I remember seeing the previews for this show back in 2008, and I wasn't as impressed as I should be--as a huge fan of Spider-Man, a new cartoon should have me feeling excited-- for the sole reason that I wasn't too big on the animation. My first exposure to Spider-Man was the cartoon from the 90's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man_(1994_TV_series) and I feel it spoiled me a little bit, as that show had really good animation, and it set the bar high in terms of that.
I did the right thing when I gave this new show a fair chance. After all, it's a new cartoon based on one of my favorite superheroes, so I feel that I should give it a chance. And I'm really glad I did. The show ended up being one of the best superhero cartoons that I have ever seen.
The Spectacular Spider-Man does a lot of different things with the hero, and I really do respect and appreciate that kind of boldness and that kind of effort.
Peter Parker (voiced by Josh Keaton) is a good kid and has a close relationship with both Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn.
Peter and Gwen are both very intelligent and get offered an internship at Empire State University, and that's the place that Eddie Brock works at. It's a nice setup for several things in the future.
I love the way that they did Harry Osborn in this series, and I love the way that they did the Norman/Harry relationship. I felt bad for the way that Harry was neglected by his own dad. He's a good kid and has good intentions, and that's what makes the bad stuff that happens to him even worse.
The show features several different Spider-Man enemies such as: The Shocker, The Vulture, The Lizard, Electro, The Sandman, Hammerhead, Doctor Octopus, The Green Goblin, Tombstone, Rhino, and the list goes on. Overall, I think the villains are done exceptionally well. And I also like the fact that several different people get the chance to shine as the bad guy. We even see a version of the Sinister Six.
The fight scenes are well done. They remind me of the fight scenes from the movies by Sam Raimi. Really creative choreography that gets done with the acrobatics and with the environment. Definitely one of my favorite parts of the show, and that's saying a lot.
One of the parts I loved was the way that they did Eddie Brock and the relationship that he had with Peter in particular. Eddie was a good man, and a man with a bright future. He was Peter's friend, and I felt that that made the whole thing more tragic and more personal. Eddie Brock slowly turns to the dark side and eventually becomes Venom. And when he becomes Venom, the whole Spider-Man vs Venom thing felt better and more personal. I also love the fact that Venom was treated as a big deal. He was a threat to Spider-Man in every way.
J. Jonah Jameson is once again a highlight. Seriously, the guy is just entertaining whenever he's on the screen. Daran Norris (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daran_Norris) did an amazing job as the publisher/editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle. He's so much fun to watch, and while he does have his bad points, he does have a good heart deep down. There was a scene in which Robbie told Jonah that an elderly woman had a heart attack. And when he reveals who it is, Jonah shows a human side and tells Betty (who was going to call Peter on the phone) that he'll call Peter himself. The way that he said it made me appreciate the character even more.
The show was well done, and it is an absolute treat to watch from start to finish. My only complaint is that this show was cancelled before a third season could begin, and that is an absolute shame because I would have loved to see a third season.
I recommend buying the blu-ray release of this show.
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