Akeem M. writes...

Hello again sir, I was wondering if in Spectaular Spider-Man if Peter has had tests or anything run on him after he was bit by the genetically modified spider. If I remember correctly, it seems to be common knowledge that Pete was "bit by the science bug", and something like that I would imagine would need to be examined by the doctors. I may be looking too deep into this, but It never hurts to ask... Maybe the bite didn't really affect him for a couple of weeks (when they were testing him) and the doctors thought nothing of it?

raymond writes...

hey greg, spectacular spiderman is my favorite show ever!
if you ever make a season 3, will kingpin be in it.cause in season 1 when i got suspiciuos and guessed who the "big man" was i thought it was kingpin(until i really found out)
best of luck for a season 3!

Thailog (from Wikia) writes...

Oh, darn it. Two months (and one day) of waiting and I realize I didn't phrase one of my questions clearly enough. I'm apologize. When I <a href="http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=11312">asked</a> how Sandman, Rhino, and Vulture escaped in "Reinforcement", I should have been more specific and added "from Ryker's Island." Although your answer has some great information, so thank you for that.

So now, how did Sandman, Rhino, and Vulture escape from Ryker's Island in the beginning of "Reinforcement"? I'm curious because in "Group Therapy" their escape was nothing short of conspicuous, while in "Reinforcement" three inmates slipped away before anyone realized they were gone. I gather that Beck's duplicate was proving the hologram for Toomes. But how did Toomes slipped out unnoticed? And how could Sandman and Rhino escape their special confinements TWICE? And having said that, how on earth could Norman Osborn get a contract to build the Vault after two super villains had escaped their supposedly special containment cells?

And finally, yes, I would love to know if Mysterio was a robot all along, but I guess I'll have to wait for Season Three. ; )

Thank you for all your answers, btw. They're all great.

Renee writes...

Since you have done The Spectacular Spider-Man, is there any chance that you might do another Marvel super hero or would you like to?
If so which one would like to do?

And I would just like to say that you did an amazing job with Spectacular Spider-Man and hope that Season 3 comes through. Absolutely the best Spider-Man series I've ever watched. I even like it better than the movies. Great job!

Thanks

Light writes...

When season 3 of Spectacular Spider-Man will be ordered, will you reveal more villains or will we not know which villains to expect when season 3 will air?

ColdFusion writes...

Yay! SSM season 2 has started! I love how REALISTIC this show continues to be. The attention to detail is so appreciated..
though I must say I was surprised to find out that Pete doesn't stay warm enough from all the activity of superhero-ing, that he actually needs some long undies. I mean, when kids ice skate or build snow forts they tend to overheat and take their coats off.
Then he plunged into the water (is that the East River?) and suddenly I was fearing for Pete's life.. (though having him catch a cold is a bit cartoonish, do people still believe cold gives you a virus?)

Particularly well-executed was Mysterio's whole thing. I mean, after the Chameleon's tricks were revealed to careful viewers, I was surprised that Mysterio's magic looked so... legit! I was SURE you weren't going to fall back on sci-fi "holograms".. and then it turned out they were projected on mist! That totally works with only a little disbelief-suspension.

And then in Kraven's episode, I mean, FINALLY. I've been wondering for YEARS why nobody ever traced Spider-Man's origin, since a spider-themed guy just happened to show up after special spiders were engineered. I can't wait to see what comes of it.

Keep up the awesome work.. in general.. or if the show gets picked up for a third season. :)

David B. Jacobs writes...

Why can't the gene-cleanser cure Electro?
His abilities came the electrical shock of genetically altered eels and rays, like how Peter got his powers from a gentically altered spider's bite. So why can't it cure him?

Big Fan writes...

Hey Greg big fan, Awsome work on the Spiderman series it truely is the best. But my question was about the gargoyles series. I recently revistited the show and watched it from beginning to end and i was seriously impressed. I know that disney has the rights and all that, but have you ever tried/considered to re-pitch the series to them? perhaps thats simply not how things work but i find it dificult to see how such a powerful storyline couldnt be profitable.

Phoenician writes...

Well, with Season Two of Spectacular Spider-Man finally in swing in the United States, I thought, what the heck, why not jot some thoughts down?

**TSS-M SPOILERS**

"Blueprints"

What's funny about the Venom nightmare in the very beginning is that the snow didn't register until after the dream was over, when we pull out of Peter's bedroom. Its a small aspect of this great episode, but when a person can rely on this kind of continuity week in and week out (as I witnessed in season one), it just makes it all the easier to actually get absorbed in the universe being created. I'm actually realizing that the season one finale, though a long wait for me, has only been, say, a week ago for Peter Parker and company :)

I was kinda spoiled that there would be Latin spells a bit back, but as a Latin student back in the day, I loved hearing every bit of it, especially with Mysterio's quicker pace . . . at least, compared to what I've heard in Gargoyles and my own translations.

Fun Fact: Gargoyles is what encouraged me to take Latin back in high school. Most people site Shakespeare as their educational dessert from watching Gargoyles, I took on a dead language. Speaking of Gargoyles, I loved the inside joke of "Fulminos Venite", though I must admit it I only realized it later in the episode, as Mysterio DOES say it differently than the Archmage . . . and quicker. I also TOTALLY loved the line that I was able to decipher on the moment: Nullae Satisfactionis Potiri Non Possum! (I can't get no satisfaction!) Hilarious.

Stan Lee cameo! Was it fun having him on the set?

Spidey in the water! . . . "COLD COLD-COLD-COLD!!!" I live in the desert for a reason, and that just felt horrible even for me d:

The whole Liz-Misdirection scene was bugging me I think more than my roommate, if only because I'm rooting for Gwen and my dorm buddy is enjoying the Liz flirts. The 'tutledge' reminds me of early season one when Liz was dreading being tutored by Peter . . . funny how much has changed in three months time.

The Hormunculi Mysterio unleashed had some funny moments, one of my favorites toward the end of scene where the all vanish, including two holding Spider-Man . . . they realize they're being wisked away and with a line totally reminiscent of the 1993 film Hocus Pocus: "Ohh . . . buh-bye!" Had me laughing, even though I'm unsure if the connection was intentional or not.

The Osborne Dinner Party was interesting . . . Norman gets Peter his internship back, we meet Miles Warren, who's mum on any ideas he'll bring to the lab, the Conners have to swallow some pride in giving Peter a third (or fourth, I forget) chance. Plus: another sighting of the odd Emily Osborne. I'm no Spider-Man virtuoso, and I haven't seen her in really any other incarnation, so she's fun to watch . . . to say the least.

"Robots! To think I used to like them as a kid!" Wonderful line, gives us a glimpse into Peter's geekitude.

The last fight's bar scene was hilarious, already had me grinning when the music took on the sound of the piano, and I was laughing hard as a robot decked Spidey with a prop bottle from behind. This great moment was followed by a Monty Python & the Holy Grail reference (and in turn, reminded me of the Gargoyles episode "Future Tense"). Love the banter on this show.

Norman Osborne becoming Pete's mentor . . . creepy (as well as Norm's breakfast 'mannerisms'). I'm reminded of the first Spider-Man movie where Pete turned him down for a job, which impressed Norman nevertheless acknowledging that Peter wanted to get by 'on his own steam' or something similar.

And then at the end we see it's Quentin and Mason from the episode 'Persona' . . . apparently Chameleon was busy with something. Quentin is an absolute ham, and I love Xander Berkeley's performance from the second he found himself in that bubble. Mason as 'Tinkerer' gave me a jolt of "Lexington!" and I'm left with the thought of who the Master Planner is. Again, I'm no Spider-man expert, so I was eager to see the next episode. :)

Which I might as well review now as well d:

"Destructive Testing"

Of the two Spider-Man incarnations I delved in -- the recent movies and the 90's show -- Kraven was a villain I enjoyed. Couldn't really tell ya why . . . he must have been presented in a way I thought was well done. It's been so long since I've seen the 90s series I was curious if Kraven would have the same effect. Well, in short, Kraven is a ton of fun here, and unlike his 90's counterpart, the evidence is overwhelming. From the voice I hear to the lines he says and the way he looks (before and after Miles) and the way he fights (spears and claws): This guy is cool.

