Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Small ramble on the character of Flash Thompson (noticed over time, but prompted by his behavior in Gangland)...

I haven't read the comics so I don't know how much of this is original to you and how much of this is from Lee/Ditko/Romita, but he really is an amazing character, (and is backed up with some fine voice work). He could just have been a jock/bully/buffoon cipher, but he isn't.

The first glimpse we got was when Peter was acting as a jerk under the influence of the Symbiote. Flash is in the hospital, presumably visiting Aunt May, and gives Peter whatfor for mistreating his friends and family. We learn later that they had once been friends, but there doesn't seem to be any love towards Peter prompting him. One can assume that he gave the advice for the benefit of Aunt May, and maybe even Gwen and Harry. He has an innate sense of ~something~ that made him actually angry to see Peter mistreating others. A very strange thing to see in a bully. All this amusingly and believably followed with an insistence that no word of this kindness be known by others.

Later we see that he has the good grace to wear a cheerleader outfit with pride after a lost bet, and enough respect of his teammates that they joined in the costume. We find out that for all his bluster about being quarterback and BMOC he is justifiably proud of his accomplishment and for the right reasons - he feels a responsibility to his team, on and off the field. He hates Harry later, not for being a wimp, but for disappearing when the team needed him.

He displays bravery - From what we learn as the series progresses, messing up his knee is an acceptable trade for winning the Championship. Had it just been about him, and not his team and school, that would not be the case. As funny as it is to see his adulation of Spiderman, he ran out in spandex and crutches and stood up to armed bad guys. And, though my memory is faint with the months since the episode aired, I think he also tried to help Spidy against Venom.

Back to his interaction with Harry- another surprise; Flash's strong sense of honor. It's one thing to be honest enough not to juice and even be horrified that a teammate did, but to immediately realize that it taints his own accomplishment and have the moral strength to go to the authorities and lose that championship despite absolute certainty no one would ever have found out?. Add to that he may well have sacrificed his own athletic future to get that championship? Very impressive. It's no wonder Shashen (sp?) finally agreed to go out with him.

Speaking of Shashen- he originally went after her just because she wasn't interested, but the change in his voice (kudos to the actor) when she explained why she agreed to go on that date further impressed that he is at heart a very fine human being and probably will be a impressive adult.

So not so small a ramble...oh well.

A few questions-
1-Given all these positive characteristics, how did he become a bully? I get how he got the swelled head, but actually picking on Peter, Harry, Gwen and presumably others? (I think I remember you writing that he saw Peter as somewhat of a fake, but Harry who was such a... 'nebbech' to be pitied and Gwen?) {mmm…spellcheck suggests nebbish for nebbech- I have to ask a Yiddish expert what the nuance between the two words actually is.}

2-When did he and Peter stop being friends? I gather it was a long time ago or else Harry and Gwen would not have been surprised. Was there a particular reason or did they just drift apart as Flash grew into a big strong athlete and Peter became a brain?

3-When did he start picking on Peter? (If I remember what you wrote correctly; when did he start seeing Peter as a fake?) Was 'Puny Parker' a long standing animosity, or did they spend years just not being anything to each other after the friendship ended?

4-Extrapolating from his visit to the hospital I'm assuming that despite not liking Peter, Flash retained a fondness for Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Was he hit hard by Uncle Ben's death? Did he in anyway reach out to Peter or conversely become less sympathetic in some way as a result?

5-Or am I completely off base and the friendship was so long ago Peter's parents were still alive?

thanks

Merc with a Mouth writes...

1. Will we see Cloak and Dagger, Tarantula, and Black Tarantula? (different people Tarantula a South American criminal, Black Tarantula's a crime boss

2. Also what do you mean most members of the Sinister Syndicate because last time I checked, Beetle,
Boomerang, Hydro-Man, Shocker, and Rhino are all Spidey villains so the only non Spidey villain is Speed Demon

3. What about Jack O Lantern?

Mark C writes...

I actually have a question a friend wants to know...

If Marvel and Disney are so pleased with your work on The Spectacular Spider-Man and give you the opportunity to make another Marvel series when your 65 episodes are done (Note I said WHEN because I have higher hopes for this show than I did with Futurama) would you, Victor Cook and the rest of the crew be willing? If so, which other of Marvel's superheroes would you like to work with?

