Despite these reservations however, I was liking the direction of Marvels animation and wanted to give the show a chance. I watched the first 4 episodes and felt ... underwhelmed. The show was ok, but the stories just weren't doing a lot for me and the non-costume character designs bugged me (too simple and the giant irises were just creepy). It was at this point that I dropped the series and moved on.
Over the next year I kept hearing positive buzz about the show. Being a firm believer in second chances (after all I tried re-watching the Real Adventures of Jonny Quest) I gave the show another shot. So I picked up with episode five and prepared for the worst. All I can say is that I wish being wrong was always this pleasant. Within three episodes I was hooked. Yes the giant irises still bothered me but I quickly got over it once the series kicked into high gear. This is without a doubt the BEST Spider-man cartoon ever made, and one of the best action/adventure cartoons in quite some time.
The strength of the show stems from its writing. The initial episodes that I found lacking were actually laying the necessary groundwork for the payoffs we would get throughout the season. In other words this is the kind of show that has layers. Things that happen in one episode often have repercussions in later ones. That's not to say that the episodes don't stand well enough on their own - far from it - but there is a larger picture being created and watching the series writers and producers pull it all together is a real treat. They also deserve a lot of credit for having the sense to borrow from the best that the various Spider-man incarnations have to offer. Elements from Stan Lee and Steve Ditko are clearly present, as are influences from John Romita and even Brian Michael Bendis (the writer of Ultimate Spider-man). This may seem like a no brainier but I have to applaud them none the less; especially when you look at the choices that other Spider-man cartoons have made regarding influence.
Characters are unique, flawed and very three dimensional. Our hero Peter is truly clueless when it comes to romance, but through it all he's the kind of tough luck hero we love to root for. Supporting cast characters are also well developed. We feel the disappointment and frustration of Gwen Stacey as she tries to win Peter's heart. Harry Osborn's desperate attempts to make his father proud are heart wrenching. In short these fictional characters feel real, something that can be sorely missing from many action/adventure cartoons.
Spider-man's rouge gallery is admirably represented here as well. You get all the big names like Doctor Octopus, Rhino, Sandman, Mysterio, Kravan, Shocker, Vulture, Lizard, Green Goblin and of course Venom (this covers two seasons worth of regulars). However my favorite antagonist is season one's primary villain, the criminal godfather The Big Man. Normally I would expect the Kingpin to fill this roll but the shows producers went in a different direction, they used a little known Spidey villain named Tombstone. I absolutely adore Tombstone (wow that felt strange to write). The way he makes Peter feel like a kid playing at an adult game is great; and his explanation to Spider-man as to why he is creating super villains is one of my favorite rationals ever (I won't spoil it here, you'll need to watch to find out).
I would like to also hand out an honorable mention to SSM's version of Eddie Brock (Venom). If you have ever read the comics - or watched the atrocious Spider-man 3 - then you should know that Eddie has a less than inspired origin; especially in terms of motivation. What SSM has done is to take the revised Eddie Brock from the Ultimate Spider-man comics and further improve his background so that he becomes more of a willing victim. So instead of being some pissed off reporter who is discredited, Eddie is a life long friend of Peter and a science major at Empire State University (both Eddie and Peters parents died in the same air plane crash). Bound together by tragedy, these two are like brothers, they even refer to one another as bros. Sadly through a series of unfortunate events (the kind that can only happen to Spider-man) Eddie begins to feel betrayed by Peter, and later by the supposed hero Spider-man. The tension builds throughout season one and culminates when Eddie finally bonds with the symbiont (Spider-mans black alien costume) and discovers that the two people he hates most - Peter and Spider-man - are one in the same. Yes Venom is looking for revenge, but it's revenge born out of betrayal. A much strong emotion than previous incarnations of the character.
Though the story and character writing is without a doubt cleaver, the show's dialog is nothing short of brilliant. In case you don't know, Spider-man is supposed to be a smart-ass. This has been a part of the character's identity since his inception back in the 1960s. The problem over the years has been that this quality has never translated well outside the medium of print. Every Spider-man cartoon prior to SSM has failed miserably at providing witty banter, the same can be said for all three Spider-man movies as well. Spectacular Spider-man changes all that. Spidey's one liners in this series are not only funny, they are laugh out loud funny (and I'm not the kind of person who laughs out loud at action/adventure cartoons). Credit must also go to the voice acting of Josh Keaton (the voice actor who portrays Peter and Spider-man). Keaton's timing, inflection and pauses provide maximum effect for these fantastically written lines.
In regards to the production quality of the show, SSM it is definitely a well made series. The animation is fluid and the character models are always consistent with the last couple episodes of season two being particularly impressive. I still would have liked to have seen non-costume character designs that were a little less ... cartoonish (yes I can appreciate how ironic of a statement that is) but it's something that I got over pretty quickly and in the grand scheme of things it's a small complaint. Voice acting is excellent all around (though some voice actors noticeably do multiple characters, most of them one shots) as is the music. Top to bottom this show is about as good as the action/adventure genre gets.
If you have not seen this show then I recommend that you do so. The first season is available as a two-disc collectors set and can be found relatively cheap. Unfortunately the second season is currently only available in the form of four individual volumes. That may not be the best way to watch season two, but I do feel it is worth the effort to pick them up.
