Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Episode 1315 Talkback: Spotlight on Spider-Man in Other Media

Time for one last Spider-Man spotlight, this time in other media. The animated series, live action TV show, movies, toys, music, collectibles and so much more are discussed in this episode. (1:46:41)

Listen here.

Comments

  • GregGreg Posts: 1,946
    edited December 2012
    The '67 Spider-Man animated series is what started it all for me. If not for this series I'm not sure if I would have gotten into comics. The first season is by far my favorite and I have all of the background music from the show which captures the era very well. this series is one of the reasons why I'm fascinated with the history of the 60's and the popular culture of the decade. I never understood why in some of the later episodes the main villians started having green skin and now I know.

    I wasn't a big fan of Electric Company and I would only watch until Spidey made an appearnce and would then turn it off.

    I don't remember much about the live action Spider-Man series. I was five when that came out, I remember seeing some of the episodes but can't remember much more.

    The '81 Spider-Man series was a fun to watch but I never understood why Dr. Doom was the main reoccuring villain. I didn't care, just didn't understand it.

    Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends is my happy place. I love this series almost as much as I love my wife and kids. The summer of '82 was bad for me, and this show helped me get through it in a big way. I have the series on dvd and watch it regulary. The other character you were thinking of from the 7 Little Super Heroes episode is Shanna the She-Devil. I have the music from this series also. This is my favorite cartoon of all time.

    I didn't care for the 90's animated series when it was airing. I've been watching it recently on Netflix and I'm really enjoying it. I know some arcs of the series were put on dvd, not sure about whole seasons though.

    Great episodes guys, thank you, thank you, thank you for doing these spotlights. Spider-Man is the whole reason I got into comics. Since discovering the character in the 70's he has always been in my life in some capcity and I can't imagine what I'd be without him.

    Oh, my metal Spidey lunch box story. My dad had a younger cousin that was five to six years older than me and he was my bully. I used my lunchbox to carry my hot wheels and matchbox cars in and I had enough to pack that lunch box full. On one such day he started messing with me and I swung that packed metal lunchbox around and nailed him square in the family jewels and I ran like hell.
  • rebisrebis Posts: 1,820
    I haven't had a chance to listen. I'm sure this was mentioned, but I wanted to share.

    JAPANESE SPIDER-MAN!
  • GregGreg Posts: 1,946
    I forgot all about the he Japanese Spider-Man series and it is some the craziest television I have ever seen.
  • DARDAR Posts: 1,128
    My first exposure was the Electric Company followed by Amazing Friends. I always enjoyed the 90's animated series. And I loved the Spectacular Spider-Man series from a few years ago. I didn't really care for the current series at first but I'm warming up to it.

    As for the movies I still love the second film the best. I like the first movie but I was never crazy about the Green Goblin costume. As for the third film, yes it has problems, Sandman being involved in Uncle Ben's killing. Venom being shoehorned in their essentially. Emo Peter. But I would prefer it to say any of the Ghost Rider films or X-Men the Last Stand. And I think the Amazing Spider-Man was a very good film.

    As for the rest I had the occasional toy here and there mixed in with my other toys.

    Finally great series guys, especially you Chris I learned more about Spidey these last few months than I previously have. I have the first four Essentials volumes for a few years. But since listening I've added five through eight along with Marvel Team Up. In fact besides Batman it's all I've recently bought comics wise.
  • I kind of disagree on the comments on Spider-Man 3, I'm referring to Raimi not the film. To be quite honest, I believe Sony, Marvel AND Raimi are the reasons why Spidey 3 was bad. There are alot of reasons why, but the key reaswons would have to be a) Sandman and Vulture, regardless of the fanbase and how well know they are, aren't really that up there with Goblin or Doc Ock and even Venom. Hell, Hobgoblin is, and I always felt that Harry should've had a better role as the Hobgoblin in 3. But Sandman and Vulture; the general public wouldn't care, unless they were part of the Sinister Six in a movie. b) Take Venom out of Spidey 3 and leave everything else alone, still the same problematic movie. And c) I have the script for Spider-Man 4 (aka Spider-M4n), which is what Raimi was pushing for, and keep in mind Marvel and Sony wanted to fix what they had done to Spidey 3; Spidey 4 script wasn't good, in fact it would've been the bullet that killed the franchise. So yeah, it's all three including Raimi who are at fault.
  • Mr_CosmicMr_Cosmic Posts: 3,200
    It wasn't mentioned but Spider-Man Unlimated was a cartoon that was on the air around '99-'00. There were only 13 episodes and it featured Spider-Man on Counter Earth. That Earth was under the control of animal men(think Kamandi) created by the High Evolutionary.

