Okuraorca writes...

Greetings Greg,
First of all, I want to thank you for doing Spectacular Spiderman. This show has had me on the edge of my seat from the first episode until the last, and I really hope there will be a Season Three. If there is, I hope it all goes well, as I am looking forward to more!
Anyway, I had a few questions about how the show is planned out, if I may ask, as I am keen to learn about how the process of writting and planning out the episodes and the plotlines is done, as I am in the process of trying to create some complex stories myself.
First all, I notice that your plotlines have intertwining plotlines that grow from one thing to something else later (IE: The gene cleanser's use in Season 2 even after we were sure to have seen the last of it in Season one). My question was to this concept, of how you write these plotlines. Do you have them all planned out from the start, or do you look backwards to previous episodes to find ways to get them to interact with what's happened before?
Second question, about the planning of the series again. Do you choose a character then create a plotline about that character, or rather; Select a plot idea, then cycle through characters to find what ones would work best for that episode? Or if there is a combination of the two, which do you find easier to work with?
Third, when it comes to cutting things from a plot (events, characters, etc...), because there's just not enough time for it all, what are the things you look for or consider with things that have to be cut? I'm not just meaning main events in the plotline either, but more like, you have two jokes that could happen and you remove one and keep the other. What makes you keep one thing you want, but cut the other?
And finally, just a small, easy one here. I loved the use of Molten Man, as I'd always seen him as a minor villian, as there's very little about him compared to major villians, yet you made him awesome in the show (I'll also admit Mysterio also always bored me, but you made me like him in the show and want to see more!). I don't want names, as I know you don't give them out, but did you have plans for other 'minor' or lesser known villians to show up further down the track? Just curious really.

At any rate thanks for your time, and here's hoping for Season Three!

~ Okuraorca

clyde writes...

Hey Greg! Earlier I've asked you if you hate Carnage. You didn't answer my question yet and you don't have to because I heard that rumor was fake. I'm sorry for not checking if my question was answered. So don't when you get my questions, don't answer question #2 but answer all the other questions left. Thanks and I hope this message reaches you before you answer my questions.

Tommy writes...

Hi Greg,
I'm a huge Spidey (and Gargoyle) fan and I love your Spectacular Spidey animated show. By far my favorite episode is NATURAL SELECTION. So naturally, I have a few questions about it.

1. When this episode originally aired was it incomplete? I ask because there're two scenes that stand out that have been changed (or fixed?) since its first airing compared to its DVD release and widescreen airing on Disney XD. The first scene is the cake scene where it changed visually from a white cake to a chocolate cake. The second scene is the under water struggle between Spidey and the Lizard. In the first airing the under water scene is shot almost like it was in black and white, the exception being the Lizard's eyes are yellow. On the DVD release and Disney XD airings, Spidey and the Lizard are colored. Obviously you guys fixed the cake to match the dialogue, but what about the under water struggle? Was it fixed or changed? If it was changed, then why?

2. With there being different interpretations of the Lizard throughout his appearances in the comics and in other media, was there any specific reason why you guys went with an all-savage Lizard instead of one that retains some of Dr. Connors' intelligence?

Thanks for the time you take to answer these questions, I really do appreciate it.

? writes...

Hi Greg! Now that I’ve watched Season 2 of The Spectacular Spider-Man, I have a few more questions. But first regarding the last set I asked:
I. Sorry about spelling your last name wrong, I didn’t realize it until it was too late.
II. With my 3rd question you did answer that you avoid biasness regarding characters which is great; I did mix the “parts” of my question together though (sorry about that again), so I was wondering if you liked the character of Venom? Most (not all) people I’ve met who said they don’t like Venom grew up in the “Stan Lee Era”. I understand you grew up during the “Lee/Romita Times”, but I also know that the “Greg hates Carnage Rumor” is false (I’m not a fan of Carnage, but I don’t hate him either, I’m “neutral/take or leave” to Carnage).
III. Thanks for answering my last batch of questions!
Alright, now onto the new batch of questions:
START OF SPIDEY SPOILERS!
1. I remember you said in an earlier post that you saw a little bit of the 90s Series but not enough to give a “true opinion” on it. My question is: Do you remember which episodes of the 90s series you saw? It’s OK if you don’t know the episode names; the villains from the episodes will suffice. I ask, because I noticed that the Symbiote arrives on Earth on John Jameson’s space shuttle in The Uncertainty Principle. This idea was 1st used in The Alien Costume Part I.
2. Why did the local authorities put Dr. Octopus in Raven Croft Asylum after Group Therapy when they had him in Rykers Prison before he escaped in that episode? I figured the “behind the scenes” reason was for your production crews’ plan, but what’s the “in story” reason (if you get what I mean)?
3. What was Eddie Brock doing during the Master Planner Arc? The most I can tell is that he was working out (he’s buffer then he was in Season 1) and that he made his own web shooters and costume. So where was he hiding and what else was he doing besides the things I mentioned earlier? I figured this was OK to ask as I don’t see how it would spoil anything in the future (sorry if it does).
4A. Whose idea was it to have Venom speak with 2 voices (Eddie’s voice and the Symbiote’s voice in unison)? I love the idea and I think it works so well for Venom.
4B. It actually reminds me of the fusion characters from Dragonball Z; have you ever herd of or seen Dragonball Z? If so, what did you think of it?
5A. What was your reason for making Walter Hardy/Black Cat’s dad into Uncle Ben’s killer? As someone else pointed out, it probably worked out better then it did with Flint Marko/Sandman in Spider-Man 3, because Walter was still the same guy Spidey let get away.
5B. What made James Remar your choice for Walter’s voice (I found him to be a great choice)? Do you remember who else tried out for Walter’s voice?
6. Seeing as how Norman and Green Goblin had different voice artists (for obvious reasons) I think it’s safe to say Roderick (or who ever you choose) and Hobgoblin will have different voice artists as well. My question is: If Season 3 does happen, will you just have Steve Blum voice Hobgoblin since he voiced Green Goblin or do you have someone else in mind for Hobby? The 90s Series used Neil Ross and Mark Hamil for Green Goblin and Hobgoblin respectively. I thought this would be OK to ask, since we already know Hobgoblin is in Season 3 and I’m only asking if Steve Blum is your voice choice for Hobby or not (not who exactly will be Hobby as we both know Season 3 is still undecided). Sorry if this was a “bad question” to ask.
Well, thanks again for answering my 2nd set of questions Greg! Hope you enjoy your summer (as far as temperature is concerned).

