The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-2009) Review

There have been a lot of Spider-Man cartoons such as the 1967 series best known for that catchy theme, the 1994 series that brought the web-slinger in a new direction in terms of story and atmosphere, and the sadly short-lived The Spectacular Spider-Man. Developed by Greg Weisman (the creator of Gargoyles) and Victor Cook, it was a great update to my favorite superhero of all time.

It debuted in 2008 on the former Kids' WB saturday morning block and this was at the time when I rediscovered that block after several years. My sister and I would always catch it on Saturday mornings to see new episodes. Anyways, why is this being considered as the best Spidey show to date amongst many fans? Let's find out.

For starters, the show features one of the catchiest theme songs ever made, competing with the main theme of the 1967 series.

It was performed by indie rock band, The Tender Box, who are best known for... this theme song. In my opinion, this is the best Spider-Man theme to date. It has an overall catchy beat and memorable lyrics. So catchy, in fact, that one character in the episode "Probable Cause" broke the fourth wall by actually humming it. Yeah, it's that good.

Premise

Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man

I guess you all know what the premise is: a teenage boy named Peter Parker (voiced by Josh Keaton) gets bit by a radioactive spider, which in turn, gives him superpowers such as strength, agility, wall-crawling, and "spider sense" which warns him of danger. After the death of his Uncle Ben, he learned that with great power comes great responsibility and decides to use his powers to help innocent lives, and therefore takes on the secret identity of Spider-Man.

The show begins with him already with his powers for the last few months and entering his Junior year in high school. He tries to balance out his life between crime fighting and living like a normal teenager. Traditionally, he also gets a job as a freelance photographer at the Daily Bugle, taking pictures of himself in order to help out his Aunt May's financial problems.

As usual, Spider-Man is a character we look up to because of all the difficulties he's going through, taking on various responsibilities and a lot of risks in order to get around. He's also picked on by bullies and has only a few close friends. Despite all this, however, his powers raised his confidence more, but they have their downsides. We all relate to him one way or another, and that's pretty much the reason why he is my favorite superhero of all time since childhood.

The show has a light tone with a lot of comedic moments, but it also has a lot of mature and complex moments that older audiences can appreciate.

Protagonists

While everybody knows who the web slinger is, part of what drew us into Spider-Man in various forms of media such as the comics, cartoons, and movies are the relationships with other characters. Their interactions with one another make them believable that it makes us invest in the story more, often making us wonder where it will go next.

Gwen Stacy

(voiced by Lacey Chabert)

Daughter of Captain George Stacy and one of Peter's best friends. She is shy but highly intelligent, making her Peter's intellectual equal. She is also in love with him, but chooses to hide it. One noticeable trait in the show is her ability to give people "the look", where her glasses lower and gives a really intimidating stare.

I really love Gwen in this show because she seems to be someone I can be best friends with and supposedly ask her out to eat somewhere. She can also be a worthy friendly rival in terms of intellect. Though I would probably lose to her all the time since I'm not really an overachiever, nor an underachiever. Also, she's really beautiful, whether she wears glasses or not.

Apart from appearing in the last episode of the 1994 series, Gwen has never appeared in a single Spidey cartoon, probably because the censors didn't want to risk killing a character off, and her inclusion in this one is quite refreshing.

Harry Osborn

(voiced by James Arnold Taylor)

Son of businessman Norman Osborn and another one of Peter's best friends. Always living under his father's shadow, he tries to impress him by taking part in various extra-curricular activities.

Harry might seem selfish and sometimes dependent, often relying on Peter to help him study for tests. And when he starts hanging out with the popular kids, he even forgets about Peter and Gwen, often making me think "Geez, some friend you turned out to be." But you kind of understand him, because after all, he just wants his father's approval.

J. Jonah Jameson

(voiced by Daran Norris)

The editor of the Daily Bugle. He is a hyper, loudmouth individual who makes a living making Spidey look like a menace ("Nobody loves a winner... it makes people feel good about themselves"). Underneath his sadistic exterior, he's actually a really caring man. One example was when he was protecting Peter from the Rhino in the episode "The Invisible Hand."

