Spectacular Spider-Man: ‘Persona’

A black feline, black space goo and a potential dark shift in a super hero’s attire spotlight several new challenges for “The Spectacular Spider-Man” in an all-new episode entitled “Persona” premiering this
Saturday, May 17 at 10 a.m. ET/PT on Kids’ WB! on The CW.

In the episode, Spider-Man learns the hard way not to judge a book by its cover, when another Spider-Man starts making headlines … as a crook! It’s the Chameleon, master of disguise, looting the city and laying the blame at Spidey’s feet. The Web-Slinger’s forced to team up with another crook, the lovely Black Cat, to stop his foe’s faux-Spidey crime spree and clear his name. The episode is written by Matt Wayne and directed by Dave Fausett. “The Spectacular Spider-Man” is produced by Culver Entertainment, a Sony Pictures Television Company.

Prior to the premiere of “Persona,” Kids’ WB! will air a repeat of “Natural Selection,” the episode which introduced Lizard, at 9:30 a.m. ET/PT.

Making the leap from the first issue of Amazing Spider-Man to the small scree, the Chameleon is one of the stranger Spider-Man villains simply because he is so ‘normal.’ With a rogue’s gallery consisting of lizard men, sand men and goblins, it’s surprising for a master of disguise to give old Spidey a run for his money. Personally, I think the villain was the invention of Steve Ditko who was very interested in the mob mentality and how easily it can be steered.

The new episode premiers this Saturday!

Spectacular Spider-Man- The Uncertainty Principle

For “The Spectacular Spider-Man,” Halloween arrives early this year –in the all-new Saturday, May 10 episode – but it still comes with all the traditional goodies, including a goblin, lots of spiders, a very large tombstone and even a black cat.

“The Uncertainty Principle,” this Saturday’s premiering episode at 10:00 a.m. ET/PT on Kids’ WB!/The CW, presents a number of perplexing situations for Peter Parker and Spider-Man as they both try to find clarity amid the masks, mysteries and menace of Halloween. While Colonel John Jameson struggles to land his damaged space shuttle, Spider-Man continues his ongoing battle with Green Goblin, who also threatens Hammerhead and Tombstone. Still, Peter’s greatest challenge will be facing the awful truth when he finally learns the Goblin’s “true” identity.

This week’s episode was an all out blockbuster that was full of plenty of action as well as twists and turns that show how far this series has come. The revelation of the Green Goblin’s identity was a shocker, but nowhere near as interesting as the fallout. Peter Parker’s life is getting very complicated and with the special hint toward next week’s episode involving a certain outer space black ooze, it’s not going to slow down any time soon.

If you are a Spider-Man fan, you have got to start catching up on this series. Each week a new episode is paired up with a repeat, so it’s a perfect opportunity to see what is becoming one of the best super hero cartoons on TV.

Eight Arms to Hold You

Doc Ock takes center stage this Saturday, May 3 in “Reaction,” an all-new episode of “The Spectacular Spider-Man” airing at 10:00 a.m. ET/PT on Kids’ WB! on The CW.

In “Reaction,” Peter Parker and Spider-Man learn that actions have consequences when nebbishy Dr. Otto Octavius becomes the megalomaniacal Doctor Octopus. The cause: Green Goblin; the effect: Mayhem!! The episode is written by Randy Jandt and directed by Jennifer Coyle.

Interview with voice actor Peter MacNicol below:

The next time you drop the “I’m too busy” excuse for some undone deed, consider the career of Peter MacNicol.

Over the past year, MacNicol could be found pulling the unheard-of simultaneous double duty as a core cast member in two hit primetime television series – “24″ and “Numb3rs” – and was still able to devote an afternoon every other week to creating the voice of Dr. Otto Octavius and his villainous flipside, Doctor Octopus (aka Doc Ock), for the breakout animated series, “The Spectacular Spider-Man.”

Now THAT’S busy.

While Dr. Octavius has had a submissive role in the first seven episodes of the series, Doc Ock makes his explosive debut this Saturday, May 3 in an all-new episode entitled “Reaction.” The episode premieres at 10:00 a.m. ET/PT on Kids’ WB! on The CW.

MacNicol has crafted an extremely diverse and successful career, balancing primetime series starring roles (the aforementioned following the likes of “Ally McBeal” and “Chicago Hope”) with numerous guest performances (“Boston Legal,” “Cheers,” “Tales From The Crypt”), not to mention feature film appearances (“Ghostbusters II,” “Sophie’s Choice”) and, of course, his first starring role as Galen in the fan favorite, “Dragonslayer.”

