The Spectacular Spider-Man "Interactions" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Stu]

Spidey's back for more as he tangles with Electro...


http://marvel.toonzone.net/specspidey/talkback.jpg

Episode #2: Interactions
Original Airdate - 8th March 2008

Peter Parker and Spider-Man both try to make connections. Nerdy Pete attempts to tutor the popular Liz Allan, while Spidey reaches out to stop a new menace: Electro.

Comments?

[Miyamoto Musashi]

Give a little more details dude

[Rud]

why, episodes on in less than 10 minutes

[Katsumara]

Wow, okay. I approve of this show. It's been pretty freakin' awesome before, and I love hearing all of these familiar voices too. It's pretty awesome.

[creativerealms]

Minority Liz Allen is my only problem so far. I know they needed to add minority characters but I was figuring someone other then the character I always saw as the prime example of dumb blonds.

[tb4000]

The Peter Parker/Liz Allen thing reminds me of Danny Phantom and Paulina. A lot.

[Captain Highwind]

10 inches of snow on the ground killed the last half of this episode for me.

It was funny because all I could get was Peter screaming about static on his cell phone.

My CW affiliate sucks, since it's usually the first station to go out before any other channel. This isn't going to make watching the show very fun.

[creativerealms]

Not as good as the first episode but still had it's moments, it makes you feel for this version of Electro, who really just wanted to be cured until the end when that seemed unlikely to happen. This episode lacked the little details the first episode had that mad it so cool. Liz Allen was annoying though I like this version of Eddie Brock, probably my favorite version of the character I'm so going to hate it when this Eddie becomes Venom.

[JRP82190]

Not as good as the first episode but still had it's moments, it makes you feel for this version of Electro, who really just wanted to be cured until the end when that seemed unlikely to happen. This episode lacked the little details the first episode had that mad it so cool. Liz Allen was annoying though I like this version of Eddie Brock, probably my favorite version of the character I'm so going to hate it when this Eddie becomes Venom.
I agree with just about everything you said can't wait for next weeks episode

[StellaMagic]

The Peter Parker/Liz Allen thing reminds me of Danny Phantom and Paulina. A lot.

Liz even sounds like Paulina, and looks like her. Her personality seems a lot nicer though.

[CartoonOverlord]

I'm starting to like this show, both episodes were great. The characters are all good and I like all of thier renditions of the villains so far, I hope they all eventually return. (The Enforcers are shoe-ins though seeing is that The Big Man hasn't appeared yet) I'll definitely be tuning in next week.

[Captain Highwind]

Liz Allen was annoying though I like this version of Eddie Brock, probably my favorite version of the character I'm so going to hate it when this Eddie becomes Venom.

I found it weird that Liz is a brunette, while Sally is blonde. In the comics it's flipped.

In the first episode, I thought Peter was eyeballing Liz and then, "Hey Sally!"

As for Eddie, I'm glad he's in college. I thought I read that he was in high school too. I like the distance already established between him and Peter.

[creativerealms]

For this version of Eddie well he is a nicer guy then other versions. I mean he was worried about Max and stayed by his side to make sure he would be ok. In some ways it will give more impact when he becomes Venom as he is not a jerk like most versions of Brock.

[kid rabbit]

loved the Peter and Liz charter moments and Gwen jeulesy

[thedanmachine]

While not as good as the first episode, I liked this one alot. Electro was really well done and I like the continuation of the Curt Conners sub-plot.

The action scenes also make this series a thrill to watch.

By the way, did anyone else think that maybe camera-phone teen could be a pre-scorpian Mac Gargan. Thats who I thought of immediately when I first saw him taking pictures.

Probably just me.

Anyway, cant wait for the next episode with the Lizard.

[ROBOTRON]

:D - 3 Stars.

Again, I like seeing the new Electro, he is one of my fav Spiderman enemies. As I explained in the Vulture episode thread...I knew his orgin was going to be messed around with...I can get with that. This episode was better than the Vulture one by half a point as the fight scenes were better. Poor Max, he sure has gotten some bad breaks since Spiderman MTV...now his origins are just tragic.

Its gonna take me awhile to get used to this art, I don't like it at all...the "Kim Possible" look doesn't work well with this toon. Other than that it was ok, but nothing overly spectacular about this eppy either.
_____________

I've read some of the speculation thread, but not all of it...too lazy. :D

Anyone know if we'll see The Rhino? He's another "old school" fav of mine.

[Hades]

Was that Crispin Freeman???

[Captain Highwind]

Yes it was. I didn't know his normal voice sounded like that.

[Hades]

Anyway, it was a good episode, but I'm still not sure. Any idea what time this show is going to air at? I missed TMNT today due to it, and if it is going to end up being on at the same time as TF every week, I'll take TF over it.

[warnerbroman]

glad he did not like lightning butt

[krankyboy]

For Saturday morning kids fare, the production team is doing a very good job. Like some people here, I'm not too sure about the portrayal of Liz Allen (I guess I also saw her as a blonde), but I thought they managed to make Electro both threatening and sympathetic at the same time. And there's a nice set-up for the Lizard to boot.

Beyond that, I loved some of the small touches -- the sense of humor, the cell phone conversations with Aunt May during the fights with Electro, and Peter's heroic alley run/change into Spider-Man.

[Arsenal]

I love these versions of Electro and Eddie Brock. I cannot wait to see how the creators handle Eddie's conversion to Venom. As for Electro, he did a very realistic normal-guy meltdown in 30 minutes. I even like how Spider-Man precipitated his first freakout. (The hero's a kid, so he's going to make some mistakes.)

I'm not going to fawn and throw rose petals at anyone's feet just yet, but Spectacular Spider-Man is 2 for 2 as far as I'm concerned.

Final thought, this version of Liz Allen didn't do anything for me either. I assume she'll be back in some capacity, but her entire plot line was predictable. As for her being Hispanic, her accent sounded generic to me. (And, yeah, I caught a whiff of Danny Phantom/Paulina too, but that was because of the character interaction.)

[Jacob T. Paschal]

Gotta say I could not help but say "Electro, grow the heck up you big baby!" What a lousy and predictable plotline. Hopefully the character grows a pair or the lovely production team does something to make the character less 2D.

[R-Taco]

The writers did a nice job of making Itachi-Electro sympathetic. Having uncontrolable amounts of electricity constantly surging from your body and messing with everyone and everything around you is bound to drive ya nuts.

I also found this echange amusing:

Electro: Without a cure, I'm not Max Dillon! I'm...what did you call me?
Spidey: Lightning butt?

[Jacob T. Paschal]

It simply felt far too quick and far too predictable. Otherwise both episodes for 3.5s from me. :)

[Anarky]

hopefully I can watch this soon. I'm sans television for the moment

[tb4000]

I assume that when most people gain powers, unless it transforms them into inhuman monsters, they choose to use them for good. There were always a few exceptions, but that seems to be par for the course. Had Max only gained electric powers but kept his human body, he could have been on Spidey's side.

[Razor]

Gotta say I could not help but say "Electro, grow the heck up you big baby!" What a lousy and predictable plotline. Hopefully the character grows a pair or the lovely production team does something to make the character less 2D.

I'd go a bit nuts too if I had electricity surging out of my body constantly, had to wear a complex suit all the time, and couldn't do basic human things.

[Movie06]

I like Electro's portrayal, to be honest I didn't dig his original design in the comics. Now this design, I like. So overall, great episode and I have one thing to say...

