Thanks Todd, John DiMaggio really got to show off his chops this episode as both Sandman and Hammerhead. And his "Aw man, my money!" never fails to crack me up.
The fact that he's constantly after a big score is kinda hilarious considering his role on Futurama as Bender the klepto robot. Not to mention there's the film "Bender's Big Score."

And we'll get to Octavius soon enough, don't you worry.
Matthew
Insert Inspirational Quote Here:________
posted @ Wed, Jan 22, 2020 11:59:43 pm EST from 64.85.228.110

Thanks for stopping by, Matt. It was good hearing from you again. (And I never noticed that detail about Owen. Thanks for sharing it with us.)
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Jan 22, 2020 7:17:55 pm EST from 68.231.65.221

Coming out of lurk mode to say hi. A bit regretful that I missed all the great Gargoyles discussions from a few weeks ago. Good stuff everyone. I also made my way through the entire series on Disney+ and read the comics. Some of the episodes I had not seen in a decade. Great to see. And I'm still noticing things I never noticed before. Like in Hunter's Moon (which is just so awesome, btw!), when John Carter is interviewing Xanatos, I noticed that Owen was careful to keep his stone fist in his pocket. That's so cool!

Anyway, I'm here, lurking, but I've been around for 20 years. No sense in leaving now.

*Sets some fresh cookies on the table, dusts off the "Do Not Feed the Trolls" sign, and strolls back into the shadows*
Matt
posted @ Wed, Jan 22, 2020 3:57:47 pm EST from 97.85.187.228

Todd Jensen> https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/All_Lucky_7s

The reference. The Remake of that game was just delayed to April.
Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!
posted @ Wed, Jan 22, 2020 8:47:36 am EST from 104.129.205.35

MATTHEW - Thanks for the latest review.

The parts that most stood out in my memories about this episode:

1. After it initially appears that they merely reduced Marko to sand, Otto is staring at the remains in horror, saying "What have we done? What do we do?", to which Norman Osborn replies "We sweep up and try again." I thought it gave a great sense of their characterizations. (While I'm not a Spiderman expert, I had picked up enough about him to know that Otto is the future Doc Octopus, and in those early episodes, what I wondered most about him was not "How does he become Doc Octopus physically?" but "How does this timid little fellow with a bit of a conscience - not enough to keep him out of those schemes, but enough to make him uncomfortable about them - turn into a scheming super-villain?" And we got a satisfying answer - though that's a few episodes away.)

2. Marko's "Doh!" moment upon realizing he forgot to take the money. (And, yep, I picked up his "Revenge is a sucker's game" tone.)
Todd Jensen
posted @ Wed, Jan 22, 2020 7:37:49 am EST from 68.231.65.221

Watched "Competition" today, you know there's one thing that Greg is probably at than most show runners, and that's how to escalate. Not just across the series but through the episode as well.

Take for example when Peter decides to try out with Harry for football the first time he fumbles a pass, the next he's completing passes and going all spider on the tacklers. Similarly, we see Harry starting to change as he goes from his normal self asking Peter to try out with him. To being petty and bitter for Peter being better at him during tryouts and trying to buy his way into the popular crowd.

Speaking of incremental changes, we get see the makings of Peter's tangled relationships as both Liz wishes him good luck and Gwen drops her not-so-subtle hints throughout the episode. Oh, we also get to see our first look into Glory Grant and Kenny's tumultuous relationship. Considering Randy and Sally's own problems, it makes you wonder how these couples ended up together.

Speaking of first time seeing things for the first time, Otto's arms make their first appearance. You know I can't believe it took until the PS4 Spider-Man game to truly explore how groundbreaking an invention like fully functional, artificial appendages would be. You'd think Osborne would be all over that but I guess he's more interested in playing mad scientist. We also get another horrific science transformation and I think it tops even Dr. Connors' transformation. Seriously, not enough that pieces of him start flying off, then he swells to an unbelievable size before exploding into sand. Yikes.

