Greg Bishansky writes...

"Probable Cause"

*** SPIDEY SPOILERS ***

We open in a warehouse in, I think, New Jersey, where the Shocker, along with two other characters in enhanced suits are testing their powers. These are the New Enforcers. Fancy Dan now calls himself Ricochet, and can match Spidey in speed and agility. Ox calls himself... Ox... which Tinkerer (who created their new suits) rolls his eyes at. These new Enforcers meet the approval of their boss, Tombstone.

Speaking of Tombstone, Hammerhead is pissed that Tombstone went to the Enforcers directly. Hammerhead is his middle man, after all. It's his job to protect Tombstone from incriminating himself. I just want to say here that I've missed the Tombster and it's great to have him back. The guy knows their is a gang war on the horizon, and he is going to make sure he remains the Big Man.

Hammerhead then goes to Norman Osborn to commission another supervillain. Norman Osborn only seems to happy to oblige, even mentioning he has a new scientist for the procedure... I'm assuming it's Miles Warren. I must also mention that I love Norman Osborn here playing the role of Iago, sowing the seeds of discontent into Hammerhead. And, honestly, a smart devil like Norman, there is no way he's not doing this on purpose. He wants to destroy the Big Man. And, as we saw in the last episode, he's using this gang war to his advantage.

On the other side of things, we have Peter in a police car ride along with Sally Avril... talk about a fate worse than Venom. Sally is, as usual, a grade A bitch. But, the very end of the episode was a nice shocker (pun not intended)... despite being a grade A bitch, she's actually got a human side. So much for my theory that she's secretly the Green Goblin. ;)

George Stacy... when is he going to come out and tell Peter that he knows? The hints are getting very heavy handed. This is my only criticism of the episode. We get it, he knows. Time to do something with it.

Jean DeWolffe and Stan Carter get a little development also. Jean talking about how Spidey is a vigilante and should be brought in, and Stan showing a bit of his dark side by saying Spidey hasn't gone far enough... damn, I hope we get season three. I want these characters to go in the direction we know they're destined to.

And kudos to Flash Thompson for displaying integrity. Sucks for Harry, but Flash did the right thing there. Reporting him, even if it cost the Mustangs the championship. Flash may be many things, but he is an ethical person when you get down to it. He wouldn't use performance enhancers and believes in fair play. Great character development. And, you know, I don't think he did this just to impress Sha Shan.

And, as for Harry, looks like he's about to juice up again. Sigh... drug addiction... terrible thing. And I applaud this show for having the balls to tackle the subject. People relapse, and it looks like Harry is about to.

One more episode in this arc, and we're getting some nice set up for the return of the Green Goblin.

I have to say, I like Hammerhead's chauffeur a lot. It takes a lot of brass to help Hamster betray the Big Man. Smart, ruthless, loyal... and unlike yours truly, she is the best chauffeur ever. ;)

Finally... Ox singing the theme song in the elevator. .... that was a delayed laugh. But a good one.

*** SPIDEY SPOILERS ***

Spider-man 2099 writes...

If the series have a season 3 theres any chance to see previous spider-man actors like christopher daniel barnes, rino romano or even tobey mcguire.

toxinfan writes...

Hi, any chance of seeing the villain Toxin in the Spectacular Spider-Man show? He hasn't appeared in any animated series yet.

Greg Bishansky writes...

"Accomplices"
No, I still haven't seen "Watchmen". (Edit, I have seen "Watchmen" and it was good) Gotta wait a little bit before I get the opportunity. So, you'll have to put up with another review of "The Spectacular Spider-Man".

*** SPIDEY SPOILERS ***

"Accomplices" brings back the organized crime element of the series in a major way. Hammerhead representing the Big Man. Sable Manfredi representing her father, Silvio "Silvermane" Manfredi. Dr. Octopus obviously leading the supervillains as the Master Planner. And, Roderick Kingsley.

We open up with Black Cat breaking into OsCorp to steal a data chip, before being chased out by the entire New York underworld. I'll admit, I was hoping for more Black Cat, but plenty of time for her later.

This episode was a fun one. Everyone beats up everyone. Lots of power games and struggles. We also got to know Foswell a little better, and I figured that Patch was Foswell going undercover to get scoops on the underworld.

That being said, last season, Foswell dismissed the idea that L. Thompson Lincoln was the Big Man. I kind of find that a little difficult to believe since that seems to be the worst kept secret in the underworld. Marco and O'Hirn knew he was the Big Man. Those three goons who Goblin outfitted with pumpkin masks knew he was the Big Man. Black Cat referred to the Big Man as Tombstone. Norman Osborn knew he was the Big Man. Harry (if he was the Goblin) knows. How could Foswell, who is undercover as Patch not know?

I still don't think Foswell is the Big Man on this show, and believe me, I am more than cool with that, I love Tombstone in the role. But, the more I think about it, the more I think something must be going on there. Foswell might me on the Big Man's payroll or something. Or not.

I did enjoy finally meeting Roderick Kingsley... who kind of reminds me of Michael Clark Duncan's Kingpin, but with white hair. A lot of money, but he doesn't seem to be the power player the others seem to be. I mean, as Pete said, he owns a perfume company, why is he involved? If he wants to be a real player in the underworld... he's going to need something a little extra. And now, my not so inner comic book nerd who knows where this is likely to lead is shutting up now. ;)

I just want to say that I don't think the Kingsley that cowered before Silver Sable was Roderick. I think that was his twin brother, Daniel, covering for Roddy like in the comics.

Silver Sable was great. I'm sure some people will be annoyed that she was changed into Silvermane's daughter, but I'm not. Actually, it fits in nicely with the whole 'silver' theme that's going there. It just feels a lot more organic and natural. She kicked ass, took names, and, let's face it, Spidey needs more female villains.