Bring on Venom, baby! :evil:

[Mad Mod 49]

Bring on Venom, baby! :evil:


Definately. I knew that my interest of Venom in this show, from the start, would be determinned by how Eddie Brock is handled. Here we get a nice guy Eddie (something I can't remember being done before, even Ultimate Spider Man Eddie, who was also Peter's older friend, was a jerk) so seeing how nice guy Eddie becomes flippin' psycho Venom is going to be very cool to see. :evil:

[GregX]

Definately. I knew that my interest of Venom in this show, from the start, would be determinned by how Eddie Brock is handled. Here we get a nice guy Eddie (something I can't remember being done before, even Ultimate Spider Man Eddie, who was also Peter's older friend, was a jerk) so seeing how nice guy Eddie becomes flippin' psycho Venom is going to be very cool to see. :evil:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v661/gregx/Funny%20Pictures/EDDIE.jpg

[Movie06]

Definately. I knew that my interest of Venom in this show, from the start, would be determinned by how Eddie Brock is handled. Here we get a nice guy Eddie (something I can't remember being done before, even Ultimate Spider Man Eddie, who was also Peter's older friend, was a jerk) so seeing how nice guy Eddie becomes flippin' psycho Venom is going to be very cool to see. :evil:

A nice guy Eddie Brock turns into Venom? Now I know that will be an awesome sight. :evil: Hope, I see that episode soon.

[tb4000]

Definately. I knew that my interest of Venom in this show, from the start, would be determinned by how Eddie Brock is handled. Here we get a nice guy Eddie (something I can't remember being done before, even Ultimate Spider Man Eddie, who was also Peter's older friend, was a jerk) so seeing how nice guy Eddie becomes flippin' psycho Venom is going to be very cool to see. :evil:

The question is, what will Peter do that causes Eddie to hate him so much to become Venom?

[ShadowGUN]

Sweet episode. Freeman as Electro was awesome.

9/10

Can't wait for next week Lizard episode.

[Movie06]

The question is, what will Peter do that causes Eddie to hate him so much to become Venom?

Maybe something similar to what happened in Spider-Man 3?

[GregX]

Maybe something similar to what happened in Spider-Man 3?

Um, this Eddie isn't a photographer.

Also, Pete didn't do anything to Eddie in SM3. Eddie did it all to himself in SM3.

[Movie06]

Um, this Eddie isn't a photographer.

Also, Pete didn't do anything to Eddie in SM3. Eddie did it all to himself in SM3.

Ok, that's true. Ok, maybe in the show Eddie becoming Venom was an accident.

[Rick Jones]

I think I liked this episode more than the first one. I didn't like the design of the new Electro when I saw the preview pics but I thought it worked out pretty well in the episode. Electro's voice was pretty cool too, although it kept reminding me of Superman in Justice League Heroes. Yeah, I was also thinking about the whole Paulina connection when I saw and heard Liz but I don't think its a really major change for her to be hispanic instead of blonde and blue eyed. It's kind of funny that she's never been in any Spider-Man adaptation (live-action or animated) in all of her 4 decades of existing, as far as I can remember.

All in all, I'm glad that I happened to see both episodes and enjoy them immensely because I really wasn't expecting anything good from this show. Oh yeah, and the theme song is pretty catchy too.

[Captain Highwind]

Ok, that's true. Ok, maybe in the show Eddie becoming Venom was an accident.

I'm guessing it will have something to do more with an experiment gone wrong in Conner's crazy lab than something from outer space.

Speaking of which:

Conners: "Look honey, I'm injecting myself with Lizard serum!"

Mrs. Conners: "Whot?!" D:

Curt's a kook. :sweat:

[Wonderwall]

This episode actually made me like Electro....I have never uttered that sentence ever. That alone makes it 5 stars for me, but in reality I actually liked everything else too, Crispen did awesome as Max. The fight scenes continued to be impressive and so did the humor and fluid animation. Hope they keep it up. I too got a DP/Paulina vibe, but unlike that pairing this one wasn't annoying( like most of DP was ).

[maczero]

Does anyone think that the "sludge" the eels were swimming in will lead to the Venom symbiote?

[warnerbroman]

Does anyone think that the "sludge" the eels were swimming in will lead to the Venom symbiote?no unless it a black liquid or rock

[PC!]

Ooh, that was really good. I've never really cared much for Spiderman shows, but this version is really refreshing and an interesting new take on the franchise. Looking forward to checking out future episodes.

[creativerealms]

Well Peter will become black suit symbiot Spidie before Eddie becomes Venom, now the creative team could really shock us by giving Eddie Brock no reason to hate Peter and it all being the symbiont, a true split personality with eddie Fighting for contriol not wanting to hurt Peter while the Symbiot tries to take control.

Anyway this is my favorite version of Eddie brock from any medium and I can't wait to see how Venom is handled.

[spyke]

Minority Liz Allen is my only problem so far. I know they needed to add minority characters but I was figuring someone other then the character I always saw as the prime example of dumb blonds.

I totally agree. that was my only MAJOR problem with that episode (and this series in general).

Don't get me wrong, as an African American I'm all for racial diversity in both comics and animated tv series and I have been very vocal about the lack of racial diversity and the crappy treatment of the few non-white minority characters in Marvel (I mostly complain about Marvel, since I'm more of a Marvel fan then a DC fan) and DC comics. However, I do not believe in changing white characters to non-white characters. I said it before, and I'll say it again, if they want to include non-white minorities in the comics or cartoons they should either (a) use an EXISTING minority character or (b) create an ORIGINAL minority character.

That all being said, I thought this series was pretty darn good, and IMO is the best Spidey animated series to date.


The Peter Parker/Liz Allen thing reminds me of Danny Phantom and Paulina. A lot.

I thought the exact same thing (I think the voice actress for Paulina is also the voice actress for Liz). Of course, it should be noted that Danny Phantom was very similar to Spider-Man/Peter Parker in many ways.

[Antiyonder]

I thought the exact same thing (I think the voice actress for Paulina is also the voice actress for Liz). Of course, it should be noted that Danny Phantom was very similar to Spider-Man/Peter Parker in many ways.

Regardless of the similarities, Liz or at least this version strikes me as a more likable Paulina. Basically she shows more depth.

[Jacob T. Paschal]

Ah yes, Brock. As much as I loved to hate the slime from Spider-Man 3 I find that this Brock may be one who can finally be sympathetic!!!

[Dark Fact]

Glad to see that this show is 2 for 2. I wonder if YTV or Teletoon are gonna show this in Canada?

[Captain Highwind]

Since I can't decipher the static in my recording, how did this episode end? Will Electro be back (as in, did he get cured or not)? I saw a big water geyser in there somewhere...

[Rud]

Peter knocked him into a pool and he shortsirketed, the guyser was just electrified water gushing out as a result.

[Anyone00]

This seems like it might shape up to be a good series.

Electro characterization was made to seem a bit dumb because it had to be done and over in that episode, if it could have been more of a slow burn thing that happen over small bits of five episodes it would have been much better but this show doesn't have that luxury for the more 'minor' villains.

How many times in Crispin Freeman's VA career has he had to scream "You're Lying!" for a part?

[sdp]

I really liked this version of electro, too bad after this he is destined to become just "another" bad guy and not a "confused" one. I hope the cheerleader subplot is explored more in another episode, I think it would be interesting.

[Antiyonder]

};2802970']I really liked this version of electro, too bad after this he is destined to become just "another" bad guy and not a "confused" one. I hope the cheerleader subplot is explored more in another episode, I think it would be interesting.

As I've said about the Vulture, not every villain can or should be an octopus, goblin or symbiote.

[Miyamoto Musashi]

From most of the critics I'll go with what is called animation cheese, and only tas the one I'll accept which has depth.
For Electro's origin: "Accept only Ditko's version"

[GregX]

From most of the critics I'll go with what is called animation cheese, and only tas the one I'll accept which has depth.
For Electro's origin: "Accept only Ditko's version"

Is English your first language, because I can't understand what you're trying to say here.