Going back to to escalation, one thing I liked about the fights with Sandman is that it allows for room to grow. The first time he limits his shapeshifting to mostly enlarging and extending his limbs and occasionally forming them into weapons. Leaves room for him to go to crazier lengths in the future. It also makes sense that he would be Greg's "revenge is for suckers" theme this series being more interested in money much like his comic book counterpart.

One final thing, I don't know much about football so I decided to a bit more research and found out that Tight Ends do blocking as well as receiving. Doesn't really make sense that smaller, thinner guys like Peter and Harry would be considered for this position. Would've worked better if they trying out for Wide Receiver since those guys rely on speed rather than size. Oh well.
Favorite Line:

Spider-Man: All right Sandman, show me what you got. Or better yet, I'll show you!
(smacks Sandman with an I-beam only for Sandman to reform and smack him)
Sandman: Wow. You sure showed me.
Matthew
Insert Inspirational Quote Here:________
posted @ Wed, Jan 22, 2020 3:47:10 am EST from 73.158.223.17

BRAINIAC - What is this Remake?
Todd Jensen
posted @ Tue, Jan 21, 2020 7:11:07 pm EST from 68.231.65.221

All Lucky Sevens!

(I'm fine with the delay of Remake, really)
Brainiac - [OSUBrainiac at gmail dot com]
There is balance in all things. Live in symmetry with the world around you. If you must blow things up and steal from those around you, THAT'S WHAT RPGS ARE FOR!
posted @ Tue, Jan 21, 2020 9:16:11 am EST from 104.129.205.35

Sixth!
Phoenician
"The suspense is terrible, I hope it lasts" -- Willy Wonka
posted @ Mon, Jan 20, 2020 4:03:50 pm EST from 68.231.126.227

I know why Greg changed Foswell and the Big Man. You have to remember that he was limited to using characters only associated with Spider-Man so characters like Ben Urich and the Kingpin, both characters heavily associated with Daredevil, couldn't be used. So their characteristics were used with other characters. In this case the journalist who investigates organized crime went to Foswell and the philanthropist, businessman who secretly controls all crime in New York went to Tombstone.
Matthew
Insert Inspirational Quote Here:________
posted @ Mon, Jan 20, 2020 3:01:47 pm EST from 73.158.223.17

Montana giving the moral is certainly interesting, though of course it's hypocritical. A villain who claims to have honor and respect obligations while breaking the law is of course ignoring his obligations to society at large. He might claim that the social contract isn't something he agreed to or that faceless organizations don't demand loyalty, which I might agree with if he were fighting for some larger goal. But he's murdering people for profit, which no healthy society can allow. I remember on Spectacular Radio, Greg Bishansky compared Montana to Mike Ehrmantraut from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, which is a solid analogy. Mike gives a very similar speech in BCS about how, no matter what side of the law you're on, you have to keep your word. But he's giving this speech to a man who's stealing from his own company, thereby breaking a contract he signed with it, and he doesn't seem to see that as a contradiction. None of this is a complaint- the self-serving, selective nature of a villain's moral code is what makes them a villain.

The other flashpoint in this episode is merging Montana and the Shocker into one character. Personally, I think it's a good move. However, I get why some people prefer the idea of Herman Schulz as a blue-collar crook who cobbled together his own power set, rather than having a mob boss give it to him. There's a question about how much you can change a character before they're a new character, something that will come up again when we get to Fred Foswell and the Big Man.
Jurgan - [jurgan6 at yahoo dot com]
posted @ Mon, Jan 20, 2020 11:51:43 am EST from 174.28.6.34

MATTHEW - Thanks for your review. I recall, when this first episode aired, a few remarks about the unorthodoxy of having the villain point out the moral (the "honoring your responsibilities" quote you mentioned at the end) - a moral that Peter certainly learned from. ("Young Justice" did something similar in the scene where Black Manta was congratulating his son for refusing to take credit for a victory he knew he hadn't achieved.)
Todd Jensen
posted @ Mon, Jan 20, 2020 7:38:49 am EST from 68.231.65.221

Johnny 5 is alive!
Algae
"Of course, we all wear costumes." ~Double Trouble
posted @ Mon, Jan 20, 2020 5:42:13 am EST from 78.152.238.40

So I watched "Market Forces" the other week. You know I think there's a rule about the Shocker, no matter what the medium whether it's print, television, movies or video games you just have to make fun of his outfit and name.