    It was actually a good show and I recommend it for its fun stories and unique take on Spidey.
  • dubbat138dubbat138 Posts: 3,200
    Mr_Cosmic said:

    It wasn't mentioned but Spider-Man Unlimated was a cartoon that was on the air around '99-'00. There were only 13 episodes and it featured Spider-Man on Counter Earth. That Earth was under the control of animal men(think Kamandi) created by the High Evolutionary.

    It was actually a good show and I recommend it for its fun stories and unique take on Spidey.

    ToonDisney/DisneyXD use to air that late at night on the weekends. Somewhere I have a few dvds where I recorded every episode.
  • ElsiebubElsiebub Posts: 338
    Haven't had a chance to listen to this yet (still working my way through the previous installment), but I wanted to extend a big THANK YOU to you guys for doing this series. Chris's knowledge is encyclopedic... and the rest of you guys ain't so bad either! I've loved the presentation and the leisurely stroll through the decades. I'm not a super-big Spidey fan, so I've learned quite a bit from these Spotlights, and it's also been fun hearing the Spidey stories that I have read discussed in such detail and with such candor. Thanks again!
  • JDickJDick Posts: 206
    Binker said:

    I kind of disagree on the comments on Spider-Man 3, I'm referring to Raimi not the film. To be quite honest, I believe Sony, Marvel AND Raimi are the reasons why Spidey 3 was bad. There are alot of reasons why, but the key reaswons would have to be a) Sandman and Vulture, regardless of the fanbase and how well know they are, aren't really that up there with Goblin or Doc Ock and even Venom. Hell, Hobgoblin is, and I always felt that Harry should've had a better role as the Hobgoblin in 3. But Sandman and Vulture; the general public wouldn't care, unless they were part of the Sinister Six in a movie. b) Take Venom out of Spidey 3 and leave everything else alone, still the same problematic movie. And c) I have the script for Spider-Man 4 (aka Spider-M4n), which is what Raimi was pushing for, and keep in mind Marvel and Sony wanted to fix what they had done to Spidey 3; Spidey 4 script wasn't good, in fact it would've been the bullet that killed the franchise. So yeah, it's all three including Raimi who are at fault.

    I think audiences don't get enough credit. They would figure out the Vulture just fine...the villains aren't selling Spider-Man movies.
    I do agree that Raimi has to bear some of the blame for Spider-Man 3. Venom wasn't the issue...too many characters, Toby McGuire in eye liner, dance numbers, Spider-Man only in the costume for like 5 minutes. Even the MJ, Peter and Harry stuff fell flat.
  • DARDAR Posts: 1,128
    Mr_Cosmic said:

    It wasn't mentioned but Spider-Man Unlimated was a cartoon that was on the air around '99-'00. There were only 13 episodes and it featured Spider-Man on Counter Earth. That Earth was under the control of animal men(think Kamandi) created by the High Evolutionary.

    It was actually a good show and I recommend it for its fun stories and unique take on Spidey.

    And I believe Spidey was voiced by the same actor who voiced Batman in The Batman

  • MattMatt Posts: 4,457
    edited December 2012
    DAR said:

    Mr_Cosmic said:

    It wasn't mentioned but Spider-Man Unlimated was a cartoon that was on the air around '99-'00. There were only 13 episodes and it featured Spider-Man on Counter Earth. That Earth was under the control of animal men(think Kamandi) created by the High Evolutionary.

    It was actually a good show and I recommend it for its fun stories and unique take on Spidey.

    And I believe Spidey was voiced by the same actor who voiced Batman in The Batman

    He did. I think that was one of several reasons I could not get into The Batman.

