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Jesse B. writes...
As I've been following the second season on Teletoon for the past few months, "The Spectacular Spider-Man" has been the first thing to come along in my entire life that has actually made me look forward to waking up Sunday mornings. That alone is no small accomplishment. What is an even greater accomplishment is that the first two seasons of this phenomenal show have established a new definitive interpretation for the character. While the series hasn't quite finished here in Canada, I will still highlight the fact that the event that ends the second season has effectively made these twenty-six episodes equivalent of the original Lee-Ditko run of The Amazing Spider-Man. For decades those issues have been the central foundation upon which all interpretations of Spider-Man have drawn from. These first two seasons, however, have shattered that foundation and created a new standard for the character. Even if SSM is not continued (heaven forbid), I sincerely hope that all future incarnations use the first two seasons of your series as their basis. I simply can't accept anything less at this point.
I have a few comments and questions from season two which I had hoped to share with you, but I'm sure that you'd rather keep your column free from major spoilers as the series airs in the States. As such, I'll submit more questions as each arc airs on Disney XD. For now, here are a couple of more general things:
1) I realize that this series has an enormous cast to juggle, but what on earth happened to Robbie Robertson? I don't think any major character has gotten the shaft as badly as he has! He has some interplay with Jonah, but we don't see any scenes of him interacting with Captain Stacy or even his own son! Is this going to be rectified soon?
1)Is it just me, or are Jean DeWolff and Stan Carter the only two cops in the Midtown area? I understand the need to to build familiarity with those characters for future stories, but their overexposure has been a bit silly. I also noticed in one episode that Jean referred to Stan as “Sargeâ€, which got me thinking: what are the current police rankings for these two characters? Jean would have to be a lieutenant by now if there's any hope of her becoming a captain within the span of this series, but her comment gives me the impression that this isn't the case.
That's all for now! Here's hoping that season 3 has a pick-up by the time you reply to this message!
Greg responds...
Thank you for the kind words. They are very gratifying, truly. But I can't agree that we've SUPPLANTED the original Lee-Ditko run. In fact, that seems patently preposterous. I'd hope any future incarnation of Spidey would return to the source material, as we did on this show. A copy of a copy quickly loses any sense of true definition. No matter how good we may think the original copy was.
SPIDEY SPOILERS!!!!!!!
1. Uh... look... I don't think Robbie got short shrift if one views the series with any sense of proportion. Granted we have a LARGE and quite wonderful ensemble. But this is NOT an ensemble show. This is a show about Peter Parker. Period. Keep in mind we have less than 20 minutes of new content per episode. With that as a given, the storylines we choose to deal with and depict on screen must effect Peter, either directly or indirectly OR they must be about us laying pipe for things that will eventually effect Peter down the road. I like to think in our limited screen time, we find moments to characterize a TON of characters in small ways that are independent of our lead. But that's gravy. At this point, Robbie's life isn't intersecting much with Peter's life. And I can't spare screen time for a conversation between Rand and Robbie that's ONLY about Rand and Robbie. And of course, this doesn't just apply to Robbie. I'm sure everyone's got his or her favorites, and in some ways there isn't a single character that hasn't gotten short shrift. In fact, there isn't a single character that I wouldn't like to spend more time on. If these were one hour episodes, we'd have a lot more breathing room. But they're not. And, yes, I can already here someone out there saying, "Hey, I could have done with less of [fill in the blank] in order to afford more time with [fill in the blank]." But the obvious problem there is that one man's [fill in the blank] is another man's [fill in the blank]. All I can do as head of story is try to keep my eyes focused on the main goal: THE EDUCATION OF PETER PARKER, and then try to do as much justice to everyone else as I can.
