What can I say about Spectacular Spider-Man that hasn't been said already? It's a fantastic adaptation. It reinvents characters in interesting and unique ways. The supporting cast are all interesting and have their own plots going on. The fights are interesting, and the show always keeps the momentum moving forwards. And, of course, it was cancelled far, far too early.
Probably the strongest aspect of the show is the way that it weaves together all of the different characters to form connections that are strong, but don't feel unnatural. Randy Robertson, Hobie Brown, Harry Osborn, and Gwen Stacy all being classmates of Peter's, in addition to the traditional Flash, Sally, and Liz? It works. Sandman and Rhino being thugs working for Tombstone before they get their powers? It works. How about making Eddie Brock a childhood friend of Peter's, who works with Curt Connors? Again, while on paper you might think, "Wow, are there any characters in this show that didn't originate in the comics?", in practice it's a lot more interesting than giving the roles to new characters that would otherwise need to earn our love (which is not to say that these characters are only interesting by virtue of where they originated).
The show also continually managed to keep things moving and setting up future stories and conflicts, which makes things so damn interesting. There's Peter's love triangle with Gwen and Liz - and trying to keep the latter's attention from Flash while he's at it, Flash's attempts to win over Sha Shan, Harry's issues with globulin green, the school play...and that's not even getting into the supervillain subplots and arcs, which are just as interesting. There's always something going on here, and the show rarely slows down or cuts down on the threads it's weaving.
I could keep going on, but honestly, I don't think I need to. If you've seen the show, odds are that you also love it, and if not, what's keeping you? This is a perfect interpretation of Spider-Man and his supporting cast, and I don't hesitate it to put its quality on the same level as Roger Stern's comics run, the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, or the PS4 Spider-Man game. It takes us in new direction and reinvents things in interesting ways, while still managing to feel familiar the entire time.
A few final dot points to sum up some other miscellaneous thoughts, then we'll get to the best and worst episodes of the series so that you, the intelligent reader, know what to look forwards to and what to avoid if you decide to check out this series.
- This is easily the most interesting, coolest version of Tombstone that we've ever gotten, and I don't think we'll ever see him surpassed. He's cool, collected, and competent, and there's no way that they'll ever make another version like him - he's less of a thug here, which is part of the appeal, but if you made him a Kingpin-esque figure in another series, he'd come off as trying too hard to be this show's version.
- Hammerhead's a bit of an awkward Spider-Man villain - he shouldn't be that much of a threat, and his powers don't make for that interesting a fight - so having him here as the guy who goes around delivering messages for Tombstone and having meetings is an excellent use of him - clearly villainous, but less reason for him to get involved in a fight.
- We never found out who Patch's backer was in Accomplices; if the show ever does miraculously get renewed, I hope they address it.
- This version of Harry Osborn may have basically been Milhouse, but he also knows how to fly a helicopter, and you can bet I'll be comparing all future versions of him against that.
- The only exception I can think of to the "hot damn does this show do some great reinterpretations of characters" rule is Electro - his origin isn't that great, and his aesthetic is pretty awful. I understand that the classic costume hasn't aged well, but I've yet to see anything that surpasses it.
Top Five Best Episodes
- Final Curtain: How could it be anything else? We get a fantastic conclusion to a subplot that's been running for ages, along with some great action and a snappy pace. A satisfying answer to a mystery is always good, and this episode delivers.
- Accomplices: Spider-Man vs. the underworld is great, and Silver Sable and Hammerhead alternating between working together and fighting each other is great. Spider-Man teaming up with Rhino is good fun on top of that, while the introduction of Roderick Kingsley and Norman Osborn's schemes also keep things interesting beyond that.
- The Uncertainty Principle: The Green Goblin is just an absolutely fantastic villain, and the misdirection on display here is nothing short of excellent. There's also setup for the symbiote being introduced, while Mary Jane transferring to Peter's school organically integrates her into the cast.
- Survival of the Fittest: Spider-Man and his supporting cast are all given good introductions here, and choosing Vulture as the starter villain is good thinking. Sending him after Norman Osborn is also brilliant, and the fight with the Enforcers is dynamic and fluid.
- The Invisible Hand: Revealing who the Big Man is, thus bringing an end to a subplot that's been running since the start of the show, is immensely satisfying. On top of that, the fight with Rhino comes up with a brilliant weakness for him, and if that's not enough for you: Mary Jane!
Top Five Worst Episodes:
- Identity Crisis: There's a fight with Venom that goes on for too long and concludes in a manner that doesn't make any sense, and while Peter's identity being revealed should be a tense moment, nobody takes it seriously and there's no real sense of the show actually having the balls to go through with it.
- Intervention: I appreciate the attempt to weave Spider-Man's origin into the plot in an organic way, but it just doesn't do a lot for me. Add in the evil symbiote voice and I can't say this episode does a lot for me.
- Interactions: While there's some good setup with Liz here, a lot of this episode is pretty boring fights against Electro, which somehow don't kill Spider-Man in spite of all the electricity he tanks.
- Probable Cause: There's some good stuff here, like Sally Avril, or the Enforcers covering up their robbery of a laundromat by robbing a bank, but their upgrades are ugly and feel unnecessary. Shocker's gloves shorting out in a deus ex machina is a cheap way to have Spider-Man escape at the end of the episode.
- Nature vs. Nurture: I've really got it in for this show's version of Venom, don't I? His motivations and actions feel pretty inconsistent here, and Peter randomly debating removing his powers doesn't seem to serve any purpose.
Next time, I'll be putting down some initial thoughts on the upcoming viewing of Ultimate Spider-Man. I hope you'll join me for them.
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