    M
  • rebisrebis Posts: 1,820
    edited December 2012
    Just a quick note on the Aurora model kits.
    The Comic Scene kits (with the 8 page comic) is a re-issue of the original kits. The original kits didn't come with a comic. The initial Polar Lights re-issue is scaled up from 1/12 to 1/8(?), but didn't have a comic. I did just see a new Polar Lights re-issue that included the comic.
  • rebisrebis Posts: 1,820
    edited December 2012
    A quick note on Power Records. There was an earlier company named Tifton (which I believe became Power Records) that released a series of 45 rpm singles in a "figural" sleeve. The singles had a story and song. I'm not sure which Marvel characters had a record. I'm sure of Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor, & Hulk. They also released singles and LP's of DC characters. Batman & Superman had singles and LP's released of their families. The rest of the DC characters (Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Metamorpho, & Plastic Man) were combined on an LP entitled, "Songs and Stories or the Justice League of America'.

    image
  • Big_Daddy_SummersBig_Daddy_Summers Posts: 84
    edited December 2012
    Anyone from the UK can get all the dvds here from the original 60's show up to now, including Unlimited: http://www.clearvision.co.uk/Marvel
    Im sure they ship internationally too.
  • LibraryBoyLibraryBoy Posts: 1,803
    All of the Spider-Man cartoons except for Spectacular ('67, '81, Amazing Friends, the Fox series, Unlimited, MTV, and season 1 of Ultimate) are available on Netflix Instant. Not sure why Spectacular is the lone holdout, but given the wealth of other options, it's hard to complain!
  • LibraryBoyLibraryBoy Posts: 1,803
    Glad I'm not the only one who enjoyed the live-action Spidey TV show as a kid. I have vague half-memories of watching an episode or two as they originally aired, but mostly I remember them strung together as movies for Sunday afternoon viewing on Boston's Channel 56 or when they'd do Spider-Man week on one of my local (Bangor, Maine) station's weekday afternoon movie show, The Great Money Movie. Cheesy and limited, yes (even as a kid I noticed that they'd constantly reuse that crane shot of Spidey swinging between the same two buildings), but fun, and I wish they'd release those on DVD at some point, or put 'em up on Netflix or Amazon Prime.

    As for the Raimi movies, I really enjoyed the first two when they came out, but I find I like them less each time I revisit them. There are still parts I enjoy - J.K. Simmons should be JJJ in all things forever, as far as I'm concerned, Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina were great villains, the Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi cameos were fun - but I think the movies give in to the usual Sam Raimi tics and quirks a little too much (some scenes are played VERY broadly), and I think Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst don't have much chemistry together and are pretty wooden in any scene they share. Plus there's all that "'Ey, 'Oh, we're from Noo Yawk, we's all stick togetha!" stuff in both, the forced Jesus imagery and the awkward cake girl scenes in 2, the fact that MJ would get so mad at Peter for not seeing her play even when they weren't dating she'd marry some other dude... the problems add up for me.

    I think 3 is weirdly and subversively clever, though. It's not very good, but I think it's Sam Raimi's way of giving the studio EXACTLY what they said they wanted and proving to them how just bad those ideas were. It's like he got fed up with the constant prodding and interference and ended up putting every exec's note into the movie somewhere. "You know what, screw it, let's actually go and put a dance sequence into this! Tobey, can you fake being a jazz pianist?" I kind of admire the man for flipping the bird to the studio in such a big, expensive way, and the whole Dancin' Emo Peter section is my favorite part of the movie because of it.
  • Been watching the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon on Netflix, and I have to say I've really been enjoying it. While changing many of the characters to teenagers may be a stumbling block (which I found really curious, and it makes me think they're planning on "aging" these characters together...but that's another story), there are a ton of call-backs to the comics. It reminds me of the Teen Titans cartoon in its frenetic pace, use of Chiba-style comedic elements and tone.
  • Glad I'm not the only one who enjoyed the live-action Spidey TV show as a kid. I have vague half-memories of watching an episode or two as they originally aired, but mostly I remember them strung together as movies for Sunday afternoon viewing on Boston's Channel 56 or when they'd do Spider-Man week on one of my local (Bangor, Maine) station's weekday afternoon movie show, The Great Money Movie. Cheesy and limited, yes (even as a kid I noticed that they'd constantly reuse that crane shot of Spidey swinging between the same two buildings), but fun, and I wish they'd release those on DVD at some point, or put 'em up on Netflix or Amazon Prime.

    As for the Raimi movies, I really enjoyed the first two when they came out, but I find I like them less each time I revisit them. There are still parts I enjoy - J.K. Simmons should be JJJ in all things forever, as far as I'm concerned, Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina were great villains, the Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi cameos were fun - but I think the movies give in to the usual Sam Raimi tics and quirks a little too much (some scenes are played VERY broadly), and I think Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst don't have much chemistry together and are pretty wooden in any scene they share. Plus there's all that "'Ey, 'Oh, we're from Noo Yawk, we's all stick togetha!" stuff in both, the forced Jesus imagery and the awkward cake girl scenes in 2, the fact that MJ would get so mad at Peter for not seeing her play even when they weren't dating she'd marry some other dude... the problems add up for me.