1. (You used the number 1 twice...). Stan is a sergeant. Jean is an officer. And, yes, I'm aware of the repercussions of that statement. As for your objection, I don't know what you expect me to say. Rather than agreeing that how we're executing this is silly, I think your objection is, well, silly. We've seen other cops. Alan O'Neil, Vin Gonzalez to name two that I actually CAN name. But of course, we're always going to start with Captain Stacy, Jean and Stan. Again, with limited screen time, why would I want to split the very, very few moments of characterization that I have for cops among so many that in effect no one gets any real screen time. And frankly how unrealistic is it that when 90% of our adventures are set in the Midtown area of Manhattan, that we have our two cops on the Midtown beat show up? We've tried NOT to use them when the adventure was clearly happening outside of Midtown. Have they been in the background in some of those cases? Maybe. We only have the budget to design so many characters, so if we needed to fill out a scene with cops, they may have been included even if they didn't belong. But they certainly didn't have any lines in that case.
I just reread the above, and it reads harsh - and given your praise of the show, vaguely churlish, even -- which isn't my intention. But the simple fact is the show can't do EVERYTHING. It has to pick its shots. I remember reading that Joss Whedon always felt bad about how little he used Buffy's dad. And he had 22 hour-long episodes per season. If it's any consolation, when we start any new season, we have index cards on the board for EVERY member of our large and growing cast as a reminder to track what is going on each of their lives. When those moments intersect with Peter (again directly or indirectly or with a view toward the future) I promise, we'll find some way to fit it in. That's the best I can offer.
Marjorie writes...
Hi Greg,
Just finished season two of Spider-Man, and it was amazing. My question is, how do things look for season three? Do you have the green light yet? And more importantly, is there anything the fans can do to help the show out? I plan to buy the DVD sets when they're released and I tell all my comic book friends about it. Anything more we can do?
Greg responds...
If you have a Nielson Box (and even if you don't, but especially if you do), watch the show on Disney XD, so that our ratings soar. Buy SpecSpidey DVDs and Hasbro toys. We're all hoping for a third season pick-up, but it hasn't happened yet. (The ratings for Monday's airings should be out today. Hopefully, they'll help not hurt our cause.)
Greg Bishansky writes...
"Blueprints"
Okay, so the second season of "The Spectacular Spider-Man" will be airing hear in the U.S. in March. However, Canada premiered it today. I saw it, and now I'm reviewing it. How did I see it? ::shifty eyes::
Okay, it's snowing, and I am reminded of why I'm glad I live in Los Angeles and not New York City anymore. I hate that weather. Spidey is pondering what to do about Gwen, when all of a sudden he's attacked by Venom. But wait, wasn't Eddie Brock separated from the symbiote at the end of season one? Yes. This was a nightmare. But a really cool one.
And this week's villain is both one of the cheesiest, and a personal favorite of mine. Mysterio, and I love this take on him as a faux sorceror, complete with "Gargoyles" style Latin incantations. I just love the way he's talking in this. Summoning tiny little gargoyles and holographic wyverns.
"It seems Mysterio is the master of talking about himself in the third person." -Spidey. Yeah... that's Dr. Doom's job.
Spidey jumped into the freezing East River, and I'm getting chills just thinking about it.
Is that Miles Warren? Keep the lecherous old creep away from Gwen, please. We all know what that will lead too.
And Peter gets reinstated in the Conners' lab. Money talks, all Norman Osborn needs to do is speak. I love how he's now playing mentor to a reluctant Peter Parker. This is going to be interesting.
I loved the battle sequences between Spidey and Mysterio. He's so cheesy, he's great. That's what's great about Mysterio, you can just go crazy and have fun with him.
Mysterio shouted "Fulminos venite!" and lightning struck. That made me happy.
The climax, when Spidey unmasks Mysterio, and has no idea who he is had me in stitches. Quentin Beck is more of a ham than Anton Sevarius. Like Mason said, "actors..."
"As the waaaaiiiiiter..." Beck needs to go back to acting school.
Liz is all over Pete, and he hasn't spoken to Gwen yet. Uh oh.
"I figured Jonah would never unclench enough to..." Was there an edit here? Feels like it.
And why is Norman peeling an egg so creepy?
Spot the voice actor: Stan Lee as... himself. Well, Stan the Dock Worker. Loved that.
Greg Weisman as, I assume, Donald Menken... he was Norman Osborn's bespectacled assistant in the comics for a time, and a Hobgoblin suspect. Nice Owen Burnett impression, Greg.
