Michael Byrne writes...

If Season 3 returns, do you think that the villainously eccentric Green Goblin might like his own musical number? :)

Ming writes...

With Green Goblin (Norman Osborn) presumed dead, what's the current situation with the rival factions in the underworld, especially Tombstone?

GreenGoblin45 writes...

"We've seen Felicia out of costume and probably will again."

Could you point out which episode and which scene Felicia is out of costume? I don't think I could find that tidbit myself.

Derek writes...

Hey Greg -

I've been watching the Spectacular Spidey First Season DVD-set, and I realized that the laser sound effects haven't been replaced with gunshots, like you said the plan was. What happened? I've read in interviews that you didn't really have much input in the DVD (which is why the extras were so scarce...and I'm really sorry for that, because I'm sure you and the others on the show would have provided some entertaining material!), but I had just been under the impression that the gunshot thing was a sure deal.

Bazell writes...

You have a strong Shakespearian background, so hopefully you'll see where I'm going here. About Romeo and Juliet, there is discussion as to whether it is a tragedy of character or situation. That is, was the tragedy the circumstances in which the titular character found themselves caught in, or was it the characters' own folly in their youthful rush for love (seemingly damn the consequences)?
A similar argument could be made about Spidey. Although Spider-Man is the iconic hero, the story is largely the tragedy of Peter Parker. Over and over through the decades the fabled Parker Luck (though I don't think you use the phrase in your show) has always been there, overshadowing Spidey victories with Parkers personal woes (be they emotional, social or something more serious). How would characterize the situation? Is the Parker Luck a product of Pete's own foibles or is it more entwined with his surrounding circumstances?

Paul writes...

Will the events of "Identity Crisis" be referenced again in future seasons, since a lot of people in Peter's life ought to think of the whole incident with Peter and Venom whenever they think of Spidey? I'm asking this because "Accomplices" almost felt like a fresh start after "Identity Crisis", as though it was avoiding the subject of people pondering the connection between Peter and Spidey.

Paul writes...

1) Eddie's transformation into Venom in season 1 felt a bit sudden; he had been shown to be a warm and friendly person in other episodes, like "Interactions", when he's trying to calm Max Dillon down at the hospital. It seemed a bit strange that he would go after Aunt May in "Nature vs. Nurture" not long after checking up on her at the hospital in "Intervention". Would you say that Eddie was just masking his anger with a 'nice side' all along, and that the theft of the symbiote in "Persona", him getting told to "shove off" by Peter in "Intervention" and Spidey trying to kill the symbiote at the end of "Intervention" brought out his nasty side? It's just that Eddie going from liking Gwen and Aunt May to trying to hurt them seemed like a bit of a leap. It made me wonder if it's more a case of the symbiote having him in its thrall (giving him the 'love' that he can't get from anyone else, since his parents are dead and he didn't have a replacement father figure like Peter's Uncle Ben) than Eddie really despising Peter enough to hurt people that both he and Peter like.

2) When Gwen thought that Peter had lied to her about going to the Fall Formal in "Catalysts", Eddie looked pretty mad that Peter had upset her. Did Eddie harbour feelings for Gwen at any point in time, or were they always just friends?

3) At the end of "Identity Crisis", Eddie claimed that he was Venom. Did Gwen find out about this claim? If so, did she believe him?

4) Why did Doc Ock's motivation go from wanting to kill Spiderman (in "Reaction" and "Group Therapy") to wanting to conquer the world ("Shear Strength") to wanting to rule the criminal underworld ("Accomplices" and "Gangland")? Is it a case of the formerly weak-willed Otto Octavius wanting to make up for lost time by demonstrating his power to as many people as possible and making his name known and feared far and wide?

The...!!? writes...

I hope to God that by the time this question gets to you season 3 is commisioned.
I wanna believe that there is gonna be a season three but everybody keeps saying given enough episodes, all depends on the ratings on disneyxd (that frightens me the most). The Spectacular Spiderman is my favorite tv show and i will hate to see it get taken off the air for crap like...whatever they are airing.
anyway, if there is a season 3 i do have questions...

1. on wikipedia it says you guys expressed interest in using heroes like cyclops, beast, ant-man, hulk, etc. is this true?

2. are hobgoblin and scorpion already drawn and if so are you happy with there looks?

3. is there a possibility that you will ever be able to use kingpin at all.

this all i can think of right now...

Doceinholeite writes...

HI Greg I like all your Spectacular Spider-Man work i whant to know what do you plan on doing after all 65 episodes?

Paul writes...

Does the timeline of The Spectacular Spiderman follow this pattern?

Biology 101: September
Economics 101: October
Chemistry 101: October
Psychology 101: November
Engineering 101: December
Human Development 101: January
Criminology 101: February
Drama 101: March

I'm asking because it's hard to pin down which month some episodes take place in. "Market Forces" and "Competition", for instance, could be set in September or October, but it's unclear which, and "Accomplices" could be set in January or February, but it's unclear which. Likewise for episodes like "Subtext" as well.

