"Spider-Man Vs Doc Ock" DVD Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

A new DVD release featuring four episodes from Spider-Man: The Animated Series is released today!


http://marvel.toonzone.net/images/docockdvdsmall1.jpg

Spider-Man Versus Doc Ock
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 29th, 2004

Synopsis: Get ready for more spine-tingling excitement as America's favorite Super Hero battles Doctor Octopus and a host of his most famous foes in these thrilling animated adventures. Doctor Octavius was a brilliant scientist working on a revolutionary new invention until a laboratory accident fused a set of mechanical arms to his body and turned him into the dreaded supervillain Doctor Octopus. Now Doc Ock seeks his revenge on those who did him wrong, and there are only two men who can put an end to his plan of destruction -- Spider-Man or his secret alter-ego, Peter Parker!

Bonus Features:
-60's Episode: The Power Of Dr. Octopus/Sub-Zero For Spidey
-Stan Lee's Soapbox
-Five exclusive Episode Introductions
-A preview of The Venom Saga
-Animated Menus

This thread is for discussion of the DVD and it's features. To talk about the episodes themselves, please use the talkback threads, which are linked below.
-#6: Dr. Octopus: Armed And Dangerous (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=44430)
-#43: The Cat (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=39151)
-#44: The Black Cat (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=39151)
-#46: Partners (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=82007)

Comments?

[Spider-Man]

I've only had time to watch the first Doc Ock episode but it was great to watch it. I quickly went through the extra features and it seems to be the same extras we always get. I'm going to dive in a bit more later but it looks to be another good release from Disney.

[Samhaine]

So it's a theme disc through and through then? Doubt I'll pick this one up now.


And they were doing so well with the first three discs.

[Spider-Man]

It's not a bad disc. The episodes on the DVD are pretty good. They got the great first Doc Ock episodes, and some other ones featuring The Black Cat. It's not the best by far but it is a fine release. And since I doubt we'll ever get season sets of these shows, this is all we're probably gonna get.

[Red]

When do they come out?

[Stu]

It's not a bad DVD at all. I think, transfer/audio wise, it's the best one yet. The features are similar to the previous ones too.

I think that the episode selection brings it down a little, but I'm happy to see any episode on DVD. I do have to wonder why we didn't get audio commentaries, like the X-Men and Hulk discs have.

Did anyone find any easter eggs?

[Chris Wood]

Has anyone read any other reviews? Are there easter eggs?

[Kolbar]

I had heard there were, but I have no idea.

[Spider-Man]

Did anyone find any easter eggs?Are there easter eggs in this set? Does anyone know?

The set was alright but it seems like we're getting just more of the same and its starting to get really repetitive. It'd like to start seeing some different featurettes come about from these sets. I hope the next Spider-Man DVD has more interesting extras.

The episode selection is this disc's greatest flaw, though. Much like all the other DVDs, the episodes just run out of steam at the end. We see Doc Ock's role diminish as each episode comes up. It's disappointing.

[Mynd Hed]

Y'know, I love Stan Lee, but he really needs to get over his tendency to summarize in the episode introductions. I don't need to hear a summary of an episode that I'm just about to watch! Why can't he give us some actual behind-the-scenes information, like, "Well, this episode is an adaptation of a comic written by...." or comment on the theme and character, like, "I think this episode really shows what Spider-Man is all about, because...." rather than, "This is what's going to happen in this episode," followed, ALWAYS, by, "You're gonna love it."?

Other than that, this is another okay disc in a stream of okay discs. Better episodes than Ultimate Villain Showdown, not as good as the Green Goblin disc or the Daredevil disc. I doubt I'll pick it up-- good thing my work had it for rent or I might not have bothered.

[Wayman Tisdale]

I don't have it yet, is their ANY commentary from John Semper or anything about his FOXKIDS violence restrictions and the no-punching rule?

Does ANY Spidey DVD have Semper commentaries?

[Spider-Man]

I don't have it yet, is their ANY commentary from John Semper or anything about his FOXKIDS violence restrictions and the no-punching rule? Does ANY Spidey DVD have Semper commentaries?None that I know of. I wish they would give him the mic becuase he was the driving force behind the show. The guys here at Toon Zone have done some cool question and answer interviews with him. He talks about the censor problems a bit here:

http://marvel.toonzone.net/spideytas/semperinterview3.htm

I would like to see these show acknowledge the creators who worked on the show. I know this applies to more than just DVD but the limitations with each release is really starting to show with this one.

[Wayman Tisdale]

None that I know of. I wish they would give him the mic becuase he was the driving force behind the show. The guys here at Toon Zone have done some cool question and answer interviews with him. He talks about the censor problems a bit here:

http://marvel.toonzone.net/spideytas/semperinterview3.htm

I would like to see these show acknowledge the creators who worked on the show. I know this applies to more than just DVD but the limitations with each release is really starting to show with this one.WELL SAID. if you're a big Spidey fan you have to feel cheated when see these DVD releases and their lack of tangible features. John Semper especially needs to be interviewed on every release or I feel it's always incomplete.

