Clark Cradic writes...

Was it your idea to get Rober Englund to play the Vulture? Was it hard to get such a big star to accept a role on the show?

? writes...

Hi Greg! Now that I’ve watched Season 2 of The Spectacular Spider-Man, I have a few more questions. But first regarding the last set I asked:
I. Sorry about spelling your last name wrong, I didn’t realize it until it was too late.
II. With my 3rd question you did answer that you avoid biasness regarding characters which is great; I did mix the “parts” of my question together though (sorry about that again), so I was wondering if you liked the character of Venom? Most (not all) people I’ve met who said they don’t like Venom grew up in the “Stan Lee Era”. I understand you grew up during the “Lee/Romita Times”, but I also know that the “Greg hates Carnage Rumor” is false (I’m not a fan of Carnage, but I don’t hate him either, I’m “neutral/take or leave” to Carnage).
III. Thanks for answering my last batch of questions!
Alright, now onto the new batch of questions:
START OF SPIDEY SPOILERS!
1. I remember you said in an earlier post that you saw a little bit of the 90s Series but not enough to give a “true opinion” on it. My question is: Do you remember which episodes of the 90s series you saw? It’s OK if you don’t know the episode names; the villains from the episodes will suffice. I ask, because I noticed that the Symbiote arrives on Earth on John Jameson’s space shuttle in The Uncertainty Principle. This idea was 1st used in The Alien Costume Part I.
2. Why did the local authorities put Dr. Octopus in Raven Croft Asylum after Group Therapy when they had him in Rykers Prison before he escaped in that episode? I figured the “behind the scenes” reason was for your production crews’ plan, but what’s the “in story” reason (if you get what I mean)?
3. What was Eddie Brock doing during the Master Planner Arc? The most I can tell is that he was working out (he’s buffer then he was in Season 1) and that he made his own web shooters and costume. So where was he hiding and what else was he doing besides the things I mentioned earlier? I figured this was OK to ask as I don’t see how it would spoil anything in the future (sorry if it does).
4A. Whose idea was it to have Venom speak with 2 voices (Eddie’s voice and the Symbiote’s voice in unison)? I love the idea and I think it works so well for Venom.
4B. It actually reminds me of the fusion characters from Dragonball Z; have you ever herd of or seen Dragonball Z? If so, what did you think of it?
5A. What was your reason for making Walter Hardy/Black Cat’s dad into Uncle Ben’s killer? As someone else pointed out, it probably worked out better then it did with Flint Marko/Sandman in Spider-Man 3, because Walter was still the same guy Spidey let get away.
5B. What made James Remar your choice for Walter’s voice (I found him to be a great choice)? Do you remember who else tried out for Walter’s voice?
6. Seeing as how Norman and Green Goblin had different voice artists (for obvious reasons) I think it’s safe to say Roderick (or who ever you choose) and Hobgoblin will have different voice artists as well. My question is: If Season 3 does happen, will you just have Steve Blum voice Hobgoblin since he voiced Green Goblin or do you have someone else in mind for Hobby? The 90s Series used Neil Ross and Mark Hamil for Green Goblin and Hobgoblin respectively. I thought this would be OK to ask, since we already know Hobgoblin is in Season 3 and I’m only asking if Steve Blum is your voice choice for Hobby or not (not who exactly will be Hobby as we both know Season 3 is still undecided). Sorry if this was a “bad question” to ask.
Well, thanks again for answering my 2nd set of questions Greg! Hope you enjoy your summer (as far as temperature is concerned).

cboy305 writes...

When recording voices for animation, must all actors record voices in the same studio?

abnormalpixarfan writes...

If you can get anyone to voice these charectors who would you get
Iron man
captin america
ant man
the fantastic four
Batman
superman
Flash
doctor doom
scorpian

Dan writes...

