ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Spider-Man has proven himself to be a popular fixture in recent Marvel media and thanks to Disney+, he gets another chance to shine.
Last week saw the premiere of the first episodes of “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,” and, being a fan of the character, I figured I’d have to check out the latest iteration of everyone’s favorite webslinger. The show explores Peter Parker's origin story and early days using the Spider-Man persona and is set in an alternate timeline within the multiverse where Norman Osborn (who comic fans will know better as Green Goblin) becomes Peter's mentor instead of Tony Stark, as happens in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's (MCU) main timeline.
To start, the animation for the show is akin to eye candy and is absolutely stunning. For me, it almost felt like watching a comic book legitimately coming to life, and everything is just so crisp and clean and bright, making for a great viewing experience. The show is definitely its own entity and feels modern, but there are also some style choices reminiscent of the 1990s cartoon, which just enhances the viewing experience. I can’t imagine how much time and effort it took for the animators to make the show look so fluid and give it the tone of how a comic would look in motion, so my hat definitely goes off to them.
Another aspect I really like is the overall story so far, and I really like the idea of exploring what would happen if Norman Osborn was Peter’s mentor and not Tony Stark. So far, it’s working because any fan of Spider-Man media knows Osborn is absolutely not a good character, but he hasn’t pulled the trigger on doing anything villainous quite yet even though there is some shady goings-on around him. Knowing what I know about Spider-Man media, I feel like there’s going to be a pretty major twist in that regard near the end of the season, and I can’t wait to see how that is pulled off. I also like how there’s a bit of reality sprinkled through, such as Peter’s Aunt May struggling to pay the bills and Peter’s friend Lonnie being pulled into gang activity and other family struggles – it’s kind of subtle, but it’s there, and it actually rather surprised me. Overall, the show is doing an origin story, but with some fresh twists added, and I can’t wait to see how things end up since there are more episodes to come in the next few weeks.
Something else I really like about the show is the voice acting, and the showrunners definitely got the casting down RIGHT. Hudson Thames, reprising his role from the Disney+ show “What If...?” makes for a great Peter Parker/Spider-Man and is able to inject just enough youth/awkwardness to make Peter believable as a character – however, a minor complaint I have is the writers seem to have tamped down the sarcasm and dry wit Spider-Man is so known for, so I hope that’s something that gets worked on in any future seasons. I also particularly like Colman Domingo as Norman Osborn so far, and he makes Osborn absolutely radiate authority and power and charm while also probably hiding some secrets of his own, and I can’t wait to see where he takes the character in the season’s remaining episodes. Overall, the casting people did a good job picking the acting talent, and it absolutely shows.
Something else that’s stood out to me so far is the show’s pacing. Everything is moving along very quickly, and there’s not really a lot of wasted time, which I think is actually good for a show like this. It feels like the writers and animators came in with a definite plan of what exactly they wanted to have covered in the season and how they wanted it done, and so far, it’s working pretty well, because it doesn’t feel like anything major is being sacrificed in terms of overall quality. If I had one minor quibble about that aspect, however, I would say I wish there was at least a little time dedicated to seeing Peter try out some of his powers for the first time, because the show has Peter getting bitten by the spider and then fast-forwards to a month later, which is a bit jarring. Also, I feel like that could have led to some particularly funny moments for viewers. Overall, however, hopefully the show’s current pace and quality can be maintained in future episodes and potentially, seasons.
Another fresh aspect of the show I like is how there are multiple more minor characters included in the series, including Nico Minoru, Jeanne Foucault and Amadeus Cho. Those characters have only been mentioned rather in passing compared to comic favorites Mary Jane Watson and Flash Thompson (among others), and it’s great seeing some of the more minor characters get a bit of a spotlight. Hopefully they continue to be featured more prominently, because they seem like they’ll be fun to follow as the show goes on.
Overall, I enjoyed my start of “Your Favorite Neighborhood Spider-Man” on Disney+ and would give it a solid “B-plus” grade. The animation is fantastic, as is the voice acting (particularly from leads Hudson Thames and Colman Domingo), and there are multiple aspects of the story actually grounded in a bit of reality, which I really enjoy so far. There are only a few minor quibbles I have with the show so far, which I hope will get solved as the show goes on. If you’re a fan of the Spider-Man character, this show is a good one to check out.
