The Spectacular Spider-Man: Survival of the Fittest Review;Episode 1

Editors Note By BD: AbstractSpidey is going to review all 13 episodes from the first season of the “Spectacular Spider-Man” animated series. He’ll tackle a few episodes over the next few weeks. He’ll also start reviewing season two when it begins to air.

Review: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is back on TV FINALLY after the mediocre MTV version of the webslinger. Greg Weisman, best known for Gargoyles, brings us this version of Spidey, which he says is based off of the early Lee/Ditko stories, but is it any good? OK, don’t let the suspense kill you, keep reading to find out…

Plot: The first episode of the season finds a 16 year old Peter Parker starting his first day of 11th grade, getting rejected by Sally Avril, embarrassing himself in front of the whole school, finding out his Aunt May is struggling to make ends meet, and getting an internship as a lab assistant for Doctor Curt Connors. Of course, his life as Spider-Man doesn’t make things easier, as he finds himself on the Big Man’s hit list and fights off The Enforcers and The Vulture. Does whatever a Spider can, right?

Review:Now, since every episode from Season 1 has aired, I’m going to try to review this without revealing plot points that were hinted at so that those who haven’t seen the episodes can still be surprised. With that said, the episode kicks off with Spider-Man loving life and using Flint Marko and Alex O’Hirn as punching bags. As fans, we know that Marko and O’Hirn become Sandman and The Rhino, respectively, but a fun and smart aspect of this show is introducing the villains as regular guys before they become super villains and highly… irregular. The show never misses a beat from that point on, introducing Peter Parker’s world, whether it be his life at home with Aunt May, Midtown High, Oscorp, The Daily Bugle, or the seedy underbelly with criminals like The Big Man and his right hand man, Hammerhead.

Speaking of which, it’d be a shame for me to not mention something I call, “the connection factor.” Possibly taking a cue from Ultimate Spider-Man, many of the characters in the show are connected in some way. For instance, Adrian Toomes isn’t just a former electronics engineer, but he’s a former electronics engineer for Oscorp. Not only does Toomes have connections with Oscorp, but a certain Dr. Otto Octavius works for Oscorp as well. Some fans may have an issue with things like that or the fact that Eddie Brock and Pete are good friends, but it works in making the show a tangled web, no pun intended, making the stories and character development feel more organic than just something done to sell toys.

From a character standpoint, the crew has definitely nailed Peter Parker/Spider-Man, something few incarnations have seemed to grasp. When he’s not under the mask, Peter shows the shyness and angst he’s known for, but as Spider-Man, he’s confident, brave and has that trademark sense of humor. His jokes never seem to fall flat and he never seems to shut up, which is what I need from my Spider-Man. Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy join Peter at Midtown High, both being outcast just like Peter. Showing Gwen is the “geek girl” while Harry is meek and reserved, contrasting who each would become later on as they went into college. Again, it’s different, but it just makes sense. Harry’s always fought to be loved by his father, but imagine dealing with that at 16, constantly having someone you love and desire so much to love you, showing no approval in anything that you do; it has to do damage to one’s confidence and psyche. As for Gwen, her intelligence was a big part of her character, but by making her an outcast just like Peter, it gives the two of them a connection and a history, so when she looks at Peter a certain way or when the future unfolds for them, it has more of a payoff. As far as the Midtown High supporting cast goes, we get to see Flash, Liz Allen, Randy Robertson, Stacy Avril, and for the Ultimate Spider-Man fans, Kenny Kong. The characters don’t get alot of screen time, but it’s clear that each plays an important role in Peter’s life, for better or for worse.

As far as the worst goes, I can’t do a Spectacular Spider-Man review without mentioning the villains. Montanna, Ox, and Fancy Dan are giving limited screen time as well, but they provide a good way to introduce us and Spider-Man to the Big Man and the amount of power he has, all while foreshadowing what he means to this show: A presence that’s always in the background, pulling the strings, much like the Kingpin was to the 90s series. The Vulture shines as a villain, but it’s his former boss, Norman Osborn, that shines the brightest…or darkest, which ever you prefer. Norman has a certain amount of distain in his voice making it obvious that he feels everyone is beneath him, especially his employees and his son. Otto Octavius makes a cameo, but it does foreshadow who he will become later in the series.

Likes: Obviously from the review, i liked ALOT, but the one minor thing I liked is the decision to make Liz hispanic and Kenny Kong asian. It doesn’t do anything different for their characters, but it creates a more realistic portrait of New York in 2008. It’s impossible to have a high school in NYC and not have it be racially diverse. Also, the show sets up threads for the future, meaning that every scene and character matters.

Dislikes: Um, it was only a half hr??? I just wanted more of the show once it was over and that’s not a fault of the show, just me being selfish

Rating:5 Webheads out of 5. A perfect score but I feel this episode deserved it. It set up Peter’s world and takes the first step to becoming the definitive take on character outside of the comic books.

Reviewed by AbstractSpidey