GEOGNE writes...

WHY DID YOU GUYS CANCEL SPECTUALR SPIDERMAN PLEASE BRING IT BACK ITS SUCH A CLEAN SHOW WHY DID YOU i HAVE A LOVE FOR THAT SHOW SIGNED GEOGNE

Clark Cradic writes...

If the series had continued long enough for you to include the Scorpion, would you have made the source of his powers like the Rhino or like Kraven?

Tyler writes...

Hey Greg ,

I have another question about the episode storytelling in the Young Justice cartoon. Is the cartoon's episodes going to be told similar to The Spectacular Spiderman and Gargoyles with one long story arc, that ends each season with a big bang, But in each season the characters still recall what happened in the first season or will the show be told similar to Teen Titans and JLU where each episode has its own story?

Anonymous writes...

Man, every Spidey question you answer that ends with some form of "it's moot now" or "we'll never see it" is depressing. I miss the show so much, miss anticipating what great new direction you guys were going to take it in, miss the awesome surprise of each new design by Cheeks, the great voice acting and sharp writing, the structure of the seasons and the way you were organically growing Spidey's world, etc. I'm really excited for Young Justice and think it looks great, but at heart, I'm mostly a Marvel, and specifically Spider-Man, fan. So basically, just thanks for the show. I loved it, it's a credit to your great talent in the field, and it was unquestionably the best animated Marvel adaptation ever made, series, movie, or otherwise.

Anonymous writes...

in the future where u know for a fact that spectacular won't get renewed-even though it was made pretty clear-would u ever consider posting something talking about some of your plans for the characters on the show. no every single character because that will take forever but some of the thing that ended on a cliffhanger like one question about man-wolf and kraven...and what you might've been planning for hobgoblin and scorpion. also, do u think the sales of the second season dvd's could have anything to do with sony not renewing the show because it kind of seems like they're waiting for that to get money out of the people who want a third season and think buying the dvd will help? the reason i ask that is because i read on marvel animation age that spec spidey is still a sony production and its up to them.

Anonymous writes...

"I had plans for both John and Kraven -- in fact those plans were connected. But I'm not inclined to go into detail on them at this time. "

You, sir, are a horrible tease. If you ever are inclined to go into the plans you had for certain characters, etc. in the series, please, please do not hold out on us. :) For some of us, it's all we've got left to keep experiencing the greatest Spider-Man adaptation every produced. :)

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Interesting background on Flash... You say that part of Flash's development would be becoming more aware of and dealing with his long held grudge to Peter. Does Peter have any inkling of why Flash turned on him? Not that he's given any indication of it openly, but was Flash's abandonment an emotionally scarring event, or was it lost in the greater trauma of his parent's deaths?

Greg Bishansky writes...

You know I loved "Spectacular Spider-Man" and I am sad that it is gone. Your recent answer on how Flash's enmity for Peter began fascinated me and depressed me at the same time. That was quite deep.

I'll admit, the element of the show that has been fascinating me the most is Emily Osborn. Mostly because this is the only continuity where she's actually alive (and thus a completely blank slate), and the few teases we got made me wonder what is up with her. What kind of mother is she? What kind of wife is she?

She was just so mysterious. We know why Norman and Harry missed the school play, but why didn't she go? That couldn't have been a coincidence.

And then, while I know it was non-canonical, when she finally did speak, and presented this mysterious tape from Norman, along with "the Green Goblin is not what your father wanted for you" it raised even more questions.

So, I need to ask. What role was she playing? Did she know Norman was/is the Green Goblin?

Greg Bishansky writes...

I wrote this blog entry up a few months back, and I thought I'd share it with you. I'm curious as to your thoughts on the matter:

Ever since Disney bought Marvel, people have been asking Greg Weisman if he has any interest in integrating the "Gargoyles Universe" (which would be the first sixty-five episodes of the series, and the two SLG comic series "Gargoyles" and "Gargoyles: Bad Guys") into the Marvel Universe, and Weisman keeps saying no. Yet people keep asking him.

I love "Gargoyles" and I love the "Marvel Universe." I love "Gargoyles" more, and I'm not afraid to say it. But this is a terrible idea, and I'm going to talk about why it's a terrible idea.

First of all, the two universes are pretty incompatible. Time travel works differently in both universe for one. In "Gargoyles" you cannot alter history, and that series is so much better for it. If it were a part of Marvel, it would be too easy for Goliath to, let's say, go back in time and prevent the massacre of his clan back in 994 Scotland.

