Peter Parker's Pad, and a great big "Welcome" to the next eleven years of SpiderFan!