Spider-Man has become known for quite a number of things over the years, but sharing a strong resemblance to Batman isn't one of his more well-known traits. When Roger Stern began writing Spider-Man in the early 80s he brought a fresh take to the wall-crawler's career as a superhero, infusing elements of detective work, partnering with the police, and a star-crossed love affair with a certain feline-themed thief into the mix.
Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #43, by Stern and Mike Zeck, begins with a group of masked thugs attacking the laboratory at Empire State University where Peter Parker works. The thugs attempt to steal canisters of volatile chemicals, but make a hasty retreat when Peter manages to cause a small explosion that sets off the sprinkler system. Peter changes into his Spider-Man outfit and slings a tracker on the thugs' car. Following them, Spider-Man manages to prevent a murder by the villain known as Belladonna.
It's from this point forward that Stern and subsequent collaborator Marie Severin take Spider-Man into a different direction from his usual adventures. Rather than engaging in his typical brawls, Spider-Man's encounters with Belladonna leave him frustrated and without answers. Belladonna utilizes a paralyzing gas that affects even Spider-Man, making her incredibly difficult to capture. It's a daring, suspense-filled story that spans several issues; Spider-Man does engage in the occasional fight from time to time, but the crux of his battle against Belladonna is his crime-solving abilities versus her cunning as a villain.
Stern and Jim Mooney's Issue #49 introduces Spider-Man to the villain known as The Smuggler. A chance encounter with a small-time driver brings Spider-Man into contact with Smuggler and instead of a one and done battle with the villain, Spider-Man is instead embroiled in a multi-million dollar Maggia crime plot. The story continues in issue #54 with Spider-Man searching for clues, collaborating with the NYPD, and finally saving Smuggler from a boat full of lethal criminals. Roger Stern balanced explosive action with hard-boiled crime drama as he pits Spider-Man against not just a goon with super strength or gimmicky gadgets, but an entire international criminal enterprise.
Spider-Man utilized detective work more than usual in Roger Stern's run, but it was his encounter with The Black Cat that further connected him to Batman. In Stern and John Romita Jr.'s Amazing Spider-Man #226, Black Cat returns to New York City. She wastes no time getting back into her classic routine of stealing high value items from across the city. Black Cat approaches Spider-Man in an alley and begs for him to enter into a relationship with her. Spider-Man finds himself in a horrible predicament: he knows that he and Black Cat would never work as a couple due overwhelmingly to the fact that she's a criminal, but he also knows that a part of him is absolutely smitten by her. Black Cat promises to end her life as a thief and turn over a new leaf for Spider-Man. This new life is short-lived as she proceeds to choreograph a heist that uses Spider-Man as an aide without his knowledge. Their relationship ends abruptly and violently in the following issue, and both are saddened by the impossibility of their feelings ever becoming something substantial.
While it might seem a bit odd to model Spider-Man so closely after Batman, the change of pace that Roger Stern put Spider-Man through was a perfect fit for him. It was inevitable that Spider-Man would eventually find himself caught up in a caper deeper than that of a simple bank robbery. Watching Peter Parker apply his intelligence to something outside of science is exciting and gives him depth not often seen with his usual method of crime-fighting. His rocky relationship with Black Cat is also a very natural turn of events for him as well, considering that Peter Parker's love life has always been one of the many things he's had to juggle alongside his life as Spider-Man.
Batman is famous for his extensive use of detective work in fighting crime, as well as his off-the-record alliance with the police. His tumultuous relationship with Catwoman is also one of his more definitive features as their relationship has spanned their stories for decades. For Spider-Man to engage in detective work of his own while also dealing with his feelings for a certain feline-themed jewel thief, the parallels are hard to miss. While Spider-Man maintained his own sense of identity and style throughout his comics, his brief connection to Batman was a fun and unique experience for him.