[lumpmoose]

I totally agree. that was my only MAJOR problem with that episode (and this series in general).

Don't get me wrong, as an African American I'm all for racial diversity in both comics and animated tv series and I have been very vocal about the lack of racial diversity and the crappy treatment of the few non-white minority characters in Marvel (I mostly complain about Marvel, since I'm more of a Marvel fan then a DC fan) and DC comics. However, I do not believe in changing white characters to non-white characters. I said it before, and I'll say it again, if they want to include non-white minorities in the comics or cartoons they should either (a) use an EXISTING minority character or (b) create an ORIGINAL minority character.

That all being said, I thought this series was pretty darn good, and IMO is the best Spidey animated series to date.

The supervising producer, Greg Weisman, goes over his reasons for changing the race of some of the characters in this podcast interview: link (http://spidermancrawlspace.podomatic.com/entry/2007-08-10T23_52_50-07_00)

To summarize, Greg's biggest source is the initial Lee/Ditko Spider-Man run from the 1960s, but contemporized to the present. For that reason, and because he knows what he's doing IMHO, he decided to not create a single new character for the series, except for very minor or non-speaking characters--i.e. to put his full faith in the fact that Stan probably knew what he was doing. The problem with this route is that in 1960s comics, almost every character is white. It wasn't overtly racist, it was just the culture of the time.

Putting an all-white cast in a contemporary show taking place in the most culturally diverse city in the world just doesn't make sense. Hence, to both meet his vision and modern sensibilities, the only conclusion is to change the race of some of the classic supporting characters--in places where it doesn't overly affect the story.

But yes, I agree that Liz sounds too much like Paulina.

[Aldrius]

Was it Maria Canals doing the voice of Liz? I wouldn't be surprised but I just wanted to make sure.

The only thing really freaking me out about the show right now is everyone's pupils. They're all possessed.

Otherwise, I think it's hilarious and very exciting, and not without the flashes of depth that it so sorely needs.

[GregX]

Alanna Ubach is voicing Liz.

[Storm Eagle]

Well Peter will become black suit symbiot Spidie before Eddie becomes Venom, now the creative team could really shock us by giving Eddie Brock no reason to hate Peter and it all being the symbiont, a true split personality with eddie Fighting for contriol not wanting to hurt Peter while the Symbiot tries to take control.

Anyway this is my favorite version of Eddie brock from any medium and I can't wait to see how Venom is handled.

That's basically why I've decided to watch this series. I've never paid attention to the other Spider-Man cartoons, but after seeing Spider-Man 3, this show's version of Eddie Brock is more interesting to me.

[Batgirl Beyond]

If I was being really nitpicky, I would ask: if Liz is supposed to be Hispanic, why is her last name Allan? (I suppose you could argue that she has interracial parents...)

And to the person who said she has more depth than Paulina - could you elaborate, because I can hardly see it?

Other than Liz being very annoying - and the eye thing that others have mentioned - I am happy with the show and will definately keep watching.

[Anarky]

If I was being really nitpicky, I would ask: if Liz is supposed to be Hispanic, why is her last name Allan? (I suppose you could argue that she has interracial parents...)

And to the person who said she has more depth than Paulina - could you elaborate, because I can hardly see it?

Other than Liz being very annoying - and the eye thing that others have mentioned - I am happy with the show and will definately keep watching.

Silly question. Perhaps her father is Caucasian. Interracial marriages are quite common.

What galls me is that she speaks w/ that typical Hispanic accent. Perhaps if she migrated to the US after her birth, I'd buy it. My cousins and I are 2nd generation US-born and NONE of us have accents. Neither do our parents who are 1st gen. For the most part, if you are born in the US and learn to speak English in the US, then it's highly unlikely you'll have a foreign accent.

[Joker1]

The Good: I really like the characterization of Peter and almost all of the supporting cast (including Eddie and Dr. Connors). The animation and fight scenes were really well-done, and the episode moved at the right pace. It's also nice to see some more build-up towards the Lizard, hopefully this show will make him a bigger villain than usual.

The Ehh: The revised Electro origin is ok, but nothing special. It kinda depends on the later characterization of the character in a way, because Electro coming after Connors multiple times and maybe leading to him turning into the Lizard could be cool, but it'd be lame if he just became the usual bank-robber/hired villain Electro.

The Bad: I'm not a fan of the Electro character design or the new Liz Allen. I understand the rationale behind making her Hispanic and not using a new character, but that still doesn't make me like it. It's just unnecessary changes. I think they went a bit over-the-top with her being annoying in the begining, so her coming around in the middle seemed forced. I also wish we had seen a little more of Aunt May or Harry.

[Antiyonder]

And to the person who said she has more depth than Paulina - could you elaborate, because I can hardly see it?

With Paulina, you get good looks and snobby personality. With Liz you get a bit more.

Granted she didn't take the tutoring seriously at first, she seemed to be making the attempt at listening after running into Pete again. After learning that Peter tried to help in stopping Electro, she chewed him out from what I'm guessing because she was worried about his safety (Peter's safety, not Spider-Man I might add). Even when giving him the cold shoulder at the end, she did at least feel some guilt.

[ROBOTRON]

One parallel I've noticed with this Spidey toon thats consistent with every Spidey toon since 67...Peter/Spiderman talks to himself/thinking out loud all though the cartoon.

Another thing is writers always love to make that jump to Venom right away...being an old timer when it comes to Spiderman comics and a fan of the 67 series, Its something I haven't gotten used to yet for some reason...Venom didn't appear as a Spiderman villain for decades after his own origin (Spiderman's)...I guess he's so awesome a character now (Venom) that they just want to interject him into the story right away while skipping over other interesting villains.

Oh well...not enough time in the world to include everyone he ever fought, but I must admit its still a little unsettling.

There was an old story arc in the comics where Spiderman grew several extra arms like a real spider whereas he needed Morbius venom to cure himself...it went something like that. Its too bad cool story arcs like that have to be skipped over to get to Venom quicker.:shrug:

Its nice to see this Spiderman toon starts off with Gwen Stacy. I know the Goblin killed Gwen in the comics...I wonder how this will be addressed (or will it be addressed at all) in this sugar-coated version of the toon.:sweat:

Only my DVR and time will tell.:D

[Antiyonder]

One parallel I've noticed with this Spidey toon thats consistent with every Spidey toon since 67...Peter/Spiderman talks to himself/thinking out loud all though the cartoon.

Another thing is writers always love to make that jump to Venom right away...being an old timer when it comes to Spiderman comics and a fan of the 67 series, Its something I haven't gotten used to yet for some reason...Venom didn't appear as a Spiderman villain for decades after his own origin (Spiderman's)...I guess he's so awesome a character now (Venom) that they just want to interject him into the story right away while skipping over other interesting villains.

Oh well...not enough time in the world to include everyone he ever fought, but I must admit its still a little unsettling.

There was an old story arc in the comics where Spiderman grew several extra arms like a real spider whereas he needed Morbius venom to cure himself...it went something like that. Its too bad cool story arcs like that have to be skipped over to get to Venom quicker.:shrug:

Its nice to see this Spiderman toon starts off with Gwen Stacy. I know the Goblin killed Gwen in the comics...I wonder how this will be addressed (or will it be addressed at all) in this sugar-coated version of the toon.:sweat:

Only my DVR and time will tell.:D


I wouldn't say he's skipping it, just doing it in his own way. Do you really want the story to be a carbon copy of the comic?

[Miyamoto Musashi]

I wouldn't say he's skipping it, just doing it in his own way. Do you really want the story to be a carbon copy of the comic?
Some stories could be good in that, which; I don't know.

