Spider-Man: The New Animated Series: Before Watching

Like Spider-Man Unlimited, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series has kind of gone under the radar a bit. No doubt only being thirteen episodes contributes to that - it's hard to talk about a series when it doesn't have room to flex its muscles - but it also feels like it's a series that people just don't know anything about. All that I really know about it going in is that it's done in 3D, it was originally supposed to be set in the Raimi films' continuity, and it aired on MTV. Not a whole lot to use to extrapolate data - I guess it being on MTV means that it might end up having a better budget? MTV is a cable channel, right? So things on it cost more?

With such little information that I know about it, it's hard for me to speculate about it too much, but I guess I can try. The Raimi films are, in my opinion, a bit flawed and I think that people look at them through rose-tinted glasses a bit, but one thing that I think they did manage excellently was Norman and Harry Osborn - their actors, the acting, their arcs. It's doubtful that we'll get to see Norman, but depending upon how hard this show tries to stick to the promise that it's set in the same continuity as the Raimi films, Harry could end up being really interesting and enjoyable, assuming that he appears in the show. If we get any comics villains showing up, we could also end up with some really cool redesigns; the Raimi films were made in that era when movie villains shied away from the colourful costumes of the comics (I mean, superhero films still do now, but you know what I mean) but their villains generally came out looking alright, even if it wasn't and still isn't exactly my thing.

The 3D animation is something that I can see either being surprisingly good or really bad. We're in the PS2 era now, and honestly, while I do like the graphics level with video games these days, I wouldn't be complaining if we'd never advanced past there. Using that as a baseline for how the graphics could be (I know that Finding Nemo was out in the same year as this, but it's a bit much to expect the show to match the visuals of a big-budget Pixar film) I think I should be able to handle it. At any rate, it can't be awful as the 90's CGI from Spider-Man: The Animated Series.

Watching the opening, I can confirm that the CGI isn't too bad. It's got some interesting lighting that might be cel shading, instantly making me think of the Ultimate Spider-Man video game. (Side note, the fact that it hasn't been released on GOG or Steam is a crime). Nobody looks too stiff or is too much in the uncanny valley, so it's already made it over the first hurdle. We've also got this symphonic sound that is dramatic. If it's a regular part of the soundtrack, I guess I won't be complaining about it.

Outside of the technical details, we also see an unmasked Peter - who looks pretty nice - Harry, and Mary Jane. Not surprising that they'd use those three if this is supposedly set within the same universe as the Raimi films, although Harry has bright blonde hair, weirdly. I wonder whether we'll get a love triangle with them? Mary Jane was dating Harry at the end of the first film if memory serves, so in theory we could end up with Peter endlessly angsting over that.

J. Jonah Jameson is also in the opening, which is neat, as well as some classic villains - Silver Sable, Kingpin, Lizard, and Purple-Haired Girl Wearing Goggles. Honestly, after Spider-Man Unlimited mostly stuck with Spidey fighting the Knights of Wundagore, I'm pretty keen to see some traditional villains. There's also a flash of lightning which could be Electro? Hard to say.

Overall then, I'm feeling pretty positive about this show. It's supposedly set in the same universe as the films which drew pretty heavily from the comics, the animation doesn't make me want to vomit, and we've got some classic villains. It honestly might be one of the most promising openings I've seen yet.

Join me next time as I start my journey into the only 3D Spider-Man series, with "Heroes and Villains". I'll be looking forwards to hearing your thoughts as I go.