Autumn Leaves writes...

1. Why did Electro go from "I want to be normal again" to "Being Electro is awesome!"?

2. You mentioned Ock only revealed he was the master planner to his inner circle. Why the tinkerer if he's a freelance agent?

3. Why does Sandman exclusively work for the Master Planner? His powers were paid for by the Big Man, yet Hammerhead had to pay a services fee.

4. Is Doc still at Ravencroft or have the staff caught on to his act?

*Spoilers*

5.The only named villains not in jail/Ravencroft are Lizard, Vulture, Sandman, Goblin, Chameleon, Mysterio, Kraven, Hammerhead, Tombstone, and Silver Sable. Correct? No escapes have been cut for time right?

6. What are Mark's chances of Parole? He hasn't done that much compared to some of the other villains, (destruction of public property) and can't really do anything without Goblin's remote. (Not that anyone knows that)

Awesome show and I really hope you get more seasons.

Anonymous writes...

Spider-Man editor Steve Wacker was doing a 24-hour live Twitter-cast today on Newsarama.com and he mentioned that you had written a "very emotional" Flash Thompson story for Marvel, though he didn't mention if it was for Amazing or Web. Either way, I was glad to see that they were at least acknowledging how good Spectacular Spidey is, and just wanted to say congrats, can't wait to read it, and I hope it leads to more (especially if the show doesn't come back).

Jonathan writes...

Hey Greg,

I know you've gotten quite a few questions concerning the third season of Spidey but I'm afraid I'll have to add another one.

The last substantial "news" I heard about it was when I attended Comicon 09, where we were told it was basicly still up in the air, awaiting the ratings of season 2. Now, quite some time has passed since Comicon and a major event has occured: Disney has bought Marvel.

Now my question is: Since the Disney buyout, has anything changed concerning the renewal of The Spectacular? Do you feel Spideys chances have grown now Disney is involved (the show was airing on DisneyXD after all)? Or has there been any update on the season 2 ratings?

Thanks Greg, I will remain hopefull.

- Jonathan
- Amsterdam, The Netherlands

AJC writes...

What issues of amazing spider-man have you read? Do you follow the current comics and if not, why do they not interest you?

MARVEL-FAN writes...

Greg, I know that Spectacular Spider-Man needs to get enough ratings for a season 3. But how come the fans couldn't vote for season 3, besides getting enough ratings. Plus some people dont have "Disney XD",so they wont give any rating for the show.

So thank you for your time, and have a nice day.

Arthur Jr. writes...

Hey Greg, here are some questions:

1. If Season Three is announced upon the ratings for the "Final Curtin" episode that aires on Disney XD, I would think that Bill Fagerbakke would reprise Morris Bench if you plan an episode that brings about the introduction of Hydro-Man. Right?

2. If the series is successful after Season Three and you managed to make it to a season that deals with Peter Parker attending Empire University, what season do you predict that will occur in?

3. I have seen your Rambles of the Spider-Man/Gargoyles crossover that Keith David reprised Goliath and Tombstone in. Now that was humerous in some parts, don't ya think?

4. I was wondering if you have seen "The Super Hero Squad Show" (adapted from the "Marvel Super Hero Squad: toyline) yet? Though Spider-Man doesn't appear in the TV series yet, he will be featured in video game adaption.

Mike P. writes...

1. So now that Marvel/Disney has the rights to Spectacular Spider-Man could you, hypothetically speaking, use the Kingpin as a character now or does the Fox deal still prevent this? I'm confused on how it all works as I'd read before that you planned to use the Human Torch on an episode in the future, but wouldn't he also have been just as unusable due to the FF still being under the ownership of Fox?

*Spoilers*
2. Harry Osborne's character has developed from being the wimpy friend to the "steroid" using wannabe athelete to now being a vindictive schemer who enjoys watching his former friends (Gwen and Peter) suffer by keeping them apart. Often times it's easy to look at characters with rough upbringings and attribute that as the root of their personal defects, but I get the feeling that a good portion of Harry's actions are from inside regardless of the fact that he was raised by the Green Goblin himself. In your opinion: do you think it's just in Harry's nature to progress this way or has having Norman Osborne as a father figure slowly warped him into being just as Machiavellian and cruel?