Marvel's new Spider-Man animated series

[Kevinroc]

Interview with Laura Bailey.

Big spoilers...

spoilers:

The Jackal is apparently Gwen's uncle in this continuity.

end of spoilers

Well, that just made everything even more awkward at the big multiversal Stacy family reunion.

[Frontier]

Well, that just made everything even more awkward at the big multiversal Stacy family reunion.

spoilers:

Well, you have to admit it makes his obsession with Gwen seem a little less skeevy

end of spoilers

[Kevinroc]

spoilers:

Well, you have to admit it makes his obsession with Gwen seem a little less skeevy

end of spoilers

spoilers:

Or more skeevy.

end of spoilers

[Kevinroc]

Back on topic, I watched the first two episodes.

The animation is... not something I am wild about.

The Uncle Ben flashbacks work pretty well. It's actually kind of poignant. Patton Oswalt makes a great Uncle Ben.

That being said, I do think they hit a little too hard on Max as surrogate dad.

The whole Horizon situation feels similar to how it did in the comics. Way too good to be true.

The proto Spider-Slayer in Horizon Part 2 looked a little like Shinji's Eva unit from Neon Genesis Evangelion. I know this is a kid friendly cartoon so I won't delve too deeply into that.

I dislike Harry's design. I know we skipped out on the Osborn hair in Ultimate, but I needs to see my Osborn hair. Regular dark hair is just too... plain...

The Vulture was the bad guy in the first episode. Gee, I wonder why...

Aunt May talking to Anna Watson on the phone (even if we never hear Anna). Yeah, Mary Jane's going to appear in the future. (I wonder how long it will be between the first mention of MJ to her first actual appearance.)

I do find it interesting that they are slowly building up their cast. We don't even see Gwen at all in these episodes. She merely gets a name drop.

Honestly, I'd have been fine if this was just a solo outing for Peter. Not quite sure what to make of a Team Spider as we haven't seen it in this show yet.

[Celgress]

Well, that just made everything even more awkward at the big multiversal Stacy family reunion.

LOL, my thoughts exactly. A truly cringeworthy moment.

[Celgress]

I wasn't blown away by the premiere by any means. So far the show comes across as average in every sense, save animation which is subpar. In conclusion, I give it a B. There is much room for improvement. I'll keep watching though, in hopes things will get better as the series evolves.

thumbs in the middle

[Congeridi]

I knew Max would become Peter's new father figure, but it's only episode two and he's already saying things like Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben just died two weeks ago and Peter already has a new father figure. At least he has one though.

[Frontier]

The animation is... not something I am wild about.

I think the worst part was when they debuted the classic suit.

It should be this big, triumphant, moment but because of the animation and staging it just felt really underwhelming.

The Uncle Ben flashbacks work pretty well. It's actually kind of poignant. Patton Oswalt makes a great Uncle Ben.

I was surprised how well he fit into that role. I hope he gets a lot of opportunities to play Ben in this .

The only thing I'd say is that I think we should've seen the flashback to Ben telling Peter about "With Great Power..." in the origin shorts.

That being said, I do think they hit a little too hard on Max as surrogate dad.

I'm getting a "nice Jameson" feel from him, especially since he's basically Peter's boss now.

The whole Horizon situation feels similar to how it did in the comics. Way too good to be true.

I like how they established the typical Parker money problems and then it all easily resolved itself by the end of the episode without Peter actually having to do or sacrifice anything .

The proto Spider-Slayer in Horizon Part 2 looked a little like Shinji's Eva unit from Neon Genesis Evangelion. I know this is a kid friendly cartoon so I won't delve too deeply into that.

I'm so used to CG robots in Marvel cartoons looking bad (Cough)Hulkbuster(Cough) that I was surprised the Spider-Slayer and it's animation were actually kind of decent.

I dislike Harry's design. I know we skipped out on the Osborn hair in Ultimate, but I needs to see my Osborn hair. Regular dark hair is just too... plain...

And oddly enough Norman is still a redhead from what we've seen (no corn rows though). I guess Harry must take after his mom.

The Vulture was the bad guy in the first episode. Gee, I wonder why...

Which is about where the synergy with Homecoming ends (not counting the homemade suit)...

I think "Survival of the Fittest" was a better Vulture episode (and a better premiere in general) but this was a solid enough introduction. His suit still seems like a weird mesh between Gatchaman and the Joaquin Torres Falcon.

I'm also surprised they revealed his real name.

I thought Alistair Duncan was decent here but I've heard better from him and I think Robert Englund did better in his first outing as Toomes.

Aunt May talking to Anna Watson on the phone (even if we never hear Anna). Yeah, Mary Jane's going to appear in the future. (I wonder how long it will be between the first mention of MJ to her first actual appearance.)

I hope it's within the first season...

I do find it interesting that they are slowly building up their cast. We don't even see Gwen at all in these episodes. She merely gets a name drop.

