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Eagle-Owl writes...
I don't know if this would count as spoiler request (please tell me if it is), but had The Spectacular Spider-Man continued and had Pete looking at different colleges, what other colleges (aside from ESU) would he have looked at?
Greg responds...
I don't know. He'd have wound up at ESU though.
Patrick writes...
Hello, Mr. Weisman! I'd first like to say that I'm a big fan, and I'm thankful that you take the time to answer all of these questions despite how frustrating it must get at times.
Since I can't think of a non-spoilerific YJ question, here's a Spectacular Spider-man related one: In "Reactions," why did Green Goblin try to kill Otto? Did he know that he was creating another supervillain?
Greg responds...
No, he thought he was getting rid of a witness and weak link.
Greg Bishansky writes...
Out of curiosity, how old was Silver Sable in season two of "Spectacular Spider-Man." She doesn't seem older than thirty... I'm just curious, because if Hammerhead worked for her dad before he went to prison, twelve years prior was she above the age of consent when they had a relationship?
Greg responds...
I don't think so. Which is part of the reason Hammerhead (1) now has a new skull and (2) why he no longer is working for Silvermane.
MasterGandalf writes...
Quick Spec Spidey question- is Silver Sable an albino? I was just wondering because in addition to her white hair, her skin's notably paler than anybody else's (except for Tombstone, who of course *is* albino) and her eyes are an odd pale violet. Not a huge question, I know, but I was just curious.
Greg responds...
I don't think so. And is her hair truly white or platinum blonde?
Antiyonder writes...
Rewatched The Spectacular Spider-Man Season 2 this year, and I have to say that Growing Pains after several more viewings has really grown on me, especially having read many "Spider-Man has been framed" stories.
Now of course whenever said frame up occurs, Peter tends to recall them. But New Yorkers (whether they are civilains or fellow heroes) barely seem to recall that someone like the Chameleon or Mysterio posed as Spider-Man before.
Growing Pains on the other hand takes the more plausible route of having someone question whether Spidey's gone bad. Captain Stacy's comment towards Jonah sums it up: "This isn't the first time that the Bugle got it wrong when a copycat dressed up as the webslinger. Now do you really want to embarrass yourself and your paper! Again?"
Greg responds...
Thanks. We tried as much as possible to play the world consistently and let the many points of view there be voiced.
Harlan Phoenix writes...
Though I know your mind isn't the kind to play favorites, but given how you acknowledge The Mirror as your favorite/the best episode of Gargoyles, I think this might be able to fly.
Do you have any particular episodes of WITCH or The Spectacular Spider-Man that, if it wasn't your favorite necessarily, you felt was the best of those shows? And for what reasons, if so?
Greg responds...
At the moment, I can't think of just one for either series. But it's been a while since I've watched them.
Greg Bishansky writes...
I realize you're still not keen on revealing future plot points for what would have been season three and beyond of "Spectacular Spider-Man." But this question is about the first two seasons, although if the answer ever came, it would have been later. Which I guess places this in a murky gray area. Anyway, because I've been dying to know...
During the two seasons of the show, did Mary Jane Watson know Peter Parker is Spider-Man? In the comics, she knew since the night Uncle Ben died, so I ask if this was the case in "Spectacular Spider-Man" as well. A lot of her behavior towards Peter seems to point towards this.
Greg responds...
NO COMMENT.
Matthew writes...
This is about pretty much all the series you've worked on. I've noticed that most of your series has a large cast of recurring characters (and that despite this characters tend to be very well delineated.) Now for Young Justice, WITCH, and Spectacular Spiderman that may be just because they were pre-existing properties and already have large casts. However, Gargoyles also had a large cast.
Was this a because of conscious choice?
Do you perfer working with a large cast of characters?
Greg responds...
I do. I like creating worlds that feel real and populated.
Greg Bishansky writes...
Another Spidey question. This one is both Spectacular related, and about your Amazing Spider-Man back-up story.
When you wrote and produced "Spectacular Spider-Man," you tried to get to the core truths of who each and every character was. Well, I need to ask you about who Betty Brant was in your series. We've never seen much of her besides Peter trying to ask her to the Fall Formal, and Ned asking her out on a date. She didn't even have a single line of dialogue in the entire second season.
I ask, because in the comics, and this is something that often seems forgotten by most people, Betty Brant is a pretty horrible human being. It's not something I was even really conscious of until my friend, Josh Bertone, started writing a series of articles documenting the history of this character.
She was pretty bipolar when she dated Peter. Constantly flipping out at him if he so much as glanced at Liz Allan, or another human being who lacked a penis. And then, turning around and playing around with both him and Ned Leeds.
She later married Ned and then abandoned him on their honeymoon. Had a one-night stand with Peter, and was later on having an affair with Flash Thompson that lasted for months and months. Which was driving Ned nuts, although, his brainwashing at the hands of the Hobgoblin arguably made things worse. But the affair started well before this Hobgoblin business. Hell, she had the nerve to ask him if their marriage meant anything to him as he was walking out on her, and he replied with "more than it means to you" and he was right.
Of course, Betty now blames the Hobgoblin for all of her marriage's problems and never once really acknowledged any wrongdoing on her part. It's almost Demona-esque how neatly she's able to deflect any feelings of guilt.
And finally, there was Betty's appearance in the back-up story for Flash Thompson that you wrote (loved that story), and when Betty first sees Sha Shan, she is mad. I think I'll quote my friend Bertone, who said it better than I could:
"The icicle speech balloons are a cool callback to the Ditko days but take a look at that scene again. Betty isn’t responding to Sha Shan…Betty starts it! Betty doesn’t greet Sha Shan with an apology or any remorse. No! She’s mad at Sha Shan! Why? What did Sha Shan do to her? It’s not like they had a Betty/Veronica relationship. Betty stole Sha Shan’s man! Sha Shan has a right to be mad! Betty doesn’t!
"Betty Brant is the only woman who will have an affair with your boyfriend and then somehow be mad at you as if she was the victim. What a horrible person."
The above isn't a criticism of the story, or how you used Betty. It's a criticism of Betty as a person.
So, I have to ask. Would your interpretation of Betty, had the series gotten more in depth with her have been this terrible, awful individual? In the comics, she makes Sally Avril look as cool and fun to be with as Mary Jane by comparison! If so, I'd say Peter dodged a major bullet there, when Aunt May put a stop to this in "The Invisible Hand." Come to think of it, May never liked Betty in the Lee/Ditko run either. Betty is definitely not the girl you bring home to meet mom.
Greg responds...
I think the thing to keep in mind about ANY character in a shared corporate universe is that multiple writers, editors and artists have had at him or her, with different agendas - often agendas that had little to do with the character him or herself - and more to do with how that character plays with, in this case, Spider-Man/Peter Parker.