I don't believe GG will know the true link between Peter and Spider-Man in this series because it'll lead to indepth and darkened stories, this is a kids show.

[Antiyonder]

Some stories could be good in that, which; I don't know.

I don't believe GG will know the true link between Peter and Spider-Man in this series because it'll lead to indepth and darkened stories, this is a kids show.

Greg Weisman happens to be good at making a kids show work on all levels, so I don't think that will be a problem. I mean look at Gargoyles or Avatar. They're both kid shows and certainly don't lack in depth.

[tb4000]

One parallel I've noticed with this Spidey toon thats consistent with every Spidey toon since 67...Peter/Spiderman talks to himself/thinking out loud all though the cartoon.

Another thing is writers always love to make that jump to Venom right away...being an old timer when it comes to Spiderman comics and a fan of the 67 series, Its something I haven't gotten used to yet for some reason...Venom didn't appear as a Spiderman villain for decades after his own origin (Spiderman's)...I guess he's so awesome a character now (Venom) that they just want to interject him into the story right away while skipping over other interesting villains.

Oh well...not enough time in the world to include everyone he ever fought, but I must admit its still a little unsettling.

There was an old story arc in the comics where Spiderman grew several extra arms like a real spider whereas he needed Morbius venom to cure himself...it went something like that. Its too bad cool story arcs like that have to be skipped over to get to Venom quicker.:shrug:

Its nice to see this Spiderman toon starts off with Gwen Stacy. I know the Goblin killed Gwen in the comics...I wonder how this will be addressed (or will it be addressed at all) in this sugar-coated version of the toon.:sweat:

Only my DVR and time will tell.:D
Yeah, it is a plus for me that he narrates in real-time. That was the one thing that made most Spider-Man stories stand out from others. While they were serious and had depth, his take on what was happening made it seem a little tongue-in-cheek, like he says what the reader/viewer is thinking. If something a little out of the ordinary happens, he will comment like, "how does that even happen?" The live action flicks kind of skimped on that, but whatever.

[GregX]

Some stories could be good in that, which; I don't know.

I don't believe GG will know the true link between Peter and Spider-Man in this series because it'll lead to indepth and darkened stories, this is a kids show.

Oh god. You really never have watched any of Greg Weisman's shows. Trust me on this, the Green Goblin is going to find out.

[Rud]

Yeah, it is a plus for me that he narrates in real-time. That was the one thing that made most Spider-Man stories stand out from others. While they were serious and had depth, his take on what was happening made it seem a little tongue-in-cheek, like he says what the reader/viewer is thinking. If something a little out of the ordinary happens, he will comment like, "how does that even happen?" The live action flicks kind of skimped on that, but whatever.

i agree with you, Peters internal monolouges make things more interesting and in some ways makes me think more.

[Pepperidge]

Its nice to see this Spiderman toon starts off with Gwen Stacy. I know the Goblin killed Gwen in the comics...I wonder how this will be addressed (or will it be addressed at all) in this sugar-coated version of the toon.:sweat:

If they can't do it on TV, I hope they can tell the story in some kind of straight-to-video arc.

[The Overlord]

If they can't do it on TV, I hope they can tell the story in some kind of straight-to-video arc.

Why? Why does Gwen always have to die? It is a bit of a cliche at this point. Why not be different, make something other than girl who is fated to die?

[GregX]

Why? Why does Gwen always have to die? It is a bit of a cliche at this point. Why not be different, make something other than girl who is fated to die?

Because Peter lives a dangerous life and will be making dangerous enemies. The people in his life have to be at risk also, and should not be untouchable.

[Wonderwall]

Another thing is writers always love to make that jump to Venom right away...being an old timer when it comes to Spiderman comics and a fan of the 67 series, Its something I haven't gotten used to yet for some reason...Venom didn't appear as a Spiderman villain for decades after his own origin (Spiderman's)...I guess he's so awesome a character now (Venom) that they just want to interject him into the story right away while skipping over other interesting villains.

Oh well...not enough time in the world to include everyone he ever fought, but I must admit its still a little unsettling.

There was an old story arc in the comics where Spiderman grew several extra arms like a real spider whereas he needed Morbius venom to cure himself...it went something like that. Its too bad cool story arcs like that have to be skipped over to get to Venom quicker.:shrug:

Good Lord..go read the comics then. It's a cartoon, they don't have decades to tell stories. And I saw no Venom..I saw Eddie Brock, who doesnt even look close to being a villain yet. But wait I saw Electro and Vulture( two very classic villains ), I saw the seeds planted through out both episodes for Lizard who will show up next week. But nah they're skipping over the classics and arcs just to get to Venom quicker. And the Morbius arc...hell Morbius himself sucked hard( pun intended ).


Why? Why does Gwen always have to die? It is a bit of a cliche at this point. Why not be different, make something other than girl who is fated to die?

I don't really see how its cliche though. Outside of the comics its never been done, and its not like its the clone saga or OMD, its a very good story.

[The Overlord]

Because Peter lives a dangerous life and will be making dangerous enemies. The people in his life have to be at risk also, and should not be untouchable.

The problem is constricting that it's always Gwen who has to end up dead and you can't do anything with the character besides kill her off. Why not kill off someone else?

Plus I'm starting to dislike the women in refrigerators cliche in comics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_refrigerators





I don't really see how its cliche though. Outside of the comics its never been done, and its not like its the clone saga or OMD, its a very good story.

Ultimate Gwen was knocked off too.

Killing off female supporting cast members to "develop" the male heroes is a huge cliche in comics. The only killed off Gwen because she became a boring character, which doesn't have to be the case here or wasn't the case in the ultimate version.

[Rud]

Killing off female supporting cast members to "develop" the male heroes is a huge cliche in comics. The only killed off Gwen because she became a boring character, which doesn't have to be the case here or wasn't the case in the ultimate version.

its a cliche that works and has an actual impact, i dont see whats wrong with it, Gwen must die and Peter will grow in some way cause of it.

[GregX]

I think it's a natural chapter in Peter's life story, and should eventually happen here. Not for a while, as of yet, but eventually.

[Rud]

I expect Gwen to be around for a long time, but eventualy (like when their in college if the series gets that far), Gwen must die...................

[Antiyonder]

I expect Gwen to be around for a long time, but eventualy (like when their in college if the series gets that far), Gwen must die...................

Question if Greg will still bump of Captain Stacy first or maybe give him a later date with death.

[Darklordavaitor]

Me likey. The writing still impresses, and the animation's improving as well. Ethnic Liz was a slight turn-off, though, and we're getting into Liz's new-found affection for Peter a little too fast for my tastes.

So, next week we get the Lizard. I'd like to see a fight between him and Spidey similar to their first brawl in #6.



Killing off female supporting cast members to "develop" the male heroes is a huge cliche in comics. The only killed off Gwen because she became a boring character, which doesn't have to be the case here or wasn't the case in the ultimate version.
No, Gwen was killed off to prove a point. Around that time in the comic's run, the writers were missing a point:

Spider-Man is about pain and power and the responsibility that comes with it, and with Gwen, Peter's life was becoming a little too pleasant to keep this up, so Gerry Conway did what he must to bring us back to the series' pre-set reality, and in doing so, ushered in the now famed story, 'The Night Gwen Stacy Died".

It may now be a little more comforting to do so now, you're right. Should Gwen die in this series, you ask? I don't see why she should, at least not yet

Sorry I suck at spreading my point across.


The Peter Parker/Liz Allen thing reminds me of Danny Phantom and Paulina. A lot.
What do you expect? A lot of DP is lifted up from other comic books. Look at the Reality Gauntlet.

[W.C.Reaf]

I do agree that Gwen has to die. It's a classic story that shouldn't be changed. It's not a cliché as much as just retelling a very defining moment in Peter's life.