The Tinkerer finally speaks, and he's Thom Adcox. I love Thom, and I'm glad to hear him here. But if the Tinkerer drops his pants and kisses Electro, I'm going home. ;)
Nice cliffhanger with the Master Planner. Either he's Doc Ock like in the comics, or he's the Chameleon. We'll see. I'm hoping for Ock.
A good beginning for the new season.
Greg responds...
SPIDER-SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There was no edit. Pete was simply interrupted.
Arthur Jr. writes...
Hey Greg, the second season had aired in Canada in January and I was able to see it on YouTube. You even did a good job when you joined the cast as Donald Menken.
Cletus Kasady and Morris Bench were featured in Season Two. While Cletus was featured as an inmate at Ravencroft in "Reinforcement," Morris Bench (voiced by Bill Fagerbakke) was Norman Osborn's demolition expert as seen in "Shear Strength."
If you get the okay to have Season Three made, I'd be interested in your plans for Scorpion and Hobgoblin. Courtney B. Vance was casted as Roderick Kingsley. If you plan Scorpion, I'm guessing Farley Stillwell (the one who created Scorpion on request of J. Jonah Jameson) will also be included.
The spores John Jameson was infected with in "Growing Pains" did occur in the comics. Sometime after that, he found the Godstone (an other-dimensional ruby) on the moon which caused him to turn into Man-Wolf when it grafted onto his throat. When I asked a Man-Wolf-related question which you answered "no comment" to, I was hoping that you might be able to get Frank Welker to provide Man-Wolf's vocal effects since Dee Bradley Baker is already doing Lizard if the Man-Wolf is used in your proposed Season Three.
Greg responds...
Was there a question in there?
Anthony Tini writes...
************* SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN SEASON 2 QUESTION *************
Greg,
If it's not too much trouble, and you have the script handy, for fun it would be cool to see Mysterio's Latin dialogue and its English translation if you wouldn't mind typing that up for us fans of the Latin language. Thanks.
Greg responds...
SPIDEY SPOILERS!!!!!!!
ACT ONE
Dormite! = Sleep!
Denique diatem efficacem inveni! = I have finally found an effective diet!
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere! = I believe Elvis is alive!
ACT TWO
Dormi! = Sleep!
Fulmina venite! = Come lightning!
Tibi gratias agimus quod nihil fumas! = Thank you for not smoking!
Chelicerata. = Spiders (etc.).
Dormite! = Sleep!
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere! = I believe Elvis is alive!
Elvem! = Elvis!
Dorm-- = Slee--
Nullae satisfactionis potiri non possum! = I can't get no satisfaction!
ACT THREE
Denique diatem efficacem inveni! = I have finally found an effective diet!
Tibi gratias agimus quod nihil fumas! = Thank you for not smoking!
Fulmina venite! = Come lightning!
Fulmina veni-- = Lightning co--
In toto ancto es! = You're in for a world of hurt!
Dormi! = Sleep!
I won't pretend I personally know for a fact that all of the above is 100% accurate, but we did consult multiple sources on both translation and pronunciation. It's as accurate as we could make it.
Martin writes...
Hi, Greg. Since I'm from Bulgaria I've already watched season 2 of Spectacular Spider-Man - and I must say that you and the whole Spidey crew did AMAZING job. This show actualy got me up every Saturday and Sunday morning, and that pretty hard, believe me. Officialy the best Spidey series ever. Anyway, the finale rocked, and now I have so many questions I dont know where to start. First of all, I'm a lil bit worried about season 3. Does Sony need the ratings for the second season to pick up third or the rating for the first few weeks? Second, can you use Beetle and The Rose in the series? I think Beetle is Spider-Man foe. Third, if the show doesnt get 3rd season will you release the designs for Hobgoblin and Scorpion? Regarding Hobgoblin (personal favourite) I really hope that you will take as source material Stern/Romita Jr.'s run on Amazing Spider-Man. (ASM #238-251). Any plans about this (the Hobgoblin thing).
Thats for now. Again, AMAZING SHOW. Thank you all for doing it.
Greg responds...
I don't have any sort of specific threshold that Disney XD, Sony and Marvel need to renew the show. Obviously, it needs to do well. And I think it will. But in this economy, I don't know what qualifies as "well".