I suppose you could retcon away those Marvel time travel stories like "Age of Apocalypse" and "Days of Future Past." While I would not mind that, it wouldn't be fair to the fans and creators of those stories.

Second, while I have no doubt the existence of gargoyles would be shocking to the people of the Marvel Universe, it wouldn't have the same impact it should. Not in a world where mutants, super-beings, Atlanteans, Inhumans, Eternals, Norse gods, and Fin Fang Foom are already known to exist with Galactus stopping by every other Tuesday.

Third, okay, Marvel's Odin is now a Child of Oberon, as are the Asgardians. Okay... how well do you think that's going to go over with the fans of Jack Kirby's Thor who have been reading it for nearly fifty years now? Hell, there are still some people who are uneasy about Odin being subject to Oberon in "Gargoyles." I'm not one of those people, but I understand where they're coming from.

Now, I know some people are bound to mention the NON-CANON Radio Play from the 2009 Gathering, that was a crossover between "Gargoyles" and "The Spectacular Spider-Man," so let's get this out of the way. That wasn't actually the Marvel Universe. It was a re-imagined, and stream-lined version of it. It also helped that both shows were created or developed by Greg Weisman. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it, but I don't think anyone wants this to be a regular, or even a recurring occurrence. I think it worked well as a pandering love letter to fans of both franchises, and the voice actors who brought these characters to life.

Finally, and perhaps most important, the Marvel Universe is not really going anywhere. It is very cyclical. Things come, things go, status quos change and are restored. Spider-Man is married for twenty years, then he is single again. Magneto reforms, then is a villain again, then reforms, etc, etc.

For example, I respect a lot of what Joe Quesada has done for Marvel. However, the notion of him having any kind of creative influence over "Gargoyles" scares me. "Goliath and Elisa were more interesting before they finally declared their love and got together. The core of it was always impossible love, so now we have to split them up." You know it would happen.

"The Gargoyles Universe" is going somewhere, even if we're currently not getting any new fiction, it was always evolving. Never going backwards, but moving forwards. It was an evolving tapestry, and change was constant. Marvel, on the other hand, lives and breathes on the illusion of change, while actual change is non-existent. Death is meaningless. Characters don't age, and the status quo may shake up on occasion, but it is always eventually restored.

The Marvel Universe was built by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko, and maintained by many very talented and creative people acting as custodians of that work. But, for better or worse, it is a soup with hundreds of cooks. Many great chefs, and more than a few fast food fry cooks.

"Gargoyles" was co-created by Greg Weisman, and while he had a lot of help, he was the only co-creator, and the one who never stopped working on it. He was the first author of "Gargoyles" and more than likely he will be the last author of "Gargoyles." For the better. We saw "Gargoyles" without Greg Weisman, and it was nothing good.

Both universes have their place, but you couldn't merge them without one of them being significantly altered in the process. Now, I will admit my bias again and say that I wish the "Marvel Universe" was more like the "Gargoyles Universe" but, there's no real point. It's been around for nearly five decades (over seven if you want to talk about Timely Comics), and it's not going to change. As I've made clear, I think that's kind of the problem, but an understandable one given the nature of Marvel Comics. DC too, for that matter.

Now, I realize a lot of the above makes it look like I'm saying "Gargoyles" is great and Marvel is awful, but I don't feel that way at all. I just don't think such a thing would work without one of the universes suffering for it.

Mo writes...

Hello again Mr. Weisman. First, let me say how sorry I am that Spec Spidey was cancelled. It truly was the best show Marvel ever produced and was the first I honestly felt told stories of the web-slinger and didn't talk down to it's audience. Bravo on making an excellent program.

This does, however, make me all the more excited about Young Justice. I never read that specific series, but i've been a fan of Teen Titans for a while (including the trippy TV series) and am really looking forward to this series. I have a few questions, though:

1) Why the change in Aqualad's character? Was Garth just not interesting enough or was Jackson just cooler? And did the idea for him come from the comic first or did you guys make it up?
2) Why add Ms. Martian to the roster? She's a fun character to be sure, but doesn't exactly scream classic Titans/YJ member (It sort of seems like she's a stand-in for Starfire as the 'alien immigrant' of the team).
3) Will any voice actors from Spec Spidey be working on Young Justice?

Thanks again.