Another TV show that has grasped my taste buds firmly as of late is the new Spectacular Spiderman animated series. This will be to me a 3rd generation of Spiderman cartoon I will have followed (Spiderman and Friends during the 80’s and Spiderman during the 90’s both aired on BBC1).
Presenting a new animation style and re-imagined perspectives on the characters in Peter Parker’s life, this is a fresh new interpretation of the webbed wonders adventures.
The style itself does not take itself too seriously with a more ‘chibi’ look the characters and setting. This newer approach to a Marvel toon may not appeal to all tastes but it actually generates the image of Peter Parker rather well where he actually appears to be more like the teenager he is supposed to be rather than a stocky 30 something (see the 90’s toon). Aunt May has had some of her years given back and is presented more like a middle aged woman who looks more like Peter’s aunt rather than his grandmother, although some people do actually have ‘older’ aunts and uncles.
Each episode of the series has so far introduced a key villain for Spiderman to battle against and so far as I write this The Lizard, Electro, and The Vulture have all been introduced and introduced well. I predict by the end of the first season there will be a formation of the Sinister Six, if not the introduction of Venom for which Eddie Brock is already in the show as one of Peter’s friends working for Doctor Connors.
As if Peter didn’t have school bullies, an internship, raising money to pay bills, and keeping a secret identity to contend with he has a strict curfew from Aunt May. The curfew itself provides an amusing cliché to the show in that Peter’s mobile will surprisingly sound off in the middle of Spiderman battling against the villaian of the episode. This mobile call is always Aunt May checking up or giving a reminder and adds a comic effect to the crime-fighting. There just isn’t enough time in the day!
I have no idea when this series will eventually air in the UK, but is certainly one of the best things to torrent off the web right now. I’ll sum it up again that this is a really pleasant and colourful approach to the Spiderman mythos and should be enjoyed by many, especially those who didn’t really enjoy the recent movie trilogy. Past Spiderman cartoons have been good in their own unique way and Spectacular Spiderman is no exception.