Mr. Weisman,
First of al thanks for what is easily the greatest adaption of Spider-man.I have a couple of questions.
POSSIBLE SEASON 2 SPOILERS
1. Where did the idea come from to have the pumpkin bombs emit screams?
2. Was the final twist in the season 2 finale kept heavily under wraps? For example did Josh Keaton, Steve Blum,etc. know when they recorded "Uncertainty Principle"?

Anonymous writes...

Why was the role of Tombstone recast? I know Keith David originally voiced him in the pilot and that Kevin Michael Richardson replaced him.

MisterDrBob writes...

Hey Mr. Wiseman,
love the Spectacular Spider-Man and your take on the original Stan Lee stories. I especially love your characterizations of Shocker, Mysterio and Molten Man.
I have two questions. I think the first one was already asked, but I can't find it anywhere. How did you come up with the idea of making Montana the Shocker? Second, is there any significance to the fact that Morris Bench is voiced by Bill Fagerbakke, the voice of Patrick on SpongeBob SquarePants? A reference to mr. F's other watery work?

Arthur Jr. writes...

To follow up on my Cletus Kasady and Morris Bench question, I was wondering if you plan to include Carnage and Hydro-Man in the third series if you're still in charge? Seeing as Venom's symbiote is still in the sewers, I even assumed that you might plan for Eddie to be incarcerated at Ravencroft and the symbiote spawning an offspring resulting in the creation of Carnage (though I heard Carnage wasn't allowed to kill anyone in the 90's series).

In a follow-up to Man-Wolf in the same question, I was wondering if you would plan for Frank Welker (who did Bronx in "Gargoyles") to voice Man-Wolf if you decide to include John Jameson's Man-Wolf form. I suggested an idea for Frank Welker in the role since Dee Bradley Baker is already providing Lizard's vocal effects.

anonymous writes...

**spoilers for season two for "The Spectacular Spider-Man"**

Hello.

Loved what you've done with Sandman on this show's first two seasons. I hope you have more plans for him if there's a season three.

As for Sandman's old partner Rhino, will we see another solo Rhino story on your show someday? We saw one for Sandman in season two, so why not one for Rhino too?

Finally, do you think Robert Englund could come back as the voice of Vulture next season if you decide to use him? Englund has done an excellent job on this show.

**end of season two spoilers**

Spider-man 2099 writes...

If the series have a season 3 theres any chance to see previous spider-man actors like christopher daniel barnes, rino romano or even tobey mcguire.

Greg Bishansky writes...

"First Steps"

*** SPIDEY SPOILERS ***

Another spectacular episode. This one was a biggie. A lot happened.

The return of Harry Osborn
The return of Eddie Brock
The return of Hammerhead.
The first appearance of Mark Allan.

There are times when I am amazed at just how much content can be fit into twenty-two minutes, and this one was just packed. So much was happening, so much was going on, and it never seemed to end... and I mean that as a positive. It was like a great four course dinner.

Peter and Liz Allan are now a couple, and Pete was invited to Flash's birthday party. By Flash's mom, since they were best friends in nursery school. I also like the little revelation at just how Eugene earned his nickname. I also enjoyed the little snippets here and there of everyone speaking into the camera saying what they think of Flash. I think Rand's and Sally's was my favorite.

Speaking of... when is Rand going to finally dump the bitch. The guy clearly doesn't like her much. Sally is just... ugh, that voice is pretty much nails on a chalkboard. Grey DeLisle is so great at making me hate that character. Kudos to her.

And here we have our good friend, Harry Osborn. Back from getting the help he needs dealing with his addiction to Globulin Green. And his, ahem, "supposed" stint as the Green Goblin. Again, I say, "supposed." But now, he's back. He and Pete are picking up where they left off, and Harry is now making the moves on Gwen. You know, I quite like this. When he was on drugs, she was the one who noticed something was wrong and tried to help him, and I am glad he appreciates it. I did enjoy the little flash to the Goblin.

Speaking of flashes, Peter seems to be hallucinating supervillains. Green Goblin and Eddie Brock/Venom. Although, the latter turns out not be so much a hallucination. Very clever Eddie, making Peter so paranoid that he leads you to the symbiote.