Me, I'm fond of Betty. Probably originates with her being THE girl in the 1960s Spider-Man cartoon. I clearly like her more than either you or Bertone, but I haven't tracked each and every appearance. I just try to get to the heart of who I think she is. To me, in the Lee/Ditko era, she was a high school age girl who dropped out to work, because she had to. So she wasn't mature, but she was extremely competent. One of the few human beings who could handle J. Jonah Jameson. That to me is the fundamental TRUTH of her character. Anyone who can hold her own with Jameson and put up with his... crap, has to have something solid in her. The fact that Lee/Ditko occasionally played her as a jealous harridan ... seems more indicative of the tropes of romance comics of the day than with anything inherent in who she was. And what other writers did with her in the post Lee/Romita era (after she had already been reduced to the fourth or fifth most important non-Aunt May girl in Peter's life) carries even less weight with me.
Is that selective on my part? Damn straight! But we were always selective on SpecSpidey. Had to be. Too much inconsistencies in the canon for us to do otherwise.
So, what did we decide?
Well, first of all, we wanted a sixteen year old Peter, as he was in the early days of Lee/Ditko. But no one's going to buy - in a modern context - a sixteen year old Betty working full-time for Jonah. So we made her nineteen or twenty (can't remember, but something like that). So we gave a nod to the original Betty/Pete relationship, but as you saw made it awkward because of an age gap that would be insignificant in ten years (at age 26 and 29) but is just too wide at 16 and 19. We had fun with that. But we also started to build the Betty/Ned relationship too. We did have a couple Betty/Ned scenes written and recorded for Season Two, but they wound up getting cut for time before being animated... mostly because (a) we were long and (b) they were scenes we could sacrifice. Ned and Ned's relationship to Betty would have been important in season three, and we wanted to set it up, lay some pipe, etc. But there were always things we needed for Season TWO that were more important. So we figured we'd worry about Season Three if and when we got there. And of course we never did.
As for that one Betty and Sha Shan scene in the comic, I think you're overthinking it. The two are both cold to each other. They have an unpleasant history. No one's apologizing. No one's asking for an apology at this point. Neither "started it". Looks must have come before words. And looks said it all. The words were simply the "icing" (pun intended) on the cake.
Personally, I can't see Betty with Flash long term... though I guess that's the longest relationship she's ever had - mostly by default. Now, I see them as good friends. Maybe occasionally friends with benefits, but these two are never going to be much more than that in my mind.
Of course, to me the perfect girl for Flash was always Sha Shan. (Someone who could kick his ass - at least figuratively, if not literally.) So what do I know...
Zeke Hero writes...
Greg,
First of all, I'd like to say I'm a huge fan of your work since Gargoyles made my young mind snap from "short attention span" to "give me more character-driven serial fiction!" during the Disney Afternoon days (jeez, I'm old...). When I heard you were doing Spectacular Spider-Man, I knew I was going to be in for a treat and while the show only got two seasons, DAMN were they exactly what I needed out of a Spider-Man show.
I've read the questions posted and have sat here making sure I won't ask an *eye-roll*-worthy one or something that will inspire the "no comment"-of doom, so here goes:
Gargoyles and Young Justice both have a family quality to the teams of characters that are our protagonists. We're introduced to a small band of 6-7 heroes by the writers and over the course of adventure after adventure we the viewer comes to feel as much as a part of that "family" as they do with each other. My question is (and I am in NO WAY fishing for spoilers or hints or what have you) what are your feelings on shows that expand these bases down the line? I remember, for example, that when Avatar added Toph her initial episodes didn't seem to gel with the audience I was viewing the show with and it felt like (to us) that the character didn't fit into a narrative we'd become accustomed to, yet by the end of the season (and this was our fault for not trusting the writers), Toph was a great piece of a larger cast that grew organically. Do you feel that adding, say, Angela as a new member of the Gargoyle family can hurt the narrative established with an audience burned time after time by artificial 90's cartoon storylines or does the idea of getting to add, say, the Wonder Twins (again, not fishing hence why I use these guys) offer up an opportunity to you as a writer for a left turn in the plot that you get to have a "trust us, we know what we're doing" stance with your audience?
(man that was a huge run-on senence...)
second question
When you and Brandon were mapping out the season (I saw the great behind the scenes video from SDCC), what was the best ah-ha moment (related to something we've already seen, not a spoiler or fishing trip) that you as a team came up with? Mostly I'm just looking for an anecdote about working as a team, you could even be vague and pronouny.
Third and final quesiton
You've now gotten to work on Marvel's Spider-verse, and the entire DC universe. I've noticed that in both cases you've gotten to go your own way on certain characters you've gotten to use (e.g. Silver Sable was a villain on Spider-Man with a relationship to Silvermane). Which comes first in cases where this occurs? Do you riff on story ideas and go, "we need a psychic badass" and then go, "let's use Psimon, but let's tweak him a little" or do you (or someone on the team) say, "Man, we REALLY need to use Abra Kadabra and I think I know how we could do that!" Since both shows have shown you dipping into a huge pool of characters, what about a character makes them a "semi-blank canvas" character that you can take as an opportunity to fit within your storybeats versus a character that you feel is fully-formed and just needs an artistic tweak to fit your plot?
Again, thank you so much for this board, your time, and this show. You've contributed so much to quality animation and, I hope you see the compliment here, but when I and my friends push Gargoyles on to newbies, we usually describe it as, "It's like the Wire, but with Shakespere, monsters, and the NYPD"
Greg responds...
1. I don't see how expanding the cast ORGANICALLY hurts the narrative.
2. I don't know that we had a single "Ah ha!" moment on YJ. But when things are working, they just begin to come together.
3. We've worked it from both directions. Ultimately, we ALWAYS try to be true to the spirit of the character - though sometimes we are intentionally introducing the character at a pre-classic stage. Silver Sable is a perfect example. We had long term plans for her that would have eventually brought her closer to the Sable from the comics. But we liked this backstory for her - and connecting her to Silvermane helped preserve the coherence of our universe.
SO WHERE HAVE I BEEN? Updates & Debunks
Hello everyone,
Haven't posted here in a while, and since I did a bit of message board lurking this morning, it seems to have led people to believe all sorts of odd things, so...
Where have I been?
Well, in early June, my family and I went to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon.
We saw seven plays in four days. Six of them (Henry IV, Part Two, The Language Archive, To Kill a Mockingbird, Julius Caesar, Love's Labours Lost and Measure for Measure) were just stellar productions. Everyone was great, but I'd like to particularly single out Susannah Flood in both Language Archive and Mockingbird, Dee Maaske in Mockingbird and Michael Winters as Falstaff in 2HenryIV.
Coming back from that, I was understandably swamped and didn't have time to post.
Next, I went to Minneapolis for the always great ConVergence convention. I did about thirteen panels. Some of which, like Gargoyles and Spider-Man and Young Justice, I felt qualified to be on. And some, like Dexter and Galaxy Quest, my only qualification was being a fan of whatever we were talking about. This was my third ConVergence, and it continues to be the best run convention I've ever attended. And now that the Gathering of the Gargoyles is no more, it has become my FAVORITE convention to attend.
Returning from ConVergence, I then got quite ill. In fact, I'm still home sick today. (Home sick as opposed to homesick, clear?)
So THOSE are the reasons I haven't posted. Nothing nefarious.
Next topic: YOUNG JUSTICE UPDATE.
We have aired episodes 101-109 (i.e. Season One, episodes 1-9).
