New "Ultimate Spider-Man" Animated Series Coming to Disney XD For Fall 2011? - Part 2

[Sebastos]

Thanks! I've been looking all over trying to find somewhere to watch it. Should have occurred t me sooner to check one of Marvel's sites, lol.

No problemo.

 

[spiderbob]

The two episodes are streaming in the link below for those who want to watch/missed it:

http://marvelkids.marvel.com/shows/161/ultimate_spider-man

You be the judge.

Thank you, Iron Fist.

Watching it now.

 

[Sebastos]

You're welcome!

 

[spiderbob]

Sad face.

The link for episode 2 isn't working. At least not for me.
Frickin' tease.

 

[Sebastos]

Sad face.

The link for episode 2 isn't working. At least not for me.
Frickin' tease.

It should. Look in the "episodes" section, there are two videos, one is for episode on and the other is for episode 2.

 

[Spidey220987]

OK.
Wow, really. I am SO IMPRESSED!
I'm a Spidey fan and a Disney fan, so this wasn't a problem for me lol.
Like I've said previously (maybe in the Spidey World thread), this show is seriously suited to my sense of humour. I was laughing at so many things, especially during the first episode.
The serious moments are really good, and the emotional moments were good too, even though at times they did feel a little forced.
Animation is superb, really superb. Noone can deny that this is the best Spidey has been in animation.
The action is good. We haven't had any major fight scenes on the level of The Spectacular Spider-Man yet, but I'm sure they'll come.
Overall, a solid premiere. 9/10
Consider me hooked already.
I was never in doubt of the show, but it really has hit home.

The only detractor - even though it was a minor - was the 4th wall breakage I feel.
I liked it, it's a very good aspect of the show, BUT at times it felt unnecessary. I can understand the freeze-frames with names to introduce the characters and what-not though, as new viewers, or viewers not familiar with the Marvel Universe need to be introduced to the characters.

Roll on episode 3!

 

[Spidey220987]

It should. Look in the "episodes" section, there are two videos, one is for episode on and the other is for episode 2.

It wasn't working for me at first, but then did after I waited roughly 5 minutes.

 

[Sebastos]

It wasn't working for me at first, but then did after I waited roughly 5 minutes.

Ah alrighty, splendid.

 

[spiderbob]

Ah, waiting.
Yes, I see. That could work.

Finished one. Starting two now.

 

[spiderbob]

Okay, Aunt May playing the Wii (or MU Wii variant) was hilarious.
t:

 

[SpideyForPrez]

Well I gotta say, I liked it more than I expected. A pretty fun show overall.

Things I didn't like:

A little too much fourth wall breaking and exposition. Hopefully this will be toned down in future episodes seeing as this was the premiere and required a lot of explaining about Spidey's powers, Uncle Ben, who SHIELD and all the villains are, etc.

Goofy fights. I like the humor but I hope future fights will be a bit more serious. Klaw walking into a pillar followed by a "ding" sound effect is just a little too silly. I want there to be bigger sense of danger in future fights.

Tom Kenny being overused. Three voices in the first two episodes? Wizard, Connors and Doc Ock? It's not like he even has the much range, most of his voices sound very similar. And what's up with Connors having his arm?

Spider-Cycle. It's gonna take me awhile to get used to Spider-Man having vehicles. Ugh.


Stuff I did like:

Lots and lots of characters. Frightful Four, Osborn, Doc Ock, Spidey's team, Iron Man and Cap, Coulson, Connors, all of SHIELD and Stan Lee as the janitor in just the first two episodes? Awesome! Though, I do hope there will be episodes without team ups that focus on just Spider-Man and his villains.

The humor. Even though I thought they got a bit carried away at times there were some pretty funny moments, like the horse being stuck in Trapster's glue. And I like that Aunt May is younger and more active like she is in the Ultimate Comics. Frail, heart attack prone Aunt May gets boring.

Beautiful animation. Spider-Man has never looked this good on the small screen.


Like anything that's new and different, people are gonna hate on this show pretty hard. Sure, it's not The Spectacular Spider-Man and I still miss SSM, but I applaud Man of Action for trying something different. If they had tried to do something similar in tone to SSM, people would still complain that it was a poor man's SSM. I look forward to future episodes and hope that more people will come around to enjoying the show.