But not cool enough. Spidey owns him easy. "You're out of your league." A great line in that Spidey doesn't seem to JUST be goading him, like he does with other villains we've seen.

Other thoughts:

Was that the Rhino in the photos that Kraven was holding? AFTER Kraven tackled the rhino into a nap? Now that's good storytelling . . . :)

Freakin' Kenny Kong . . . must you make the Peter/Gwen interaction harder than it is? And Pete gets his first "look" of the season. Ouch.

Gwen, Liz, Black Cat . . . rub it in, Pete. Rub it in d:

Other great lines . . . mostly Spidey:

"Two moms and still so ill-behaved?"

"Prey? Silent? Dignity? Oh, you don't know me at all..."

"Now you got me talking in the 3rd person!"

"Okay, the thermals with hearts were half-priced and they do not reflect my very high macho-quotient!"

Hmmm . . . Only the hunt may restore my lost honor? What was Calypso offering exactly? d:

Loved the brief Jameson bit . . . shame we didn't get to hear him chew off Kraven. Here's hoping we see some JJJ soon.

Miles Warren: Wow.

Oh, that Sally Avril . . . poor Rand.

"You can smell him?" a great line from Miles.

The banter in their second fight is just as good as the previous, if not better:

"I could call you a lot of things..."

"All I smell is fear."

"I so prefer my felines female" (focus Peter! Or I'll start calling YOU 'Randy')

Its the return of the Itsy Bitsy Spider! And for once, its not Aunt May d:

And despite the upgrade, Kraven gets decked by all of Spidey's limbs . . . "Excuse me? Who's the prey?" I remember a discussion a while back that had people wonder if Peter was always going to find a geek-solution to every supervillain . . . well, if the many episodes of season one didn't answer it, this one sure did. Spidey swept the floor with Kravenoff. XD

"Courtesy of the original and number one genetic misfit"

"The Hunt is not over" . . . is it wrong of me to think of Gargoyles here? d:

And as we get a frozen Spidey mask in the skyline, we're given the hint that Kraven might not be gone just yet, not to mention we could see some old favorites soon. :)

***END OF SPOILERS***

If you couldn't tell by now, I loved these two episodes. There's ton more I could say, I imagine, but no worries. What I do believe is that these two eps are start of another spectacular season!!

David B. Jacobs writes...

Oh, wow. I just realized that I never asked this. Which is weird 'cause I thought I had, like, two months ago.

So anyway, you've said in the past that, out of the guest heroes, you would like to use Human Torch and Hulk if you were able to get the chance. Well, what about guest villains? I don't mean Kingpin - you've already said that you'd use him if you could and plus it's ridiculous that you can't use him anyway (who comes up with those lists?) If you could guest-star villains, which would you most want to use? Doctor Doom? Juggernaut?
I want to make this very clear: I'm NOT asking if there will be guest villains/crossovers. You already answered that a million times. I'm asking which you would like to use.
Also - seriously, who does come up with that list?

Joe Anonymous writes...

As you can see from my name I watched "Persona" quite a few times. Just bought all the DVD's this past weekend and just got done watching "Blueprints" and "Destructive Testing" and everything you're doing with this series is briliant. I hope a season 3 gets commisioned, the wait is killing me. Plus, can't wait to see what you do with Hobgoblin and Scorpion, just hope Scorpion isn't a clone...that will make me angry, and you won't like me when I'm angry..aughrghagh...getting off focus.
I do have a few questions and well, here they are.

1. Was Green Goblin at all insspired by the Joker?

2. Where did you come up with Electro's Look?

3. Who rescued Kraven at the end of "Destructive Testing"...I'm thinking he either jumped out or we just got a glimpse of Calypso's powers.

4. If you do get permision to use other heroes and villains who wouuld interest you?

5. You do like Carnage...thank God, nasty rumors. So the question is are you aloud to use him in his serial killing form (without showing it you know, hahaha...I need a life.)

6. Can you name any villains you can't use other than Kingpin and Beetle?

7. Why did Harry go to Europe and not just go to ravencroft or something?

8. When is the latest season 3 could be finished and ready for TV, if it gets commisioned...and hoping it does:)

Keep up the good work, and one more time...Please God, let there be a season 3. Thank You!

Jason R. Carter writes...

I think I'll rephrase one of my previous questions: why does Rand put up with Sally?

Clark Cradic writes...

I'm rewatching the second season of Spectacular Spider-Man (Premiere on Disney XD) and two questions crossed my mine: When Kraven was first introduced, at first the only pictures in the newspaper clips were of the Rhino, was that an attempt to mislead the viewers for a few seconds or perhaps a hint at a future plotline? Also I've noticed that Kraven is a lot more sane (and likeable) in this show than in his previous incarnations, especially with what his 'day job' is. So I was wondering, when he attempted to hunt Spider-Man, was he actually trying to kill him or just capture him? Once again thanks again for answering all my questions, I hope they weren't too much of a bother to answer or all "no comment" answers.

nacnud writes...

Dear Greg,

The season Two finale of The Spectacular spiderman reported that norman was the green goblin. at one point in production, was harry ever suggusted for the role ? or was it always Norman from the start?

Will there be any direct to DVD movies or episodes that continue the Spectacular spiderman continuity?

How did you get the idea for the episode "Opening Night"? was that story ever in the comics or did you come up with the idea? if you or the team came up with the idea, then it was pure genius!

Brian writes...

Is the reception of The Spectacular Spiderman season 2 on Disney XD going to implement on season 3?

Drake writes...

How is Professor Smythe is going to be used? Is his son-Alistair-will also appear?

Anonymous writes...

Hey the whole Green Goblin identity mystery was awesome! I was curious, did you get that idea or inspiration from the Hobgoblin mystery in the comics?

Paul writes...

1) Did anything of note happen between Tombstone and the Green Goblin immediately following the cliffhanger ending of "Gangland"?

2) Why didn't Hammerhead interfere in the Green Goblin's criminal activities after the Goblin 'replaced' Tombstone as the Big Man?

Gargan writes...

I heard Sony has the rights to Ghost Rider. Does that mena you can use Ghost Rider in Spectacular Spider-Man if you want to?

Spiderman659 writes...

Hey Greg, if you don't mind, i have a few questions for you:
1) On the Spectacular Spider-Man Attack of the Lizard dvd, there is a music video that shows 2 other versus to the main theme song. will you ever use those 2 for a theme song some where in the other seasons?

2) How did you get the idea of Fancy Dan becoming Ricochet? And why didn't Ox get a new name?

3) Do you like the Spectacular Spider-Man TV show airing on disney XD? Or would you want it to air somewhere else?

Paul writes...

I read the interview for Marvel Animation Age that you participated in, and I was wondering:

1) Since the unused footage (like Shocker's escape at the end of "Group Therapy") won't be on the season sets, could you please elaborate on what the unused footage for the first two seasons consisted of? It would be really interesting to hear what kind of stuff was fully completed but didn't make it onto the DVDs. You probably won't remember all of the stuff that was cut off the top of your head, but please give some examples of stuff you were going to put back into the movie releases for volumes 1-8 before the volume format was scrapped.

2) Is there any chance, any at all, that the unedited episodes will see the light of day someday on a future release? It's ridiculous that completed footage would go to waste.

rayray writes...

hey greg, spectacular spiderman is my favorite show of all times.
when gwen chose harry on "final curtain" was it out of guilt or was she too shy to break up with him(for pete)
oh and does it help(for season 3)if more people watched spectacular spiderman on TV

Flint Marko/Sandman writes...