(Yes, episode 110 accidentally was posted on Cartoon Network's website, but I'm going to pretend that never happened.)
Episodes 110-115 are in the can, i.e. they are completed and ready to air.
Episode 116 awaits only the final on-line, i.e. the final review of the episode. This has been delayed ONLY because I've been out sick this week.
Episode 117 will have it's sound mix on Friday. (I hope to be back at work by then.)
Episode 118 has been edited and work progresses on scoring and sound effects.
Episode 119 is ready to begin post-production.
Episodes 120-123 are being animated in Korea.
Episodes 124-126 are in layout in Korea, while we finish the final color models here in the States.
Episodes 201-202 (i.e. Season Two, Episodes one and two) - Are fully recorded and are in storyboard. (201 was written by me. 202 by Nicole Dubuc.)
Episode 203, written by Kevin Hopps, is almost fully recorded. We have one actor left to pick up, who has been out of town. It is also in storyboard.
Episode 204, written by me, will record this week. It is also in storyboard.
Episode 205 - Brandon Vietti, has turned in his draft of the script. I have to read and edit it.
Episode 206 - The outline, written by Peter David and edited by me, went out Monday for notes, which are due tomorrow.
Episode 207 - Kevin Hopps turned in his outline, which I need to read and edit.
Episode 208 - I'm writing this one. I'll start the outline, after I've edited the outline to 207.
Episode 209 - Jon Weisman turned in his outline, which I need to read and edit.
Episode 210 - Kevin Hopps is working on his outline.
We do NOT yet have a pick-up beyond episode 210, but our bosses have told us to start blocking out episodes 211-220 in anticipation of one.
Episode 211 - We've broken this story. I still need to find time to write up the Beat Outline, though I have it all on index cards.
Episode 212 - We've got the basics of this one down, but we (i.e. myself, Brandon and Kevin) still need to finish breaking the story.
Episodes 213-220 - We've got a very clear sense of the arc and what things need to happen, but we haven't started on these yet.
NEXT TOPIC: DEBUNKING YJ RUMORS
False Rumor #1: YJ IS A GREG WEISMAN PRODUCTION
Everywhere on the Internet, all I see is that YJ is Greg Weisman's show. That's just blatantly false. This is a VIETTI/WEISMAN production. Just as Spectacular Spider-Man was a COOK/WEISMAN production and Gargoyles was a PAUR/WEISMAN production. I am not, nor have I ever been, a one-man show on ANY project I've EVER worked on. EVER. And in particular, on YJ, it's extremely unfair to Brandon to leave him out of consideration. Brandon is heavily involved in every aspect of production, INCLUDING SERIES DEVELOPMENT AND STORY. He's been right there with myself and Kevin Hopps breaking every single episode. It's been a team effort from day one. Many of the series' best ideas came/come from Brandon. And this is aside from the fact, that of course, Brandon can write - but I cannot draw, which arguably makes him MORE important to the production than I. I am exceedingly proud of this series and my own work on it - though certain very vocal fans seem to think I shouldn't be - but that doesn't change the fact that Brandon and I are a team.
False Rumor #2: YJ WAS RUSHED INTO PRODUCTION
Another blatant misconception. Look, Brandon and I are both perfectionists. Neither of us would deny that we'd LOVE to have more time on each and every episode. But that's not the same as being rushed. Let's make a comparison: on Spectacular Spider-Man, I basically had one week to develop both the series and the entire first season. Then Vic Cook came aboard, and we raced to get into production in less than two months. Brandon and I had seven months to develop the series, break the first season (which granted had twice as many episodes as the first season of Spidey) and head into production. The show isn't and never has been rushed. That's not to say the schedule isn't tight. But we haven't aired a single episode that wasn't ready to air. And we won't.
False Rumor #3: YJ ISN'T AIRING NOW BECAUSE WE'RE REWORKING EPISODES BASED ON INTERNET CRITICISM
This is my favorite. I love it the most because the first person I saw who posted this rumor also said that I'd deny it. So here I am denying it, which of course serves to PROVE that he or she was correct, see? Let's be clear: for better or worse, this series is COMPLETELY unaffected by internet criticism BECAUSE of schedule. Everything of any significance was set and DONE before even the pilot movie aired last November, so we couldn't address fan concerns even if we wanted to. And, honestly, we don't want to. We don't in part because there is way less consensus than some people seem to think. For example, for every post I see expressing hatred for "Hello, Megan!", I see a post that likes it. And personally, I like it. Brandon likes it. So why would we change it, even if we could? In fact, even Season Two is moving forward more or less disregarding "fan" criticism. Brandon and I always had very clear ideas for what we wanted to do in Season Two (and even Season Three, should we get one) and those ideas haven't changed. As with every series I've co-helmed, all we can ever do is write and produce to OUR OWN passions - and then just cross our fingers and hope enough people share our passions to make it a success. Anything else is doomed to failure, because if we're not passionate about it, it'll show in the work, and then no one will like it. And just to make it clear: WE LIKE OUR SHOW!! Doesn't mean you have to - but don't try to tell me I don't.
So why aren't we airing new episodes now? That's a fair question that I don't have an answer for. After all, we have six unaired episodes in the can, with four more on the verge of completion. It's a Cartoon Network decision. Some fans have argued that they shouldn't have started airing ANY episodes until ALL episodes were in the can. But that too is a decision above my pay grade.
My best guess - and that's all it is - is that CN will air new episodes - starting with 110 ("Targets") - in September. The good news is that the later they wait, the more weeks they can go uninterrupted by reruns. I do know that Season Two (i.e. "Young Justice: Invasion") will begin airing as part of DC NATION in March of 2012. And by then ALL of Season One will have aired. So do the math.
People have asked me if I'm bummed about losing momentum by this delay. But the thing is we've ALREADY lost all momentum. So as long as they PROMOTE us whenever they finally do start airing us again, then pragmatically I'm good. Yes, I'll admit to a certain level of frustration in that I want our stuff to get out there, but if CN has a plan to make the most of the episodes, then more power to them.
Anyway, I think that's it for now. I'll get back to answering questions on ASK GREG as soon as I can find the time. (But keep in mind that San Diego Comic-Con is fast approaching. Note: Young Justice has a panel scheduled for Sunday, July 24th at 10am, with a signing to follow. I'll also be signing Gargoyles comics (and whatever else anyone might want) at the SLG Booth from 11:30am to 12:30pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (July 21, 22, 23).
Matthew writes...
Not a question, but I thought you might want to read a very positive review of Spectacular Spider-man:
http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com/cgi-bin/mag.cgi?do=columns&vol=spencer_ellsworth&article=042
Greg responds...
THanks!! That really was a great review!!
(I'm on a roll today!)
Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...
Silly little question- Do you ever feel the urge, (or give into the urge), to slip something into a script purely because you know something about the actor? Like writing a song into a scene because you know the actor sings, (but maybe not telling them that they're going to be doing Sondheim or Gilbert & Sullivan till after they agree to sing 'some ditty'), or make them speak a foreign language because someone is fluent (but perhaps has a horrid accent)? Someone has a great cackle? Find a reason to have it come up. Someone is afraid of canaries? Put on on the character's shoulder for the whole episode. etc The only example I can think of now would be to have M'gan spout a long series of made up equations to see if Danica McKellar's head explodes in the face of nonsensical math. (Or replace of a series of made up equations with her own theorem at the last moment and wait for her to notice.)