 

[jonathancrane]

I had my doubts, but was impressed with the first episode of Ultimate Spiderman. Since I have work to do, I am going to list what I really enjoyed:

-The storytelling techniques: I love the blend of narration and the manipulation of time.
-Mary Jane Watson. Best iteration of the character outside of the comics.
-J.K. Simmons as JJ.
-Even though it is a children's show, I enjoyed how it has a lot of depth for adult viewers: I love how the issues of conduct and collateral damage are in the forefront of the tale.
-The incorporation of lesser known characters.
-Perfect ratio of drama and humor.
_At last, but not least, Aunt May reminds me very much of Meryl Streep.

And, in agreement with the poster above, the animation.

 

[Sebastos]

There will be episodes where Spidey isn't with the team as confirmed by podcast.

 

[spiderbob]

I think what's hurting my over all enjoyment of this show is the subconscious comparison I make to Spectacular Spider-Man (which was gold).

Both shows have very different tones and story telling agendas and I'm still having to adjust my mindset of what to expect when watching Spider-Man cartoons, as I made Spectacular my default setting so long ago.

I'm still going to give it a fair chance to impress me, but at the moment, I feel like this is something I'd watch with my 6 year old cousin, as opposed to something I'd watch by myself or with my friends.

But it's a young series and there's still plenty of time to endear itself to me. I do approve of the expanded cast of heroes, especially so many that are less renown or liked in mass media. Plus, it did get me to chuckle from time to time (like Aunt May on the Wii).

 

[Sebastos]

Anyone play the Ultimate Spider-Man game on the disney xd website? Pretty fun stuff.

 

[SpideyForPrez]

There will be episodes where Spidey isn't with the team as confirmed by podcast.

Cool, I assumed there would be.

I think what's hurting my over all enjoyment of this show is the subconscious comparison I make to Spectacular Spider-Man (which was gold).

I understand how you feel. It's been long enough that I've gotten over SSM, so I was able to watch the new show without comparisons in the back of my mind. It's like an ex-girlfriend. It hurt when she left, but after so much time the wounds have healed and it's time to give someone else a try.

 

[GamerSlyRatchet]

Whenever someone tries to defend this pilot from criticism, they usually argue that it is just "a new way" to do a Spider-Man series. That a new version should be accepted and encouraged in order to keep things from going stale, and that a light-hearted stance on Spidey mythos is just as valid as any other. That is a sentiment I actually agree with, especially considering how famous franchises like Batman and Spider-Man continue to be refreshed every few years with a new animated adaptation.

The problems that plague these two episodes, however, are not necessarily caused because "its different". Sure, I may had trouble accepting the premise of a Spider-Man that was portrayed as an incompetent loser that is "reckless and irresponsible" for fighting crime solo, and is blatantly shown to be "correct" when he plays along with Nick Fury and gets fancy, toyetic new S.H.I.E.L.D. technology, and joins a team of de-aged heroes. As a long-time Spidey fan, that premise alone made me cringe. But then I realized that true quality is not often measured from a concept itself, but the execution. And so, despite less-than-promising news and a disappointing sneak peek via a comic book version of the comic, I decided to give it a shot and see if it could at least make the questionable premise work.

So far, it does not.

The story and dialogue are rather weak. Due to the heavy emphasis on breaking the fourth wall and use of sketches, the pacing is often rushed, with no quiet moments in order to let the audience breathe and take in the material shown Part one had a solid story to tell, but part two was worse, dedicating more air time to Spidey's bike and new tech than to his new teammates and villains. The jokes themselves are mostly basic slapstick and immature, with nothing too clever and witty. The breaking of the fourth-wall is excessive, removing any novelity from it. Aside from a couple of well-timed moments (like the elevator ride and Connor's arm fake-out), the jokes and gags fall flat. Spidey's quips, often the main source of humor in a traditional story, are either lame or non-existent. As mentioned, Spidey's main dilemma is incredibly ham-fisted, and not in a good way. I cringed when "Fury's side" was shown as the "correct" and "right" side to follow, while having Norman Osborn showered in shades, encouraging Spidey's "irresponsible" behavior. Even by children's show standards, it felt forced and cheesy, and I found it hard to believe that Paul Dini wrote this script.