Hey, Greg. What's the deal now, man? I've seen "First Steps." What now? Am I a hero? Will I join the Avengers? Will I ever get my big score? Does that mean I'm spidey's friend now? Oh, I knew I shouldn't have saved those people. Now people like Doc Ock and O'Hirn think I'm soft.

Now I've changed my name to Norman Osborn. In the comics, was the drug that made me the Green Goblin called Globulin Green or did it have a different name?

MisterDrBob writes...

Okay, so I know you haven't read my second question yet, so consider this an apology for it. Looking back it's stupid. (Beside the Tinkerer one, that one I think is justified.)

Anyway, what I meant with my first question, about Shocker, was there more to the thought process than deciding that Herman Shultz was boring and casting Montana? i.e. were there any other candidates besides Montana? Before you answered the question, I did go and look harder and saw that there were a lot of questions on this subject, so what I'm trying to do is ask a more intellegent question on this subject. But my wording obviously made it sound like the genereic repeated question the first time. So I apologize for that too. (Speaking of which, who approves these questions that get asked over and over again?)

On the subject of constantly asked questions (namely Kingpin), when I saw Foswell, I was sure that he was the Big Man like in the comics. Did you ever consider doing this when you found out you couldn't use Kingpin, instead of using Tombstone?

Nicky Wan writes...

Hi Greg,

First off I think "The Spectacular Spider-Man" is a fantastic show; it's perfectly captured everything I love about the character, something I didn't feel was the case growing up with the 90s series.

I know that you probably don't know much about this but do you have any information regarding the release of the show on DVD in the Europe? It's available on iTunes in the UK but there's no word of any physical release.

*** SPOILERS for SEASON 2 ***

Apologies if this has been asked already but a search didn't appear to find anything relevant. I was wondering whether you made the decision to include the final scene showing Norman Osborn surviving the explosion because season 3 was not in the pipeline? Or was there some other reason like it just felt better for the flow of the story or for the target audience of the show?

Of course keeping his escape a secret would have made any later return more dramatic; almost as much as the reveal that the Green Goblin was Norman all along. I must say that that revelation was stunningly executed; the way the final episode kept planting seeds of doubt linking Norman to the Green Goblin until the dénouement was amazing!

Thanks a lot for reading this, I hope the executives see sense and let you make season 3 and many more!

Faust writes...

First I'd like to say, oh my goodness, spectacular spiderman basically took over my life for at least a week watching seasons 1 and 2 in order on youtube, and still watching it when it comes on Disney XD, crazymazing. Secondly, I'm kinda myphed how Gwenn just sorta stopped wearing glasses with no mention of when she got contacts or no one saying, lookin good, or, you look different.

Ramblings aside, my question is who is your favorite character out of the whole show specifically which was the (most fun?) most fun to draw/fabricate? Also, who is your favorite love interest for pete, liz, gwenn, MJ, or cat? (not who he will end up with, you know, just who is your favorite)

big fan :D keep rockin!

P.S. If you're about to type, "I don't have a single favorite" for any of the questions above then my question is, do you have any favorites in this show whatsoever?
P.S.S. Gargoyles was a badnasty show in its day very very high kudos, one of my favorite shows I grew up on :D

Bob writes...

Hey, Greg Weisman. Love the new Spider-Man show! (best one so far; better than Ramii's movies). My favorite episode so far is "Itervention" where Peter battles the symbiote in his mind. But there's one thing that confuzes me. I know Eddie Brock hates Spider-Man and Peter and blames them for loosing his job. At the end of "Intervention" Spider-Man brought back the symbiote but "killed" it. The symbiote didn't really die. If the symbiote didn't die, that meant Eddie could get his job back. But instead, he bonded with the symbiote and still hated both Spider-Man and Peter Parker. If the symbiote wasn't dead (which at that time were great news for Eddie) then why did Eddie continue to try ruining Spider-Man's life? And plus, in season 2 he got his job back and all so why does he still hate Peter?

Greg Fan 123 writes...

Hey Greg ,man...congracts on this show....BRAVO !!!

I wanted to ask you that have u guys ever considered the idea of making a Spectacular spiderman Comic based on this series storyline.??? That would be so cool....i suggest making the comic after ending this show as a continuity u knw......and i hope u end the show after making atleast 12 or more seasons lol hahahaha

Spectacular Show !!!!

Mike P. writes...

I have 2 questions:

1. Did any previously established character(s) inspire Sha-shan?

2. I know this might be a stretch but: Have you ever met Sam Raimi, and if so did the topic of the spider-man series/character come up? I understand the worlds a big place with a lot of people, but I was just curious if you two had ever come in contact with one another.

Thanks for the classic shows you've put out, and here's hoping for season 3 of spidey!

Clark Cradic writes...

Is Doc Ock's agression in this series because of his repressed feelings towards Osborn and his accident or do his tentacles have AI similar to his movie counterpart?

Rage writes...

Hi Greg!..iam a full supporter of your show....this show is by far the best spidey show ever...everytime i watch an episode i need more!! AMAZING JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Truly amazing! AMAZING !!!!!!

I have 3 Questions And A Request. :)

1) How much time does it take the crew to make one episode? and then a whole season ? i mean the final thing when every things (editing etc) finished,

2) If the confirmation for season 3 comes out (i hope it does!) ...how much time will it take for it to air? i heard season 2 came late because of the whole channel changing thing...now that every things set how much time will season 3 take ? i mean which month?

3)If ratings on all future seasons are good how many seasons would you plan to make ? (i hope more than 10 !!!lol)

And a Request

This show....has made me an addict to the extent that ive spent my holidays discussing episodes of Spectacular spiderman with my friends and not doing anything else lol....and i like it !!! this is the 1st show that im in love with ....i want you to promise your fans that other than the ratings you will do everything in your power to make this series a success and by success i mean doing more seasons! :)...Please please please please x 100000 Dont Stop making new seasons please.And i pray that this success will continue.:)

Eagerly waiting for your reply.
Long Live Spidey.!!! Long Live Spectacular Spiderman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jay writes...

Is there going to be a 3rd season of the spectacular spiderman?

SpecSpidey546 writes...

Hello, Greg.
1) first of all, your Gwen is awesome. I can't imagine the show without her. if your goal was people to care about her, well, you've accomplished it.
2) I'm sorry if this falls in the "no comment" area, but why was Kingsley bidding? I dont get why he needs to produce Rhino super-soldiers?
3) if the bald dude with black glasses (Osborn' security) isnt Mac Gargan, then who is he?

rapscallion writes...

**SPIDEY SPOILERS**

How did Harry escape the Goblin(Norman) in Season 2? And why was he captured in the first place? Was it just so Norman could make Harry, the likely suspect, look more suspiscious?

Will Keaton writes...

Greg:

SPIDEY SPOILERS

1. You've often mentioned how you chose Tombstone as the new "Big Man of Crime" because the Kingpin was unavailable due to legal issues. What other characters besides Tombstone did you consider for this position? Also, is the phrase "Big Man" a title given out to whoever happens to be in control of New York's crime rings at the time and is passed on to their successor, (ie, like a king or queen) or is it an alias that is permanently attached to Tombstone? I've seen evidence to support both cases.

2. How exactly does Doc Ock get dressed in the morning? The part of his harness that lines up with his spine clearly goes on underneath his clothing but the ring around his waist goes overtop of everything else. Can the harness still open up in front or is that fused shut too? Just watching Ock go through his morning routine would probably clear most of this up, plus the notion of him using his tentacles to brush his teeth is just hilarious. (Just be glad I'm not asking how Rhino goes to the bathroom.) I also assume that for the duration of Season 2 he's had enough time to acquire or build a new power source for his harness that can last for years at a time?