Or does "Jalapeno!" qualify as such evil?
Greg responds...
Jalapena definitely qualifies.
Thailog qualifies in general. (How can I write for Keith David and never give him the chance to laugh?!)
I would have loved to do musical episodes of Gargoyles and/or Spectacular Spider-Man, but in the former I couldn't think of a smart way to make it work (pre-Joss Whedon's "Once More With Feeling") and in the latter, we didn't get enough episodes...
But it was fun doing the two musical episodes of W.I.T.C.H.
The Spectacular Spider-Man Season 3 writes...
Can't you just talk to Sony, so that they would let you supervise the Spectacular Spider-Man, Season 3? So that they could change their mind to let Marvel use Spider-Man for the Super Hero Squad Show season 2 finale, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes season 1 finale, and main character for season 2 of Avengers and season 3 of Super Hero Squad, i'm tired of him being in just comics and video games, please bring back The Spectacular Spider-Man!
Greg responds...
There's no one left at Sony for me to talk to. They closed the entire television animation division there.
You'll just have to talk to Marvel about all of the above. I've got ZERO pull, believe me.
(I mean, really, if I did, don't you think I would have done a third season of SpecSpidey?)
Jeff writes...
First of all, many thanks for bringing us a great Spidey series. Just a few questions to put my mind at rest, as it bothers me to have my favorite stories left unfinished. Since the show is unfortunately canceled, I wanted to ask how would it have ended for the following characters.
1. Eddie/Venom (Would he have made peace with Peter: brothers again? Anything else?)
2. Gwen or MJ
3. Norman
4. Harry
5. Carnage: was he planned for an appearance?
Please I'd really appreciate if you can go into detail with these, especially first 3.
Greg responds...
As I've stated MANY times before, I don't see any advantage TO ME in vomiting out what my plans would have been absent the execution of said plans. All that accomplishes is to hold the ideas out for all sorts of second guessing.
Jamie writes...
Hey greg,first of all, you're awesome, i remember when i was only 5 and i would re enact your gargoyles haha good times.
If you were to compare Young Justice and your other works, would young justice be in the top 5?
How many views are you having on Young justice ?
Greg responds...
Wow, did you just make me feel old...
Yes, YJ would be in my top five, along with Gargoyles (of course) and in no particular order, Spectacular Spider-Man, W.I.T.C.H. and Captain Atom.
Edward writes...
Is the Green Arrow short in continuity with Young Justice since you were/are involved with both?
Greg responds...
I was also involved with W.I.T.C.H., Starship Troopers, Gargoyles and the Spectacular Spider-Man, and none of those are in continuity with Young Justice.
nacnud writes...
Dear Greg,
In a question long back by a different poster, you said that in Season 2 of The private Spectacular Spider-Man, Charles Xavier was just a professor of a private school. If the X-Men portion of your "Spectacular" universe are as well dedicated to the comics as Spider-Man's show was, does this mean the X-Men in your universe are currently:
Cyclops
Beast
Marvel Girl
Angel
and Ice Man?
Or would there be a different line-up?
Greg responds...
At this stage, only Cyclops and Beast. The others had not joined the school yet. Of course, these are all MOOT notions that were only in my head.
Anonymous writes...
I really like Robin's jokes, I've always been a fan of wordplay.
Oh Young Justice is the first of your show's that I've watched, but it was so good that it made me want to look into Spectacular Spiderman, and WoW it's really good I'm only a couple episode in but I love the way you have all the villains kinda developing into villains instead of just villain of the week type of set up.
Haha and the theme song is pretty entertaining.
Greg responds...
Thanks!
tomi writes...
I really enjoyed these first preview episodes of Young Justice. And perhaps even moreso than that i enjoyed to hear Crispin Freeman to return back to your services: i think he made fantastic work as both Speedy and Guardian, and eventhough you can still hear a bit that it is the same actor, he made it possible for those two characters to be divided and personified from one and another.
He was excellent as Electro, and i was fan of him before that(i came hooked sometimes around i first saw first few episodes of Wolf,s Rain).
From what i,ve been able to gather, he seems to be not only true professional, but also smart, intelligent guy with great thoughts, coupled with sharp and delightful sense of humor. I have seem him to appear in many of Gatherings(often paired with good old Thom Lexington Adcox), and i,ve heard that he was fan long before your paths crossed, often discussing with his fans about serie,s themes.
If it isnt too much trouble, could you give little bit of greenlight how you two met, and how your cooperation began?
Hopes for better to your work from fan from far-off-land Finland: maybe there arent too many Finnish Gargfans, but i am one of them.
Pidä lippu korkealla!/Keep your spirits high!
Greg responds...
I met him through the Gathering, actually. 2001 in Los Angeles, I believe. He was a guest of the convention, giving his mythology seminar. We first worked together on a pitch for Mecha-Nation, i.e. he did us a favor and recorded a bit of dialogue for us. The first paying job I could offer him was on the very last episode of W.I.T.C.H.
Chris writes...
Please forgive me if the following questions were asked.
1. What was your comment on the video game Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions? How did you like that they used some of the actors from Spectacular which were Josh Keaton, Thomas F. Wilson, Jim Cummings, Steven Blum, and John Dimaggio (not sure if I spelled that right)?
2. I know you don't like to answer questions about future plans for Spectacular, but did you pick any actors for Scorpion and Hobgoblin?
3. Did you know that a few of your ideas were taken from the 1994 Spider-Man cartoon? Such as the symbiote coming from John Jameson's space shuttle. Although TAS used a space shuttle crash instead. Another example is Vulture going after Norman Osborn in his first appearance. Another is Spidey hanging upside down and looking at the black suit at a tall building.
4. When you look at the Spectacular Spider-Man, do you believe that you have done a good job for the show?
5. What is your view on the Scarlet Spider? Would he have been worthy of being in the Spectacular Spider-Man if given the chance?
That's all I have for you. Please make the DVD company that makes the DVDs for Spectacular Spidey make a complete season 2 DVD. That would be greatly appreciated.
Your fan,
Chris
Greg responds...
1. I'm all for those guys getting work, since they're fantastic. But I haven't seen the game.
2. No comment.
3. Well, those ideas weren't "TAKEN" from the 90s cartoon, cuz I never saw it. Now anything from that cartoon that seeped back into the comics or the movies may have influenced me -- and/or great minds think alike, especially when similarly influenced by the same source material.
4. I do, actually. I'm very proud of the finished product.
5. No comment.
Alan writes...
Dear Greg,
When is season 2 of the Spectacular Spider-Man coming out on DVD? I've been patient for like a month after the volume 8 DVD was released. Now I can't wait any longer! Please try to make the company that makes the DVDs make them make season 2 of TSSM. Please?
From,
Alan
Greg responds...
I have no control or influence over this. Believe me, no one's more frustrated than myself.
