The Spectacular Spider-Man

So...

I've heard nothing directly from Marvel, Disney or Sony, but I think the recent announcement that an "Ultimate Spider-Man" animated series is in the works at Marvel Animation, makes it fairly clear that The Spectacular Spider-Man is over.

I can't say that I'm surprised, but that doesn't mean I'm not disappointed. But guys... all of you so quick to rush to my defense (sometimes in the most heated of terms)... it's appreciated, of course, but not necessary. This is the business I've chosen to work in. It comes with the job.

Sure, I think Spectacular kicked some ass! But there's no reason to assume that Ultimate Spider-Man won't kick ass too! I'd recommend giving it a chance. I remember when we were first announced, a bunch of MTV Spider-Man fans were screaming about why they were creating a new series and not continuing that one. Heck, there were even a bunch of 90s Spider-Man the Animated Series fans who felt they should still be continuing THAT show. Some of those folks wound up giving us a chance. Some didn't, I'm sure. Some of those who loved those and other old Spidey series found they liked or loved Spectacular. Others didn't, I'm sure. But we found our audience, and now we've got nostalgia working on our side. But I wouldn't want Ultimate Spidey to be judged on anything other than itself. Because that's all I wanted for Spectacular.

It's just the way of things. I try to take the long view and be philosophical about it. Don't always succeed, but I try. I had more stories I was dying to tell, but anyone who's familiar with this website due to a certain series beginning with a "G" knows that this isn't the first series I've felt that way about. I rarely run out of tales to tell. I had more Spidey stories to tell. More Gargoyles stories to tell. More W.I.T.C.H. stories to tell. More Captain Atom stories to tell. More Starship Troopers stories to tell. Even more Max Steel stories to tell. And if and when I get a new series -- no matter how long it lasts -- I'll probably STILL have more stories of that puppy to tell too.

So I try to be grateful for what I did get. I got to tell 26 fun stories. And those led directly to me writing for The Amazing Spider-Man, which puts me in some pretty august company and fulfilled a life-long dream, even if it was only half of one issue. So it's all good.

For those who loved and will miss, alongside me and pretty much all of its cast and crew, The Spectacular Spider-Man, I appreciate all your support and kind words. Let's celebrate what we achieved and not stress over what we didn't get to do.

Thanks, everyone.

Greg Weisman
April, 2010

HAPPY CENTENNIAL GRANDMA SUE

Hey guys,

I've been on vacation (SPRING BREAK!) and busy with a bunch of stuff, so haven't been able to stop by recently, but I didn't want this major event to go by without notice. Last week, my Grandmother turned 100.

Of course, my brother beat me to it, writing more eloquently than I'd be able to, so I'm going to link to his website, which has neat pictures too!

http://bit.ly/b4GAI2

As my cousin pointed out at the LARGE family dinner we had this past weekend, when Sue Weisman was born, the Ottomans had an empire, as did the British and the Russian Czars, and Sue-Baby has outlast them all. The changes she's seen... living through World War I, the Depression, Prohibition, World War II, the invention of radio, television, computers, etc. It's a completely different world. And she's still sharp and funny and a joy to be around.

So happy birthday, Grandma Sue! Here's to 100 more!

Robert Culp R.I.P.

I won't pretend I knew Robert Culp well, but long prior to his work on Gargoyles, I was a fan. I loved him in The Greatest American Hero and LOVED him in I Spy. His unique delivery and humor made both series a joy. And what great partnerships: Culp & Cosby in Spy and Culp & Katt in Hero. He was clearly a generous actor. And a dedicated one. His performances as Halcyon Renard in a handful of episodes of Gargoyles made Renard a completely fascinating character for me. And his exchanges with Peter Scolari as Preston Vogel in the booth were really fun to watch.

Culp will be missed.

Reopening Ask Greg/Amazing Spider-Man 622

Hey gang,

It caught me off guard, but it seems my issue of The Amazing Spider-Man (i.e. #622) is out. So I've asked Gorebash to open Ask Greg to allow comments and questions about it. Normally, we wouldn't reopen this soon, given that I still am about 200 questions behind -- so don't assume it'll stay open long -- but I figured I should give you all the opportunity.

Mecha-Nation

Just got this message from the folks at Ape Entertainment:

Just a heads up to let you know that MECHA-NATION #1 is now available to order from the February edition of the Diamond PREVIEWS catalog!

Tell a friend!

FAIR WARNING

ASK GREG's question-asking function will temporarily go off line at the end of November to allow me to catch up on the over 400 question backlog.

Goliath Sculpt

As promised, here are the photos of myself, Ruben Procopio and the Goliath Sculpt. Note the model sheets everywhere.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29246775@N04/sets/72157622647604288/

May the drooling commence...

Rubén = Ruben with an accent over the "e".

Rubén = Ruben with an accent over the "e".

Electric Tiki, Rubén Procopio, Goliath and Me...

Electric Tiki, Rubén Procopio, Goliath and Me...

I literally just got back to my office after a trip to Rubén Procopio's studio in Burbank. Some of you, I'm sure, met Rubén at this summer's Gathering. Rubén is sculpting Goliath for Electric Tiki, and Tracy Mark Lee of Electric Tiki was at Rubén's studio too.

Rubén's Goliath sculpt -- in its final approval phase before baking, sanding, etc -- just kicks ass!!! Tracy and I had some extremely minor notes, but really, even if it went out exactly as is, I'd be thrilled!

I'm a big fan of the Randy Bowen Goliath that I've currently got sitting on my desk -- which is very much Randy's interpretation of the character. By contrast, what Rubén has done is bring the television show's Goliath to life in 3D. It's totally on-model, and in fact Rubén's workspace is surrounded by actual model sheets of the character from the series. Tracy tells me the sculpt will be available next summer, so if you're a fan of Goliath, Gargoyles or just great sculpts in general, start saving now! I've already reserved my copy!

I have some pictures of Rubén and I with the in-progress sculpt, which I'll figure out how to post or link to or something soon. Stay tuned.

THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN is back!

THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN is back!

Disney XD is bringing "new" second season episodes back starting Wednesday, October 7th. Check local listings for times! Tell your friends, spread the word, watch the episodes (especially if you're a Nielson Family)! It's good stuff, I swear!!