The voice acting was not that impressive either. While I was optimistic that Drake Bell could deliver a solid performance since the very first snippet of footage, he sounded incredibly forced, scratchy, and whiny as Spidey. It made the bland jokes even more painful to listen to. The rest of the cast, though fitting of their roles and not as offensive as Bell's Spidey, did not stand out or won me other. The show's soundtrack is mostly filled with electric guitar riffs, not unlike another Man of Action show, Generator Rex. It is okay, but so far, lacks variety.

The designs are rather realistic and detailed, while still having a level of simplicity to animate well. The animation itself is gorgeous. One of the absolute highlights of this pilot was Spidey climbing his way to the Helicarrier in the middle of the storm. The scene looked gorgeous and well-animated. However, the rest of the choreography is rather pedestrian, with no impressive fight scenes. I do hope this show can use the strong animation to its advantage in the future to deliver some strong fights, but for the moment, nothing impressed in this department.

Overall, this show did not make a good impression. Its pacing problems, weak script and dialogue, mediocre voice acting, and bland music failed to make a troubled premise work. Despite this, I will still keep track of the next few episodes to determine whether this show simply had a rough start, or it will have problems that will continue to plague it.

 

[SpideyForPrez]

I agree with some of what you're saying, Gamer. The fights were pretty weak and some of the voice acting sucked. I could take or leave Drake Bell as Spider-Man. He doesn't really annoy me like some voice actors do, except for the scenes where he's screaming while falling or on the Spider-Cycle, his voice was a bit whiny and scratchy then.

But when it comes to Spider-Man being portrayed as irresponsible and in need of training, I'm open to that. That's kind of how he was written in the early Ultimate Spider-Man comics, he made a lot of mistakes. As long time comic readers, most of us are used to the idea of Spider-Man being a great super hero who's experienced and fully capable of handling things on his own. But this is a Spider-Man who's been around for only a year, so it makes sense that he's a little green despite having powers and being a smart kid. But I also agree that the idea of Spidey working with S.H.I.E.L.D. is a bit hard to swallow since S.H.I.E.L.D. is always so shady in the comics.

But hey, Batman: The Brave and the Bold wasn't always so strong in the first few episodes but it eventually grew into one of my favorite cartoons of all time, so I'm willing to give this show a chance to grow.

 

[Splat]

I dug it, it wasn't perfect but at least we have more Coulson now. That alone will get me to watch. Oh and JK Simmons, that man was born to play JJJ, he was the best part of the Raimi movies.

 

[Spider-Gnome]

Caught most of the second episode and I picked up the free comic this week which was the first episode. The positive is, this is not the worst Spider-Man series. But it is definitely not in the league of Spectacular or the 90's series.

 

[Webhead2006]

Thunder you do have to remembber first the producers wanted to go in a different direction with showl since they said all past shows where same old same old over and over again. And second it is a kids show and is yes targeted for them. Its not fair to judge it on the avengers toon or young justice.bwhich is specifically design for teens/older. Still in my opinion usm was to bad of a show even with the fourthbwall breaking and cutaway stuff. As I said before they could always tone that stuff down in later episodes/second season.

 

[Scarecrow_King]

Making Conners part of SHIELD was ****ing stupid. And that bike part went on for way too long. Hearing that incessant screaming while the bike went out of control was unbearable.

But the show wasn't awful. But I don't think it was that good, either. It falls completely into the "meh" category that I suspected it would.