3. You burned down the Big Sky Billiard lounge! I loved that place. Every comic book needs a place where the supervillains can go for some downtime and hang out. Please, I know you don't want to spoil anything you have planned for season 3 but at least give us a vague hint that we'll get to see a new "Bad Guy Bar."

4. Is Chameleon's white visage a mask that he wears with other masks going on top of it, or is that actually his face after being surgically altered to have any distinguishing features like a nose and ears removed? Typically one would expect a face-changer to remove as much of their original face as possible and then add on top of that as needed, (just look at Metal Gear Solid's Decoy Octopus, the guy shaved down his cheek bones and cut off part of his nose and ears.) Wearing two masks doesn't seem to be that effective since you're doubling the amount the disguise is lifted above your actual face.

5. Exactly how long has Norman been inhaling the gobulin green? I'd assume he'd either start as soon as he'd invented the stuff, shortly after he was nearly killed by a giant geriatric buzzard and wanted to make sure he didn't have to rely on Spidey the next time something similar happened, or shortly after his first dealings with Hammerhead when he started planning to overthrow the Big Man. By the way, what kind of guy develops an experimental highly dangerous performance enhancing drug and then brings it home to show his family and then just leaves some lying around where his son can start chugging the stuff without anyone noticing it's gone?

6. We didn't see much of Aunt May in Season 2, but with so many characters floating around this isn't too surprising. If May does play an important role in any season three episodes is she going to get a spot in the opening credits for that episode?

7. When comparing animated shows through the years there doesn't seem to be a large change in the style and tone from the 1960's through to the late 80's. All the animated shows had a simplistic plot and generally weren't mentally demanding. However sometime in the early/mid 90's we started seeing shows like Fox's Spider-man, Batman The Animated Series, Reboot and Gargoyles, all of which felt more sophisticated than earlier shows and had such features as real character development and story arcs that could last through a season. Somehow I have a hard time imagining an episode like "Lethal Force" being done on G.I. Joe. As someone who has been in the industry a while did you notice a change in attitude from networks or executives towards animation at around that time? When producing Gargoyles did you find that in general people were more willing to let you attempt making a show with more mature themes relative to what you had done before?

8. Should Spiderman not get a third season or become cancelled for certain after season three wraps up, how likely is it that production could continue on direct to DVD movies? Generally speaking is it easier to convince producers or whomever to greenlight a single movie length piece of work comparred to an entire season of an animated show?

Spidey123 writes...

Hey Greg!

You've made Gwen a really main character in petes social life and i like her :p...i was just wondering if she has the same fate in this series like in the comics...ehm...i knw u wont tell me that it will spoil things ...

but another indirect question related to the first ...can you, i mean r u guys allowed to kill a character? or somehow may be make him/her disappear....

No comment writes...

Hey, Mr. Greg. I have a few questions from TSSM I want you to answer.

1. Have you already planned out season 3 in your head or do you not know yet how will it be like? I am NOT asking you to reveal season 3 villains and plot. I'm just asking you if you already know where you're going with season 3.

2. You have an awesome imagination. Spectacular Spider-Man is just great. I don't know where you come up with all these amazing ideas. Who are you? No. What are you? No human can be that talented. You must be an alien.

3. Are you allowed to kill anyone in the show if you want to?

4. First of all, Molten Man was awesome. The Green Goblin had control of Molten Man's abilities with that remote. Now that Osborn is defeated, where is the remote?

5. IT'S A JACKAL!!!!!!!!! Will Miles Warren ever become the Jackal in the show? You don't have to answer this question. I already know you will answer it with no comment so go ahead and say no comment. The reason why I wrote this question is because I felt like saying "It's a jackal". I love Family Guy. It's hilarious.

6. Hey, Cool. I can count to 6. Here's my last question. It's not really a Spectacular Spider-Man question but a Comics Spider-Man question. Do you think Spider-Man would be better in high school, university, or somewhere in late 20s when he's not in university?

Marcus writes...

Hey, Greg! I love what you've done with Spectacular Spider-Man. The the best show ever. The 90s show compared to yours is nothing. This show rules!! Here's my question:
Every season in Spectacular Spider-Man has 4 arcs. Each arc is 3 or 4 episodes. You were involed in "The Batman" but you weren't the main director. If you were the main director and producer of "The Batman" when it was first planned, would you have done the same thing you did to Spectacular Spider-Man (having 4 arcs per season)?

The Main Man writes...

I said at the beginning I have two questions. Sorry about that. When I was going to first ask you a question I had two in mind but once I was done I had more in mind and I forgot to change the 2 to a 5. Anyways, I have 5 questions I want to ask you.

The Main Man writes...

Hey, Greg. I have two questions I want to ask you. They're both about Spectacular Spider-Man.
1. You've said besides Spidey, there are more heroes active in Spectacular Spider-Man. You've said the Fantastic Four were celebrities, Hulk was a myth, Captain America is still frozen, Ant-Man is somewhere out there also doing his job, and that Professor X is currently building his school with first students Cyclops and Beast. But what about the Punisher? Is he currently active? Did his family get killed yet? Is he already a vigilante? What about the Punisher?

2. You've mentioned active heroes. But what about active villains? Which villains besides Spidey's are currently active in the series?

3. Will we ever see the Lizard again at some point in the show?

4. In the 90s Spider-Man series, Morbius was watered down. He couldn't say the word blood at all so he always said he needed "plasma". He was also not allowed to suck anyone's blood so he absorbed their energy or something (can't really remember). If you are ever going to use Morbius at some point, will he be watered down like in the 90s series or will he be a "real" vampire?

4. Same as question 3 only with Carnage. If you are going to ever use him, will he be watered down or stay the same maniac he is in the comics?

5. Before I ask you to answer my last questio, I just want to stay the Green Goblin was AWESOME! Before, I hated the Green Goblin and now due to you, he's my favorite Spider-Man villain. But most of the plot elements for the Green Goblin were taken from the Hobgoblin (e.g. framing Harry, removing mental effects from globulin green, faking his death and retiring to some island, etc.). I'm kind of worried now because the Hobgoblin barely has anything left. You do have a plan already for the Hobgoblin don't you? You know how to handle him, right? Please say yes. Please say yes!!!!!

Martin writes...

Goblin/Osborn questions (the questions are from the perspective that we know who the Goblin is):

1) In "Catalysts" after seeing Glory back with Kenny, Harry gets mad and leaves the Fall Formal. Where did he go?
2) The thing that got me suspicious about the revelation in "Uncertainly Principle" was how Norman was able to answer all Spidey's questions so quickly. Of course, after what "Final Curtain" showed us, I can assume that he already had everything in his head before Spidey can confront him. But why wasnt Norman limping, if he was the Goblin who cracked a limp at the factory?
3) the show is great. you're great. I pray for season 3.

SpiderFan89 writes...

Haha, Greg, i was reading IGN's review of "The Invisible Hand" and it says something about Rhino that interested me. If the suit is permanently bonded to O'Hirn's skin, then how he manages to do a certain body functions??? Whats your opinion/expaination?

Bobba J writes...

Hi Mr. Weisman! I remember watching "Growing Pains" and "Identity Crisis" a few months ago. There is something I found confusing. In "Growing Pains" Venom framed Spider-Man and everyone hated him but in the next episode, Spider-Man was treated like a hero again. What exactly happened? How did he go from being considered a villain to being considered a hero again?

Monk writes...

I went on Wikipedia and typed in Spectacular Spider-Man. It said that Scorpion and Hobgoblin will appear in season 3. Obviously, I knew that from long ago but it also said that Carnage has been confirmed. Is this true or did someone just pull a prank on Wikipedia?

Gonçalo writes...