These characteristics remind me of J.K. Simmons' Jameson from the Sam Raimi movies, except the latter is more tame compared to this one. And you know what, Daran Norris gives Simmons a run for his money. Every scene he's in, he cracks me up, even though he acts like a dirt bag. My favorite scene however is this line of dialogue:

Peter: Boss, I'd like a word.

Jameson: How about "scram"? Or two words, "scram, kid"! Or seventeen: "Get out of my office in 2.3 seconds or I'll staple you to a flagpole!"

Peter: (with a shocked look) How did-- you count so-- never mind.

I never noticed this until now but his mustache and goatee form an exclamation mark. What is this, Metal Gear Solid?

Other characters in the Daily Bugle include his secretary, Betty Brant (voiced by Grey DeLisle), whom Peter asked to go to the dance with her, but turned him down; Joseph "Robbie" Robertson (voiced by Phil LaMarr), one of the few people who consider Spider-Man a hero; Ned Lee (voiced by Andrew Kishino), a reporter investigating on Spider-Man's identity; and reporter Frederick Foswell (voiced by James Arnold Taylor), who always goes undercover for stories.

Mary Jane Watson

(voiced by Vanessa Marshall)

Originally Peter's date at Midtown High's dance, she later transfers to his school due to her interest in the theater magnet. She is honest and genuine, as well as flirtacious, yet independent, determined to stay single as she doesn't show interest in a serious relationship, therefore not making her Peter's love interest or Gwen's rival for his affections.

Her introduction is highly reminiscent of The Amazing Spider-Man Issue #42, even saying her trademark line "Face it, tiger, you just hit the jackpot."

Flash Thompson

(voiced by Joshua LeBar)

The quarterback of Midtown High's football team and school bully, often picking on Peter for being a "stuck-up egghead." Just like in the source material, he ironically idolizes Peter's secret identity. He seems like your stereotypical bully, but for some odd reason, he is an entertaining character and has some sort of likeability. Plus, he has a goofy laugh.

Liz Allan

(voiced by Alanna Ubach)

A popular cheerleader and Flash's girlfriend. She resents Peter, but after the first couple of episodes, she manages to become more open and accepting. That's pretty much why I like her because she could have been a stock teenage character who just constantly texts on her phone and ignores other people, but quickly departs from that as she becomes a more interesting character.

Her design is quite different from previous incarnations where she was Caucasian and blonde, while here, she has a more Hispanic appearance, which I find very welcoming, since it gives the cast of characters more diversity.

Other characters from Midtown High include Robbie's son, Rand Robertson (voiced by Phil LaMarr); his girlfriend, Sally Avril (voiced by Grey DeLisle), a snobby cheerleader whom Peter used to have a crush on; Kenny Kong (voiced by Andrew Kishino), one of Flash's cronies, who is based off of Kenny "King Kong" Macfarlane from the Ultimate comics; Glory Grant (voiced by Cree Summer), Kenny's on-and-off girlfriend; and Hobie Brown (voiced by Charles Duckworth), a mostly silent character who is always interrupted when he's about to speak.

Antagonists

They say a hero is just as good as his villains and the show manages to do just that, offering some refreshing takes on some of Spidey's most well-known foes and having unique designs overall. Many of them even have a lot of character depth that you kind of sympathize with them, while others so mysterious and threatening were also pretty interesting.

Norman Osborn

(voiced by Alan Rachins)



Harry's charismatic, yet ruthless father and head of OsCorp. He finds himself incapable of failure and never apologizes ("Don't you dare apologize, son. I never do."). He gets himself involved in the Big Man's operations, providing supervillains to fight Spider-Man.

Green Goblin

(voiced by Steven Blum)

A mysterious, psychopathic villain who tries to take over the Big Man's operations. He is equipped with a glider that's packed with an assortment of weapons like his trademark pumpkin bombs that screech every time they explode (really nice touch there). One mystery that lasts throughout all two seasons is his identity, which often leaves Spider-Man (and the audience) guessing. My favorite aspect of this character is Steven Blum's voice work. All the lines he's been given and the way he delivers them, I can't help but think of the Joker from Batman.