We get a bit of a switch after the ESU arc as now most of Pete's activities outside of school are at the Daily Bugle. Like the first episode it throws a lot of new elements in but still doesn't feel overcrowded. Gotta love Peter's description of Jameson as a walking embolism, I should use that descriptor more often. We also get our first reference to Mary Jane and her "wonderful personality." Oh Pete, you have no idea ;)

The episode did a great job with the fights, it's easy to forget that in the comics Shocker has one of the better track records when it comes to tangling with the web-head. And he's an absolute terror when it comes to long-range fighting. I do like that Spidey didn't flat out beat him in fight (save that future episodes) but by turning his tech against him and by playing off his distinct weakness, his pride. We see in future episodes that Montana holds himself in high regard as leader of the Enforcers and thinks that puts him above the average street thug and the "constumed freaks." But as we see he isn't much better than Marko and O'Hirn and he's got a goofy name and costume. Skilled as he is, it's still disproportionate to his ego.

We get to see Harry starting to go down a dark path this episode, especially after Peter accidentally blew him off and his dad telling him to quit whining and cowboy up. Considering that look of confidence he has after that and what goes on next episode, makes me wonder how long Harry's known about globulin green.

And finally, we get our first real look into how terrible a person Norman is. It's not bad enough that he engages in scumbag business tactics and denigrate his son. He also collaborates with gangsters to sabotage the competition, and not just in minor manners but in the case of "super mercenaries" at that. I like how they came up with a justification for "villains" of the week and the market forces that involve them.

Favorite quote of the episode:
Shocker: Ah, ain't nothin' personal hoss. Simple truth is, if a man's a man, he honors his responsibilities, and you're one of mine.
Matthew
Insert Inspirational Quote Here:________
posted @ Mon, Jan 20, 2020 3:20:20 am EST from 73.158.223.17

Hi Mr. Weisman. I have a question for you:

I don't know if you are aware, but in the "Early Warning" episode of Whelmed: The Young Justice Files (back in Oct. 2019) the host quoted you on something you told him in conversation. This is something that used to happen now and then, but lately it happens in almost every episode: "Greg texted me this", "Brandon emailed me that", "Greg/Brandon told me whatever", etc.

So, looking at your 2-year-3-month-and-26-day backlog of 1208 questions, I'm wondering: why are you giving BTS information to this one person while the rest of your fanbase has to submit questions and wait months (at least) or YEARS (worst case and more likely scenario) for an answer???? It must be really cool to be so intimate and chummy with one's idol, and I bet the host feels super important and validated, but this is some double standard bullshit!

Are you aware of this? And if you are, how can you be okay with it? Don't you think this is unfair? You have thousands of fans who support your work whichever way they can, but 99.9% of them have never even met you in person, let alone exchanged emails or text messages with you.

If I make an entire podcast dedicated to kissing your asses, will I earn the same privileges? Will I be able to ask all my questions without a waiting queue? Will I get to hang out with you, have lunch together or exchange personal contacts?

(Originally I posted this on AskGreg, but then I decided I shouldn't have to wait 2 years for an answer, for all the reasons above.)
Jordan
posted @ Mon, Jan 20, 2020 2:58:07 am EST from 54.37.18.139

Sorry, that last was me. I changed my name as a joke last week and forgot to change it back. So, dos again!
Jurgan
posted @ Mon, Jan 20, 2020 2:09:14 am EST from 174.28.6.34

Dos!
Johnny Modlin
posted @ Mon, Jan 20, 2020 2:07:59 am EST from 174.28.6.34

(#1) Number 0ne with a bullet but always first over all!
Vinnie - [thomaspeano at yahoo dot com]
Deplorable and loving it!
posted @ Mon, Jan 20, 2020 12:01:49 am EST from 172.14.186.123