Despite all the on-camera work, MacNicol maintains a steady flow of voiceover roles in animated television series and movies, as well as being very popular in the books-on-CD arena. MacNicol’s animated voiceovers cover a wide range – from lighter series like “The Wild Thornberrys,” “Olive, the Other Reindeer” and “Buzz Lightyear of Star Command” to the super hero-laden “Justice League,” “The Batman” and now, “The Spectacular Spider-Man.”

“Cartoon work is pure recreation for me, pure playtime,” said MacNicol. “But ‘Books-on-CD’ – now that’s work! Keeping even the minor characters straight in my head, giving each bit-part his/her/its own voice, working for days in that airless chamber of the recording booth, with my eyes playing tricks on me as the hours drag by, and the pages I’m narrating, which must be noiselessly turned, and the sheer whiteness of those pages, which begins to create a kind of snow-blindness by mid-afternoon.

“Once for an epic fantasy series, I had to voice literally dozens of elves, fairies, and ogres, all of different ages, sexes, and from many lands – with the hill dwarves needing to sound different from the valley dwarves. Had there been a window I would have jumped out of it.”

Still, there is joy for MacNicol within the world of animation voiceovers. “My favorite moment on the job is that magic instant when you’ve got the voice just right and you can let go of the steering wheel and let the character drive.”

MacNicol has found great pleasure in bringing villains to animated life – Doc Ock follows his previous portrayals of Chronos and Manbat (”I was very proud of the possibly-too-piercing shriek I devised for him”). For Doc Ock, MacNicol opted to channel the persona of a classic actor far outside the reference points for most Spidey fans.

“The voice I chose for Dr. Octopus was something of an homage to Laird Cregar, one of Hollywood’s greatest ‘heavies,’ and I do mean ‘heavies,’ ” MacNicol explained. “Throughout his brief 1940s career, Cregar waged a war to the death against his own obesity, ultimately losing too many pounds too quickly; he was barely 30 when he died. In his two greatest movies, ‘Hangover Square’ and ‘The Lodger,’ he seemed so haunted and hulking, and I loved that soft menacing voice of his. Still, I’m no mimic and it was Cregar’s quality rather than his voice which gave me my model.”

MacNicol admits he enjoys devouring the role of a villain, pointing out the extreme texture the dark side adds to any story – particularly in super hero tales.

“It’s all relative – this business of hero or villain,” MacNicol said. “After all, villains are somebody’s hero – certainly they’ve won the devotion of their cronies, their parents, and perverse fans like myself who actually prefer them over the title characters. Yep, it would be a pretty dull universe if we didn’t have Rhino, Sandman and Doc Ock trying to destroy it.”

Spectacular Spider-Man May Schedule

The newest animated series version of Marvel’s famed flagship web spinner continues on KidsWB! This Saturday the arch nemesis Green Goblin makes his mark on the program in the premiere of ‘Catalyst’ (which also sees the introduction of a certain red-headed bombshell).

“Catalysts” takes place on the night of the Midtown High Fall Formal, and Peter Parker finds his overconfidence is nearly his undoing – as both a teenager and a super hero. While his date, Mary Jane Watson, threatens to invert Midtown’s social structure, Pete lets her popularity go to his head. So when the mysterious, murderous Green Goblin tries to force L. Thompson Lincoln (a.k.a. Tombstone) to step
down as NYC’s Big Man of crime, will Spider-Man take this new threat seriously enough – or will he be so cocky that he loses his big head?!

Voiced by veteran voice-over actor Steve Blum, the Goblin will certainly take Spidey to task.

Blum has been called the “King of Anime” for his monumental number of credits within the industry. Blum’s trademark voice can be found in a variety of characters within the anime realm, though his prolific voiceover career has moved seamlessly between all animated mediums, including voices for traditionally animated cartoons and films, commercials and video games.

Beyond his recognizable work as the voice of Tom, the announcer of Cartoon Network’s Toonami, Blum can be heard in “The Powerpuff Girls,” “Naruto,” “Ben 10,” “Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law,” “Loonatics
Unleashed,” “What’s New, Scooby-Doo?” and as the title character in the upcoming “Wolverine & the X-Men.” His favorite voice acting role is as Spike Spiegel from the popular anime series “Cowboy Bebop.”

Blum is highly regarded as the second (and last) voice actor to voice Canaan in the Xenosaga video game series, and is the voice of Wolverine in the video game, “X-Men Legends.” He has also been featured in the interactive arena on innumerable video games, including “Halo 3,” “Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Mysteries of the Sith,” “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” “Transformers: The Game,” “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” “Spider-Man 3,” “Call of Duty,” “Call of Duty: United Offensive,” “Mission: Impossible - Operation Surma,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

Blum is also the voice of Vincent Valentine for the dub cast of the direct-to-DVD release, “Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.” His many anime credits include “Goku Midnight Eye,” “Kyôshoku sôkô Guyver,”
“Akira,” “Ôritsu uchûgun Oneamisu no tsubasa,” “Amagaedun uzu,” “Jûichi-nin iru!” and “Hokuto no Ken,” “Chôjikû seiki Ôgasu.”