Tombstone

(voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson)

L. Thompson Lincoln, otherwise known as the Big Man and Tombstone, is a highly intelligent crime lord disguising himself as a benevolent, wealthy man acting as a philanthropist in public. He hires Norman Osborn to keep Spider-Man distracted from his activities.

In the comics, the reason why he has a chalk-like face and super strength was because of some experiment that mutated him, where here, it is never explained, but the mystery is probably the best thing about him. Due to copyright reasons, he serves as a replacement to the Kingpin, who is considered more of a Daredevil villain, and this is welcome interpretation to the character. I especially love Kevin Michael Richardson's voice work, portraying him as a threatening, emotionless man.

Eddie Brock/Venom

(voiced by Benjamin Diskin)

Eddie Brock is a close friend to Peter, until recent misunderstandings made Eddie distance himself from him, such as thinking that Peter cares more about his job than the people he cares about.

After the symbiote, an alien life form, lands on Earth, it bonds with Spider-Man and tries to take him over by feeding off his negative emotions. However, he manages to fight back and tries to dispose of it.

However, Eddie bonds with it and with their mutual hatred towards the web head, they become Venom, who possesses most of his powers. Together, they plot to humiliate Spider-Man little by little, even if it means putting his loved ones in harm's way.

One thing I love about the symbiote is the way it communicates with its host, as it was shown in the episode "Intervention", where it is all inside their minds and you see the torment each of them go through. Kind of makes you wish that was included in Spider-Man 3, though I don't see how it would fit in movie form.

Electro

(voiced by Crispin Freeman)

Max Dillon was an electrical repairman until he was shocked by a machine and laying against a tank full of genetically altered electric eels. This resulted in his body becoming electrical, forcing him to wear an insulation suit to contain his powers. After an encounter with Spider-Man, he goes mad and takes on the alias of Electro. His design is quite unique as it combines his classic (sparks on his head, but without the mask) and Ultimate (body made out of electricity) incarnations.

Montana/Shocker

(voiced by Jeff Bennett)

A hired mercenary with a southern accent, Montana uses stolen equipment that launches supersonic waves to fight the web-slinger. This is a different but creative take on the character because Montana, one of the Enforcers, takes on the Shocker persona instead of Herman Schultz and you know what, I'm fine with it. This is especially because his character was already set up in the first episode and just having a random dude pop out of nowhere would be just... random.

Sandman

(voiced by John DiMaggio)

A common thief working under the Big Man who is constantly caught and jailed because of Spider-Man. That is until he was given the power to shapeshift into sand. Despite all that, money is his primary goal, always looking for a big score, with revenge against the web-slinger being his secondary goal ("Revenge is for chumps"). Sorry Sandman, Bender from Futurama beat you to it when it comes to "big scores."

The animation for the character is up there with the Sandman effects from Spider-Man 3. One part that stood out to me was when Spider-Man punched his left cheek, and his fist just came out of it, punching him back. The animators really knew how capture the Sandman in animation form, and for that, I applaud them.

Rhino

(voiced by Clancy Brown)

Also known as Alex O'Hirn, he is Marko's partner-in-crime. Unlike Marko who is interested in making a big score, he is interested in revenge against Spider-Man after all the times he was caught and jailed thanks to him. There on, he is bonded with an impenetrable armor that gives him super strength and dons himself the "Rhino." This raises a question, though: if he can never remove the suit, how does he go to the bathroom? I cringe just thinking about it.

There's something about the Rhino that amazes me. Perhaps it's the way he's animated to give the illusion that he's a really heavy guy. Whatever it was, I tip my hat to animators for accomplishing this.

Doctor Octopus

(voiced by Peter MacNicol)

Otto Octavius was a timid employee at OsCorp and was partly responsible for creating Sandman and Rhino. A Spider-Man 2-esque accident causes him to become one with his four mechanical arms and drove him to madness and megalomania, blaming Osborn and Spidey because of it. I kind of sympathize with him like I did with his character in Spider-Man 2 because he never asked for any of this happen, yet it did. Of course, we wouldn't have an awesome villain had it not been for this plot convenience.

