IT'S likely that many people outside the geekosphere haven't even heard of Spider-Woman. But she exists and has done in the comics since 1977. The original was the superhero alias of Jessica Drew, though other women (including Julia Carpenter and Charlotte Witter) have also used the name at various times.

And if rumours are correct, she may soon be coming to the big screen. In the character's original comic book origin, a dying Drew was injected with a serum made from irradiated spider blood and gained superhuman strength and reflexes, the ability to generate bio-electric energy that she focuses into potentially lethal 'venom blasts' and an immunity to all toxins. She can also glide on air currents using glider-webs on her costume.

A 'motion comic' featuring the character launched on iTunes in August last year, giving the character further exposure. Spider-Woman's origin was more recently revised so that, instead, her pregnant mother was hit by a laser beam carrying the DNA traits of several types of spider.

Gossip recently migrated across the internet that Vanessa Hudgens was in talks to play the character on the big screen. And while the 21-year-old High School Musical star bears some resemblance to at one depiction of Spider-Woman - as you can see in the montage above - is there any truth in this report?