 

[Dread]

The road to the next Spider-Man animated series has been quite a long one. The previous one was produced by Sony, back when they retained the sole license to Spider-Man from Marvel and before the Disney purchase of Marvel became official. It debuted on Kid's WB in the twilight hours of that network as a Saturday Morning cartoon block for kids. It was fresh after "SPIDER-MAN 3" had faded from theaters and managed to reinvent the web-slinger for audiences young and old, age 8 to 80 across two glorious seasons. However, by the time the second season arose, Disney had purchased Marvel and essentially managed to wrest the TV rights to Spidey from Sony (in exchange for Sony keeping the more lucrative film rights). I imagine Disney COULD have found a way to continue that Greg Weisman produced masterpiece had they truly desired so - there is nothing money and lawyers cannot wrest on this planet. However, and perhaps in fairness, Disney decided they wanted their own Spidey show without the hassle of retaining stuff from a Sony jam. So "TSSM" was moved to DISNEY XD where the second season debuted, it soon faded from syndication and no second season box set was ever released on DVD. That show would forever end with episode 26, with Norman Osborn having fled to Florida, Peter finally realizing he loves Gwen only for both to have to humor the manipulative Harry Osborn, and about an ocean of untapped potential left on the table. Weisman cleared out his office at Sony around early 2009 or so and landed on his feet; we would later learn Warner Brothers grabbed him up not long after to begin work on "YOUNG JUSTICE", which debuted Nov. 2010. Disney got what they wanted - their crack at a Spider-Man cartoon show which was 100% theirs to show on their new animation network alongside "AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES". They assigned the "Man Of Action" writers behind "BEN 10" and "GENERATOR REX" along with Paul Dini ("BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES", DETECTIVE COMICS, ZATANNA), Jeph Loeb as TV czar, and Brian M. Bendis as writer/producer on the series and went with an idea Sony initially drafted but ditched back in 2002; "ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN". Animation and images for the series had been teased for what seemed like two years and finally today, April Fool's day 2012, viewers were treated to not one but TWO episodes of the show.

A while ago I thought the idea of debuting ANYTHING on April Fool's Day is a rookie public relations disaster. The jokes are obvious and the impression less than professional. But maybe it's fitting that this uneven and absolute mess of a cartoon show debuted on this day. It's a sign of things to come. I am going to lump a review of both episodes here, which seems appropriate as they share continuity and are two parts of one story anyway. The best thing I can say about "ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN" is that it is SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS 2.0. The major caveat being this is 2012, not 1982. However, there is certainly an audience that wouldn't mind another crack at Amazing Friends 2.0, and for them this show may be a blast. It probably plays well to very small children. It does make "BATMAN: BRAVE AND THE BOLD" look incredibly mature and clever.

It is difficult for me to get into the things I dislike or feel don't work in this show in any coherent manner, but I will try. The best way to put it is that this show is trying to do everything it ever thought was cool in other shows, and is doing it wrong because it is trying so hard. It wants the serialization and high school fare of "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN", the insipid "chibi anime comedy antics" of "TEEN TITANS", the hero team-up appeal of "BATMAN: BRAVE AND THE BOLD", while trying to lift some designs and dynamics from the long running comic book series it is named after. It throws these things all together into a blender along with that annoying "MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE" trend where the hero pauses to narrate to the audience, and even THAT doesn't cover it. It panders to children with annoying catch phrases, goofy sound effects ripped right from LOONEY TUNES, deformed character antics mindlessly imitated from anime without understanding when and how to use them, and above all the need to EXPLAIN everything that is happening on screen to them every five minutes. It reminds me of many modern video games where I can't just play the game and be expected to be smart enough to learn through trial and error, or clever game design. Instead the game needs a pop-up or a cinematic to explain the friggin' obvious to me over and over and over and over as if I am incapable of forming any coherent thought. It is this sort of blunt manner that the show chooses to introduce things to you. Instead of using dialogue or pacing or storyboards to inform us who Trapster is, Spider-Man has to stop the episode dead in it's tracks to explain him to us with the aid of pictures and letter grades. Instead of assuming Nick Fury and SHIELD can speak for themselves, we get another lecture. Instead of assuming kids KNOW WHO THE **** MJ AND HARRY OSBORN ARE AFTER 3 GOD DAMNED MOVIES, we get more of the same. If kids today are seriously this stupid and attention lacking that this is what it takes to appeal to them, then I hope the Mayan apocalypse comes sooner rather than later.