Hi Greg, so i just recently saw episode 207 "identity crisis" from the spectacular spider-man and i got a question:

What is up with that episode? so all the journalists blindly believe a black suited alien? They see said black suited alien kicking spiderman's ass and they're still focusing more on knowing his identity rather then helping their hero? And even more, they're STILL interested in knowing spiderman's identity even after venom shows his second mouth in front of every journalist while beating spiderman to a bloody pulp?

If I were a journalist i would probably either run for my life or start investigating who is this two mouthed black creature who is defeating spider-man.

Sorry for the rant there, but that episode just made no sense

rapscallion writes...

Love what you've done with Spectacular Spider-Man. Pure genius. Not just one of the best animated Series since BTAS, but probably one of the smartest shows on TV right now.

*SPOILERS FOLLOWING!*

When it comes to Gwen, I can easily figure why you made her Peter's friend and secret crush and all, due to her role in the comics, but why did you decide to make her a "nerd"? I remember her being, well, "Gorgeous Gwendolyn" in the comics. I realize she had a "make-over" in season 2, but the question is still there in my head.

Emily Osborn. What's up with her? Except in Ultimate, where Norman did some "bad things" to her, Norman was always a widower. So why did you keep her? Especially since, well, she's got the personality of a spoon? I feel like there's a message there but I can't quite get it.

One moment specifically, was when in the episode Blueprints, Martha Connor is getting pressure from Norman, Aaron Warren, Miles Warren, and her husband, to reinstate Peter despite her mistrust and for some reason she looks to Emily Osborn and then relents to it. Was there some message there?

What's with the mole on Peter's cheek? I heard it was some in-joke or something, but to what end?

Why did you make Kraven a "Cat-mutant"? I think it ended up working and I personally like it, but it's a very different take. Was it just to make him more modern? To avoid mention of his "voodoo potions"? Why?

I like how you're taking a realistic time-frame with the seasons and Peter's school year, but hypothetically, if you got a fourth season, would that be during the summer, or would you skip over it and get started in November of Peter's senior year? Also, will you include his college years in the show or would that be saved for DT-DVDs?

Did the title at the end of the theme song get an upgrade? In Season 2, it looked... shinier and bulkier. Generally cooler. Did you guys just change it due to Season 1 doing so well or was that always a plan to upgrade it or something?

Lastly, this isn't a question, but a request. I love what you've done with Miles Warren and I like how he's malicious without being "Bwa-ha-ha! evil, but if you ever do clones... you'll make me cry. You will make a grown man cry. Do you want that on your conscious? NO CLONES PLEASE!

You are a genius.

Diminuendo writes...

I was wondering if Osborns death being fake was decision of your own or influenced by Kids' WB dislike of characters dying

Also could we get an update on season 3?

thanks

David Sky writes...

Carnage?

David Sky writes...

I must second the suggestion of other superheroes being mentioned in speculator spiderman. In ultimate spidey tony stark is often mentioned alongside other scientists, and sometimes the question is raised if peter is a mutant. but yeah, it wouldn't hurt if in conversation daredevil or frank castle come up in conversation since they are in fact right in peter's backyard.

Beoc writes...

Is Gwen's fate in Spectacular down the road going to match what happened in the comics? Would you even be permitted to go down that road if you wanted to since SSM is a kids show?

nygma619 writes...

A couple of statements on the outcomes of Gangland in the Spidey-Tombstone battle.

I felt alot of the success to Tombstone's character was the fact that he was nearly invulnerable (IMO it seperated him from Kingpin being in this role). We had this big crime boss who controlled most of NYC's crime, who could seemingly crush Spidey anytime he wanted (he took Spidey down in 5 measely seconds in his debut), add that he was cool, calculating, incredibly competent, and kept his criminal activities private, not only that but he could turn the law on Spidey if he wanted to (an angle I don't think was used to it's fullest potential). Spidey getting a physical victory over him in their second physical encounter, (after getting bulldozed in less than 5 seconds in their first) felt like a clumsy transition.

Now that Spidey has established that he can beat Tombstone clean, it diminshes his preseance greatly, when they meet again, the question of whether Spidey can beat Tombstone or not won't be there to add to the drama, IMO I thought it wasn't handled very well here. As it's one of those things that seperated him from the rest of the villains on this show.
And it's not like his fight with Tombes was one of his most hard fought victories to date. Kraven left a shiner on Pete's face in their second battle, even though Kraven lost, the black eye signified how hard a battle Spidey fought the second time. Also Pete was left sore and bruised after his 2nd alleged battle against the sinister six in group therapy, and he had a sprained arm after his victory over the Lizard in Natural Selection. All these battles he had won but not without being taken to the limit physically or the battle taking its toll on him. Sometimes a little subtlety goes a long, long, long way; (though I don't think I need to tell you that). And Tombstone being invulnerable was one of those subtleties that I think people might of taken for granted. I mean I can live with the Goblin outwitting Tombstone to get to power (it wouldn't be the 1st time the goblin sort of outwitted him), but there were ways to bring GG to power while also keeping Tombstone's invulnerability intact.

There's been some excuses made for this:
-One is Tombstone being exhausted from the battle before him and Spidey. Which I don't buy. Because Spidey was there nearly through as much of the battle as well. And none of the hits seemed like they slowed Tombs down that much, if at all. At least he didn't show very much fatigue from what I saw.
-Also other people are excusing it because Spidey flung a piece of machinary at Tombs and that Spidey wouldn't had beat him had he stuck to hand to hand combat. My comment on that, Well flinging a piece of machinary is practically clean for Spidey at this point. If he gets beat just because of a foreign object, well that still doesn't do Tombstone any favors, since Spidey practically beats foes with foreign objects most of the time. He beat people like Sandman, with certain foreign objects (i.e. cement) and no one was talking about how tough Sandman was, were they?
Heck when David beat Goliath with a slingshot, people weren't saying, "Man that Goliath is some hoss, it took a slingshot for David to beat him." They were talking about how David beat Goliath, period. They weren't talking about the foreign object.

So for Spider-Man to get a clean physical victory (no contrivances, no dumb luck, CLEAN) over Tombs at this stage in the game, felt far too villain of the weekish for my liking, and really took away from Tombstone's character.
I'm willing to give this storyline a chance, but IMO there was far too much potential thrown away where Tombstone could turn the law on & still physically man handle Spider-Man. It feels like part of the fun in Tombstone (his ability to crush Spider-Man/push him to his limits) has been taken away and he doesn't feel as fun as he once was. Not that he's a bad character right now, but there's a difference between being a good character, and being "the balls". Up till Gangland, Tombstone felt like the latter.

My other problems with Tombstone being outed: Spidey trying to out Tombstone's secret identity lacked any real logic. Sure Foswell would end up reporting what he heard (does that even hold up as evidence unless he has a tape recorder? If not, what's it doing in the papers?) but Spidey had no idea that he knew this or would tell anyone. Not to mention how anti climatic it was.
And does what Foswell said really constitute 16 government agencies looking after him? And if they really are serious about that statement how does Green Goblin get into Lincoln's office without any government agencies noticing? Some government agencies.

I realize that this show has an ever changing status quo all the time, with many different outcomes, and thats one of the reasons I dig the show. However Spider-Man's physical victory over Tombstone was still disappointing because it didn't feel like a battle that put Spidey's body through hellfire and brimstone(thank you Jim Ross) just to beat him.

lambert writes...

hi, greg. don't know if you saw this yet. pretty nifty. http://vimeo.com/4947207

p.s. can't wait for the 2nd season of spidey!

Clark Cradic writes...

Was it your idea to get Rober Englund to play the Vulture? Was it hard to get such a big star to accept a role on the show?

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?

Clark Cradic writes...

Are you allowed to create show only characters for Spectacular Spider-man (not counting background characters like the couple) or does the agreement with Marvel prevent you from making your own characters for the story?

Spiderman Fan writes...