That was the gravy, let's get to the meat. Sandman. While he's never been my favorite supervillain, I did enjoy this outing (well, I enjoyed all his outings on this show). He was tough, practical as always. Very interesting uses of his powers, and proved to not be such a bad guy at heart. This is where he differs from his old partner, O'Hirn. Rhino just seems to be more bloodthirsty, and I could not imagine him risking his life to save others or entertaining little girls.

And the writers had me, for a moment I did think Sandman got killed at the end. Love it.

Hammerhead is a hard boss to like. But it's been a while since we've seen him, so his return was welcome. His presence, as well as the Big Man's, seem to be less dominant this season than last. Which is cool with me. Nice to not get a repeat of the Kingpin from the 90s Fox Kids series, who was just everywhere.

I bet it's fun being in the recording booth and listening to John DiMaggio have dialogue with himself.

So, the Master Planner rents out supervillains now? Good racket. Does anyone besides Spidey, Tinkerer, Vulture and Electro even know the Planner is Dr. Octopus?

Good episode. Gonna be a long week till the next one. But I am looking forward to it because it features the long awaited return of a character I've been missing. I of course speak of J. Jonah Jameson.

*** END SPIDEY SPOILERS ***

R. Vega writes...

First off I’d like to thank you and your team for making Spectacular Spider-Man a great experience to watch. Personally I’d like to comment on all the highlights of the show, but in an effort to keep this short here goes.
Season 2 has already aired outside the U.S. and I’d like to ask a question with the assumption that I’ve already viewed both seasons. If you don’t wish to answer this question for any reason I understand.
On to my question, if [I’d like to say WHEN] season 3 is picked up, will we see a continuation of Gwen and Peter’s love story? I apologize if it seems like a dumb question but I was fascinated by the build up between the two in the series. Add the fact that Gwen is a very likeable character in this series and how we as the audience always root for the main character I’m just wondering if we’ll have more moments between them. I would also like to know if it was a challenge figuring out a way to make their relationship interesting and enjoyable to watch. I’m aware many TV shows try this and the end result seems forced, but here, it seems to be put together perfectly. Both the writers and the voice actors did a really good job on this aspect of the show.
Anyway I wish you and your team the best of luck. And I’ll be rooting for you guys for a season 3!

Masterdramon writes...

Hi! Nice to see you back from your "AskGreg" break; I hope that things are going well for you.

Like many fans I have seen "The Spectacular Spider-Man" Season 2 via YouTube already (though I'll still be watching the series as much as possible on television in order to support the ratings). One of the coolest extras (without getting into too much spoiler territory) of the season was hearing you voicing Donald Menken, Norman Osborn's right-hand suit. You did a very admirable job at portraying a very flat, all-business character, which is exactly what I would expect from Menken (even though most Spidey fans probably have no idea who he is).

Given that (as far as I know) your only previous foray into voice acting was the commando who says "Nice mask!" in "Awakening Part II," how did you end up being selected for this voice role (which was obviously a lot more significant than the commando; in episodes 21 and 26 in particular the character played a vital role)? Did voice director Jamie Thomason ask you to play Menken, or did you volunteer? Or was there some other circumstance altogether?

Thank you for your time, and good luck with your work!

Travis writes...

Are there any plans for Keith David to do any voicework in season 2 of Spectacular Spider-Man? Ever since I started watching the Gargoyles repeats on Toon Disney + bought the season 1 DVD I've fallen in love with his voice, and it seems like now I hear it everywhere.

Janus writes...

What voice actor would you cast to play Staghart aka Amp?

Michelle writes...

Hello!

I've been a huge fan of Gargoyles since it first came out way back in 94 when I was just a kid. I loved it all! The characters, the stories, etc. My brother loved it just as much as I did too. So when we found out that it was being continued in comic book form (we're utter geeks by the way) we were so excited! And we've been duly collecting the comic with each new release. I love Bad Guys! And I can't wait for Rock of Ages! So I have a silly pointless question for you. Just to warn you ahead of time. : )

I love the new gargoyles Coco and Amp! And I really love where I think/hope you're going with Amp and Lexington ^_^. But it's a shame that we won't get to hear them speak and what not in animated form. So I was curious if you had your pick of any voce actor/actress in all the world who would you have to voice them. And why?