That said I also don't want her to die, as such. I really liked her in Ultimate Spidey and when she died in it I fully understood what fans felt in 616 when she died. And if Greg’s half as good a story teller as I think he is then I'll be yelling "NOOO!" at the screen when/if they get to that stage in Peter's life.

If anything Gwen in this will show people that she's good for other things than just dieing. My God I heard "wow they're going to kill Gwen" way too often when they announced she was going to be in this. That is just sad that a characters most remembered moment is her death and that's all that is associated with her.

And for something completely different: I liked Liz. Sure I was a little turned off by her voice at first but she grew on me and Pete really made an impact on her.

[Antiyonder]

Besides, The Death of Gwen was done at a time before the writers decided that the fridge treatment was cool. Heck, that's why it was shocking.

[Miyamoto Musashi]

All right; three questions:
1. Did Clifford (King Kong) Harlan appear yet?
2. Is Flash first name revealed? Is it Eugene like the original or Fred like the Ultimate? Flash is just his High School nick name for those who think Flash is his real name.
3. Peter is the Bugle's web designer or the famous photographer?

[Darklordavaitor]

All right; three questions:
1. Did Clifford (King Kong) Harlan appear yet?
2. Is Flash first name revealed? Is it Eugene like the original or Fred like the Ultimate? Flash is just his High School nick name for those who think Flash is his real name.
3. Peter is the Bugle's web designer or the famous photographer?

1. Didn't notice him if he did, but I don't think so.
2. Nope, not yet.
3. Right now, Peter's not a part of the Bugle. He attempted to join in the first episode, but Jameson didn't approve. Myabe later on he'll join.

[Rud]

Spidey-mon

at the end when Liz left with Flash there were two guys next to him, a black guy, and a big bald asian, im prety sure the big bald asian was King Kong, as thats how the Ultimate version looked.

[Captain Highwind]

It's a classic story that shouldn't be changed. It's not a cliché as much as just retelling a very defining moment in Peter's life.

I agree with this. I won't be looking forward to it, but there seems to be alot of character development building with her already. You know she's not the popular kid, she's introduced before Mary Jane, and she has both a crush on Peter and is envious of him. At this rate it will be a pretty big blow when it happens, instead of "Oh, we have to do this now, so let's get it out of the way so we can move on to the other stuff from the comics."

Overall this series reminds me of the Untold Tales series, which is good because looking back, that's one of the very few Spidey titles that I enjoyed. This show has a wider scope to work with, unlike said comic series; a fact I hated when it got cancelled.

[maczero]

All right; three questions:
1. Did Clifford (King Kong) Harlan appear yet?I think he had a non-speaking cameo. I'm guessing he's the big, bald kid that was hanging with Flash.

[MattThomasM2B]

2 for 2. Now I have a reason to get up early on Saturdays(Or buy a TiVO, whatever comes first).

I'm loving the foreshadowing and interconnected nature of the plots. I don't see why people would be against it; the 90s show, Ultimate Spider-man and this series all have the luxury of looking on the original comics, seeing what worked and seeing what didn't.

[Nate Palm]

Me likey. The writing still impresses, and the animation's improving as well. Ethnic Liz was a slight turn-off, though, and we're getting into Liz's new-found affection for Peter a little too fast for my tastes.

Should Gwen die in this series, you ask? I don't see why she should, at least not yet


Ethnic Liz didn't bother me. It was Ethnic Liz's over-the-top accent that I didn't like.

Gwen's death is an important part of the Spider-Man mythos BUT as long as this show takes place during high school I see no need for her death to be part of the series.

I'm surprised by the quality The Spectacular Spider-Man. I like being surprised. Don't care for those eyes though. They seem so expressionless.

[Master Toon]

I do agree that Gwen has to die. It's a classic story that shouldn't be changed. It's not a cliché as much as just retelling a very defining moment in Peter's life.

So much has changed that it wouldn't be that much of a big deal if she does or doesn't die.

[hobbyfan]

In 2003, Max Dillon (Electro) was a college student. In 2008, he's a janitor or mechanic working at Empire State University. In both cases, he was mutated by his newfound powers. What's wrong with being an ordinary crook who might've had the powers beforehand?

So in this version, Eddie Brock was a couple of years ahead of Peter and was a protector against Flash Thompson? The mind boggles.

I am so not digging Liz being rebooted as a Latina cheerleader. If it isn't broken, why fix it? I have that same question for Joe Quesadilla after "One More Day", BTW.

The design for Aunt May might be inspired by how they rebooted Sabrina's aunts, Zelda & Hilda, a decade ago. Not too bad, but I guess they couldn't use Rosemary Harris from the movies as a template.

And while they've got Peter right this time, in terms of the 60's classics, those of you jonesin' for Mary Jane will have to wait until the season ends.

And, of course, -100000 credits to Kids' WB! for compressing the credits for ad purps. I will give Josh Keaton his props. He's doing good so far capturing Pete's whole character, and he even sounds like Tobey Maguire a little bit. Spidey's web swinging is right out of the movies, not as fluid as we've seen in earlier toons.

Now, you'd think Marvel could reclaim the rights to use Kingpin here, since it's highly unlikely Fox will ever make a sequel to Daredevil at this point. Kingpin, after all, was a foe of Spider-Man's before meeting DD.

I rated this 2 1/2 stars. The Amerime designs are going to be a problem.

[Rud]

I rated this 2 1/2 stars. The Amerime designs are going to be a problem.

this does not look like anime, at all, look at my avatar and look at this cartoon, their nothing alike, it looks more like a disney toon than anything out of Japan.

[GregX]

In 2003, Max Dillon (Electro) was a college student. In 2008, he's a janitor or mechanic working at Empire State University. In both cases, he was mutated by his newfound powers. What's wrong with being an ordinary crook who might've had the powers beforehand?

So in this version, Eddie Brock was a couple of years ahead of Peter and was a protector against Flash Thompson? The mind boggles.

I am so not digging Liz being rebooted as a Latina cheerleader. If it isn't broken, why fix it? I have that same question for Joe Quesadilla after "One More Day", BTW.

1. In the comics, he was never a petty crook who got powers. He was an electrician who got struck by lightning, gained powers and then decided to become a petty crook. Here he was an electrician, got his powers through different means but still electrocution and went nuts. Guess how the the brain works. It makes sense.

On that note:

Dear Bruce Timm
Mr. Freeze was just a petty crook. Why did you change him like that? What's wrong with just being a petty crook with powers?
:p

2. Eddie Brock in the comics was a character who came out of no where and his motivation made no sense. They're tying him to Peter now so that when he becomes Venom, their conflict will be personal, and even heart breaking.

3. Have you ever been to New York City? It's the most ethnically diverse city on the planet. Stan and Steve's Midtown High was pretty Anglo Saxon. They wanted to make it more like the real world.

[Wonderwall]

Spidey's web swinging is right out of the movies, not as fluid as we've seen in earlier toons.

Now, you'd think Marvel could reclaim the rights to use Kingpin here, since it's highly unlikely Fox will ever make a sequel to Daredevil at this point. Kingpin, after all, was a foe of Spider-Man's before meeting DD.

I rated this 2 1/2 stars. The Amerime designs are going to be a problem.

Spidey seems more fluid than ever before so I dont get that statement. Marvel cant just reclaim something unless FOX wants it too or the deal runs out. Again its not anime at all, and really knocking that many points for designs..seems a bit much.

[RONDC20]

I loved it, not as good as the first episode, but great nonetheless.

[krankyboy]

3. Have you ever been to New York City? It's the most ethnically diverse city on the planet. Stan and Steve's Midtown High was pretty Anglo Saxon. They wanted to make it more like the real world.