Hey Greg. You've done a great job with Spectacular Spiderman. I liked the twist with Black Cat's father murdering Uncle Ben which leads me to my questions:

1. I know you can't / won't reveal Season 3 but do you think Spiderman knowing Cat's relationship with Ben's muderer was a wise decision? The reason I ask is Black Cat's identity is basically shot since Spiderman could easily deduce her identity with a simple google search on The Cat Burglar.

2. Was the revelation Black Cat's father murdering Uncle Ben a calculated one (meaning Spiderman will use the info in a future episode)?

3. In Opening Night, it almost seems Cat's dad knows Spidermans identity based off his reaction in the air vent. This is my interpretation and perhaps am reading too much into it. Without revealing any spoilers, do you plan on having the Cat Burglar Cat's Dad) in future episodes?

Daniel writes...

Hi Greg,

I love 'The Spectacular Spider-Man', especially with what you and the crew did with the Green Goblin. Season 2 finale was Excellent!
The show itself has capture that old school Spidey feel and the only Spider-Man related comic book that captures this feeling, IMO, is the Spider-Girl series by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz.
That brings me to my questions:

1) Have you ever read a Spider-Girl comic?
2) If you have read Spider-Girl, what are your thoughts on the character and her world?

Nelio writes...

Not so much a question but praise / comment.

I'm not the biggest Spidey fan in the world, I was a little skeptical about watching the Spectacular Spider-Man. However after your announcement about it getting a second season, I decided to give it a chance.

I'm glad I did. The show is great. First I love the character designs, especially Parker. Not sure if you played a hand in their creation, but I like Parker in particularly because of the few idiosyncrasies with his face such as the mole. I was curious though about the triangle nose "slit" he seem to have. Is that supposed to be just a nostril or some type of disfigurement due to an injury, or something like that? I personally hope it is one of the latter as I feel having an injury like that brings some insight to the character.

One thing I must mention is the level of complex interaction going in the show. It's very good, and something I wouldn't expect from a cartoon. I dare say it has complexities of that of a prime time drama. I also love the long fight scenes.

While I'm mostly like you Greg for Gargoyles, I have to admit in the two other cases I've seen you work (7 episodes on The Batman and now Spectacular Spider-Man), I'm very happy with he quality of story you provide us with. Thank you very much.

rick writes...

first off, in 2005-07 i wasn't a real big fan of marvel until spidey 3 came out then i loved it again i cab probaly name every characters comic, animated series, movie, etc. but after spierman friend or foe came out (game) i was kinda fallin behind. then i saw the spectacular trailer for spiderman and i loved it, the action even the animation i really don't get why some people don't like it. anyway i have a question and opinions on some of the characters.

question: have you ever played any of the games because i noticed spidey called goblin emerald elf just like in the first movie game.

opinions:
vulture: when i first found out he was the first villain i was asking myself why? but you really did a great job with him it's everything he should be plus more.

enforcers:
in survival of the fittest i was only expecting vulture but when i saw the enforcers i was in a state of shock to see they were in a series. after spidey 3 i went out and bought spiderman essentials and thank god i did because i now know characters like blacky gagston (sorry if its spelled wrong, frederick foswell and both his alter egos, and enforcers or i wouldnt have known about them. more to the point these were really great adaptations of them and the fight scene was perfection. thanx

hammerhead: one word, brilliant this is how i always pictured hammerhead. a deep voice, a henchman for a crime boss but still is his own man, he was pulled off so nicely.

electro: me and my friends always mde jokes about his outfit, like how stupid it made him look but we still liked the character nonetheless. but this electro brings it to a whole new level, he is easily one of my top 5 favorite villains in the show.

lizard: i always liked dialouge in comics but for characters like liazrd, manwolf (even though he had no dialouge)and other monsterous characters like that i didn't think it suited themi mean i would like to see a few words coming out of his mouth but not a shitload (sorry for language)and not to mention the way he looks does resemble the comics but it is more ripped up and his silentness just made this character more frightening and AWESOME!!!

shocker: i saw the commercials and i just was in amazment of how awesome the episode looked and when i saw it it didn't disappoint. it was excellent. shocker though at first when i found out it was montana (here we go again, right) i was a little confused but after the episode it made more sense. montana suits your series' shocker.

sandman: flint marko was awesome and so is sandman, incredible job, this sandman was 10 times better than the movie version (not saying i hated it) and maybe even the comic version.

rhino: again better than the comic version. he reminded me of the hulk. and that is how it should be. although did you ever think of using ultimate rhino's look?

bigman/ tombstone: i was expecting fosswell but tombstone worked out great. in this he's more than just a henchman and thank god for that. also, i got kinda tired of kingpin in 90's series, not that i don't like him just he was in every episode. i do hope to see kingpin in this though.

green goblin: my favorite character right next to venom on this show. this goblin is exactly how it should be, just an excellent choice and steve blum is perfect.

doc ock: when i saw his look i had my doubts but it grew on me and soon he bacame one of my favorie villains on the show. his attitude, his action scenes, and the fact you made him master planner just like in the comics is awesome. and the battery pack or whatever it is called is another great improvement.

chameleon: not a huge fan of the chameleon but this version is just speechless. he is a cool villain in the show not best but cool.

Black Cat: 100 times better than the 90's version, exactly how she was in the comics, but will we ever see felica hardy out of costume?

sinister six: PERFECT!!! first six with ock, rhino, sandman, vulture, electro, and shocker was the best one. and the second one with sandman, rhino, vulture, electro, mysterio and kraven was cool and all that but when mysterio and kraven were introduced i was expecting the ock, mysterio, sandman, electro, kraven, and vulture version, will we ever see them?

Venom: Awesome job with black spidey, but why was his costume changing every episode. the symbiote going through his thoughts and memory and stuff was awesome(i use this word entirely to much) and venom was just too great to be true but it was and i loved it. eddie being his friend like in ultimate and the symbiote being an alien like in amazing was a great mix. my favorite character on the show.

Mysterio: awesome adaptaion of him.but that cheesey accent is really wierd.

Tinkerer: another character that was brought from a "whos that" level to an "oh him"
level, nice!

Kraven: i liked the mixture of sergei and the wolf looking creature, extremely cool but i do hope to see more of his human form.

Calypso: not really much to say but was a nice cameo and hope to see more of her.

colonel jupiter: just another great improvement w/ a character on this show. he was incredible.

silver sable: cool character but why was she going out w/hammerhead and why silvermane's daughter?

New enforcers: shocker, ox and the new and improved fancy dan, ricochet. a nice adjustment and creative decision to make fancy dan ricochet.

Silvermane: i wished there could have been more with the character but he was still awesome while he lasted, espescially w/ the suit.

Molten man: the last villain introduced throughout the two seasons and yet another great improvement on your show...how r u doing it.

that ends this i hope for at least 65 episodes but if it is doing good would you consider doing more

stephen writes...

can you answer a couple of questions:
1.) have you ever seen the 90's spiderman cartoon and if you have did you ever think about using some of the stufff they did?

2.) what made you pick tombstone as the big man...i know you answered it before but you always said at first you wanted to use kingpin but couldn't but my question is why not frederick fosswell but tombstone?

sorry if i confused you i was just curious

Paul writes...

I read your response to my question about when "Final Curtain" takes place and I thought I'd ask: does "Final Curtain" take place before, on or after St. Patrick's Day (considering the emphasis on the colour green on that day, and for the villain of the episode)?

Antiyonder writes...

An aspect that often attributed to Spider-Man's success is that the audience can, has or had related to him. With that said:

1. As far as Spidey's civilian life (because I have serious doubts that you have superhuman strength or can stick to walls or have a spider sense) goes, do you or have you related to him in any way?

1a. If yes, then how?

Clyde writes...

1 more question i forgot to ask:
The Green Goblin in Spectacular Spiderman seems a lot more dangerous than in the comics. He sort of reminds me of the Joker from The Dark Knight. If Venom and Green Goblin would get into a fight in the show, who do you think will win?

