TV Review: The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-2009)

The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-2009) developed for television by Victor Cook based on the character by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko 

Spider-man has had plenty of television incarnations (mostly animated with one live-action show back in the 1970s). This particular version at first glance looks a little too kiddie-friendly, with a semi-anime visual style and simple art that looks more like the comics aimed at the under-ten crowd. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does lower expectations.

The show starts with Peter Parker already swinging around and fighting crime as Spider-man, with an eventual flashback to the origin story. He is a high-school student by day, an amateur photographer for the Daily Bugle after school, and a crime-fighting superhero as often as he's needed. He has the usual teenager complications, dealing with girlfriends and other classmates while trying to help Aunt May make the ends meet in their small home. His efforts as Spider-man often cost him time and credibility with his aunt and his friends. He has plenty of villains to fight, from organized crime bosses to an ever-increasing wave of supervillains (since the crime bosses have deep enough pockets to finance the creation of supervillains). 

The show sets itself apart by the quality of the writing. In addition to fighting a "problem/villain of the week," Peter has to deal with on-going issues. At one point, he has a lab job with Doctor Curt Conners, a man who has lost an arm. In an attempt to fix himself, he crosses reptile DNA with his and winds up as the villain The Lizard. Peter winds up fighting his boss, who is more of a tragic villain than a scheming one. His Spider-man activities keep him from having regular hours, annoying is workmates and his boss. When the Venom symbiote first shows up, it is brought to the lab, leading into a multi-episode story arc where Peter deals with the alter-ego created by the black suit and eventually with Venom when fellow lab-mate Eddie Brock bonds with the symbiote. All the while, Peter is confused as to whether Norman Osborne, head of Oscorp, or Harry Osborne, best friend and high-school pal, is the Green Goblin. Norman seems like the villain type but Harry has been secretly taking the "Green Globulin" formula to enhance his mental and physical performance. Peter also struggles with his feelings for Gwen Stacey and Liz Allen. The show does a great job having multiple narratives and recurring characters strung throughout the series.

The character of Peter Parker/Spider-man is well realized. He is a teenager with familiar problems and a naive optimism about life. Even so, he gets the short end of the stick so many times. He has fun and creative combat with his villains, sometimes using clever tactics to take down foes. His wise-cracking banter from the comics comes across as natural and funny. Spider-man is an easy character to root for and the creators build on the best parts of his personality.

Recommended, highly for Marvel fans.