I warned you it was silly and pointless. Anyway! I love the comic and I hope you keep up the great work. Also you've done a fantastic job with Spectacular Spiderman. I can't wait for Season 2!

Thnak you for your time!

K9: The First writes...

KINGDOM

You asked for my ramble, and here it is!

ANIMATION

Okay, let me start off with the animation here. I don't know what studio did this ep, but I wish they did EVERY episode for the show! It has the feel of some sort of Animated Film or an Anime. The action is smooth, and even when the characters aren't talking, they aren't just standing there(something I've recently found in cartoons that I don't like), their always doing something. Little nuances that makes the scenes more realistic are EVERYWHERE.

Example: In the first scene, when we open on Hudson watching Brook and Lex glide in, you can tell how disturbed he is that they're alone, without Goliath. More often then not scenes of a similar vein have the character have more ambiguous expression.

Another example is Fang and Talon's areil fight in the Labyrinth: Real cool. They even got the wings to flap! (Bat's wings remember?)

And I looked for that Cross-Eyed Xanatos you mentioned(I got the DVD), and I think I saw it, but it was barely a blink in the animation. two or three frames tops I'd say.

And I liked Maggie and Claw's interation during Fang and Talon's fight. I got the impression that Claw was quite smitten with her at one point.

But by far, my absolute FAV bit was right when Fang took Maggie Hostage. It was fluid, and the animator really put effort into making Maggie look like she was trying to escape, or at least look ticked off. I could watch that footage loop all day, I'm THAT impressed. I also got a ThunderCats vibe from it for some reason.

And how about Lex breaking through that ceiling in the final scene? Arms crossed and all that.

VOICE ACTING

Not much to say here. But the performances are-as always- top notch.

"Do I really need an excuse to have a good time in my own home?" I laughed out loud there.

However, Katie Soucie's portrayal is off this time. Her Maggie voice isn't what it was. It's deeper, smoother this time around, when before it was a tiny bit higher and somewhat raspy. She's still giving a great performance, it's just that the voice itself is out of continuity. I know that you weren't in charge of Voice Direction, but I just thought at least Katie would remember the voice she used a few months prior.

I guess the in-show answer could be that either the mutation has set up in her vocal cords(and stops there), or that it's to show her standing up more, sort of speak.

And am I the only one who finds the fact that Jeff and Katie are acting characters that are acting funny?

STORY

I didn't know Gargoyles existed, let alone watch it, until maybe '95 or '96. I remember watching something on TGIF about the new One Saturday Morning block when/if it had Gargoyles. (I remember a gag with the host that night with a Gargoyle's eyes glowing red) I watched the show on and off over the years(NOT that I didn't love it, I just could catch the reruns all the time). Anyway, I can't remember the first time I watched this episode, so I can't give my first impression sadly.

And Brooklyn's lack of action is understandable, and doesn't come off as fear, which is important. And that first scene shows that, while they probably couldn't do so for long, the clan does have an idea of what needs to be done without a leader(to many shows have the 'non-leader' types fall to peices without an authorety figure too quickly). It also shows what a minipulative punk Hudson can be! ^_^ (That's a good thing)

You mentioned the question of a Power Vaccume, and I agree that no organized group can exist without a leader type, be it an individual, or a group. I also think that, without some form of disciplinary threat, no organization is safe, as Talon's lack of action against Fang shows, and a fact Maggie subtly brings up, and Talon gives the stereotypical arguement for no punishment.

And it seems Xanatos has become Talon's Demona, something Fang expertly exploits beautifully.

And yes, the new security stinks. I think the next version might not be so...destructive.