Clyde writes...

1. Is there at least a small chance that Spider-Man will bond with the symbiote one more time in future episodes?
2. Is is true you hate Carnage?
3. Your goal is to reach 65 episodes. If the show gets really high ratings after you're done all 5 seasons, would you still continue the show with a season 6 and beyond?

SpecSpidey546 writes...

which Hobgoblin do you prefer - Roderick Kingsley or Jason Macendale?

Matus/Slovakia/ writes...

I just wanted to say how pleased I am with all TSS stuff. Great job. No questions, life is full of surprises and I am going to wait for it all in TSS S3!

SpiderFan89 writes...

oh, I forgot to ask you - if season 3 is ordered, will the situaton with season 4 be same (waiting for the ratings and stuff)?

SpiderFan89 writes...

Greg, congratulations for your Spider-Man series. I watched the two seasons and as everybody else, I want more. but I'm not gonna ask season 3 questions because:
A) you wont reveal anything
B) by the time you answer this we will know if there's going to be another season

so:
1) have you watched the other new Marvel shows - Wolverine & The X-Men and Iron Man - Armored Adventures? if so, what do you think of them?
2) theres been speculation that Teletoon (Spectacular Spidey's Canadian home) may step in to save the show. is that a possibility, or the fate of the series depends entirely on Disney XD?
3) can you use Jack O'Lantern and The Punisher?
4) which Spider-Man games have you played?

thats for now.

AJC writes...

Based on season two of Spectacular Spider-man, the character Debra Whitman appears to be quite aloof and unsympathetic (when she stood in the background as miles warren basically took over the connors' lab and fired them). What was the reasoning behind this characterization and how is this bringing out the essence of the character? Sorry if I am being analytical.

Alex writes...

Hi, Greg.

Have you ever had the chance to watch any episodes of Gargoyles or The Spectacular Spider-Man on another language (German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, ...)? If so, which did you enjoy the most/least?

Pete writes...

Before I begin i just wanna thank you for the best superhero animated series EVER!!!!
Now, with that said I would like to ask...
1.) If you were to ever use any other hero in the marvel universe who would it be?

2.) Did you like the fact that Harry was Hobgoblin in the Ultimate Spiderman Comics?

3.) Are you a fan of the Crime Master? (The crimelord that was in about two comics with the goblin then killed off.)

4.) Season 1 and 2 were both incredible, none of the episodes were below 8 out of 10, but something is bugging me...Norman's alive just like in the comics, were you trying to respect the comics or were you not aloud to keep him dead.

5.) Quuestion four leads me to another question, can you name some of the things you are not aloud to do on the show?

6.) Finally, when, not if WHEN, season 3 gets commisioned will you announce it on this site.

Thanks for your time and the best anime series out there:)

Aldrius writes...

**Spider-man spoilers***

***Seriously***

Ramble: Child Development 101

Okay, so last season I thought the Symbiote arc was pretty good, I didn't really like Eddie that much, but I thought that the take on the Symbiote was interesting. My only real complaint was as with most symbiote stories (in Ultimate, in the other Animated Series), we didn't go long enough thinking it was just a regular costume. (Though I guess that'd be kind of pointless with most people knowing it's an alien.)

I find the theme of this arc hard to pin down. Psychology made sense last season as we were sort of looking into the motives and histories of Eddie Brock and Peter Parker and how they contrasted with one another. But here? We're not really getting a deeper look into Eddie or Peter's history beyond the first episode. I suppose to a degree the major theme is people with power they cannot yet handle or control. (Jameson and his spores, Sandman and his beach, Eddie and the Symbiote.) Which is of course, a big part of growing up.

Anyway, overall while reinforcement was my least favourite episode, this was probably my least favourite arc of the series. Most of the B-plots were always more interesting than what Venom was up to. I really loved the Sandman plot, I thought there could have been more information involved in the relationship between the Master Planner and the Big Man. I also vastly preferred the personal stake Jameson had in the Colonel Jupiter episode. And the third episode had some fun with people considering whether Peter could be Spider-man.

I have a theory about Norman's "No." but I'll chose to keep that to myself until I review Drama 101. The Conner's perspective is interesting, and I kinda like that they suspect, Aunt May's reaction is okay, but I'm still disappointed Peter has never told her. (And that's something I still don't really get. I guess he doesn't want to worry her, but it still seems irresponsible.) Stacy's reaction is of course, awesome. There are so many series and movies out there where the police are made out to be incompetent and completely incapable of foreseeing or preventing even the smallest of crimes, nice to see that subverted here. Stacy is actually a detective.

The use of the gene cleanser was an interesting choice, but a lot of wasted potential in the last episode again, I feel. Kind of like Reinforcement, I think a re-balancing between action and the villain's reaction to Peter Parker would have been apt (that one fight with Venom seemed to go on for a really long time for me). Though that's a tricky bit of writing to pull off, as I also find it difficult to justify why somebody like say, Tombstone (or even Beck really) wouldn't get rid of Peter just in case he was Spider-man.

Other than that, I liked the use of different soliloquies for each part here. Made for nice little bits of character development. While Gwen hooking up with Harry is almost as foolish as Peter hooking up with Liz. Bah, teenagers.

Overall, like I said, not my favourite arc, but overall much better upon reflection. I enjoy Venom somewhat, but still feel like there's something missing with the character. His motives make sense, but I think I just find them too petty to be invested in them. And Venom comes across as too much as a petulant child for me to find him scary beyond his first appearance.

Matthew writes...

When the DVDs for Spectacular Spider-Man were being talked about (prior to the release), the plan was for the arcs to be combined into "movies" and would feature cut material as well as stuff like gunshots. The first release followed this format. The episodes smoothly transitioned into each other and there were added scenes (as far as I know, only the scene with the cop shooting at the Lizard and Flash hitting Pete in the crotch with a water balloon). Now, when the following 3 volumes were released, this format was changed. The episodes were separate and the gunshots were still lasers. No apparent added scenes were present.

I just saw an early solicitation for the upcoming series set and it made no indication on whether or not the set would include extra scenes or actual gun sounds. I was just wondering if you have any idea if these will be uncut episodes or not.

Also, I've been curious, in "Group Therapy" when Black Costume Spidey fights the 6 for the second time Rhino gets shocked by Electro and Rhino's mouth moves, almost like he's trying to say something. Was his line removed? Or was this just part of the animation? It's been bugging me a lot and I just wanted some clarification.

Thanks for the time. The show is amazing. I was actually at Wondercon when you premiered the pilot of the show and ever since then I was a HUGE fan of your take on the Spidey mythos. I can't wait for the second season to air in the US and I have my fingers crossed for a 3rd season (as well as a 4th and 5th!)

gary writes...

i would like to say thank you for creating the best superhero animated series of all time...second, this is a question, i know you can't and won't reveal any future plans for the series but can you answer this, i know fox had a hellofalot things the 90's series couldn'y do like punch...PUNCH, obviously this series doesnt have as much problems but, finally my question, is carnage to dark for the series, along with morbius biting people, and how about the death of gwen and george stacey stories? thanks

Aldrius writes...

****Spectacular Spider-man season 2 spoilers***

***Avert your eyes!!***

Ramble: Engineering 101

These reviews are taking me forever to write out, I don't really have that much to say about each individual episode so I'll just write the reviews about arcs instead.

Here we have Engineering 101. I really liked this arc, I think. The mystery was kinda absent and hard to follow, but of course I think establishing that the Big Man is not necessarily Foswell, Shocker is not Herman Shultz and 'Harry Osborn is the Green Goblin' made it so that we could believe it might be someone else.