Are we ever going to see Liz and Randy again ?

Honestly, I'd have been fine if this was just a solo outing for Peter. Not quite sure what to make of a Team Spider as we haven't seen it in this show yet.

I'm at least glad Peter ended up doing 99% of the work stopping the Spider-Slayer, Anya just bought him a break.

[rward777]

spoilers:

Or more skeevy.

end of spoilers

Why not? Homecoming made the Vulture Liz's father. I wonder if the Liz in this cartoon will get a similar treatment.

[Kevinroc]

Why not? Homecoming made the Vulture Liz's father. I wonder if the Liz in this cartoon will get a similar treatment.

spoilers:

Jackal's obsession with Gwen in normal continuity is already pretty skeevy. The joke is that one has to think about that obsession but now add in that they are related in this continuity.

end of spoilers

[Kevinroc]

I think the worst part was when they debuted the classic suit.

It should be this big, triumphant, moment but because of the animation and staging it just felt really underwhelming.

I agree.

I was surprised how well he fit into that role. I hope he gets a lot of opportunities to play Ben in this .

I'm sure they'll pull back a bit going forward. But so far it's working.

The only thing I'd say is that I think we should've seen the flashback to Ben telling Peter about "With Great Power..." in the origin shorts.

*Shrug*

I'm getting a "nice Jameson" feel from him, especially since he's basically Peter's boss now.

I miss the Bugle cast. They exist in some form, but it seems the Bugle won't be a major thing in this show.

I like how they established the typical Parker money problems and then it all easily resolved itself by the end of the episode without Peter actually having to do or sacrifice anything .

Definitely a kids show.

I'm so used to CG robots in Marvel cartoons looking bad (Cough)Hulkbuster(Cough) that I was surprised the Spider-Slayer and it's animation were actually kind of decent.

I just couldn't stop thinking about Shinji's Eva. I don't know if you've ever seen Neon Genesis Evangelion or not.

And oddly enough Norman is still a redhead from what we've seen (no corn rows though). I guess Harry must take after his mom.

I needs my Osborn hair.

Which is about where the synergy with Homecoming ends (not counting the homemade suit)...

I think "Survival of the Fittest" was a better Vulture episode (and a better premiere in general) but this was a solid enough introduction. His suit still seems like a weird mesh between Gatchaman and the Joaquin Torres Falcon.

I'm also surprised they revealed his real name.

I thought Alistair Duncan was decent here but I've heard better from him and I think Robert Englund did better in his first outing as Toomes.

At least Vulture played a bigger role in his episode than Scorpion did in his.

I hope it's within the first season...

Didn't they confirm at a panel or something that Mary Jane was going to show up? They've been pretty quiet otherwise, all things considered. But name dropping Anna Watson does strongly hint that Mary Jane will appear. They've been pretty quiet otherwise. I know I've joked that she'll end up joining Team Spider as Spinneret...

Are we ever going to see Liz and Randy again ?

Probably. Maybe Liz will be Firestar in this show? At least she wouldn't be another Spider, right?

I'm at least glad Peter ended up doing 99% of the work stopping the Spider-Slayer, Anya just bought him a break.

I wouldn't be surprised if that ended up being the case going forward and Team Spider ended up just being a bunch of "advertised extras."

[Graphic Autist]

I got about 5 minutes into it, but this show isn't for me.

[Frontier]

I'm sure they'll pull back a bit going forward. But so far it's working.

I want more Ben and less Joey Q .

I miss the Bugle cast. They exist in some form, but it seems the Bugle won't be a major thing in this show.

Well, we have a good excuse for why Jonah will hate Spider-Man in this universe after what happened to that Bugle truck...

Though I'm wondering if Jonah is even going to show up. Harry's the one going on and on about Spider-Man being a menace.

And having Harry come to hate Spider-Man in the first two episodes alone probably sets a new record in Spider-Man media.

Definitely a kids show.

How things change...

I just couldn't stop thinking about Shinji's Eva. I don't know if you've ever seen Neon Genesis Evangelion or not.

I know of it, I was just more impressed by the CG animation .

I needs my Osborn hair.

Don't we all ?

At least Vulture played a bigger role in his episode than Scorpion did in his.

That kinda bummed me out a little, even if the Spider-Slayer was the main threat.

I hope they do more with Scorpion later on, but I doubt it.

Didn't they confirm at a panel or something that Mary Jane was going to show up? They've been pretty quiet otherwise, all things considered. But name dropping Anna Watson does strongly hint that Mary Jane will appear. They've been pretty quiet otherwise. I know I've joked that she'll end up joining Team Spider as Spinneret...

It was a really casual confirmation, which is weird, and given they haven't brought her up otherwise I'm not really sure what's going on.

Even the shows where we get a "Face it Tiger..." introduction usually showcase her prominently in promotion prior to this. But so far it looks like Gwen/Anya are the only female leads.

