Spider-Man

Hi all. Relatively new Spidey fan (the Straczynski run), and long time animation fan here. First off, like many, I was afraid of the idea of a Spider-Man cartoon being on MTV, for fear they might needlessly make the characters more "hip" and "cool" (see: X-Men: Evolution, and comic book Ultimate X-Men) to appeal to those darn kids nowadays. Thankfully, this show does not do that. What it does do is break most of the censoring that has held back dramatic effects in cartoons for a while now by allowing characters to bleed and die, and given Spidey a form of animation that perfectly captures him. Now, while some may be taken aback by the cel-shaded look of the show, I must say I find it works well for the effect (then again, I am one who took to Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker's graphics without a complaint - make of that what you will).

One minor complaint I have of the show, however, is needless recasting the parts of the characters with so-called more "respected actors" like Neil Patrick Harris, when the people who did the voices for the series of the early nineties and several of the video games still work perfectly. I find it just a bit of a cheap ploy to mistakenly get what the producers may see as "real talent". While i'm not complaining on NP Harris' part (he's good, but he's no Christopher Daniel Barnes), does Lisa Loeb really need to be Mary Jane? And Eve playing the Black Cat was woefully miscast, her voice and animation contrasting way too much and taking me right out of the mood the show had set. Now while Rob Zombie as the lizard I can kind of understand, it just seems like MTV is using the "Music" in it's name to cast musicians in the show gratuitously. Please, don't use famous people for cartoons when their voices will pull you out of the moment when lesser-known voice and character actors can pull you in, and keep you there.

But, that medium sized, rarely appearing quibble aside, this show has great promise. Aside from trying to have "hip" voice actors, the show doesn't bother trying to appeal to any target demographic outside of the one that just wants a great Spider-Man cartoon. And, with Brian Michael Bendis on board producing and writing, saying no is nothing easy to do. Even if it means committing a minor sin by turning on MTV, it's worth it.

After being burned by how the two Fox Kids "Spider-Man" cartoons were cut short before the plot lines were resolved, I was ready for a whole new incarnation of the wise-cracking webslinger in the red-and-blue pajamas.

At first, I was dismayed when I learned the entire thing was going to be done in computer animation. Come on! I didn't like the computer animation in neither the Spider-Man nor the Hulk feature films. I'll be scourged if computer animation will ever capture human motions as fluidly and as flawlessly as either live action or cell animation. If this series is going to be saved, it would have to be by the virtue of the story lines.

Luckily, it delivered in that avenue. Unlike the earlier incarnations of Spiderman on television, the writers either focused TOO much on pointless dialogue which can easily be conveyed through the actions of the characters, or as in the 1994 version, a lot of action (good) but a lot of superfluous dialogue was crammed in as well (bad). Here, they understood that the TV show does NOT always have to resemble a d**m comic book and actually utilized the cinematography offered through this medium (as well as the appropriately requisite dialogue) to convey the constant drama that is the dual life of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Plus the fact that they take "liberties" with the language and themes by virtue of it being broadcast on Empty-V is an added bonus.

Speaking of the cinematography, the dizzying exhilarating web-slinging action almost makes up for the religious use of computer animation. The 1994 Spider-Man was enhanced by computer animation during the action sequences, so you can't really blame these people for taking the genre to its logical conclusion. Yet the characters still have that robotic feel to them, a major drawback to the CGI world that must be resolved before it's fully accepted.

The show still looks promising, and I will definitely place this among the shows to watch - a statement that is rare considering the channel it's being shown on.

*** out of **** stars.

Well, Spider-man stars in his first decent cartoon since '94. The show's actually pretty good, it's basically focusing on Peter's college days, as well as his friendship with Harry and relationship with Mary Jane. The final episode ended on a real cliffhanger, I hope it's continued. The "new" villains are pretty interesting, and it's cool seeing Kraven the Hunter, voiced by Micheal Dorn, and Kingpin, voiced by Micheal Clarke Duncan, who also played him in the Daredevil movie. As I said, hopefully this show is continued, because the ending made me want to see more!

I mean, it's new for MTV to show some actually INTELLIGENT programming. Maybe that's why it ended though, since the "Jackass," fans couldn't fathom something that intelligent.

I was fortunate enough to catch this new animated Spider-Man series very early in its' national MTV exposure. At first I was taken aback by the new animation - it reminds me of the Dreamcast game Jet Set Radio. Now don't get me wrong...just because I say I was taken aback doesn't mean I wasn't impressed. It's very fluid, flashy, and stylish. Spider-Man does all the things you'd expect him to do. The selection of color for the animation is rather eye-catching too. I couldn't complain. I wouldn't doubt kids and early adolescents being impressed by it.

As for the story, I only saw two back-to-back episodes, but they were rewarding for what they were. The voice acting has some big names credited and they certainly don't disappoint either. Perhaps nothing quite outstanding, but after all, the show is young and there is always room for improvement.

At first I was unaware which station this new series was being shown on. To be honest, I didn't even realize it was MTV until after the episodes were finished airing. Surprise, surprise. It's fairly obvious that the show is somewhat tailored to an MTV crowd, but don't let that be a drawback to a new, inspired reincarnation of the Spider-Man animated series.

High marks all across the board.

I've never been too much of a Spider Man fan. I've never seen the movie the whole way through. But this show this amazing! I love it! I mean this is not emmy material, but it is just pure fun! I'm hooked in it's web!

A-