I think I just found it too silly to believe that Dr. Octopus' arms were the Master Planner. Which is what it seemed like you were going for. The mystery also was given too much breathing room, there wasn't enough called into question. Though I guess that was true of the 'Big Man' mystery as well, it didn't seem like as much of a... mystery? If that makes sense. But maybe that was just because I didn't know that Foswell was the Big Man in the comics, so I had no real suspects. (Unlike the Master Planner arc where I had one, maybe two suspects with the Chameleon.)

At first I didn't really enjoy this arc that much. Reinforcement is probably my least favourite episode in the entire series. There wasn't a whole lot of plot development and outside of the first five minutes and the last two minutes, nothing really changed or progressed. I also didn't feel the action, while exemplary as usual, made up for this fact. I find the gigantic robotic dragon...especially puzzling.

Blueprints and Destructive Testing were fun diversions that introduced new villains while connecting them to the overarching plotline of the Master Planner. I actually liked Kraven's design as a 'mutant' and I thought it made his character development a whole lot more visceral. Though I hope to see some more depth injected into this in *crosses fingers* season 3. I definitely don't agree with many who want to see this change reversed, however.

Warren is an interesting creature, I don't know a lot about his character from the comic. But he makes a good enough anti-Dr Connors with his experimenting for money and his carrying a handgun around wherever he goes.

Really nice direction by Kevin Altieri here, especially with the scenes in the lab. It's so cool that he got the threat of a handgun into a scene without having to make issue with standards and practices. And there was this one great shot focusing on the lion's eyes. I love scenes where people square up against eachother without actually fighting, and merely one-up eachother with their demands. They're so much more interesting than actual fights.

Calypso was also very cool. Another character I hope to see more of in the future, though it's strange to me that she just disappeared. The drum motif that accompanies her is also very cool, and gives the character a sense of power that I appreciate.

Shear Strength is very cool, though. It was nice to see the Vulture and Electro taking up major roles in this episode, giving certain villains their own spot-light episode to accompany the major sinister six episode. This is also where I (and I believe the rest of the fandom) began our secret love affair with George Stacy. The guy was cool last season in Persona and Nature vs. Nurture, but here he's sticking it to a super-villain to ensure his daughter's safety, and who doesn't love that?

The end to this arc is both disheartening and interesting. I kind of like Liz, though she's... really wrong for Peter. Good for her for sticking up for herself anyway, though Gwen really could and should have done the same beforehand.

Overall a pretty rocky, but overall good arc, I enjoyed it immensely and hope to see more in the future!

Clark Cradic writes...

Was the Norman Osborn right before and after the accident that created Doc Ock Chameleon?

Akeem M. writes...

I have to congratulate you on the success on The Spectacular Spider-Man series. Season 2 Spoilers ahead! Good job on letting the villains like Ock and Norman use big words. I found out that Norman had no idea that Harry was drinking the green after he mentioned that it was "more serendipity" that he found Harry there after mentioning that he happened to find "Norman Osborn" witnessing a Green Goblin theft. It was genious, I applaud you for making people look up words.

Fredrick Foswell obviously knew that Mr. Lincoln was the "Big Man" during the events of the episode "Gangland". Now when initially asked by Peter about this, he tells the teenager that Mr. Lonnie Thompson Lincoln is a good man and is not a criminal. Why was that? Now I beleive that Foswell is a good man and isn't a reporter/crime lord like his comics incarnation. I can only assume that he didn't want this child going out to investigate it and getting killed.

Will they EVER catch Mysterio? Also, I want to know ouside of the aftermath with Tinkerer in "Blueprints", have we even SEEN the real Quentin Beck as Mysterio? Does Spider-Man catch the robots? I tend to think that when he speaks it is really him (Spider-man catching him in "Blueprints" and "Reinforcements", and Beck's prison appearance in "Identity Crisis") because when he is revealed as a robot, he has some kind of blank stare...so I guess he escaped out of prison off screen after "Identity Crisis". Am I right?

Does anyone outside of the Osborne family, Pete, Gwen know about Norman's "hobby"? I assume not because I'm sure that being a supervillain/crime boss is looked down on in the world of business and Oscorp will be asking for a bailout...

Henry Goeldner writes...

Hello Mr Weisman, an Australian fan here curious about quite a number of things pertaining to your most excellent adaption of the Spiderman mythos. Hypothetical questions in fact.

You have stated previously that you had wished to use Kingpin in some form and still hope to. If you could use Kingpin, for season three or hopefully even a season four (or five, six, seven, it deserves that much at least) would you have Daredevil make an appearance as well? What of other costumed adventurers, both major and minor? If you could use any Marvel hero, which would you incorporate into your highly entertaining series?

Say for instance, Prowler?

Forrest writes...

Do you know when The Spectacular Spider-man Season 1 box set will come out, some people say it will come out this summer. Do you know a release date for it? And will there be a Season 2 box set?

Mo writes...

Guess what? More Spidey questions!

1) Exactly how did a Goblin costume tailored for Norman Osborn convincingly fit Harry Osborn?
2) Is Spider-Man at all wanted for the attempted murder of Otto Octavious in "Group Therapy"?
3) Did nobody put together the disappearance of the Symbiote, Spider-Man being at the scene of the crime and him wearing the black costume?
4) Will Spider-Man at all appear in season 3?

Thanks again!

Forrest writes...

Hi Greg,
I'v been watching Spectacular Spider-Man on Disney XD, and its always on when Im at school. And its never on agine, do you think you can change the time from the morning to the afternoons. So there can be more viewers for the show, so third season could come out.

Tanner writes...

If the third season of the Spectacualr Spider-man does come out, when will it come?

Natan writes...

Hello Greg!

Will you be doing audio commentaries for the season sets of Spectacular Spider-Man?

I have currently have the individual volumes and I have to say that the special features are very disappointing to say the least. Are you involved with the distribution of the DVD's at all? Do you know when fans can expect the sets to be released? I hear it might be this July.

It would also be fun if there was a sort of pop-up video or trivia special feature that tells you all the little references to the comics from each episode. I love how every little supporting character plays a part in this show and how they are all existing characters in the comic book world - even ones obscure as Sha Shan (I don't think anyone even realizes that she is an actual character in the comics!).

Also, will you be attending San Diego Comic Con this year?

Thanks.

AL writes...

Hi Greg,

First I just want to say congratulations on creating what many have dubbed "the definitive Spider-Man show". Spectacular Spider-Man is such a wonderful show. Everyone working on the show has just done such an amazing job. Thanks for all the hard work.

I know you are still awaiting a third season to be picked up. I've read a lot of concerns from fans about how the show might never get more than 26 episodes. This is pretty irrational since it's still too early to know, but there is always a chance that a third season may never be picked up. So my question is, IF the show does not continue with a third season or IF the show is canceled (let's hope not!) before it reaches your target 52 or 65(?) episodes, do you think it's possible to continue the story in a different medium? For example: as a comic book series. Or, could the show continue as a series of straight to DVD movies, like what you planed after the entire series ended?

Thanks! Crossing my fingers for Season 3!

Mo writes...

More Spidey questions!

1) Regarding JJJ: I think Daran Norris does an amazing job in the voice role, but i'm wondering if you ever considered having J.K. Simmons reprise the role.
2) With John Jameson, why did you choose him to fill the role of a rival hero? And why did you make Colonel Jupiter rather than, say, Man-Wolf?
3) The influence of Stan and Steve's work, the Ultimate line and the films is clear in the show. Did earlier Spider-Man programs influence it at all?
4) Regarding Green Goblin: Did you ever consider using the Ultimate demonic design or the movie's armored design or did you always want to use the classic Halloween costume look?
5) If you had to choose, who has been your favorite villain on the show?

Once more, I thank you.

AJC writes...

Does Walter Hardy know Spider-man's identity?

Clark Cradic writes...

If you had been able to use Kingpin in the series, would have used something similar to his designs from the 90's animated series or the Daredevil movie? Would you still have cast Kevin Michael Richardson in the role?