He's a VERY candid dude!

P.S. By the way, how did you get the honor of the tag name "Spider-Man" there must've been a major war for that when this site first opened?

[Spider-Man]

WELL SAID. if you're a big Spidey fan you have to feel cheated when see these DVD releases and their lack of tangible features. John Semper especially needs to be interviewed on every release or I feel it's always incomplete.

He's a VERY candid dude!

P.S. By the way, how did you get the honor of the tag name "Spider-Man" there must've been a major war for that when this site first opened?
I can understand Stan Lee being there for sure. He's created the vast majority of the characters on this DVD, but the show should look at the people who worked on the show like the writers, directors, producers, etc. From the interviews I've read it does seem like Semper is very candid and would have alot of stories to tell.

And did we really need that Silvermane episode on this DVD? It's on par but not as bad as the Rocket Racer episodes from one of the previous DVD releases.

As for my handle, I just lucked out that no one picked it yet when I signed up. I didn't even join this site for a good seven or eight months after it opened and I was very surprised to get this.

[Wayman Tisdale]

I can understand Stan Lee being there for sure. He's created the vast majority of the characters on this DVD, but the show should look at the people who worked on the show like the writers, directors, producers, etc. From the interviews I've read it does seem like Semper is very candid and would have alot of stories to tell.

And did we really need that Silvermane episode on this DVD? It's on par but not as bad as the Rocket Racer episodes from one of the previous DVD releases.

As for my handle, I just lucked out that no one picked it yet when I signed up. I didn't even join this site for a good seven or eight months after it opened and I was very surprised to get this.Thanks for those links to the interviews, fascinating stuff. Although John Semper was a lot more candid and dished the dirt much more substantially than Stan Berkowitz did who I found a bit cryptic, reserved and too pithy for my taste.

John Semper even went into personal antecdotes of Avi Arad busting his balls more than anyone in the process. What a pain in the butt it sounds like to work on that series creatively. I don't think I could work on a Spidey series where you couldn't throw a punch.

[DRG4]

There's lots of John Semper stuff in my Behind the Scenes section, particularly in the one called "John Semper Talks About Producing the Show".

Here's the link:

http://members.fortunecity.com/drg4/spinterviews.html

[Batman]

I really enjoed this Dvd . Seenig Ocky on The BIG sceen he was Amazing , but The Doc Ock of The animated series was the Best Doc Ock. Also I love seeing The Black Cat again. this a good DVD:cool:

[Wayman Tisdale]

It's not a bad DVD at all. I think, transfer/audio wise, it's the best one yet. The features are similar to the previous ones too.

I think that the episode selection brings it down a little, but I'm happy to see any episode on DVD. I do have to wonder why we didn't get audio commentaries, like the X-Men and Hulk discs have.
I hate to break it to you but girthy episode selection, commentaries and extras are ALL people look for in a DVD otherwise just tape it off TV and that's a wrap. Nice video/audio transfer just isn't enough these days when the DVD is $14.99 you're a kid with a paper route making 30 bucks a week longing for juicy extras and commentaries.

Face it, Marvel perpetually screws us with these lame releases. The only one from Marvel oddly enough worth it's salt is the MTV original release of it's Spider-Man TAS. It's got ALL 13 episodes and several extras at only 19 bucks.

[Mynd Hed]

I hate to break it to you but girthy episode selection, commentaries and extras are ALL people look for in a DVD otherwise just tape it off TV and that's a wrap. Nice video/audio transfer just isn't enough these days when the DVD is $14.99 you're a kid with a paper route making 30 bucks a week longing for juicy extras and commentaries.

Face it, Marvel perpetually screws us with these lame releases. The only one from Marvel oddly enough worth it's salt is the MTV original release of it's Spider-Man TAS. It's got ALL 13 episodes and several extras at only 19 bucks.

Not that I disagree with you, but you should note that Marvel does not release these discs (or the similar single-disc theme compliations of X-Men: TAS, or the superior release of MTV Spidey). The DVDs are released by the copyright holders of the individual show, which in the case of Spidey: TAS is Buena Vista, which I believe is owned by Disney (someone correct me if I'm wrong). I'm sure Marvel gets royalties, but they don't have any creative control over the price, packaging or content.

[Spider-Man]

Not that I disagree with you, but you should note that Marvel does not release these discs (or the similar single-disc theme compliations of X-Men: TAS, or the superior release of MTV Spidey). The DVDs are released by the copyright holders of the individual show, which in the case of Spidey: TAS is Buena Vista, which I believe is owned by Disney (someone correct me if I'm wrong). I'm sure Marvel gets royalties, but they don't have any creative control over the price, packaging or content.And this is really frustrating becuase it denies us alot of potentially amazing extras and features for the disc set, extras that comic fans would love to have. We do get Stan Lee but what about the other creators who have worked on these characters? I can't see Stan Lee providing any adequate feedback for the Venom DVD. I really think we should be hearing more with the series creators. I would like to know why we got alot of Felicia Hardy in this series, especially given how focused the Doc Ock DVD is on her.