I agree with Spidey. Sable and Hammerhead used to date? Ew. I actually said ew a few seconds before Spidey did.

And there's Rhino. I liked him here. He doesn't want any competition. And I loved his brief team-up with Spidey.

Doc Ock mostly seemed to sit this one out. Obviously, he doesn't care if the data gets destroyed or not, he created the process of transforming O'Hirn into the Rhino in the first place. What's to stop him from doing it again? Was also cool to see Vulture still hanging out with him. Oh, and Ock, you devil you. Two dates? He's always been such a player in the comics. Whether it's Stunner, Lady Octopus, or Aunt May... chicks love the good doctor. It's the tentacles.

And Norman Osborn came out the victor here. Gets to keep his tech and do whatever he wants with it, and millions and millions of dollars in a secret account for him. Gee... I wonder what he's going to do here.

Well, looks the groundwork is being laid for an excellent gang war story arc. Harry is jealous that Pete is getting a lot of attention from his dad. Pete still digs Gwen more than Liz. And George is getting really blatant about his knowledge of Spidey's identity.

But, perhaps the biggest mystery of them all? When will Hobie Brown speak???

Tune in next week, same spider time. Same spider channel.

*** SPIDEY SPOILERS ***

anonymous writes...

**SEASON TWO "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" SPOILERS*

Do you think it's likely we can see a Mysterio story from the comic books on your show in the future? Like "Spider-Man Goes Mad!" where Mysterio is Dr. Reinhart, or the story where he makes Spider-Man think he's only six inches tall?

I really love what you've done with Electro. Kind of surprised that it seems he now likes being Electro in season two, though, since he just wanted to be cured in season one. Seems he's literally gone mad with power now. Will Electro ever look human again but keep his powers, or is his "electric being" look permanent for your show? Regardless, hope Electro returns for season three.

Hope that Captain Stacy returns, too. But I don't want him killed off the show just yet. I've read on the internet that a lot of people want to see the "Death of George Stacy" story done on the show, but can you wait bit till you tell that story? I thought Captian Stacy dies when Peter is in college and not in high school, so it's a bit early for that story. Besides, I'm loving what has been done with the character so far.

I also hope Blackie Gaxton and Sha Shan come back for season three. I love how Gaxton's been seen a few times on your show, since he only appeared once in the comics with Doc Ock. Nice to see you've done more with these characters than the comic books ever did.

Thank you.

**END OF SEASON 2 SPOILERS**

Martin writes...

Why so many people dont like Carnage? He's cool, stronger than Spidey and Venom, he got better design, he's a psycho killer. I really dont get it. Anyway, question. Some sites have pointed that Chameleon's real name is Dmitri Kravinoff. Is this true?

Chryse writes...

Hey Greg!

Watched "Gargoyles" as a kid and loved it (it was a lot darker than most cartoons at the time...which I thought was excellent), and have been an avid follower of "The Spectacular Spider-Man" (you really outdid yourself there, gotta say). I'm from Canada, so I've seen the second season already and, as such, have a brief query regarding the look of Gwen Stacy...

In one of the later episodes M.J. gives Gwen a make-over that sticks around (albeit with some alterations) for the remaining episodes. With that in mind, I was wondering if you plan on retaining this design for the proposed third season? I thought the change was excellent, and gave her character a lovely "girl-next-door" look that's very much in line with Romita's work on the series.

P.S.

Can't wait to see more of your work in the future -- whether it's Gargoyles, Spidey or something entirely new!

Anonymous writes...

Dear Greg,

First, i just wanted to say Thank You to your team for making imo the best Spider-man show ever created by far! The animation and fight scenes are amazing, and the storytelling is very well-done. I've already seen season 1 and 2, and now my only challenge is waiting for a season 3 to (hopefully) surface! And also, i'm glad that i hear you do not care much for Carnage. He is a one-dimensional character and imo not deserving of yall's storytelling abilities.
One question. Do you think yall are seriously looking into doing the Clone Saga with miles warren in a season arc? It was a great storyline back in the day, and when they brought it back in the last decade or so in the comics, i thought it just kinda tarnished the memory of old with all the confusing new revelations. I would love to see your group do it right! Do you yourself like the old storyline (i think it ran from Amazing spiderman 129-149)? thanks for your time!

Anonymous writes...

Hi Greg,
I want to ask some questions about The Spectacular Spider-Man
1)I saw episode First Steps.I don't get why Sandman is working for Hammerhead,i thought that he was working for Master Planner?I know Hammerhead mention about Sandman's Super-Villain Services,but i still don't get it.
2)Do you have any future plans for Dock Ock,Venom,Green Goblin or Tombstone?
3)Will Doc Connors become Lizard again?And will Milles Warren will become Jackal?
4)Do you have intentions to do Clone Saga In Spectacular Spider-Man Season 3 Or Season 4 and do you have ideas who would be Clone Saga Mastermind?
5)I heard you don't like Carnage.Does that mean that we won't see him in Spectacular Spider-Man?

Durkinator writes...

Hey Greg -

I'm not sure if this counts as a spoiler per se, but it does have to do with a running gag that I THINK has only been in season 2 so far.

Basically, I LOVE the little gag with Hobie Brown always getting cut off when he speaks. I don't know what it is about it, it's just so random and so hilarious. I'm watching "Opening Night" as I'm writing this, and I love the scene where he gets the part of Puck.

So my question is--where did that come from? I don't know all that much about Hobie in the comics, other than that he becomes the Prowler, but I'm pretty sure there was never any jokes about his speech. Who came up with that?