This essay is a companion piece to the Mixed Marvel Arts Podcast, Episode #7: The Spodcastular Spider-Man. While it's not essential listening, I do touch on some things I briefly mention here with more detail and discuss some things I mention on the show in passing in great detail here. You can find the podcast here
It was March 8th, 2008 when Greg Weisman and Victor Cook’s version of Spider-Man was unveiled to the world in the form of an animated children’s cartoon called “The Spectacular Spider-Man”. The show was a massive critical and commercial success for the CW and Sony, who held the rights until September 1st, 2009. Although named after the long running comic book series started in the seventies, it drew in elements from the entirety of Spider-Man’s nearly fifty years of creation, such as the recent movies and Ultimate line of comics. Spectacular Spider-Man was a success in every sense of the word, so here’s a look at the first and sadly penultimate season of the series.
“Fighting Crimes, swinging webs, swinging from the highest ledge, he can leap above our heads.”
Let’s start the analysis with the opening credits, infused with Tender Box’s tribute to the beloved web-head that you’ll be humming for days. Rather than be a techno one-phrase repeating guitar wail (I’m looking at you TAS), it’s a simple pop-rock song not trying to be anything more than catchy and spectacular. The credits offer a nice homage to Spider-Man’s first appearance, a nice shout to Weisman and Cook, and a nice rotation of supporting cast from Jolly Jonah to Eugene Thompson. It’s not overly done and it’s not a seizure inducing visual rave (one more directed at you 90s). It’s a fluid moving look at Spider-Man, his friends, and season one’s rogue gallery with that damn song that’s so catchy.
“I am the Spectacular Spider-Man!”
This will always be an argument amongst Spider-Man fans, that each generation will come to feel differently about, but let’s lay down some support for the fact Josh Keaton is the definitive voice for Peter Parker and his alter-ego Spider-Man. Keaton nails the delivery of the web-head’s jokes and cocky arrogance, while bringing a subtler strength to Peter through his compassion, which comes out in the performance Keaton gives. His Peter can sound amazed, intellectual and foolish while his Spider-Man vocalizes a presence that has power and wit. If you don’t agree with Keaton for Spider-Man, let’s look at his competition. Both live action actors, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, have what seem like good handles on the character of Peter Parker, but need to work on their Spider-Man. Don’t even give a serious thought to the slew of horrible to mediocre video game actors over the years. So we’re left with the voice actors from the different animated forays of Spider-Man. With Drake Bell (Ultimate Spider-Man) it’s still too early to tell, Neil Patrick Harris (The New Animated Series) was good not great, Rino Romano (Unlimited) falls in that video game category, Dan Gilvezan (Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends) never sounded like Pete at all, and Paul Soles (Spider-Man) doesn’t hold up well. Keaton’s biggest competition is Christopher Daniel Barnes (Spider-Man: The Animated Series), whose best known for his dramatic, “MARY JANE!!!” Huge challenge to the throne there, I think Keaton has got this title easily and people seem to know it. Keaton has voiced Spider-Man in nearly all the recent Spider-Man games; Ultimate Spider-Man in Shattered Dimensions, an older Peter Parker in Web of Time, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and even Marvel Superhero Squad.
“If I wanted all the glory, I wouldn’t wear a mask.”
If we’re on the topic of Peter Parker, it’s hard not to mention the ol’ Parker luck. To me, it’s what makes the show such a success, that we follow Peter Parker as he learns the responsibilities of being Spider-Man. The show puts you on a very intimate level with Peter that makes his mistakes powerful, as he struggles to do the right thing as Spider-Man, even if it is at the cost of being Peter Parker. Peter never backs down from his burden and as a result, it’s incredibly gratifying when things work out for him on either side of his dual life and it’s a spectacular feeling when things work out for him on both fronts. This show is based around the theme of ‘The Education of Peter Parker’ and it fares incredibly well, despite the old Parker Luck trying to derail it.
“How about scram? Or two words, scram kid. Or seventeen? Get out of my office in two point three seconds or I'll staple you to a flag pole?"
Of course Peter isn’t alone in this world Weisman and Cook oversaw for him. Weisman has stated one of the greatest advantages of the show was the vast selection of supporting cast they had to choose from over forty years of Spider-Man media. While the fundamental goal was to update the early cast to a more contemporary 2008 setting, he was not afraid to “borrow” from other sources. The show has cast members like Betty Brant who was in the original Spider-Man cartoon, but also features the debut of several characters like Kenny ‘Kong’ McFarlane from Ultimate Spider-Man, Jean DeWolff and Stan Carter in a rather twisted way, and even the Osborn’s butler Bernard from the Sam Raimi films. The support cast feels well fleshed out, even the most one-dimensional of them, thanks to pitch perfect voice actors and a few lines of dialogue that stay true to the character. And at the same time, the show offers some great character quirks to memorable characters like Flash Thompson’s laugh and Jonah’s obsession with numbers.