As to your concern about the lack of use of "Xanatos knows!!" nugget, I think-even if he couldn't find a use for the info directly-it could still be useful in making the Gargs needlessly wary.

Now those blaster, am I correct to assume that Cyberbiotics was up against Xanatos Enterprises for a lasor weapons military contract?

Speaking of, I can only assume that Talon and the others didn't come down with a fatal case of Dead By Lasor is that Fang, Claw, Chaze and Lou didn't know how to aim those things.

And I think Maggie was very brave in her own way. To many crimes go on because those who COULD stop it by going to the police, WON'T out of fear. She could have easily just gone with Fang's regime, but she went to the Gargs. Be it out of love for Dereck, or a since of Justice.

During the battle at the end, I always feel worried for the homeless people and their stuff, cause that's quite literally all they have in the world.

And I'm impressed by Fang when he gets Maggie, "I have no gripes with you. Leave now and Maggie goes free." This is fundamentally different from, say, Demona, whose only response to anyone-human OR Gargoyle-standing against her is 'KILL 'EM! KILL 'EM ALL!!!!' Fang however, is willing to let them all go, even let Maggie-a vital bargining chip with Talon- leave with them. This-to me- hints that he has a grasp of who's his enemy, and-grudes aside-could be an okay guy. ...Or an idiot with no sense of strategy. Your choice.

And those great acting skills you keep telling us about! Give 'er a hand everybody! And hey, even if Maggie's looks keep her off most of the plays out there, like I always say: she would be a shoe in for CATS.

And there is one more lesson that I'm surprised no one else got. Or at least, no one's mentioned. Fang calls out to Claw, asking him if he wants to be weak. Claw shakes his head no. No, he doesn't want to be weak... anymore. He chooses to be strong in a different way, and abandons Fang to team up with Talon and Maggie.

And so the 'Mutate Trilogy' has ended, with the Labyrinth Clan firmly established and allied with the Manhattan Clan. Maggie and Talon are firmly established(Much to the joy of the Maglon shippers, though to the woe of the Broogie shippers), and Brooklyn and Talon have fully accepted their respective roles as leaders.

I enjoyed this ep. Saddly Doc Sevarius isn't present(any Tim Curry is AWESOME), but that's okay, 'cause he really wasn't needed here. I hope to do the other Mutate eps, and the rest of the episodes sooner or later.

Good luck with the comic!

Jordan writes...

Hey Greg,

Who would you consider your ten favorite voice actors?

Beth B. writes...

Dear Greg,

I was just wondering if you had seen the new Transformers: Animated show now airing on Cartoon Network... I checked back in the archives and found that no one had asked this yet, so I thought I'd give it a go.

It's interesting that it centers around five Autobots, "in statsis" for the past few decades or so that are suddenly reawakened when they are in need. The five include Optimus Prime (David Kaye), Rachet (Corey Burton ), Bumblebee (Bumper Robinson ), AND

Bulkhead (Bill Fagerbakke ) and Prowl (Jeff Bennett ) !!!!

I was pretty amazed when I saw this. Not only did the former voice actors from Gargoyles come back to do a show together but in relatively the same roles as they had played back in Gargoyles!

Jeff Bennett does a superb job as Prowl (a sleek cyberninja... kind of an outcast of the group= Brooklyn!!!), and sounds about as dead pan as Owen Burnett, which makes me giggle with joy. Bulkhead is... bulky and the bigger guy of the group (and voiced by our old friend Broadway!).

Even the others match up:
Rachet: old veteran 'bot, akin to Hudson
Bumblebee: smallest of the group: Lexington

So all that to say this: What do you think of your formula being used again in another hit show? I know we can't credit you coming up with the archetypes, but certainly perpetuating them in a way that many fans have grown to love. Have you seen the show? What are your impressions of the show?

Thanks again,
-Beth B.

Kenneth Chisholm writes...

I've read that you imagine your character on the ideal voice actor for it such as Morgan Freeman for Quincy Hemings.