Below is the schedule for May.

Saturday, May 3
9:30 a.m. – The Invisible Hand (repeat featuring Rhino, Tombstone, Mary Jane)
10:00 a.m. – Reaction (premiere)

Saturday, May 10
9:30 a.m. – Catalysts (repeat featuring Green Goblin, Tombstone)
10:00 a.m. – The Uncertainty Principle (premiere)

Saturday, May 17
9:30 a.m. – Natural Selection (repeat featuring Lizard)
10:00 a.m. – Persona (premiere)

Saturday, May 24
9:30 a.m. – Market Forces (repeat featuring Shocker)
10:00 a.m. – Reaction (repeat)

Saturday, May 31
9:30 a.m. – Competition (repeat featuring Sandman)
10:00 a.m. – Group Therapy (premiere)

Spider-Man Web of Shadows

Developed by Treyarch and Shaba Games for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii and PC, the newest iteration of the Spider-Man video-game franchise is set to collide with players the world over later this year. The web slinger’s video game adventures have gone through almost as many developments as the video game format itself. From the cave-man-like Atari adventure against the Green Goblin to the critically acclaimed Spider-Man 2, old web head has enjoyed a kind of video game celebrity status second only to Mario.

Atari Spider-Man trailer
(listen to the actor playing the Green Goblin have a nervous breakdown!)

Details on Spider-Man Web of Shadows are slim at the time, but what is clear is that the game will follow the free-roaming style of Spider-Man 2 which allowed players to swing about the entirety of Manhattan. The new game will include the combat system that players have enjoyed but it will be bolstered by a new system that ties the player’s actions into the city itself. Help out the regular joe and they help you too. Let a few too many crooks get away and don’t be surprised if you catch a few ripe tomatoes in the face.

The trailer seems to show the invasion of a Venom-like creature, but word is that you can expect many surprises in the game. With Treyarch behind the wheel, I’m sure it’ll be a major success… unlike the lackluster Spider-Man 3 game (and movie).

Spider-Man Web of Shadows trailer

Bring Back My Gobby to Me

Here’s your exclusive first look at The Spectacular Spider-Man’s Green Goblin. The web-slinger’s most notorious nemesis makes his first appearance on the CW’s Saturday-morning ‘toon in the episode “Catalysts,” airing April 26 (at 10 am/ET).

From the design to the left here it looks like the Marvel Animation Studio has decided to go with a more modern take on the character. With so many choices, I can see why. The sick design will fit in perfectly with the other new takes on the web slinger’s rogue’s gallery.

Green Goblin is an important villain in the Spider-Man universe for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he’s the first major super villain that crossed the line into Peter Parker’s personal life. Secondly, he’s the villain that split up the Lee/Ditko team that pioneered the series. The story goes that the mysterious Goblin who was often seen removing his costume in private was to be revealed as a major player in Peter’s life. Ditko objected to this, wanting instead to stick to the anonymity of criminals. The feud (probably fueled by many other factors as well) ended with Ditko leaving Marvel Comics and the revelation of the Goblin’s identity (Peter’s best friend Harry’s dad Norman Osborn!) taking place under the apt pen of John Romita.

In his early appearance, the Green Goblin was a smart thug with a satchel of Halloween-themed gizmos and traps from flying bats to pumpkin bombs. One of the ‘inventor’ set of characters that littered Marvel in the 1960’s, Goblin was not above recruiting others into his schemes, including anyone from the Enforcers to the Incredible Hulk (though it was really a fortuitous accident).

With the arrival of the Green Goblin in the new Spectacular Spider-Man series, expect the drama and danger to hit a higher mark than usual as this nefarious villain plays for keeps!

The Green Goblin makes his debut April 26.

Recommended:
Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus, Vol. 1 (Variant Version)
Amazing Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Vol. 1

Clancy Brown voices the Rhino

One of my favorite character actors and a damn fine Hong Kong Cavalier, Clancy Brown will be adding his dulcet tones to the Spectacular Spider-Man in this week’s episode ‘The Invisible Hand’ as the hard-nosed Rhino.

“For me, the quintessential ‘thug’ was played by William Bendix in ‘The Glass Key’,” Brown says. “The simpler the character, the simpler the thought process. That means Rhino’s ‘motivation’ is never too complicated – he’s very elemental. He’s mad or happy or angry or sad or hungry or whatever. And it never gets beyond his appetites or ego.

