The Spectacular Spider-Man seasons 1 and 2 on Bluray
Thanks to @roddykat and @newsnerdsneed I found out that Sony is doing its best to capitalize on the upcoming release of the Amazing Spider-Man 2 by FINALLY releasing a complete collection of The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series on Bluray. Previously, only the first season was released as a set on DVD. The second season’s episodes had yet to be released in collected format. I made my way to the local Best Buy and immediately bought my copy.
Normally, I am happy when Marvel gets back the movie or tv rights to ANY of the characters it had to sell to keep itself afloat in the 90s. Development on this series was stopped when Marvel regained the Spidey tv rights from Sony. It is a shame that this series was scrapped after two seasons and 26 episodes, and instead we get the low-brow Ultimate Spider-Man that Marvel Studios has been producing.
The Spectacular Spider-Man was one of the best cartoon adaptations EVER. That is not hyperbole. At least not for this agent. The recognized standard is Batman the Animated series as far as American superhero cartoons are concerned. One of the defining characteristics of Batman TAS was a rather simplified aesthetic, concentrating on simple shapes, that allowed for money to be spent on animation and quality voice acting. The Spectacular Spider-Man kept its characters distinct without having cumbersome details, which allowed for smooth and action packed animations. The voice acting was spot on as well.
Kevin Conroy crafted a convincing Batman voice, and that is definitely one reason why Batman TAS has left such a lasting impression. Josh Keaton plays Peter Parker and Spidey, and he puts together a very convincing pair of voices for both awkward and youthful Peter, and the wisecracking and boisterous Spidey.
The voices of the supporting cast of characters are top notch. Notable is Lacey Chabert as Gwen Stacy. If you never understood what Peter saw in Gwen, watch this show and listen to this actor give the character her voice, and you will understand. Equal parts adorable and heartbreaking. Vanessa Marshall as MJ Watson is every thing Kirsten Dunst could never be as MJ.
The stories are based mostly on the original Lee and Ditko stories, with portions of the 90’s animated series, the Raimi films, and the Ultimate comics lending certain parts to this modern adaptation of the origin story. It is a modern re-telling of Spidey’s origin, but the spirit of Lee and Ditko’s original stories shines through. So many minor characters from those stories make an appearance in this series. There is even a Stan Lee cameo.
The Bluray transfer to true HD makes the colors and images pop on an HD screen.
If you are a Spidey fan, you really must pick up this Bluray, because it collects what may be the best animated adaptation of Spidey that has been done to date.
@Agent_70 on twitter
Agent_70
Level 9 Agent. After debriefings a regular panelist/comic book reviewer on the #ComicBookChronicles hosted by @TheKliqNation https://www.thekliqnation.com