Spoiler

"GREAT POWER" is the pilot in which we're introduced to our cast. Drake Bell is Spider-Man, and I must say he's the most annoying voice actor to play the character on TV in a very, VERY long time. He's been the web-slinger for a year and he's still got a lot to learn. When he takes down Trapster but causes a lot of collateral damage, Nick Fury beams down from SHIELD to recruit him for official training. Spidey accepts his gift of a hi-tech web-shooter but blows him off, retreating to his high school escapades with MJ, Harry, and Flash Thompson. MJ is, strangely, the one who is an aspiring photographer and journalist who wants to work for J.J. (J.K. Simmons, who basically gets to scream anti-Spidey rants a lot). Flash Thompson is a simple bully who gets punked at the end of every episode. Harry is the poor little rich kid. Norman Osborn (Steven Weber) schemes in the background to duplicate Spider-Man's powers to create an army of super-soldiers, and isn't thrilled at the idea of SHIELD taking him in. He attempts to play the evil scheming villain, but after the Osborn of "TSSM", he's just a cheap knock off of a schemer. All he's missing is metal gloves and Madcat. When Trapster's teammates Wizard, Thundra, and Klaw arrive to avenge him and track Spidey to Midtown High, Peter gets the student body to start a food fight to distract the baddies until he can change. It works surprisingly well until Harry is blasted by one of Klaw's blasts and gets hospitalized. Managing to drive the villains off, Spidey decides to accept Fury's offer and joins up with SHIELD. "GREAT RESPONSIBILITY" picks up right from that as Spidey gets a walking tour through SHIELD with Fury. We have Clark Gregg take his mugging for the camera as Agent Coulson into another medium as he pops up here; if you want all the REAL SHIELD agents, go watch "AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES". Turns out Fury is leading his own research into duplicating Spider-Man's powers with technology, although why this is somehow better than Osborn wanting to do the same is never explained. Curt Conners is a SHIELD scientist here, and for some odd reason he has both arms; the one-armed expectation is used for a cheap joke. The highlight of this episode is the introduction of Spidey's new Amazing Friends - Iron Fist, Luke Cage/Power Man, Nova, and White Tiger. I'll be honest; as a fan of Iron Fist and Luke Cage, their appearance in this series constitutes at least 65% of why I bothered to watch these episodes, and at this point they'll be 90% of why I bother with more. That isn't to say they're pitch perfect or awesome - they struggle with the same banal pandering and lame jokes that Spidey does. But with an extended cast, the viewer is distracted better. Greg Cripes - best known as Beast Boy in "TEEN TITANS" - voices Iron Fist/Danny Rand with an appropriate calm. Logan Miller ("I'M IN THE BAND") voices Nova, who is Jeph Loeb's new creation from POINT ONE, Sam Washington (and not Richard Rider, the Nova everyone cares about). Power Man/Luke Cage is voiced by Ogie Banks, while White Tiger is voiced by relative newcomer Caitlyn Talor Love. They initially see Spidey as a rookie who won't last at SHIELD, but when he's attacked by the 3/4ths of the Frightful Four, they're needed to bail Spidey out - and Spidey needs to show them the ropes about real battles outside the Helicarrier. Faster than you can say "X-MEN EVOLUTION", we learn that all of these heroes will be accompanying Peter at Midtown High during off periods, with Coulson as principal. All we need now is for them to all move into Aunt May's townhouse with Ms. Lions in tow.

Positives? The animation quality is pretty good for TV standards. The character designs aren't bad, on the most part. I can't stand Peter's hairdo and at times he looks too much like Harry. But Spidey himself looks great, and some of the other costumed characters look fine. The action is decent enough; neither the best nor worst you'll see from TV animation or Marvel Animation. Things pick up once the other heroes come in to bounce dialogue off of. Not to say this is a perfect team in harmony; it's just less bad than the first episode without them. At least 1 out of every 10 cheap, shameless jokes or visual gags is actually funny, at least to someone as old as I am. And, uh, at the very least this series isn't based on Counter-Earth where Spidey has to fight animal-men every episode like in 1999's "SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED". As an Iron Fist fan, I did enjoy seeing him utilize his trademark power against Klaw in episode two. The episodes are only 20 minutes long without credits. Is it obvious I am reaching now?