Anonymous writes...
Hey Mr. Weisman, love your work! First and foremost, thanks a ton for taking the time to answer the many questions of us crazed fans, I haven't heard of many who care enough to do this. Secondly, congrats and best of luck on Young Justice, it looks like it has just tons of potential, and I look forward to seeing more.
My quick question is a pretty insignificant one I suppose, but for some reason it's always bugged me (I apologize if it's been asked already, I checked the archives and searched). In the Spectacular Spider-Man episode 'Catalysts', there's a bit where Spidey's web-shooters run out, and he reloads one of them during free-fall. After this, t first it seems like he's going to be, understandably, shooting webbing only from the one he reloaded, but then he can be clearly seen firing web from both web-shooters, even when he has only reloaded one. Was this merely an animation goof, or was there a specific reason?
Greg responds...
I feel pretty confident that you're either remembering or interpreting this wrong, but I can't check it at the moment.
Craig F writes...
Hey Greg,
I'm a huge fan of Spectacular Spider-man and I was heartbroken when it was cancelled. On the flip-side, I'm loving Young Justice, so I have to ask... If it weren't for Spidey getting cancelled, would you still be working on YJ?
Greg responds...
Probably not.
BonnieB21:-) writes...
Long time lurker, first time poster!
I've been trying to think of some questions I know no one else has thought of before. It's taken me a while, but I finally got them.
I've been a fan of Spiderman all my life and have watched EVERY cartoon version either in syndication, on cable, or when they originally aired. I was rewatching "Along Came Spidey" the origin of Spiderman from Spiderman And His Amazing Friends last night (a gorgeous episode, one of the best of the series and the BEST of his various origin stories (present company excluded)). But I believe this was the last time his full story was told. As in before Spiderman became a crime fighter, he was a "plain, old, SUPERSTAR!!!!!". I saw your Spectacular Spiderman origin and I had to ask you this:
I know you had to/wanted to keep towards Spiderman's live action movie origin which rushes through all the pre-crime fighting stuff. But if you could've, would you have explored Spidey's fame-whoring past? Cause I've always wondered why no one else in New York City, no other fans, or no one else remembers Spidey's pro-wrestling, personal appearance making, TV show guest starring past. If J. Jonah Jamision had a reason for hating Spiderman, I would think that would be it.
I used to watch '60s Spiderman every morning in syndication before going to school. But I hadn't seen it in a very long time until ABC Family/Disney reran a bunch of old Spidey episodes, but only one of '60s Spidey. The interesting thing about Peter Parker/Spiderman is that Peter talks in a mild mannered, soft spoken voice in his real life but once he dons the mask, his voice got deeper and more authoritative. That was the only series that had such a huge differnce between Peter and Spidey.
On Spectacular Spidey, there doesn't seem to be a huge difference between the way Peter sounds and the way Spidey sounds. Was there a reason for that? For the most part, Peter's and Spidey's lives don't connect too much (as in Spidey doesn't have to have long conversations with Peter's friends). But I would think at least of one person be it Aunt May, Gwen, or M.J. would be able to tell Peter's voice over a cell phone and Spiderman sound an awful lot alike.
Thanks for taking the time to answer fan questions!
Greg responds...
1. I'm more than happy with the origin we used.
2. Josh Keaton DID change his voice to differentiate between Pete & Spidey. It's just (intentionally) very subtle.
Anonymous writes...
Was Carnage and Shikata to appear on "The Spetacular Spider-Man" before it was canceled.
Greg responds...
No comment.
Dan writes...
In the theme song of the Spectacular Spider-man under one of the photos there is a headline reading " the final, fateful photo by Peter Parker". Was this hinting at something?
Greg responds...
I don't recall that, so I'll say... no.
Sree writes...
1.When coming up with the theme song for spectacular spiderman, how many bands and how many versions of the song did you have to go through? Did you n Victor Cook have much input into selecting the ulimate song?
2.Do you know what Victor Cook is currently working on?
Greg responds...
1. We listened to about seven or eight submissions. Four of those, including the Tender Box song you're all familiar with, we liked a lot and wanted to use on the DVDs, but couldn't afford to. And, yes, Vic & I picked the song, though of course we needed approval from a whole bunch of folks at Sony, Marvel and KidsWB. Fortunately, everyone agreed with our choice without reservation.
2. Yes. Scooby-Doo, plus he's guest directing episode 20 of Young Justice.
Akeem M. writes...
Hello again, another spec spidey question here.
In comics Tombstone had a connection to Robbie Robertson, making him more of one of Robbie's personal enemies. Is there a reason you decided to disregard that when making Tombstone the "Big Man". OR was it not omitted, and you just didn't have enough time to show anything concerning Robbie's relationship with Tombstone (or it didn't have enough impact on Peter/Spidey's life...yet)?
Also, we all know why you decided to get rid of Herman Schultz, but of all the people to be Shocker, why Montana of The Enforcers? Was there something that you saw in Montana that would plant him as a great match for the Shocker suit?
Also...if there is ANYTHING you want to give me for your discontinued plans for the future like "you would have liked this to happen" just spill it out... Just kidding...
Thanks
Greg responds...
Tombstone/Robbie would fall under the category of discontinued future plans, which I've pretty much decided there's no upside in me revealing.
As for Montana becoming Shocker, it just seemed to fit. Montana got away at the end of "Survival of the Fittest" and would be at loose ends without his Enforcer buddies. And he had a fun personality to inhabit the Shocker suit and gear. It worked for us.
Baron Ultron writes...
Few thing have bugged me since cancelation of Spectacular Spider-Man.
1)Does Marvel hate Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon or not.I ask this because they are making new Ultimate Spider-Man Cartoon and Spectacular Spider-Man was canceled and there was lack of promotion in Marvel.Com(While Avengers or Super Hero Squad have many promotions).Also in one of your answers you said that Marvel are not planning to make comic book based on your show or something like that.So does Marvel hate your show or not?
2)This might be stupid question but worth a shot.Will you ever work for Marvel or Disney again due to cancelation of your show and Disney retooling Gargoyles into Gargoyles Goliath Chronicles.
3)What do you think about Avengers:Earth's Mightiest Heroes Cartoon.Do you think it is as great as Spectacular Spider-Man or bad.Also in your opinion which show is better:Young Justice or Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
4)Will you watch Ultimate Spider-Man Cartoon?And also is there a chance that you will work on Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes or some Marvel Comic Book?
Good Luck
Greg responds...
1. I hope not. Ask Marvel.
2. I'm perfectly willing.
3. I haven't seen Avengers, but Frank Paur is producing it, so I take it for granted that it's great. But in any case, I don't see YJ as being in competition with Avengers. There's room for both.
4a. No. There's no upside in me watching Ultimate. If it's great, I'll be jealous. If it sucks, I'll be frustrated.
4b. No. I'm plenty busy on YJ.
4c. I hope so. Ask Marvel.
Ian Whitcombe writes...