The show also isn’t afraid to take liberties with characters, sparking some controversy over the changing of ethnicities of characters like Liz Allen and Ned Leeds to Hispanic and Asian respectively, a Weisman trope that shows in more of his work outside of Spectacular Spider-Man. However can you honestly get mad at a man for trying to bring more ethnicity to comic book media, changing very little else about the character to do so? More jarring is the change of Gwen Stacy from the ever popular college girl to the brainy nerd-herd high schooler. When it comes down to it, Gwen more resembles Deb Whitman, who would appear in season two as a different ethnicity herself. This doesn’t hurt the character though, for Weisman creates a more empowered love interest in Gwen here, than she would become in the comics.
"Nah sorry. I make it a rule not to partner with anyone green, or shall we say psychotic.”
If you can applaud Sam Raimi on one thing, it’s that the man gave us fantastic portrayals from Spider-Man’s rogue gallery; Spectacular Spider-Man tops those. We’ve got the typical animal themed big bads like Doctor Octopus and Rhino (whose nearly double the height of Peter), but the show takes lesser known characters like Tombstone and Montana, ascending them up the rogue gallery. Venom and Green Goblin also show up to mess with Peter throughout the season, with the men behind the masks having close personal ties to Peter. Weisman works hard to connect the villains in believable ways, like having Sandman and Rhino being partners in crime before their transformations, but it’s the different motivations for each character that makes them matter. Whether it’s Montana’s sense of honor, Sandman’s want of his ‘big score’ or Vulture’s vendetta against Norman Osborn, each character acts in a different matter to get his agenda done and squash the bug. And to that end, the show holds no bars on beating the crap out of Spider-Man. The award for most damage done goes to Venom, clearly no love lost amongst bros.
For season one, the most interesting villain has to go to the Shocker/Montana mash up, though the Green Goblin mystery almost beat it out. Weisman got some flack for meshing the two characters together, but Weisman felt Shocker was always more about the suit than Herman Shultz and wanted to put a more interesting persona behind the suit, while serving the series main theme once more. Peter’s constantly learning while fighting his villains as Spider-Man, but Shocker is the one who teaches him something on the Parker front; a man has to honor his responsibilities and Peter realizes he has to look out for May as much as she does for him.
“I am not going to let you wish away your brain.”
A lot of credit has been thrown at Weisman and Cook for Spectacular, but the animation and character design credit also goes to Sean ‘Cheeks’ Galloway (Hellboy Animated). He took artistic ques from artists like the Romitas and Jack Kirby, but the design of Spectacular Spider-Man’s inhabitants was created by him. The world of Spectacular Spider-Man has a very simplistic design, with a lot of circles and simple shapes, that allows them to create a fluid moving world which Weisman explained was designed to capture the fluidity of the Raimi movies. And man does that style of animation pay off when Spider-Man gets in a fight, particularly when he’s web-swinging and performing aerial techniques in battle. The art isn’t too simple that it hurts when things are calm on-screen, but the art department definitely put a lot of faith that the script could pull its weight when it needed to.
And man does that faith pay off. The show is at its most spectacular on its writing foundation, where the scripting, story ideas, dialogue, and character development teams are all on fire. Weisman led this department and if you’ve followed Weisman on anything, particularly Gargoyles, you knew this show was in good hands. He and his team write with a clear passion of not only the characters, but the media they work in. They know how to create tension before a commercial break and weave a great continuity in episodic, seasonal, and serial fashion. A complaint some have against the show is that it’s too witty, having every character compete for the best line, but that’s not true at all. Several of the cast members fall in the teenage/young adult age group, where the desire to be witty is very overwhelming at times, but the show is full of empowering characters and emotional quotes too. The writers knew when to buck down and get serious, but they write largely in a fun manner that reminds us that our super heroics, especially with superpowers, don’t need to be taken too serious, especially not in the case of Spider-Man. Plus, it still is a kid show and it never talks down to its young audience or tries to overcomplicate things, finding that smooth balance in between.
“You heard the one about great power coming with great responsibility?”
So to sum things up, ‘The Spectacular Spider-Man’ is one of the best representations of Peter Park and his alter ego you’ll ever find. It’s very much a coming-of-age story, just with superpowers and following one of the greatest fictional characters of all time at the age where he has his most story telling potential. It also provides a rich world full of continuity and great characters, with a truly spectacular lead. This version of Peter Parker should be a role model for kids, he’s constantly learning but has a truly moral compassion that always point true. He’s a brilliant young man that is relatable and despite his very human flaws, the Spectacular Spider-Man is a true inspirational force and my thanks goes out to everyone who brought this show and this version of the character to life.
You can find the theme song here:
You can find some great Spectacular Spider-Man lines here:
"...at the age where he has his most story telling potential."
ReplyDeleteI of course disagree with you. I think an older Peter and Spider-Man has just as many opportunities and chances to learn as a young Peter Parker does. And is the need to be witty really that strong with the teenage population? Maybe times have changed, but I don't see teens coming off as witty, so much as just rude trying to be funny because they don't know the difference yet. (in real life, not this show)
Good write-up though nonetheless. It's a good show and I agree with you on plenty such as Keaton being great and the use of the villains. But ofcourse the villains will be more varied in this than the Raimi's movie trilogy... budget and story reasons of course.