Animation

Unlike previous Spider-Man shows, the character models are more simplistic and cartoony, but still make them recognizable. The reason for this was so the animators could capture the fluidity of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy and they succeeded. The way Spidey web swings and does all the aerial acrobatics are very stunning to watch. In addition, even though he wears a mask that completely covers his face, his movement and "eyes" manage to capture his emotions really nicely.

The backgrounds are nicely colored and when Spidey swings, there are some instances of CGI backgrounds and certain props that are sometimes obvious but blend really well for some odd reason. I especially love the lighting and shadows when it comes to night-time scenes.

The action scenes are great to watch. It didn't have to face many censorship problems like the 1994 series. Spidey can actually punch and take a serious beating as well. Makes you wonder why it's even rated TV-Y7. One person I know even said it's straight-up "PG violence." Still, it doesn't have to show bruises or blood, which is fine. After all, it's a show that's accessible to a younger audience like Batman: The Animated Series.

Presentation

The show pays homage to several incarnations of Spider-Man, ranging from the original comics, Ultimate comics, movies, and even one of the video games (Spidey called Green Goblin "Emerald Elf" just like in the 2002 video game). One YouTuber even compiled a list of shots and scenes that resembled covers or moments from the mainstream comics, further acknowledging the original source material.

Episodes form a loose story arc that usually last around three to four episodes and the titles are named after terms from specific fields of study such as biology ("Survival of the Fittest"), chemistry ("The Uncertainty Principle"), criminology ("Probable Cause"), and engineering ("Destructive Testing").

In terms of writing, it has some really well-written dialogue packed with funny one-liners from Spidey. There are also a bunch of sight gags throughout that do not need an explanation and even moments that made me scream out "Just genius!". The second season also explored other techniques such as non-linear narrative ("Subtext") or musical accompaniment ("Gangland").

Conclusion

The Spectacular Spider-Man is spectacular indeed. It was a fresh update to my favorite superhero, thanks to its colorful and simplistic but stunning animation, great character development, awesome action, engaging storylines, well-written dialogue, surprising plot twists, and several homages to other incarnations of Spider-Man. I do think it tops the 1994 series in pretty much every way.

When it comes to ranking which Spidey shows are the best, this one is often on top, with the 1994 series behind it. It's made it on a lot of lists such as number two on IGN's Top 25 Comic Book TV Shows and TV Guide's Top 60 Greatest Cartoons of all Time. You don't need me to tell you that it's gotten a good reputation from the beginning.

But despite all that, I have to bring up one thing that still angers me to this day: its cancellation. The second season ended with a really surprising and well-thought out plot twist, but it also ended on a cliffhanger. Every time I see the finale now, I feel heartbroken, but I'm not going to go into rage mode because it's pointless. Ranting about it won't bring the show back.

According to Greg Weisman, they were striving to reach 65 episodes (5 seasons in total, perhaps), but only 26 were produced in total. The third season was even planned, with the introduction of villains like the Scorpion, Carnage, Hydro-Man, and Hobgoblin. From what I could gather, it was cancelled due to copyright issues, with Marvel being bought by Disney, but Sony still having the rights to this show, so neither studio had the complete rights to it, halting production overall.

Because of all this, we'll never see what the new villains will be like, or the fate of Peter and Gwen as to whether or not they will be together, or if the show will take a risk by killing off Gwen just like in the comics.

They look so cute together. **sigh**

And of course, it was cancelled so they could make way for this...

Now, I'm not going to say that it's a bad show, because I still haven't bothered to see it after hearing that it's not even half the show that Spectacular was.

It's such a shame, because the season 2 finale left me wanting more. It's sad to say that we will never have another Spider-Man series like this ever again, no matter how many shows they make afterwards. Despite being short-lived, I still highly recommend it to fans and non-fans alike. It is one of the greatest animated shows that will stand the test of time.

To promote The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the series has finally been released to its entirety on Blu-Ray, containing all 26 episodes. I guess when it comes to film franchises being rebooted, it has its benefits. Now if only they could release the entire 1994 series on home video here in North America...