I don't think the poster was making an argument against having ethnic diversity in the show as much as pointing out that this particular "reboot" didn't seem necessary for the character. That being said, you're absolutely right in your description of the population in New York City. And although it was a bit strange to me at first, having always grown up with a certain depiction of Liz Allen from the comic books, I didn't have any problem with her being recast as hispanic as opposed to your typical blonde cheerleader (I actually thought Sally was Liz when I first saw her in the cartoon).

However, Liz's accent was so poorly done that it did border upon Jar Jar Binks territory. That didn't scream "real world" to me as much as it made me cringe.

[Antiyonder]

In 2003, Max Dillon (Electro) was a college student. In 2008, he's a janitor or mechanic working at Empire State University. In both cases, he was mutated by his newfound powers. What's wrong with being an ordinary crook who might've had the powers beforehand?

So in this version, Eddie Brock was a couple of years ahead of Peter and was a protector against Flash Thompson? The mind boggles.

I am so not digging Liz being rebooted as a Latina cheerleader. If it isn't broken, why fix it? I have that same question for Joe Quesadilla after "One More Day", BTW.

At least Greg is making these changes through an alternate continuum rather than rewriting existing continuity.

[W.C.Reaf]

Can we please not have a OMD "lets bash Joe Q" thing here?

As for the Liz ethnicity changes I have two points:

1) It's tricky to introduce a brand new character into a comic book cartoon without it seeming like "hey have you met my friend Jonny Token?"

2) Is it that big a deal that Liz is Hispanic? Does anyone who hasn't been reading 616 for the past 20 years know who she is in comics? Sure there are the “Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane” and “Ultimate Spidey” books, but they're radically different from the original anyway in terms of personality.

My point is that Liz is such a minor character to begin with does it matter so much that they tweaked her a bit?

[warnerbroman]

liz is cute

[Spider-Man]

Did anyone catch the homages to Spider-Man 2 in the episode? There were two scenes that were obviously based on Spider-Man 2. One was when Spidey landed on the train and the other when he ran up the side of the building and jumped off.

The episode wasn't as strong as the first one but I still liked it. It felt a bit rushed but I still like what Weisman and his team are doing here. I like that Spider-Man's pictures came out blurry when he tried to take pictures. I also like that someone else tried with their cell hpone. The show is really trying to fit in a lot of neat twists here and there to ground it and I like that. I like that the show is doing alot of foreshadowing to future storylines whether it was the mysterious mob boss in the first episode or with Curt Conners here. You can definately tell that there's a plan to this season and I can't wait to see it unfold. A good episode though not as good as the premiere. They are really doing a great job on this show.

[hobbyfan]

1. In the comics, he was never a petty crook who got powers. He was an electrician who got struck by lightning, gained powers and then decided to become a petty crook. Here he was an electrician, got his powers through different means but still electrocution and went nuts. Guess how the the brain works. It makes sense.

On that note:

Dear Bruce Timm
Mr. Freeze was just a petty crook. Why did you change him like that? What's wrong with just being a petty crook with powers?
:p

Touche.


2. Eddie Brock in the comics was a character who came out of no where and his motivation made no sense. They're tying him to Peter now so that when he becomes Venom, their conflict will be personal, and even heart breaking.

That does make a lot more sense than the way he was intro'd in the books back in the day.


3. Have you ever been to New York City? It's the most ethnically diverse city on the planet. Stan and Steve's Midtown High was pretty Anglo Saxon. They wanted to make it more like the real world.

My only visit to NYC was in 1973, and included a tour of Marvel's offices. I even met Stan, IIRC. Hey, I was 10, so if my memory's off, welll...! I get that NYC is the living definition of a melting pot of cultures, but is it really necessary to retcon a pre-existing character from a WASP to a Latina? If you want to add a Latino/a to the cast, I'd have created someone who'd have fit in around the time of the original series.


I don't think the poster was making an argument against having ethnic diversity in the show as much as pointing out that this particular "reboot" didn't seem necessary for the character. That being said, you're absolutely right in your description of the population in New York City. And although it was a bit strange to me at first, having always grown up with a certain depiction of Liz Allen from the comic books, I didn't have any problem with her being recast as hispanic as opposed to your typical blonde cheerleader (I actually thought Sally was Liz when I first saw her in the cartoon).

However, Liz's accent was so poorly done that it did border upon Jar Jar Binks territory. That didn't scream "real world" to me as much as it made me cringe.

Thank you.

[Miyamoto Musashi]

Five & a Half Stars. These couple of episodes ROCK.

Still I can't find any Spider-Man story as pleasing as Spider-Friends arachnoid episode


Did anyone catch the homages to Spider-Man 2 in the episode?
Yeah, i caught it and the way they focus on his head; that was a scene based on Spider-Man 3

[Wonderwall]

Did anyone catch the homages to Spider-Man 2 in the episode? There were two scenes that were obviously based on Spider-Man 2. One was when Spidey landed on the train and the other when he ran up the side of the building and jumped off.

I def saw the train reference, thats cuz it was a great shot in SM 2. The running I thought that was from all the movies, cuz I swear he does it in all of them:p.

[email2003]

I'm not digging into Electro's new look in this series. He seems more of a mutant, like X-Men, than a normal person with electric powers.:sad:

[macattack]

Okay, first sign of an awkward voice-over: Liz Allen. I don't mind or even care about the change in ethnicity but they didn't need to make her sound like a Mexican immigrant.

I liked how they packed so much character development of Electro into one episode. It was a delicate balancing act and they pulled off, where they showed him as an ordinary Joe who grows steadily frustrated and even despairing before he just loses it and begins attacking everything. I loved the way Crispin Freeman handled the character, especially the line "I can't even have a lousy cup of coffee!" That really shows the despair of the Electro character there. Of course, Electro's mental stability isn't helped by Spider-Man's wanton attack on him, it shows that Peter is young and makes mistakes, and may have prevented Electro from staying sane long enough for a cure to be made.

At the same time, the viewer isn't bombarded by this. There is enough comedic relief to not make this whole episode an angst-fest. That is really important, and I liked how they balanced that. I also liked how they're building up Eddie Brock and Dr. Connors. It is clear those two are going to be extremely important in the future.

Josh Keaton is doing a great job with Peter Parker/Spider-Man. I give him a lot of credit for handling the serious and comedic moments with the character.

And . . . of course, we have J. Jonah Jameson up to his old tricks. Glad to see he hasn't changed much.

[M.O.D.O.K.]

While not as strong as the first episode, this was also a great episode. This version of Electro has become one of my favorites, since they gave him a good origin, and did a good job handling his tragic origin in one episode.

I'm not complaining about Liz Allan's accent. After suffering three seasons of Paulina's accent in "Danny Phantom", I don't think anyone can top that level of annoyingness.

And I liked the recurring plot points, like Dr. Connors injecting himself with lizard serum, J. Jonah Jameson stealing Pete's idea, and Aunt May's deal with Pete. This is probably what the crew was talking when they mentioned mini-arcs.

4.5/5

NEXT WEEK: Dr. Connor's consumption of lizard serum takes a toll on him when he becomes a mostruous Lizard himself, with only Spider-Man able to stop his rampage.

[Antiyonder]

My only visit to NYC was in 1973, and included a tour of Marvel's offices. I even met Stan, IIRC. Hey, I was 10, so if my memory's off, welll...! I get that NYC is the living definition of a melting pot of cultures, but is it really necessary to retcon a pre-existing character from a WASP to a Latina? If you want to add a Latino/a to the cast, I'd have created someone who'd have fit in around the time of the original series.