I was wondering, what are the criteria for the voices you imagine. Do they have to be living? If not, have you ever imagined characters appropriate for major Star Trek actors that did not appear as voice on the series such as James Doohan, DeForest Kelly, George Takei, Grace Lee Whitney and Walter Koenig?

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Greg wrote:
"Actually, any thoughts from anyone on who might be a good choice to write an intro to Volume Two?"

I know it isn't any more of a given that an actor is a good writer than a writer is a good actor, but Ed Asner might be an interesting person to write an intro. It's the type of unexpected thing that might catch a little attention. (I still remember being surprised at Patrick Stewart's intro to a Transmetroplitan- made even funnier by not looking who wrote it till I got to the sign off.) And he's have the built in story of seeing the description, "Hudson hates spunk" and knowing he had the role.

Algernon writes...

I'd like to start by wishing a happy Easter to those who cerebrate it and to those that don't, have a great day anyway. Now lets talk Spidey...

S
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Market Forces

Another solid episode with a lot of different threads running through it. We start getting to know J. Johna Jameson and he's a lot of fun, I especially liked the whole hyperactive 'perpetually ten minutes to deadline' attitude they gave him. Interestingly this incarnation of ole Jolly Jonah doesn't seem to be particularly Anti-Spidey, I don't know if you've completely dropped it or if you're going to incorporate it later.

Also returning are Flint Marko and Alex O'Hirn AKA the future Sandman and Rhino respectively. O'Hirn's "ram him with a truck" move is a very Rhino-esque tactic, nice bit of foreshadowing.

When I first heard that Shocker wasn't going to be Herman Schultz I was a little weirded out but this episode erased all my doubts. Montana makes for a pretty charismatic villain with warped sense of honor. by the way, how weird is it to see the bad guy espousing the Moral of The Day(TM)?

We also meet Betty Brant and Robbie Robertson, I'd guessed that Randy from Peter's school was indeed his son but it's nice to have confirmation. big shout out to Phil LaMarr who managed to make father and son sound both reminiscent yet distinctive. Some nice interaction between Pete and Betty but is he trying to get the poor women tossed in jail.

Norman Osborn gets some nice development in this episode, teaming up with the Big Man to set up a sort of Supervillians'R'Us. That's what sets Osborn apart from Spidey's other rogues. Take away Vulture's wing and he's just a bitter old man. Take away Electro's lightning and he's just the school handyman. Take away Venom's symbiont and he's just a dweeb with a persecution complex. But take away Green Goblin's Glider and Pumpkin Bombs and he can still make your life a living hell as plain old Norman Osborn.

When I first heard that Keith David would be replaced as the Big Man I was rather disappointed but I was very impressed by Kevin Michael Richardson's performance. he really nailed the part, so much so that I wouldn't have noticed the change if I hadn't heard about it before hand.

All in all another job well done.

Jess writes...

Hey Greg! I'm still keeping up with Spectacular Spider-Man and "Natural Selection" didn't disappoint. I feel like each episode is slightly stronger than the one before it as everyone gets more in-tune with the material and each other.

I think you found just the right note with the Billy subplot, where it was genuinely emotional and not cloying. I liked the "I took a cab" bit with Eddie at the zoo. Just a fun little jab a typical cartoon logic. I was not expecting Peter to be fired, so that was a cool moment for me as well. Somehow I have a feeling we'll be seeing the serum again.

Nice continuity nods with the ring-tone alarm, the mention of Electro, and especially Peter and Eddie calling each other "Bro", then having Spidey try to cover it up when he does the same.

One thing I noticed was that during Peter's voice-over before he plans on taking the serum is that he mentions "a hard 9PM curfew" where before it had always been 10.

The cast continues to be amazing (or rather spectacular). In particular, Kath Soucie and Lacey Chabert just completely nailed their parts this week.

Since this is "Ask Greg", I do have a quick question: For small parts i.e. the people at the coffee shop in "Interactions", or Thug #1 in this past episode do you have certain people in the cast in mind, or do you just ask whoever's in that day if they want to do it?

Thanks for your time!