Gareth Tan writes...

Hi, I'd just like to start by saying that I thought The Spectacular Spider-Man was pretty much the best adaption of the comics onto any sort of screen. This might of course stem from my inherent dislike of the movies, but enough about me. I have three questions for you;

1) Are you currently planning to involve SHIELD in any future seasons?

2) Given that all the established pieces are already on the board, do you feel that there's a need to eventually introduce the much-maligned clone saga, if you get a third and maybe fourth season?

3) Are there plans to eventually bring other, less traditional allies into the show, such as Daredevil?

thank you for answering my questions, assuming you do answer my questions. My apologies if they all turn out to be 'no comments'...

Harlan Phoenix writes...

"So, I'm curious about something involving the early development of Gargoyles...particularly, the pitching process. I'm not exactly sure how to word this, as my knowledge of how the process of actually pitching a show works, but I'll try my best."

That should read "As my knowledge of how the process of actually pitching a show works is limited." My bad. Last time I post a question late at night.

I do have a question concerning Spider-Man's stand alone status but the "in the early Marvel Universe" hypothetical status it's also in in your mind. Do you have any process of rationalizing why other heroes haven't been around to stop Spider-Man's villains? (I have this same general question concerning normal comic stories, as well, but that breed of this question obviously wouldn't be aimed at you. It's just always puzzled me how exclusive to their Rogues Gallery some heroes can be the grand majority of the time.)

David B. Jacobs writes...

How does the Green Goblin change his voice? Does he have a voice-changer in his mask?

Lee H writes...

Hey Greg. I love the work you've done on The Spectacular Spider-Man, it's by far the best version of the character and his stories since Steve Ditko was handling him. A few questions:

1. You've mentioned before that you try your best to avoid creating original characters, so a lot of minor roles in the show are characters from the actual comic books. Are there any you can "reveal" that people haven't picked up on? I believe you've mentioned Tiny (McKeever, from Untold Tales right?) and Vin Gonzales before, which episodes did they appear in? Furthmore, has Seymour O'Reilly ( http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/seymourspdm.htm ) appeared in the show?

2. An excellent job has been done of merging certain characters, such as Montana/Shocker, Fancy Dan/Ricochet and Bennet Brant/Molten Man (which by extension merges some of Betty Brant with Liz Allan). Was Black Cat intentionally merged with Jessica Carradine? Are there any other, more subtle, character merges in the show?

3. Peter hasn't been shown tinkering with web shooters and gadgets as much as he did in the early issues of the comics. Was this something intentionally downplayed, or just due to time constraints and what-not?

4. What do you think worked best in Spectacular Spider-Man so far? Anything that didn't quite turn out as well as you'd hoped?

Thank you!

Paul writes...

I asked before whether Spidey had ever crossed paths with the real Mysterio in season 2, and you asked me to define "crossed paths", by which I mean any occasion when Spidey had come into contact with the real Beck in his Mysterio disguise. So did Spidey ever encounter the real Mysterio in season 2? I guess Beck was real enough in "Persona", but did Spidey ever meet the real deal on any occasion that he met Mysterio in season 2?

Martin writes...

Greg responds
And just so it's clear, I do NOT enjoy answering nearly every post with "NO COMMENT". This isn't fun for me either, gang, but since collectively you all keep insisting on asking for Spoilers that I've already made clear I'm not going to give, you're not leaving me much choice.

Look, Greg, you gotta understand us (the fans). These season 3 questions are probably coming from people who have already seen season 2. Plus, you revealed two big villains for the 3rd season (and you revealed it waaay back, I think in an interview with Spidermancrawlspace, even before the show started on KidsWB). Two teases, and now, with the show's fate in the air, we want more. But I agree with you, we should stop with this. it must be frustrating for you to see every 3rd question be something like "will Venom return and Chameleon too" or "Will you kill off Gwen". HE'S NOT GONNA KILL OFF GWEN, ATLEAST NOT IN SEASON 3 SO BACK OFF. Now I was about to ask you something, but what was it.... oh yeah:

I read your interview where you say that if the show gets 4th season, there will be Spider-Mobile. Is this still valid?