David B. Jacobs writes...

Also, in a previous post, someone asked about your thoughts on the Crimemaster, and you responded, "I do not not like him." (or something like that - not verbatim.)
Was this a typo, meant as "I do not like him." or did you intentionally use the double-negative?

David B. Jacobs writes...

Hi, again, Greg!
Just wondering: Why is it that so many characters are all in the same bio class? Clearly Midtown doesn't separate its grades as much as mine does, but shouldn't Peter and Gwen and Sha Shan at least be in an advanced class, without Flash and Liz? And didn't they already Bio last year? 'Cause if so, shouldn't they be taking a different science now?
It probably doesn't matter (and I wonder if anyone else ever even noticed), but I was just wondering.
Thanks in advance!

Greg Bishansky writes...

*** SPECTACULAR SPOILERS ***
*** SERIOUSLY! ***
*** I WARNED YOU ***

So, I've recently been debating Norman's mental state. Specifically his sanity or lack thereof. Mostly because I've seen a couple of individuals saying that you gave Norman Osborn Roderick Kingsley's personality. Norman was insane, Roderick was stone cold sane.

Naturally, I disagree with them. Sure, Norman doesn't come out and say he's insane. He even says he's in control. But don't most of those suffering from insanity and megalomania feel that way?

Psychopaths lack empathy and guilt, are egocentric and impulsive, and do not conform to social, moral and legal norms. They may appear to be quite normal and often even charming, a state of adaptation that psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley named the "mask of sanity".

Or, as Gobby himself said, "We all wear masks, Spider-Man. But which is real? The one that hides your face or the one that IS your face?"

That's how I see Norman. Your Norman as well. And while we haven't seen much of Kingsley yet (and I'm not asking for spoilers on plans for him), I am sure that they're both very, very different people. Just as different as they were in the comic books.

*** END SPOILERS ***

Stephen writes...

In a question i asked about using tombstone you answered "Have you seen Tombstone?"
Yes, I have of course i have i seen every episode like 30 times, and i love him i was just wandering why, my only reson was fosswell couldn't fight spidey and tombstone has the kinda muscle and speed, agility, etc. so that's why you used him, but seriously don't get me wrong he's one of my favorite characters in your show...maybe 6 or 7 in the top ten

akif khan writes...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/Spectacular_spider-man_animated_cha-1-.jpg
In this picture. Eddie has a case/prosthetic limb. Why was it like that and what made you change your mind to make him normal/perfect condition.

Jim writes...

At what point would you say Stacy deduced Spidey's identity?

I always figured his "I know who you are, Pete" at the end of the Master Planner arc as having a double meaning. I can't decide if he knew during Thanksgiving dinner, it seems like it could go either way. But while he had certainly been studying him prior to "Persona," I didn't get the vibe that he had figured it out at that point.

So is there a definitive moment or time period you can point to that says, "He has figured it out now, we just won't let the viewer know for sure until 'Identity Crisis?'"

friendlyneighborhoodspidey writes...

1. While Kraven was stalking Spidey I noticed his spider-sense didn't go off. Is that an OOPS or what?

2. Is Kraven turning into an animal supposed to be similar to Puma? (look him up if you don't know who I mean)

3. May I suggest asking Robert Englund to play Carnage? He'd do a great job because Freddy Krueger's personality is a lot like Carnage's.

Spidey#1fan writes...

1. If you can't borrow Kingpin what crime boss will you use? Owl?

2. I heard something about Beetle and Boomerang being in SSM is it true?

3. You think you will use Morbius and Manwolf?

4. How heavily "toned down" does Carnage have to be to be in the show?

Big Boy writes...

I have some questions considering the censorship of Spectacular Spider-Man. I don't think they will reveal any spoilers (I hope not). If they do, then you don't have to answer them.

1) Can you get away with Carnage being a serial killer in the show?
2) Can you get away with Morbius being a vampire that bites people and drinks blood in the show?
3) Can you get away with someone like Morlun in the show?
4) Can you get away with someone dying?
5) Did you keep Norman alive because you weren't allowed to keep him dead or did you keep him alive for the future?

Rinso writes...

Hi, Greg.
I must say that “The Spectacular Spider-Man” is the best superhero show I’ve ever seen. I totally love it. But I have two questions about it that has been sort of bugging me lately.

In Season 1 episode “Intervention”, after Peter rejects the symbiote, he returns it to Connors’ laboratory and tries to kill the alien by freezing the camera where it’s held. Eddie Brock sees him doing this and is enraged, because by killing the alien, Spider-Man destroyed his last chance to get back his job and thus his education in college. But less than a minute later, it turns out that the symbiote is unharmed and it’s actually fine. My question is â€" why did Brock had to free the alien and bond with it in order to pursue vengeance against Spider-Man? I mean, since it turned out that it was apparently alive and healthy, why couldn’t he just leave it in the camera? He would have gotten his job back and everything would have been fine with his life.