I'm curious about the philosophy behind recieving episode premise approval for a show from DC (and I'm assuming Marvel too for SSM?). I wonder which would describe it better:
1. You submit the episode premise as a checks and balances procedure working in good faith that the episode will be approved provided there aren't any legal or logistical oversights that would make the episode impossible to produce. What I think I'm asking is if they recognize your desire as producer to make the episode, and they would only veto a premise if there was some sort of hassle.
2. You submit the episode premise in the hope that DC likes it and sees value in the episode's production. This would imply that the episode could be approved or vetoed based on the creative "whims" of DC.
Greg responds...
It's both or neither. The main concern for both companies (not including the legal ramifications, which separate LAWYER-TYPES deal with) is to make sure we are being true to the characters. Some DC and Marvel people focus on specifics. Some focus on the bigger picture. Some both.
But basically, they don't reject premises out of hand. Just the way we are dealing with their characters. And even that is fairly rare. Both Marvel on SpecSpidey and DC on YJ have been great partners in the process.
Algernon writes...
Hey Greg, how's it hanging.
Not a question so much as a request but I was wondering if you'd ever considered posting the "Spectacular Spider-Man" series bible online like you did for "Gargoyles"? I've always been impressed by the amount of thought you put into your shows, and it'd be a great insight into the creative process behind such a fantastic toon.
Greg responds...
Hmmm...
I don't have it here at Warner Bros to look through it and see if it's post-worthy. But I'll think about it.
John Derrick writes...
I hate to say it, but I was extremely disappointed in the Young Justice premiere. Don't get me wrong--the animation was gorgeous, the dialogue entertaining, the story intriguing. But the gender imbalance was a huge turn-off for me.
Why was it that the women of the Justice League were only shown in the last five minutes of a two-part pilot? Why did the male sidekicks get to go on a rebellious adventure and force the League to accept them as a team of their own, while the first girl is only added to "Young Justice" at the very end, introduced by her uncle and guardian like some sort of token?
I expect that the women will have a lot more to do in the episodes to come, but I still find it profoundly problematic to introduce the characters in such an unequal manner. I believe there are too many men in the world as it is who see women as mere supporting players in their stories. Why reinforce this stereotype for a whole new generation of superhero cartoon fans?
Greg responds...
It's a legitimate gripe. And I doubt my answer will satisfy you, but it came down to a couple factors that we at least found important: (1) practicality and to a lesser extent - but intertwined with - (2) tradition.
Let's start with practicality.
You asked why there were no female Leaguers until the end. But where would they have fit? There are no female Leaguers with traditional first generation sidekicks. So Batman, Green Arrow, Aquaman and Flash could not be replaced by Wonder Woman, Black Canary or Hawkwoman. That leaves the four Leaguers introduced at the Hall of Justice. I needed Martian Manhunter to be there to set up Miss Martian. I needed Red Tornado there to set up his interest in the teens. I needed Superman there to set up Superboy. That leaves only Zatara. He was certainly replaceable. But then I would have had to hire another voice actress to read ONE LINE. I couldn't afford to do that. We have budgets. (And you'll notice that Red Tornado never speaks in the episode. Couldn't afford giving him a line either. None of which had anything to do with gender.)
There was NEVER any intent to introduce Artemis this early in the season for story reasons. Wouldn't make sense for her character. And I think the reasons why will become clear as the season progresses.
As for Miss Martian, yes, in theory, we could have introduced her sooner. Manhunter COULD have brought her along at the beginning. But then I'd have had FOUR characters running around the first half hour and FIVE in the second. That steals screen time and characterization from everyone. I think the entire production would have been weaker for adding another character -- ANY other character (gender notwithstanding).
Of course, that begs the obvious question - why not ditch one of the boys in favor of her to create a little balance.
But it seemed to us that would create balance at a cost.
There are FOUR TRADITIONAL sidekicks: Robin, Speedy, Aqualad and Kid Flash. To leave one out seemed wrong to us. Which brings in the Tradition argument, which I'll admit is somewhat feeble, but as an old comic book geek, I'll also admit it matters to me and to everyone else here.
The very first Teen Titans story ever in Brave and the Bold featured only THREE heroes: Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash. Wonder Girl did not join until their second adventure. So we felt there was a precedent for beginning with Robin, Aqualad and Kid Flash and saving the real introduction of Miss Martian (beyond hellos) for OUR second adventure.
For what it's worth, if you give the series another chance, starting with episode three (i.e. the one immediately following the pilot "movie"), I think you'll see that female characters including Miss Martian, Black Canary, Artemis, Wonder Woman and MANY others will be playing ESSENTIAL roles in the show as we progress. I think the balance - and then some - is absolutely present in the first season when viewed in its entirety.
Yes, the pilot was very boy-centric, but that's not the rubric for the series. Personally, I love writing female characters, and if you're at all familiar with my past work, you'll know I have a history of doing them justice. (At least, I think so.) Gargoyles, for example, is FULL of strong female characters, including Elisa, Demona, Angela, Fox, etc. WITCH was nearly ALL female leads. Even Spider-Man had a strong female supporting cast, in my opinion at least.
If we did "reinforce a stereotype" (which I think is overstating it) then perhaps we've lured in kids that we will reeducate over the course of the season - organically without forcing it.
So I'd beg a little patience, a little indulgence... maybe even a little trust that we'll do right by this issue.
But judge for yourself.
SoundForSound writes...
Any reason for Disney to not just do a digital only release of Gargoyles via iTunes? Would not that be cheaper to release than DVD, or who knows? Any word on if YJ will be available on iTunes? Keep up the great work. Spidey was amazing, so am looking forward to YJ.
Greg responds...
I just have no idea on either front.
SLG writes...
Hey Greg,
Really liked the Young Justice pilot, very solid stuff. I especially like the line Robin had about how Batman would "have his head" for taking so long to get out of those shackles. Robin seemed pretty capable, and I'm sure he'll get closer to Batman's level as time goes on, but I do hope we'll get to see the master at work every once in a while.
I also really have to say that I loved the action sequences (and the writing, of course). They had a great flow to them and a great sense of pace. I was also a bit surprised at how hard hitting some of the fights were, by which I mean they seemed to be fairly violent, even compared to something as recent as SpecSpidey, though that's just my take on it.
So anyway, you say that your brother, Jon Weisman, is writing for Young Justice, which got me thinking about how that was also the case during your time on WITCH. Since someone was nice enough to upload the entire series onto YouTube it has been easy enough to go back to. One of my favorites of that show was "S for Self", mainly because of the songs "Demon in Me" and "Will to Love" that played during it, for which you and Jon wrote the lyrics.
So this is a bit out there, but do you suppose that original songs, like those produced for WITCH, are something that would ever have a place in Young Justice?
How about an entire episode in the form of a musical? Buffy style, you know you want to.
Greg responds...
I do want to. But I'm not sure I'm smart enough to come up with an original reason for it to happen -- that WORKS with the tone of this show. Way back when, I wanted to do a musical episode of Gargoyles, but could never come up with a justification. Then Joss Whedon did "Once More With Feeling". And of course, the answer was obvious. I could have used Puck to force everyone to sing. Trouble is... I wasn't smart enough to figure that out first. Yes, that's right. Joss Whedon is smarter than I am. Now, taking that approach would REALLY look like I was ripping off his idea. I'm not 100% sure I'm above that. But I'm about 87% sure, so...