[HellCat]

I can't see Stan Lee providing any adequate feedback for the Venom DVD.
During the 90's, Buena Vista (I believe) released a small selection of 'movies' on VHS in the UK. These movies were basically multi-parter episodes of TV shows edited togethor, including Gargoyles, 90's Iron Man, 90's Fantastic Four and Spider-Man TAS. The Spidey eps were the Venom saga. At the start of the tape was a short intro by Stan, which basically covers the history we've heard a a hundred times before (how everyone told him Spider-Man will never sell). When it got to discussing the content of the tape, all that was really said was what we knew- that Spidey gets a living black costume and after he rejects it it bonds with one of his human enemies and comes for revenge.

[Spider-Man]

When it got to discussing the content of the tape, all that was really said was what we knew- that Spidey gets a living black costume and after he rejects it it bonds with one of his human enemies and comes for revenge.He pretty much said the same thing for characters he didn't create either. I'm not sure what DVD it was, maybe the Daredevil one, but all he did was describe the character which got incredibly repetitive and pretty useless. I would like to see John Semper discuss how he adapted the Venom Saga on the next release. That would be very interesting. His input in tieing in The Black Cat with Captain America on this DVD would've been appreciated as well.

[Stu]

I think it's a shame that so little behind the scenes stuff is available. As one of the first cartoons which used full season length story arcs, it should have more available.

I've done a few Stan Berkowitz for my site, and Jim Harvey, my fellow Marvel Mod, managed to get ahold of John Semper for some comments for Toon Zone News.

Both will (hopefully) be interviewed for my site again for the end of the year.

[DRG4]

I think it's a shame that so little behind the scenes stuff is available. As one of the first cartoons which used full season length story arcs, it should have more available.There's actually tons of stuff available. My "Behind the Scenes" section has a bunch of exclusive articles and images, as well as the only known video interviews with the cast members. I figured that the guys here knew about and went to my site regularly, but I guess not. Actually, I've seen people mention some of my stuff here before, but they don't attribute it to my site and can't remember where they've seen it, which I find really weird (especially since I've plastered my logo everywhere). I think you (Amazing Spidey) even did that with my video clips of Barnes, Asner, and Semper. I don't see how people forget that they came from my site (particularly since the clips have my e-mail stamped on them). Unless it's that my sites aren't supposed to be mentioned on here or something, but that wouldn't be the case, would it? You guys "borrow" enough of my pictures and don't credit me that it makes me curious, especially after I offered to team-up with you guys. I still think that would have made sense. I supply the pictures and behind the scenes stuff, you guys provide some reviews and webspace. Still think it would have saved you guys a lot of time and benefited both sides.

Anyway, here's the link to the "Behind the Scenes" section:

http://members.fortunecity.com/drg4/spinterviews.html

Oh yeah, in terms of fresh interviews, I contacted Sidney Iwanter (FOX's liaison to the show) and asked for an interview. Still haven't heard back though. I hope he responds since he was a real driving force for the show (as well as X-Men and the Surfer). All of these producers talk about how great it was while he was there, and how terrible FOX became when he left. I've also been looking for Larry Houston (who worked on X-Men and FF) and Eric Lewald (X-Men and Iron Man) but haven't found any leads. I actually chatted with Houston on AOL some years ago and he agreed to an interview (as well as promising me contact info for some of the storyboard artists who worked for him like Dan Veesenmeyer), but I never heard from him again. I think there's still an update on my X-Men site where I mention that there will be upcoming interviews with them. Heh.

DRG4

[Stu]

Finding anyone to interview is a pain. I only managed to get ahold of Semper because he joined these forums. Stan Berkowitz was passed on from a friend.

I've been trying to get ahold of the producer of MTV Spider-Man since the show started, I've found nothing. It's frustrating really.

As for the video files, I didn't remember where I saw them basically. I like your site, the content is exceptional. Your behind the scenes stuff is great.

I'm also fond of your Spider-Man model sheets. How'd you get them?

[DRG4]

I'm also fond of your Spider-Man model sheets. How'd you get them?Most of them are from a coloring book that I found at an old FEDCO store. It was a pain coloring them digitally since there was a ton of grain on the pages. It worked out prety well though since I managed to pull the colors from some of my screen captures (so they'd look like they did on the show). I think Chameleon and The Hobgoblin turned out the best, Venom not so much.

[Trevor]

I think it's a shame that so little behind the scenes stuff is available. As one of the first cartoons which used full season length story arcs, it should have more available.




You know, even though towards the end of the run of the DVD releases the special features did get repetitive and a little spare, it was still great seeing these releases, and especially now in 2009, since in Canada, as far as I know, there are no stations airing the series. So it would be nice if Disney released another "Best of" Collection if they didn't want to release a season set, since these discs were fantastic, and compared to some of the other animated releases by other studios such as Warner Brothers and Sony, the video and audio quality on these sets were top of the line.