And my second question. Spoiler alert!

In “Final Curtain”, the final episode of Season 2, the identity of the Green Goblin was revealed for real. He was (of course) none other than Norman Osborn and it turned out that Harry’s unmasking in Season 1 was a red herring meant to throw Spider-Man (and the fans :P) off. Back in Season 1, during his last fight with Spider-Man, Norman faked a leg injury before escaping and later he found Harry unconscious, dressed him up in the Goblin costume and injured his leg, so he would limp in front of Spider-Man. My question is â€" why did he faked the injury in the first place? Did he knew before the fight with Spider-Man that Harry was laying unconscious back at home and planned to frame him as a back-up plan? Or did he found him when he came back after the fight? The latter doesn’t make much sense, because in such case there was no explicit need to fake an injury, but still, I wonder.

Sorry, these are probably annoying questions whose answers are “Just because!”, but still, they’re nagging me.

Fingers crossed for Season 3 happening. And 4, and 5, and…

Arthur Jr. writes...

Mr. Weisman, here are the following questions for you:

* I got your response for the Sinister Syndicate question. While Boomerang, Hydro-Man, Leila Davis (who became the second Beetle), Rhino, Scorpia, and Speed Demon are Spider-Man's enemies, you might be right about the other three. Outside of Beetle first appearing to fight the Fantastic Four and later fighting Spider-Man when getting revenge on Human Torch, Blacklash is an Iron Man villain who Spider-Man helped fight in Marvel Team-Up #72 and #149. Constrictor first appeared in Incredible Hulk #212 and fought Spider-Man and Moon Knight alongside Ringmaster in Marvel Team-Up Vol. 3 #7. Just giving any side info there in case you gain some inspiration for one of the possible future seasons.

* When it comes to other heroes appearing, the closest any series has got is when Peter Parker is a student at Empire University. If your show is successful, what season would have Peter attending attending that university?

* When it comes to your part on the show's characters, it would appear that you've amalgamated some of them to make the show interesting like when you had Montana become Shocker or making Walter Hardy the burglar that shot Uncle Ben (referred to as Dennis Carradine in the Spider-Man films). A similar thing occured in "Wolverine and the X-Men" where Nick Fury was an amalgam of the Earth-616 version and the Ultimate Marvel version (the latter version was also a supporting character in the Ultimate Spider-Man comics). If one of the other Marvel villains in the future season (the one I described in the note above) includes a certain Latverian monarch, would you do the same for Beetle (meaning combining the Earth-616 version and Ultimate Marvel version like you did with Doctor Octopus and Electro) and make him a mercenary to the Latverians? Of course we haven't heard anything in the development of that since the issue before the "Ultimatum" storyline.

Geoff writes...

I enjoy your work a lot, Greg. But, a few things have been bugging me about Spectacular Spiderman:

Why didn't anyone ask Peter why Spiderman supposedly makes time before fighting lethal supervillains to call a teenager to come take pictures of him like he said in "Identity Crisis"?

Did you ever feel the animation for Spectacular Spiderman was too simple and, for lack of a better term, goofy? I read that the animation style used was to make the fight scenes more fluid, which they were, don't get me wrong. Yet, a couple of moments in the fight scenes began to look very wacky. And, I mean the Donald Duck & Goofy in a boxing match kind of wacky.

Paul writes...

1) Did Tinkerer escape after Spidey interrogated him in "Shear Strength"? (Since he appeared again in "Probable Cause", I'm guessing he did.)

2) Is there a voice modulator in the Green Goblin's mask? (Surely there must be, since it's hard to believe that Norman puts on the Goblin's voice himself).

3) Would you say that the Norman Osborn in The Spectacular Spiderman is more influenced by the Norman of the 60s comics or the post-"resurrection" Norman of the 90s comics?

4) Would you say that the Green Goblin in The Spectacular Spiderman is more influenced by the Green Goblin of the 60s comics or the post-"resurrection" Green Goblin of the 90s comics?

Nick writes...

I love this Spidey series, the animation, fight scenes, character and story development, and the theme song is just, well, Spectacular.

Can't wait for a Season 3 and 4, 5, hope it gets as many as possible, and I do have a couple of questions...

1. In the DVD things you have planned after this series is over are they gonna be more mature and maybe show an older peter ya' know him going to college and everything like that?

2. would you still need permission to use kingpin in the dvd's?

3. would you consider your venom more ultimate or amazing.

MARVEL-FAN writes...

Greg, how come in the Spectacular Spider-Man it doesent use realistic gunshot sounds? But, Batman: The Brave and The Bold it uses realistic gunshot sounds, other Batman cartoon shows.