A. Greg wants to keep the comic characters only.
B. Retconing is rewriting a particular continuum. The show is in another continuity, thus not part of Earth 616. So it's not retconing, but reimagining.


I think the show does well at being faithful to the comics without being a copy of the comics. I mean if you like the original verson, then go read the Essentials.

[Wolf Boy2]

Okay, first sign of an awkward voice-over: Liz Allen. I don't mind or even care about the change in ethnicity but they didn't need to make her sound like a Mexican immigrant.
I find accents sexy, so she gets an A+ from me. I'd rather have a hot Latina than some dumb blonde Valley chick like what the comics had.

I wonder if she'll develop a crush on Peter, like her comic counterpart?

[James Harvey]

Kids'WB! has provided Marvel Animation Age (http://marvel.toonzone.net/) with a bonus official screenshot from the recently aired episode "Interactions." Check it out below!


http://marvel.toonzone.net/specspidey/reviews/naturalselection/t-03.jpg (http://marvel.toonzone.net/specspidey/reviews/naturalselection/03.jpg)

[Jeffrey Logan]

1. Someone here said that Liz Allen hasn't appeared in animation before. Actually she has - in Spider-Man (1994) (she was most memorable in the episode 53, where Peter got married to Mary Jane hydroclone. She calmed Harry Osborn/Green Goblin II down, but mostly she was Mary Jane's friend).
2. Seeing the list of villains There'll be no Kingpin in the show, the man in the shadow some of you saw in the episodes might be Tombstone/Lonnie Lincoln (Kevin Michael Richardson is the voice actor).
3. The guy with Flint Marko is truly the man (Alex O'Hirn) who becomes The Rhino in episode 6 "The Invisible Hand".
4. Eddie Brock dating Gwen Stacy is also what I would call a reference to Spide-Man 3. Eddie Brock won't become Venom that soon, 'cause I didn't find his name from any of the tentative informations for 8 episodes (You can find them from en.wikipedia.org).
5. From marvelousnews.com/news.php you can find a picture of The Lizard.

[Antiyonder]

4. Eddie Brock dating Gwen Stacy is also what I would call a reference to Spide-Man 3. Eddie Brock won't become Venom that soon, 'cause I didn't find his name from any of the tentative informations for 8 episodes (You can find them from en.wikipedia.org).

While wikipedia can and has been correct, it's best not to take the info 100%. The site is known to be wrong at times. For instance, The Spectacular Spider-Man page was at once point listing the guest heroes who would appear in Season 1, despite Weisman's confirmation that guest heroes were a no go.

[M.O.D.O.K.]

2. Seeing the list of villains There'll be no Kingpin in the show, the man in the shadow some of you saw in the episodes might be Tombstone/Lonnie Lincoln (Kevin Michael Richardson is the voice actor).

Actually, the man in the shadows is "Big Man", voiced by Keith David, who apparently, is switching spots with Hammerhead.

[Reg]

I really enjoyed this episode. Was great how Liz was calling Peter "Petey" just like she did in the early Lee/Ditko days. Crispin Freeman did an awesome job on Electro. His life got screwed up and eventually that man reached his breaking point.

I also liked how Spidey made mistakes like attacking Electro because he thought he was a crook and not being able to take pictures right. Classic Spidey stuff.

I can't wait to see more of Liz lightening up to Peter. You guys catch how Gwen looked jealous when she saw Peter talking to Liz at the eel tank?

[Miyamoto Musashi]

How was Max fixing Connors device if it was electrically activated? He should've turned off the power first then start fixing. I really prefer the power line man who got hit by lightning or no origin

[kid rabbit]

hey if I can accept Liz as a mutent and firestar no less I can accept her hispanic
besides she was never that popular a charter anyway in spidy mthyos she easly forgettable I like her better this way she way more attracive

[Wonderwall]

How was Max fixing Connors device if it was electrically activated? He should've turned off the power first then start fixing. I really prefer the power line man who got hit by lightning or no origin

Does it matter, the original comics origin was just as ridiculous.

[Miyamoto Musashi]

Does it matter, the original comics origin was just as ridiculous.
At least it had sense, a more believable accident during the job and not a "Carries a board and doesn't get shocked because electricity was on".
Then again it's just a cartoon, doesn't have to make sense.

I still prefer the classic cartoons Electro

[GregX]

At least it had sense, a more believable accident during the job and not a "Carries a board and doesn't get shocked because electricity was on".
Then again it's just a cartoon, doesn't have to make sense.

I still prefer the classic cartoons Electro

.............. :D

Are you serious?

[Miyamoto Musashi]

.............. :D

Are you serious?Everyone has a special taste, I'm certainly serious that the first two animated shows hosting Electro did a better job than the rest. They have stories that follow up to the comic villains origins already explained in comics anyway, why recreate the origin?

[W.C.Reaf]

So a man getting powers from a lightning strike on a telephone pole makes more sense to you then a technician forgetting to unplug a machine?

It's called human error, which is more likely to happen.

[Antiyonder]

Everyone has a special taste, I'm certainly serious that the first two animated shows hosting Electro did a better job than the rest. They have stories that follow up to the comic villains origins already explained in comics anyway, why recreate the origin?

Why make the show a carbon copy of the comic when you can read the comic (Essentials, Marvel Masterworks)?

[Ian]

So a man getting powers from a lightning strike on a telephone pole makes more sense to you then a technician forgetting to unplug a machine?

It's called human error, which is more likely to happen.

Yes, but when an origin requires someone who should know better (Max, who apparently knew what the machine was and what it did) to make four consecutive mistakes (not wearing special gloves; not turning off the power of the machine he was working on; screwing up the removal of the panel; picking up the drill), it becomes more than a bit unpalatable. Had Max been a janitor, I wouldn't have a problem with the origin. As is? Bends suspension of disbelief just a tad too much.

I commented on the Survival of the Fittest thread how the subplots so far felt overly staged. The "Connor's formula gets struck my magical lightning (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LightningCanDoAnything)" bit is one of those moments. How conveeenient...and the fact that it was highlighted at every available opportunity didn't help.

[Typhoon]

this episode was great! I cant believe they showed a gun, i love this show. The action scenes were good to. Spiderman has the cure too...if i remember right doesnt that turn him into like a 6 armed man

[Anwar]

Yep, it accelerated/augmented the mutation that the spider-bite did to him and made him into a Man-Spider instead of a Spider-Man.

[W.C.Reaf]

Yes, but when an origin requires someone who should know better (Max, who apparently knew what the machine was and what it did) to make four consecutive mistakes (not wearing special gloves; not turning off the power of the machine he was working on; screwing up the removal of the panel; picking up the drill), it becomes more than a bit unpalatable. Had Max been a janitor, I wouldn't have a problem with the origin. As is? Bends suspension of disbelief just a tad too much.

Not every tech guy does a perfect job. Heck the sound system in some of the lecture theatres’ in my Uni are seriously messed up due to dodgy tech guys, not to mention the lights which are just tones of random fun.

Seriously he could be one of those cowboy tech guys that, while being a nice guy, don’t always do a good job of things.


I commented on the Survival of the Fittest thread how the subplots so far felt overly staged. The "Connor's formula gets struck my magical lightning (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LightningCanDoAnything)" bit is one of those moments. How conveeenient...and the fact that it was highlighted at every available opportunity didn't help.

It's called setting up plot.

Or would you prefer things to just randomly happen?


this episode was great! I cant believe they showed a gun, i love this show. The action scenes were good to. Spiderman has the cure too...if i remember right doesnt that turn him into like a 6 armed man

Ummm what?