Even on Spidey, which was a show with a way less realistic and grounded tone than YJ is, I struggled to find an original reason to do a musical episode. And I couldn't figure one out. So the odds of me figuring one out on Young Justice seem slim, I'm afraid.
Akeem M. writes...
Hello again sir,
Once again I have a few Spec Spidey questions
Now, as you know, in Spectacular Spider-Man, the extra arms that Doc Ock has are detachable. The harness itself is stuck to Octavius, yet the arms can be removed. My question is, what was your reasoning for doing this? From my knowledge this was never done in the comics. Was it so Ock could be feasibly locked up without those tenticles having to be locked up as well?
Now, we all know what people thought of Mr. Lincoln in the show, but what would you say the public's opinion on Hammerhead? Obviously criminals know who he is (much like every crook knows who the Big Man is (which is how the rumor surfaced up multiple times), but what about the public. Is Hammerhead a well known criminal?
Also, when choosing minority races for minor characters what factors made you choose that specific race. For example, you wanted Rhino to be South African (I suppose to go with the whole "Rhino" thing. Ned Leeds and Kenny "Kong" McFarlane had names that could easily be changed to more Asian sounding without changing too much (Leeds to Lee and the nickname Kong as a literal last name.)So what influenced you to pick certain races for certain minor characters? For example did Roderick Kingsley's love for the carribean influence you to making him black? Did Gwen's Debra Whitman look influence you to make Debra Whitman black because of her extreme similarities to Gwen look wise. If Belladonna were to appear would she have been Latina since she already is a Carmen Sandiego homage?
Greg responds...
1. Basically, yes. We figured the authorities wouldn't allow him to have the arms in lock-up.
2. Yes. But he's got no official ties to Lincoln.
3. There weren't any rules, though I think you hit on the name thing influencing me. Same with making DeWolff Native American. The name suggested it a bit. Other times it was just us trying to diversify the cast. So Liz became 1/2 Puerto Rican and Kingsley and Whitman became African-American. Etc.
Anonymous writes...
is there going to be a spectacular spiderman season 3
Greg responds...
Nope.
Anonymous writes...
Who would you rather be trapped in an eight hour car ride with; Demona; Nerissa; or Green Goblin?
Greg responds...
Nerissa, I guess. She'd have less reason to kill me at random. She might even appreciate the company.
Anonymous writes...
In Young Justice, are we going to see police and some villians use real guns like in Batman: Brave and the Bold?
If yes, do you actually take your time and effort to draw them in great detail similar to the ones from Batman: Gotham Knight?
Greg responds...
I guess it depends on your definition of "great detail". They are as detailed as anything else in the series, based on our design style. They're not photo-realistic, but that's not the style of the series. But the style's more realistic than, say, SpecSpidey was. (Which is not a VALUE judgment, as I'm a huge fan of BOTH Sean and Phil.)
Jackson writes...
Hello Mr. Weisman,
my name is Jackson, and I am an avid fan of The Spectacular Spider-Man. So the first thing I would like to say, even though you've probably heard it heaps of times over, is that The Spectacular Spider-Man was the best adaptation of Spider-Man to date, and in my opinion the best cartoon I've ever seen (and I've seen a fair few). I could go to great lengths to describe just how amazing a thing it was. I was devastated beyond belief when I heard that TSSM was cancelled. It truly was masterpiece.
And now that I've said that, my question. It concerns a character I believe you should be quite familiar with; Donald Menken. Being the fan that I am, I have watched the episodes many times, and Mr Menken interested me. My main question about him is, in the episodes that he appears, is he meant to be a character who really just does what he's told, or does he have any sort of initiative? I mean, for Norman to trust him enough to show him globulin green AND host the rhino specs auction (which are both pretty dangerous things to share), there'd have to be something about him that Norman recognised as making him a trustworthy confidant. What was this quality?
Thanks so much for your time. Maybe more questions in the future.
Greg responds...
Well, I'll mostly leave this for your interpretation, but I think Menken demonstrated various qualities to Norman Osborn (not all of which may have been visible in the limited screen time we could afford the character), including loyalty, intelligence, steadfastness, initiative, unperterbability, etc.
Javier writes...
Hi Greg, first of all i want to say that Spectacular Spiderman was the best incarnation of the character i have seen outside of the comic books, and its a shame that it lasted only two seasons. i have a couple of questions if you dont mind, hopefully you will be able to answer them, if not i understand, you are a very busy man after all.
1) I was really amazed by the quality of the animation and the character designs, it looks even better than the other DC movies that i have seen. How do you maintain that standard of quality in a weekly series? All tha animation is done in the US?
2) Is Josh Keaton voicing Barry Allen? It sounded like him but maybe im wrong, he did an outstanding job as Peter Parker, hopefully he will have a role in the series
Thank you for your time, as a fellow animator im really glad that we can still have some classic 2D animation to look foward to, Best of luck Mr Weisman
Greg responds...
I'm a little confused if we're discussing Spider-Man or Young Justice here...
1. For both series, all the animation was done/is being done in Seoul, Korea. The pre-production was/is all done in Los Angeles. (Though on YJ, some storyboards are being done in Korea.) Final word on quality control was with myself and Vic Cook on Spidey; myself and Brandon Vietti on YJ.
2. No. George Eads is our Barry Allen, though I'm a huge fan of Josh's, of course, and hope to use him on YJ.
Clark Cradic writes...
Does Felicia Hardy in your series wear a wig or die her hair? I'm guessing the white hair isn't natural in your world.
Greg responds...
It's a cartoon TV version of platinum blonde in my mind. Others might disagree. Like, say, Storm of the X-Men.
Mo writes...
Forgive me for being dated, but I have a Spidey question. In rereading some of my collected editions of the Lee/Ditko era, I realized that Peter Parker was established as a high school senior. In Spec. Spidey, he is an underclassmen (I forget if he's a freshman or sophomore). Why the change?
Greg responds...
He's a junior actually. As for the reason, it's fairly simple. Stan and Steve kept Pete a high school senior for a LONG time. Years. Since we wanted to play the passage of time as an element in the series, but still wanted the opportunity to tell many of those stories (and more) while Pete was still in high school, we started him as a junior to give us some breathing room.
Neil writes...
Do you still listen to that Spectacular Spiderman theme song (full version)? It's so catchy!
Greg responds...
Uh... I've heard it. And it is very catchy.
Anonymous writes...
i know this is gonna be a "im not inclined to tell" or "no comment" but this really has been bugging me. Emily Osborn literally did nothing on the show so what exactly were your plans for her. my only guess would be that she takes over oscorp since harry is too young. if im right PLEASE tell me.
Greg responds...
I'm not going to tell you. But we did have plans.
nygma619 writes...
Hey Greg, a couple Spectacular Spidey ?'s that I hope you'll be able to answer:
1.) Someone asked a question on whether you had plans for S.H.I.E.L.D., and you said "No", not "No comment". So I'm curious, where do you see Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. at this point in time? Have the government approved the group, or has there not been a reason to create the group yet?
