I've been a fan of Spider-Man as long as I can remember. I've read the comics, bought the toys, saw the movies. I love the character and think the comics are great combination of superhero pulp and teenage soap opera. However, my first introduction to the character wasn't by reading the comics. That would come a few years later. No, my first time seeing Spider-Man in action was watching reruns of the old 60s cartoons when I was a little kid in the early 80s.
Looking back on the various animated versions of Spider-Man as an adult, I've always felt that each series was entertaining. Unfortunately, they were all missing something that made the comics so special. The 60s cartoons had a great theme song and captured Spidey's wise guy personality perfectly. Unfortunately, the quality of the animation and recycling of certain music and shots became annoying. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends suffers by being produced when broadcast standards and practices made it impossible for an action series to have much action. Although, the show does get points for creating Firestar. The 90s Spider-Man cartoon started off well enough, but it became annoying when it started to cram every single character of the Marvel Universe into more and more episodes. Spider-Man started to seem like a guest star in his own series.
So, I was skeptical when I heard another Spider-Man series was to be shown on the CW. I was sure that it was going to be mediocre and another failed attempt at doing this beloved character. I tuned in and, after watching the first two episodes, I was pleasantly surprised. The characters have all been tweaked both in looks and in origins, but they all capture the spirit of their comic book versions. The action sequences are very well executed. The first episode has a fight between Spidey and the Enforcers that really impressed me. And the voice over work on the series, such as Robert Englund as the Vulture, is spot on.
When Batman: The Animated Series started in the early 90s, I was thrilled that Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and the rest of the people at Warner Brothers were able to bring things that made Batman unique in comics into the world of animation. That is how I feel about this incarnation of Spider-Man.
If I went on for too long in this post, I apologize. And I realize it is a little early to be singing the praises of a show that has only aired twice. But I’m just glad that somebody adapted Spidey into an animated series that captures him right.
Looking back on the various animated versions of Spider-Man as an adult, I've always felt that each series was entertaining. Unfortunately, they were all missing something that made the comics so special. The 60s cartoons had a great theme song and captured Spidey's wise guy personality perfectly. Unfortunately, the quality of the animation and recycling of certain music and shots became annoying. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends suffers by being produced when broadcast standards and practices made it impossible for an action series to have much action. Although, the show does get points for creating Firestar. The 90s Spider-Man cartoon started off well enough, but it became annoying when it started to cram every single character of the Marvel Universe into more and more episodes. Spider-Man started to seem like a guest star in his own series.
So, I was skeptical when I heard another Spider-Man series was to be shown on the CW. I was sure that it was going to be mediocre and another failed attempt at doing this beloved character. I tuned in and, after watching the first two episodes, I was pleasantly surprised. The characters have all been tweaked both in looks and in origins, but they all capture the spirit of their comic book versions. The action sequences are very well executed. The first episode has a fight between Spidey and the Enforcers that really impressed me. And the voice over work on the series, such as Robert Englund as the Vulture, is spot on.
When Batman: The Animated Series started in the early 90s, I was thrilled that Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and the rest of the people at Warner Brothers were able to bring things that made Batman unique in comics into the world of animation. That is how I feel about this incarnation of Spider-Man.
If I went on for too long in this post, I apologize. And I realize it is a little early to be singing the praises of a show that has only aired twice. But I’m just glad that somebody adapted Spidey into an animated series that captures him right.