[Ian]

While the distinction between one careless mistake and four consecutive ones may mean little to you, to me, it's the difference between plausible and implausible. Likewise, I don't see why the couldn't make Connor's transformation a result of just the formula, instead of being "formula"+"magic lightning"--adding pseudoscience to more pseudoscience doesn't make the Lizard's origin any more realistic. The only reason I can see why one would mix the two is to set up a sequel story in which Connors attempts the unaltered formula (if it is indeed unaltered--the lightning effect might just be a red herring).

[Wonderwall]

Didn't the stuff Conners was taking alone turn him into the Lizard. I swear either people are making these connections in their heads or I'm not paying attention.

[Ian]

You're not paying attention, then: so far, we've been led to believe that Electro's lighting striking the formula had more than a little to do with Connors' transformation into the Lizard. During Electro's attack in this episode, the formula was struck by lightning, and we've being seeing it glow weirdly since.

[Batman]

You're not paying attention, then: so far, we've been led to believe that Electro's lighting striking the formula had more than a little to do with Connors' transformation into the Lizard. During Electro's attack in this episode, the formula was struck by lightning, and we've being seeing it glow weirdly since.

That's a very good point you made, prehaps the electrical super charge is what caused Conners formula to malfunction .

[creativerealms]

That's a very good point you made, prehaps the electrical super charge is what caused Conners formula to malfunction .

More then perhaps as he has been taking the formula before that point with no transformation. He was shown injecting himself with the lizard DNA in the first episode. Perhaps the change would have been much more gradual without Electro supercharging a dose but he had been taking it for a while.

[Wonderwall]

Just noticed the bit of electricity in the vial in Natural Selection, looks like I gotta pay more attention to this stuff. But in the end its not really a big deal. Honestly some of you guys need to lighten up, its a comic book show...comic science is bound to show up.

[Thorn]

Watched the rerun today, and am here to sing the praises of Electro's design. I honestly thought it was just "okay" until I toddled over to Marvel's site and saw...Starfish Head Guy. Yikes. That's more Yu-Gi-Oh than electrical. I really like that this version of Max, like the MTV version, is as pathetic in-story as he reads metatextually. I wonder, have any comic interpretations done the "lack-of-control" motif? I mean, with electricity's volatility, it sort of stands to reason that his initial mutation would come with unfortunate side effects. Or is it just the latter day TV incarnations?

[Goodfellow]

Okay, seriously, there is something not right about this episode. All three times it has aired, the video looks odd, as if they compressed the picture. Am I the only one that sees this?

[Palin Dromos]

Okay, seriously, there is something not right about this episode. All three times it has aired, the video looks odd, as if they compressed the picture. Am I the only one that sees this?

Oh Thank Goodness I'm not the only one who thought this!

Yeah there's something about the characters, they looked vertically stretched, thinner. Most easily seen when looking at Conners, or Brock.

When it first aired I couldn't be sure, but since then we've seen the rest of the season, and this ep still looks off.

I think that which ever studio animated this ep had a messed up character model pack or something. Or when the show was composited the character layer got stretched in the computer or something. Just guessing.

But yeah there's something off about this ep (visually).

[Goodfellow]

I hope it isn't like that on the DVD.

[Mad Hatter]

I also noticed that during the times that I saw the show. It probably will be on the DVD, but I feel pessimistic today, so who knows?

[black_spider]

This episode is the dark-spot in the season, I don't like it as much as I like the rest of the episodes.

The origin is bad, he wore protecting rubber gloves and he got electrocuted this hard??? I prefer SM&HAF version a lot, I'm serious

[W.C.Reaf]

This episode is the dark-spot in the season, I don't like it as much as I like the rest of the episodes.

The origin is bad, he wore protecting rubber gloves and he got electrocuted this hard??? I prefer SM&HAF version a lot, I'm serious

Umm he wasn't wearing rubber gloves but workman’s gloves to protect his hands while handling equipment.

While looking back I think they should have saved the big electrical effects till he hit the tank and not have it look like he was hit by a big jolt from the console.

But the way they handled how his powers stopped him from living any sort of normal life and how it affected him mentally made up for dodgy origin. For me anyways.

[russttrombone]

Oh Thank Goodness I'm not the only one who thought this!

Yeah there's something about the characters, they looked vertically stretched, thinner. Most easily seen when looking at Conners, or Brock.

When it first aired I couldn't be sure, but since then we've seen the rest of the season, and this ep still looks off.

I think that which ever studio animated this ep had a messed up character model pack or something. Or when the show was composited the character layer got stretched in the computer or something. Just guessing.

But yeah there's something off about this ep (visually).

Watch the opening credit sequence of this episode. In the shot of the electronics store, there is more information on the left and right than what is usually shown in the other 12 episodes of the season (More people are visible in the shot).

We know that the show was produced in 16:9 but that it's only broadcast in 4:3. My guess is that for all of the other episodes, they broadcast a 4:3 formatted version and than on this particular episode broadcast, someone screwed up and aired the 16:9 version. I imagine that to make the 16:9 fit for broadcast, the computers simply squished it to fit (kind of like what would happen to a picture that wasn't shaped the same as your comp monitor and you chose the "fit to screen" option).

I'm pretty sure that's a broadcasting screw up and not something wrong with the animation. I would definitely not expect it to be that way on the DVDs.

Oh and yay that my registration finally got approved. I've been waiting to post on here (feels like) forever!

[D Dubbs]

Here are the differences between “Interactions” on TV and on DVD.

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/1095/transition1dz2.png http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/7452/transition2ic8.png

1. Before the episode actually begins, on the DVD there’s this shot of New York transitioning from day to night in order to bridge “Survival of the Fittest” and “Interactions.”

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/5218/transition3ir1.png http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/3922/transition4zi8.png

2. Instead of the theme song, on the DVD there’s a ‘black crawling spiders’ transition between the scenes of Max’s accident and him being rushed into the hospital room.

3. And again, no episode title or on-screen credits on the DVD version.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/534/ending2bx9.png http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2351/ending1io4.png

4. And once again, the Spider-Man sky background is exclusive to the TV version. On the DVD during the upward pan shot of the sky, we hear the sound of police sirens, which connects this episode to the next one. There actually are police sirens briefly in the TV version, but they are quickly muted by the traditional ending music once the Spider-Man background fills the sky.

[W.C.Reaf]

I've just spotted another easter egg.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e44/WCReaf/Spectacular%20Spider-Man/vlcsnap-809558.png

Guy on the right has a Wolverine slash mark T-shirt that clearly is supposed to say Snikt, his claw sound effect from the comics. (Although we don't see all of the word)

Someone in the art department was having fun with background characters. :)

[Rick Jones]

That's pretty cool. I never would have spotted that myself.

[W.C.Reaf]

I normally wouldn't have either, but I was flicking through my copy of the episode for something else and spotted this by accident.

It however does make me want to watch all the other episodes and just look at the background details/characters to see what else is in there.

[DBTrilogy100]

The 2nd (and my middle favorite) episode of the Connor's Lab Arc. We get a new villain and the set up for another one!

*I heard Max Dillon's design in this show was based of off Crispin Freeman (Electro's voice artist), does anyone know if that's true?

*Wow! Max's accident looks like it hurt a lot! It might be even more painful then Livewire's from Superman.

*I'm wondering if Eddie and Max were friends who hung out with each other for awhile. Not a good idea to joke around like that, Eddie.

*Peter rushing to get to school in a dramatic fashion was funny as was when he thought Flash found out about his secret.

*Liz was pretty annoying at the start of this episode, good thing she cleans up her act later on.

*I don't think I saw Electro's episode(s) in the 90s Series, I like how they did the "Mr. Freeze approach" with him.

*Spidey pushed Electro over the edge, great way to show he makes mistakes like you and me.

*Peter's ringtone is great.

*Electro zapped Connor's formula, nice foreshadowing.

Next episode features one of my favorite villains...