INTERVIEWS
Marvel Animation Age caught up with The Spectacular Spider-Man Producer Greg Weisman to discuss his work on the fan-favorite animated series, which is now airing as part of the weekly Vortexx programming block on The CW. Starting August 17th, 2013 at 9:00am (ET/PT), Vortexx will air all 26-episodes of the acclaimed The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series. Continue below for more.
Marvel Animation Age: The Spectacular Spider-Man is back on the air, thanks to the Vortexx programming block, after being removed from DisneyXD (to make room for Ultimate Spider-Man). How do you feel about the show's sustained life, even a few years after the series has wrapped up? What do you think it says about the show?
Greg Weisman: Well, for starters, I don't think it's as simple as the one-to-one substitution on DisneyXD suggested above. There were ownership issues between Marvel, Disney and Sony, and I don't believe it does anyone any good to oversimplify. But, of course, I'm glad we'll be back on the air and that old fans and new might have a chance to see the episodes. I don't read more into it than that. And it's too soon to know what it says about the show. But I truly hope it does well for Vortexx.
MAA: Is this a show you revisit from time-to-time? Maybe pop in an episode when you're not neck deep in projects?
GW: When am I not neck deep? I haven't watched it in a while, but I've set my DVR to record the series as it airs. I do think that'll be fun.
MAA: Vortexx is set to re-air all 26 episodes of the series. Care to list a handful of highlights from these episodes, to maybe give long-time The Spectacular Spider-Man fans some extra incentive to check out this Vortexx re-airings? Perhaps clue us on on any easter eggs or nods we may have missed?
GW: Well, I think some of the great fun of it is the introduction of so many great characters from the canon. Even really minor - if not flat-out obscure - characters. I also revel in the great voice acting on the show. A truly amazing ensemble.
MAA: The 26-episode series seems to tell a complete story (with a couple open-ended cliffhangers left). Was that your intention for these 26 episodes - to make sure a complete story could be followed from start to finish?
GW: Always. It may have been a bummer when we didn't get a third season, but imagine how much, uh, bummier it would have been if we hadn't gotten a second! Thankfully, we did, and although - like life - not every single loose end is tied up, at least we got to bring some (open-ended) closure to most of our major storylines.
MAA: When comparing this show to Young Justice, The Spectacular Spider-Man feels much more intimate and personal. Would you say that properly reflects Spider-Man, his cast and his world?
GW: Well, it's the core difference between a show about one person (Spidey/Peter) vs. a series about a Team of folks (Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian, Artemis, etc.) and the entire very large universe they're living in. Spidey had a big cast of supporting players, but the only character we were obligated to service was Peter/Spidey. So it definitely plays more intimate.
MAA: What did you consider important character points to hit when working on The Spectacular Spider-Man, specifically for the web-slinger and his supporting cast?
GW: The lovelorn loser who doesn't lose all the time. The sixteen-year-old with the responsibilities of at least two adults. A kid who had a lot to learn, in school, at home, in the workplace and as a super-hero. Our theme for the entire series was "The Education of Peter Parker." Plus, we wanted that trickster/quipster Spidey that we all fell in love with back in the days of Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and John Romita.
MAA: Part of the reason why fans really took to The Spectacular Spider-Man was how you approached the source material and really stayed true to the core comics and characters. How important is it to acknowledge his four-color roots, and when is it safe to deviate?
GW: Everyone probably has to make that call for him or herself, but for us, we really wanted to get down to the core of every character and the core dynamic of each character in relationship to either Peter or Spidey or both. If we were true to those things, than the rest felt more flexible. We wanted versions of the characters who exhibited what we referred to back then as The Four Cs: Contemporary, Cohesive, Coherent and iConic (Okay, yeah, we cheated a bit on that last C, but you get the idea).
MAA: Lastly, if you could sum up The Spectacular Spider-Man in one word - including both your entire experience working on the show and the end result - what would that one word be? Methinks it would begins with an 's'...
GW: Um. I'm thinking you're fishing for "Spectacular". And that works. But I also like "Arachnobatic!"
MAA: So, to wrap this up - whether a new viewer or a long-time fan checking back in with The Spectacular Spider-Man, can you tell us why they should tune in starting Auguist 17th, 2013 at 9:00am (ET/PT) on Vortexx? For someone watching the series for the first time here on Vortexx, what would you tell them to expect with The Spectacular Spider-Man?
GW: I think we tell 26 great stories that work together to tell one pretty incredible novel-length story. I'm proud of the work we did and often blown away by the great talents who worked with us. Tune in. I think you'll really enjoy what you see.
MAA: Care to fill us in on your current projects, and where we'll be seeing you next?
GW: The next thing you'll see with my name on it is probably a handful of freelance scripts that I wrote for series like Transformers: Rescue Bots, Kaijudo, Beware the Batman and Octonauts. But the big thing on the horizon is my first novel Rain of the Ghosts which comes out in December, but is available for pre-order now. Finally, I'm also hard at work on Star Wars Rebels, the new animated series from Lucasfilm and Disney, which will premiere in Fall, 2014. You can find me at Ask Greg: http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/ or on Twitter: @Greg_Weisman.
Marvel Animation Age would like to thank Greg Weisman for his participation in this interview.