    I think 3 is weirdly and subversively clever, though. It's not very good, but I think it's Sam Raimi's way of giving the studio EXACTLY what they said they wanted and proving to them how just bad those ideas were. It's like he got fed up with the constant prodding and interference and ended up putting every exec's note into the movie somewhere. "You know what, screw it, let's actually go and put a dance sequence into this! Tobey, can you fake being a jazz pianist?" I kind of admire the man for flipping the bird to the studio in such a big, expensive way, and the whole Dancin' Emo Peter section is my favorite part of the movie because of it.

    Agreed on almost all counts. The vibe even from the interviews with the leads (and, of course, this is all a subjective read on my part) seemed to show utter exhaustion with even the concept of the movie. I can't for the life of me track it down, but I remember mutterings at the time of a mythical interview with Dunst where she even said something along the lines of "Look at me. Does it LOOK like I read comic books?"

    I didn't mind #3, but I also was very sensitive to the "too many villains" issue that also befell the 90's Batman movies.

  • Thanks for doing this series on Spidey. I've enjoyed each episode and would love to hear a similar series done on other characters.
  • PantsPants Posts: 567
    sdavis421 said:

    Thanks for doing this series on Spidey. I've enjoyed each episode and would love to hear a similar series done on other characters.

    If you check out our episode archives we've done similar spotlight series on Superman, Batman and Captain America as well as single episode spotlights on Aquaman, Fantastic Four, Flash, Green Lantern, Hulk and more.

  • Another great episode. Thanks to all who participated, and especially to Chris. I hope he makes more guest appearances in the future.
  • shroud68shroud68 Posts: 457
    There were a series of paperback Marvel novels from Pocketbooks in the late 70's. I had three, two with Spiderman that I bought at a school book fair. The one I remember was Spiderman and Hulk in Murdermoon. I think it was something like a sattelite crashing but the novel felt more like the TV characters than the comic book versions. I only ever saw the one Spiderman novel, Murdermoon and a Cap novel Holocaust for Hire .I rememeber seeing them advertised back then in the In-House ads but I never saw the rest then or even now on the convention circuit. The covers were painted and pretty striking from my recollection.
  • dubbat138dubbat138 Posts: 3,200
    shroud68 said:

    There were a series of paperback Marvel novels from Pocketbooks in the late 70's. I had three, two with Spiderman that I bought at a school book fair. The one I remember was Spiderman and Hulk in Murdermoon. I think it was something like a sattelite crashing but the novel felt more like the TV characters than the comic book versions. I only ever saw the one Spiderman novel, Murdermoon and a Cap novel Holocaust for Hire .I rememeber seeing them advertised back then in the In-House ads but I never saw the rest then or even now on the convention circuit. The covers were painted and pretty striking from my recollection.

    Last con I went to,I got a Spider-man paperback book from the mid 70s. Can't remember the name of it.

  • The real gems are the two original Marvel paperback prose stories from the 60's: Captain America and the Great Gold Steal by Ted White, and The Avengers Battle The Earth Wrecker by Otto Binder. Both were pretty good, though I'm particularly fond of the latter.
  • dubbat138dubbat138 Posts: 3,200
    Found my Spidey paper back. Published by Pocket Fiction in 1978. "Mayhem in Manhatten" written by Len Wein and Marv Wolfman. Want to say I paid $3 for it.
  • shroud68shroud68 Posts: 457
    dubbat138 said:

    Found my Spidey paper back. Published by Pocket Fiction in 1978. "Mayhem in Manhatten" written by Len Wein and Marv Wolfman. Want to say I paid $3 for it.

    That's the one I had. I'm curious about the rest of the series beyond the three I have (had). Something to pursue at this year's cons I guess!

  • dubbat138dubbat138 Posts: 3,200
    shroud68 said:

    dubbat138 said:

    Found my Spidey paper back. Published by Pocket Fiction in 1978. "Mayhem in Manhatten" written by Len Wein and Marv Wolfman. Want to say I paid $3 for it.

    That's the one I had. I'm curious about the rest of the series beyond the three I have (had). Something to pursue at this year's cons I guess!


    I think I will read it next. But it will be awhile. I got in the new Dresden files book recently and been reading a chapter or two before bed.
Sign In or Register to comment.