2.) The Lizard in his first appearance was not seen as talking, but was seen as a mute, savage beast. I'm curious, what was the thought process behind making him that way?
3.) What happened with MOI animation in the second season? Blueprints, Shear Strength, Growing Pains, & Gangland are in my opinion the weakest animated episodes of the series. Their season 2 work just felt alot less fluid than their season 1 work, and compared to Dong Woo and Hanho their animation from season 2 was alot more fluid looking than what MOI was doing. I know there's a camp of people who complained about Hanho going off model, but I always accepted the squash and stretch being used alot more, since that's how Victor Cook intended the animation to be.
These next 2 questions are tricky to ask since I'm not sure if they break the "won't spoil because their better off being revealed in execution" code you've gone by, but I'll give it a shot anyways:
4.) You said that Roderick Kingsley owning a perfume company would be brought up in his next appearance. Does that mean you had plans to introduce Belladonna?
5.) You said you know who the main villains of each arc would be in season 3, but you didn't have everything planned out beyond that. Hobgoblin sounds obvious, Scorpion, Maybe. So are the main villains of each season 3 arc, something you'd be willing to reveal(at the very least), or not?
6.) About the radio play, when Cleatus says to Demona, "I'll have what he's having.", how come Eddie wasn't saying "YES, YES, OH GOD YES" when he became Venom again before that?
Looking forward to Young Justice!
Greg responds...
1. I don't have my Spec Spidey research notes with me here at Warner Bros. But as I recall, Nick has not yet been recruited to run SHIELD yet. But in any case, at the time I'm sure I didn't have access to Nick or the SHIELD characters. Spidey Universe only.
2. It seemed right. He seemed more dangerous that way. More Lizardy.
3. I really don't remember.
4. No comment.
5. Not really.
6. For whatever reason, I didn't have quite as firm a grasp on "When Harry Met Sally" as you seem to. I was in a rush.
Jim writes...
You may or may not have followed the hubbub earlier in the summer when Donald Glover (young and very charismatic black comedian/actor) was campaigning on Twitter for a chance to audition for the role of Peter Parker in the new Spidey movies. Nothing ever came of it, but it sparked a huge internet debate over whether a black Parker was true to the character.
I myself was very open to the idea. After all, nothing about Peter's character or circumstances dictates that he has to be white. Heck, May isn't even related to him by blood; the only characters that would need to be adjusted are his parents, Uncle Ben, and Ben Reilly-- assuming any of those even make it into the new film.
Given that SpecSpidey is my very favorite version of the mythos, and given that the show was notable for, among other things, mixing up the races of various (mostly minor) characters, I was curious as to your thoughts on the subject. Not to the point of any conclusion, but just a reasoned opinion. Are there some things about Spidey that are just TOO traditional, too sacred, that changing them dilutes people's perception of the character? Is his race one of them? You went with the classic white-with-brown-hair interpretation, and I don't think there are many arguments that you succeeded quite well at adapting Parker.
I'll admit I'm wary of making this post, as I don't mean for you to look like you're choosing sides or giving some definitive answer. After all, I've already made up my mind on the issue; I'm sure most people have. Or they sure seemed to have when this controversy was still fresh. But being that you are something of an expert at adapting this specific property, as well as someone who was willing to add diversity where it was appropriate, I'd really like to pick your brain and hear any thoughts you might have regarding this issue.
Greg responds...
I think of Peter Parker as Everyman, so I can see why Mr. Glover and others would identify with him and have no trouble changing his ethnicity.
I myself KNOW that Pete is (whether practicing or not) of the Christian persuasion, because I've seen him celebrate Christmas over and over, but it always struck me as window-dressing to make the character appeal to the widest possible American audience. Because he's ALWAYS seemed Jewish to me. Perhaps that's because Stan Lee was/is Jewish and wrote him that way. Or maybe it's just me, being Jewish, reading it in. I toyed with the idea of having Pete's late mother being Jewish on Spec Spidey. But really, what would be the point? (And that was without asking Marvel if they'd have an issue with it.)
So I don't in a theoretical sense have any problem with an African-American Peter Parker. If Nick Fury can look like Samuel L. Jackson, etc., etc., etc.
The question of course is one of ICONOGRAPHY. Is the caucasian, brunette Peter to iconic to change. I certainly felt that M.J.'s red hair and Gwen's blonde hair were too iconic too change (which at least suggests that they needed to both stay Caucasian). But what about Peter?
As you guessed, I don't have a definitive answer for you. Stan and Steve (and maybe Jack) designed the costume so that it would hide race and ethnicity completely. Then WROTE Spidey's dialogue as if he were a Borsht Belt comic. (See why I thought he was a Jew from Queens?) So maybe all that matters is the nebbish -- not the color of it.
But maybe not...
Alan Gavinchki writes...
Hey Greg
When you look at the Spectacular Spider-Man, you realize there are a lot of important villains. Which do you consider the main villain of the whole show. I thought of some possibilities.
1. Tombstone because he is a crimelord and was the first to want to kill Spidey.
2. Hammerhead because he is Tombstone's assistant and made the most appearances out of any villain.
3. Green Goblin because he is Harry's dad and he made supervillains for Tombstone and wanted to take over his enterprise. He did once and he made Spidey's life turn upside down.
4. Doc Ock because he was a victim of the Goblin and was the leader of the first Sinister Six and organized the second one. Him alone during the Master Planner and Gang War saga would make him the main bad guy.
5. Venom because he was once Pete's best friend and he possessed the same suit Spidey had. Afterall he was the one who pointed out that Peter loved Gwen. He also revealed his identity to Jameson!
I hope one of these villains I chosed are correct for their major role.
R.I.P. Spectacular Spidey
Greg responds...
I'm not sure I understand why I'd need to pick just one?
Emily writes...
I imagine that you had to read alot of comics when making shows like Young Justice or Spiderman. So did you get those comics for free from the Marvel and DC saying you needed them to help with the shows or did you have to go out and buy?
Greg responds...
Mostly, I went out and bought. Alan Burnette had a backlog of Young Justice comics he lent me, i.e. a bunch of individual issues, not always consecutive. Maybe a couple other things here and there. But mostly, I'm outlaying on my dime to do the research.
ALL CAUGHT UP
Hey gang,
I'm finally all caught up on the ASK GREG queue. Gonna take a short break, but we'll open the queue again on September 27th, 2010 in preparation for the release of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse which also contains the DC Showcase Green Arrow short that I wrote.
As always, I urge you guys NOT to flood ASK GREG with questions. Check the archives. Check the FAQs. Ask questions of the loyal fans in the Station 8 comment room.
AND, please, THINK BEFORE YOU POST. I am NOT, for example, going to SPOIL "Young Justice" before it airs. I'm not going to SPOIL "Gargoyles" either since I still have hopes of bringing that back. I'm not even going to "SPOIL" Spectacular Spider-Man, because I don't see any real point in revealing future plans and ideas independent of their execution.
Happy to talk process. Happy to talk about what's ALREADY aired or been published. Happy to talk about Mecha-Nation and many other things. But. NOT. GONNA. SPOIL.
Thanks,
gdw
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