Probably. Maybe Liz will be Firestar in this show? At least she wouldn't be another Spider, right?

It almost felt like they were going "hey kids, hope you enjoyed seeing Spider-Man's traditional supporting cast in the first half, because now we're going to have Peter hanging out with all these future Spider-people from the comics!"

I wouldn't be surprised if that ended up being the case going forward and Team Spider ended up just being a bunch of "advertised extras."

Maybe until they get their powers, though even then I don't think Peter is going to be hanging out with them all 24/7 like in Ultimate Spider-Man.

Maybe it'll be like the Batfamily in B:TAS/TNBA where not all of them are in every episode, though I'm not sure how that'll play out.

[Kevinroc]

I want more Ben and less Joey Q .

It's Patton Oswalt. How could you not want more Patton Oswalt?

Well, we have a good excuse for why Jonah will hate Spider-Man in this universe after what happened to that Bugle truck...

Though I'm wondering if Jonah is even going to show up. Harry's the one going on and on about Spider-Man being a menace.

And having Harry come to hate Spider-Man in the first two episodes alone probably sets a new record in Spider-Man media.

Robbie might show up, since we saw Randy. But nothing seems guaranteed.

How things change...

I don't know how dramatic USM got in later seasons, but this felt like it was skewing a little older than early USM. But still young kids. 8 year olds.

I know of it, I was just more impressed by the CG animation .

It's the color scheme. Purple and green robot?



(In-universe, it's a giant freakin' robot. Not something Spidey should be messing with, lol.)

That kinda bummed me out a little, even if the Spider-Slayer was the main threat.

I hope they do more with Scorpion later on, but I doubt it.

Scorpion's gonna end up being one of those guys somebody beats up as an addendum to an episode, isn't he?

(Unless Scorpion is the villain in Homecoming's sequel. Then all bets are off.)

It was a really casual confirmation, which is weird, and given they haven't brought her up otherwise I'm not really sure what's going on.

Even the shows where we get a "Face it Tiger..." introduction usually showcase her prominently in promotion prior to this. But so far it looks like Gwen/Anya are the only female leads.

That's really what makes me think we won't be seeing her until much later than we traditionally do in typical Spidey cartoons. As of right now, all we know is that Aunt May is friends with Anna Watson.

It honestly wouldn't surprise me if we didn't actually see MJ until season 2 (or at least the first season finale.)

It almost felt like they were going "hey kids, hope you enjoyed seeing Spider-Man's traditional supporting cast in the first half, because now we're going to have Peter hanging out with all these future Spider-people from the comics!"

Liz was Firestar in Ultimate. But I digress.

Maybe until they get their powers, though even then I don't think Peter is going to be hanging out with them all 24/7 like in Ultimate Spider-Man.

Maybe it'll be like the Batfamily in B:TAS/TNBA where not all of them are in every episode, though I'm not sure how that'll play out.

They may show up in random episodes over the course of a season, but we won't see them all coming together until the really big story lines. That would be my guess.

[ngroove]

My general point was echoing that they should include him period. Besides that, I just provided some speculation as to how they could do so in this show's setting. Making him a student (transfer or otherwise) of one of the 3 schools would go in-line with that setting perfectly.

That creative directions being taken isn't a bad thing aside, it's not really like anyone seems to be interested in using a completely "comic-accurate" portrayal of the man regardless, because if so, they'd have used him by now multiple times over, and we wouldn't have had the need for that frustration to even be brought up.

Ah yeah, the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon Hobie Brown approach.

Can / will be gladly accepted by me, as "better than nothing", if just Thomas Firehart, in a nod to Puma and at least Thomas' existence in a show, as in Hobie Brown's example, although the Prowler was seen in one episode in Spider-Man: the Animated Series, that one reeked of "solely because there's an action figure of him" and was totally inaccurate to his character. Spectacular, slowly and subtly made Hobie a pretty well liked person in own right, by stewing him slowly and carefully.

Puma, always been a favorite of mine since reading his first encounter, complete with using his puma totem trackings of scent to track down Peter Parker as Spider-Man, crashing into him just a hair from time with MJ, determining that properties of his Black Costume as "organic", plus nobility to his native american roots and big boss businessman from the get-go, with his animalistic appearance, abilities, and instincts which Defalco, Frenz, and Marvel could have just done that, yet chose to make him ambiguously multi-tiered, more than just a simple beat-him-up of the month, from the start.

My apologies, if mentioning him was random, knowing that likely character choices for Spidey toon first would likely be either the sure thing same olds, or newer characters. I suppose someone could also say "Why hasn't Will O' the Wisp / Gibbon been brought in the screen yet?", but I kind of feel Puma as more than them, whose had plenty and plenty of quality appearances against or with Spider-Man / Marvel in the comics, yet is still treated like an obscure forgotten zero, who could be given more mainstream exposure through at least being used in a cartoon, exposed to scores of new children's and children at heart's eyes, for some mainstream recognition to change that.