Simply put, I have every reason to think they'll pick the show up, but (a) there are no guarantees and (b) I have no idea when this will happen. But I'll keep you posted here.
I'm fairly certain that the Beetle is not a part of the Spider-Man license. I think the Rose is. But I'm not 100% sure of either statement.
There are, to my knowledge, no designs yet for Hobgoblin or Scorpion. Things were busy enough on the first two seasons, that I doubt Sean ever got around to designing characters that weren't slated to appear yet.
I have a lot of plans for Hobgoblin, but I'm not spoiling them now.
CMoney writes...
I know from various panel reports that you are aware that by now season 2 of Spidey has aired in full in certain non-US countries. If you are unwilling to take questions about episodes that have yet to air States-side, I understand. If not, I'll just say that there are spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn't seen episode 2 of season 2, and for them to stop reading now.
I was wondering what your motivation was for the Kraven transformation in episode two. I'm not complaining about it, and think that it was a nice stepping stone for Miles Warrens' assumed path towards villainhood, but I am definitely curious about the thought process and reasoning that went into the decision.
Greg responds...
<sigh>
Well, that dilemma didn't take long to raise its ugly head.
1. Do I respond to posts about episodes that haven't legally aired in the U.S. yet?
2. Do I delete these posts without responding?
3. Do I let the posts themselves stand, but refuse to comment?
You'd think I'd be ready with a plan -- but I'm not.
<sigh>
Obviously, if you're reading this, I decided not to go with option 2, which leaves 1 or 3.
<sigh>
What the hell!
SPOILERS
Frankly, I just liked the idea of a mutated Kraven from Ultimate. Didn't like the Crocodile Hunter pastiche done there, but the animal mutation made sense to me for the character. We tried to design something for the mutation that felt more Kraven-y, and, yes, it did seem to dovetail nicely with our plans for Miles (though I would never have done it for that reason alone). Of course the boarding, direction and animation on the first Spidey/Kravinoff battle came off so well, that mutating him may have seemed unnecessary in hindsight. But even before the episode was animated, we had further (Season Three) plans for Kraven that will make the change seem worthwhile. Well, to me, anyway.
ASK GREG is back, MARCH 23, 2009.
Ask Greg will once again open for question submission on March 23, 2009, which is coincidentally the date of The Spectacular Spider-Man's premiere on DisneyXD. (Okay, so maybe it's not exactly a coincidence.)
I would ask -- even beg -- that you carefully read the submission guidelines before posting here. In particular, PLEASE check the archives and the questions-already-asked sections before posting a question that's already been asked and/or asked AND answered. Try to avoid FLOODING Ask Greg, as it will only serve to slow down my ability to respond in a timely fashion. As always, comments are encouraged and appreciated... on Spidey or Gargs or whatever.
Thanks in advance...
UPDATE as of January 2009
Hey gang,
Today's my last day at Sony. I'm packing boxes. (Well, actually, I'm doing this and procrastinating on the packing, but you get the idea.) The last of the Spidey crew is laid off tomorrow, when we deliver the last episode of Season Two. The fact that we're all leaving does not preclude us all from coming back to do a third season, of course. But we've been told that the EARLIEST we could get a pick-up is March, when the series premieres on Disney XD. If I'm available, believe me, I'll be back. But I'm hustling up work now, so we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, the second season has already premiered in Canada. Hope you Canadian fans are enjoying it. We're really proud of the work done on all 26 episodes.
Meanwhile, on the TRADE PAPERBACK front... As of today, ALL OF THE CREATIVE WORK on the GARGOYLES: BAD GUYS REDEMPTION trade is completed. Totally done. As for the Gargoyles trade, there is ONE lettering error that still needs to get corrected, and THEN ALL OF THE CREATIVE WORK on GARGOYLES CLAN-BUILDING VOLUME II will be done. I do NOT yet know when either trade will be released. That's a Dan Vado question. But I'll post info here as soon as I have it. I will NOT be responding to every rumor or speculation. I'm only going to post when I know something definitive. But believe me, I have no interest in keeping this info from you. When I know, you'll know.