Negatives? Blue blazes, if I listed everything that made me wince, groan, or roll my eyes about these two episodes, it would circle Jupiter at least once. The tone of this show is horribly uneven and counter-productive. This is a show which wants to have animated Spider-Angels and Spider-Devils yell on Spidey's shoulders one minute while expecting us to take Harry's injury seriously in another. If the show wanted to be a sheer comedy it might work a little better, but it also wants to play certain moments dead straight which clash against it like a ballerina at a death metal rave. The idea of SHIELD being able to duplicate and improve upon Peter's web-shooters takes a lot of the mystique and intelligence out of him - which may be the point as Spider-Man is often insipid and annoying. Much like the show, he tries so very hard to be funny and more often than not it falls flat. There is nothing this show won't try to use to pander to it's audience with; from ripping off anime without any finesse to trying to throw in "achievements" from video games ("K.O.!"), this show reeks very much of men in their 40's or older trying desperately to be hip by merely and mindlessly copying things they think are "hip" around them. If the show was genuinely funny it would work, but the humor is obnoxious and desperate. Everyone from the villains to Aunt May herself is trucked out for a cheap laugh, and then the show will attempt to eat it's cake too by once in a while trying to get a serious beat out of it. This is a very, very difficult thing to pull off. "BATMAN: BRAVE AND THE BOLD" pulled it off more often than it should have - this show pales in comparison. I am sure in the halls of Jeph Loeb's office, someone there thinks it is a brilliant idea to start off a Spider-Man show and have the FRIGHTFUL FOUR as the main villains for TWO STRAIGHT EPISODES, but that person may only be Loeb himself. We are expected to be disturbed by the idea of Norman Osborn tracking down our hero, keeping tabs and trying to duplicate and mass produce his powers for military gain - yet embrace Nick Fury and SHIELD when they do THE EXACT SAME THING. Heck, replacing the principal of a school with a SHIELD agent who likely knows nothing about handling kids or education for the sole purpose of keeping tabs on Peter Parker is creepier than finding out your date's father is Killer Moth. The underlying moral is to accept a military juggernaut when it moves itself into your life because they offer cool gadgets. And then there are the small stupid moments, of which there are too many to list. MJ tripping Thundra with jello, the Wizard being treated as almost as much of a clueless mook as Bebop & Rocksteady used to be, the predictable manner in which Flash Thompson is stuck in a locker to end two episodes on the exact same note.

To repeat: the BEST thing you can say about this show is it is trying very hard to be a 1980's cartoon. The problem is that the 1980's ended in 1989, and when a character has had as many shows as Spidey has, a new incarnation has to offer more than hot air, cheap jokes and all the focus of a manic depressive on a sugar high. Even comparing this to a 1980's show is insulting as many shows of the era (not all, but many) attempted to make up for their cheap expectations with imagination or ambition. This show's ambition is to turn Spider-Man into a fart joke at the same time it wants us to feel sorry for him every time Uncle Ben is mentioned. The fact that this is the show that will replace "SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN" on Disney XD's schedule as well as in the hearts and minds of kids with short attention spans is perhaps the greatest tragedy of all. The fact that otherwise great characters like Iron Fist, Luke Cage and even White Tiger have to make their animation debuts as regular members of a show in a show like this is additional bitter repulsion. It will be for them that I keep watching, not for the web-slinger himself. Which is akin to watching "SPIDER-MAN AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS" for Iceman and/or Firestar.

But, in the end I am glad I watched these episodes, because at this point I think I was in need of some perspective. For quite some time I have been endlessly nitpicking the flaws and imperfections that are within "YOUNG JUSTICE". But after watching a show like THIS, I can truly appreciate that even "YJ" at it's worst has more heart, more intelligence, more imagination and more flair than this show may have at it's best. The sad thing is that there may have been something to a MARVEL TEAM-UP style show; a shame that it has to be executed this crudely and ineffectively.

 

[Artistsean]

Does anyone have screen caps from the show?

 

[Nathan]

4 minutes in, and I'm just getting annoyed. Maybe I need more sleep before I watch it.