It's been brought to my attention that there's a Goliath sculpt out there that looks pretty darn cool...
http://www.toyark.com/news/attachment.php?do=fullview&attachmentid=3072
http://www.toyark.com/news/disney-toy-news-38/bowen-releasing-new-gargoyles-goliath-statue-722/
As usual, I would never ask fans to spend money they need for necessities, but if you do have disposable income, then nothing helps the property more than dollars spent on products based on it.
Also, IGN's recently presented us with a few nice little honors. Spidey won Best Hero of 2008 (Spidey beats Jack Bauer!) and Best Animated series of 2008... plus we were nominated for Best New Series too. Also in their top 100 animated shows of all time, Gargoyles received #45 and Spectacular Spider-Man was #30. I might quibble about some of the included shows and some of the rankings (Jonny Quest was ROBBED!!!!), but it's nice to have both shows in the top 50.
Check out:
http://bestof.ign.com/2008/tv/15.html
http://bestof.ign.com/2008/tv/5.html
http://tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/45.html
http://tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/30.html
Finally, preparations are well under way for the Thirteenth Annual Gathering of the Gargoyles in Los Angeles (G2009). This year, it's Goliath meets the Spectacular Spider-Man, as we'll be having panels and guests from BOTH shows! Confirmed guests include myself, Vic Cook, Thom Adcox, Keith David, Josh Keaton (voice of Spidey/Pete) and Phil LaMarr (voice of Rand Robertson, Joe Robertson and Fancy Dan). And that's just the tip of the guest iceberg. Expect a metric ton of pros (writers, artists, voice directors, actors, production people) to sign on over the next few months. The ratio of fan to pro at this convention will top anything you can find anywhere. Don't miss it!
http://www.gatheringofthegargoyles.com/
And that's it for now. We'll reopen ASK GREG for questions and comments when Spidey premieres in the U.S. in March or when one or both of the trades are released, whichever comes first.
Take care,
Greg Weisman
Stuart writes...
Hello, Mr. Weisman,
I had a few questions about "The Spectacular Spider-Man", if you don't mind:
#1.) This question is about Hobgoblin. I always thought it was cool that sometimes we'd see the character's masked face hidden in the shadows, and we'd only see his red eyes (like on the cover for "The Amazing Spider-Man", vol. 1, #238). I thought it always looked kind of creepy. Do you think we'd see that happen from time to time on the cartoon, since we never saw that look on a Spider-Man animated series?
2.) This is in regards to the Hulk. I heard there was an early Stan Lee/Steve Ditko era story with Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk you would love to tell, should the Hulk be allowed to guest star in a future season. However, as of last week, I read on a Spider-Man website (can't remember which, sorry) that Lou Ferrigno was in talks to provide the voice for the Hulk on your cartoon. It makes sense, since he did the voice of the Hulk for the 2008 movie (which I loved and I feel was underrated among comic movie fans). However, when I checked back the next day, the article about the Hulk news was taken down and no explanation was given as to why it was removed. Was this a fan rumor that was pulled, or is it really true Mr. Ferrigno will voice the Hulk on your show? If it's not true, would you like the idea of having Mr. Ferrigno on as the Hulk if he does appear?
3.) I read that Cam Clarke (the voice of Prince Adam for the 2002 "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" cartoon series) will provide the voice for Molten Man on "The Spectacular Spider-Man". Is that true, or can you not discuss who will do the voice of Molten Man yet?
Thanks for reading, sir.
Greg responds...
1. You're talking about a character who won't appear until Season Three. And we don't have a pick-up for Season Three.
2. The Hulk does not appear in Seasons One or Two and we don't have a pick-up for any seasons beyond that, so obviously, we're not "in talks" with ANY actors to provide a voice for that character. Particularly a character we do not have the rights to use.
3. Cam's great. I've worked with him many times before, but no, he's not voicing Molten Man. I think it's safe to say that these "sites" your "reading" are EXTREMELY unreliable. It sounds like "someone" is posting things (however briefly), pretending that he or she is posting news, when they're really just posting his or her own notions, and enjoying the reaction. These notions are bound to generate more buzz as "news" than as "notions". But it's pretty obnoxious.
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