“His world-view is limited to what’s in front of his nose. Hence the name Rhino. The voice and delivery should be as uncomplicated and direct. Bendix does this perfectly in ‘The Glass Key.’ He doesn’t care what Brian Donleavy has up his sleeve or how clever Alan Ladd’s insults are. He just knows he wants to beat Ladd to a pulp. Itches that must be scratched and appetites that must be sated.”

Brown says it’s important for him to see the character during the process of creating the voice.

“Rhino is massive and he must have a voice that matches the mass,” Brown says. “The producers aren’t mixing it up too much in that regard. You could give him a squeaky light voice and play that ‘opposite’ joke, but that’s not what this show is doing right now. By the way, Bendix had a high voice for a ‘tough guy’ which seemed to add a complexity to the psychology of his characters – but he wasn’t creating a vocalization.”

A tall man with a deep, gravelly voice, Brown has a tendency to be cast as the villain in both live-action and voiceover roles. While his acting goals don’t lean toward always playing rogues, Brown is happy to embrace and bring to life whatever characters he’s offered.

“I’ll play whatever their paying for — bad guys are fun, but I have no preference,” he says. “The only thing I try to remember is that bad guys don’t think they are bad. They think they are right.”

For “The Spectacular Spider-Man” producer Greg Weisman and voice/casting director Jamie Thomason, Brown was an easy choice for the role of Rhino.

“We knew Rhino would require a voice with strength and menace, but Rhino also isn’t the brightest bulb on the marquee – so we knew whoever we cast would also have to have the acting chops and comic timing to take the character beyond the usual dumb goon,” Weisman explains. “Jamie and I have both worked often enough with Clancy to know he could nail it. Not only does he have that great tough, low voice, but he knows how to turn on a dime between dangerous and comedic characterizations.”

Spectacular Spider-Man - ‘The Invisible Hand’

Peter Parker has trouble on two fronts – and no easy solutions in
sight – in an all-new, surprise-filled episode of “The Spectacular
Spider-Man” airing this Saturday, April 12 at 10:00 a.m. ET/PT on
Kids’ WB! on The CW.

In the episode, entitled “The Invisible Hand,” Peter Parker struggles
to get a date for the Fall Formal, and to figure out a way to pay for
it. Meanwhile, the unstoppable Rhino – the latest of the Big Man’s
creations – has sworn vengeance on Spider-Man. Spidey takes the battle
directly to the source of his troubles, the previously invisible hand,
who has been secretly conducting his villain-of-the-week attacks. But
the Big Man offers a surprising solution to Spidey’s problems, a
tempting offer he doesn’t think our hero can afford to refuse. Will
Spidey do the right thing?

“The Invisible Hand” is written by Matt Wayne and directed by David
Bullock (”Justice League: The New Frontier”). Clancy Brown (”The
Shawshank Redemption,” “Carnivale”) provides the voice of Rhino.

Starting this week, two episodes of Spectacular Spider-Man will air each week. Schedule below:

April 12
9:30 a.m. — Interactions (repeat– Episode 2)
10:00 a.m. — The Invisible Hand (premiere — Episode 6)

April 19
9:30 a.m. — Natural Selection (repeat — Episode 3)
10:00 a.m. — Competition (repeat — Episode 5)

April 26
9:30 a.m. — Market Forces (repeat – Episode 4)
10:30 a.m. — Catalysts (premiere – Episode 7)

If you have not caught this program, you are really missing out. Like many others I was weary at first of yet another Spider-Man cartoon, but this one really works for me. By combining the Archie-like high school drama and high adventure of the 1960’s comic book, this series has captured the spirit of the Lee/Ditko era better than any other series. With well-written stories and incredibly well-animated characters, this is becoming one of my favorite cartoons to date.

Spider-Man fights the Shocker in “Market Forces”

One of the classic villains created during Spider-Man’s second life under Jazzin’ Johnny Romita, Shocker is at heart a simple crook with a pair of super-powered boxing gloves. A villain who proved an annoyance that kept coming back for more, Shocker has a rep on account of his first successful fight against the web slinger.

The synopsis for “Market Forces“:
While Peter Parker resists taking on the responsibility of helping
Aunt May pay the bills, Montna – the Big Man’s Enforcer – becomes the
stunning Shocker to fulfill his responsibility: eliminating the
Spectacular Spider-Man. Renowned voice actor Jeff Bennett fulfills the
electrifying role of Shocker. “Market Forces” is written by Andrew
Robinson and directed by Dan Fausett.

Originally intended for an appearance in Spider-Man 3, Shocker may make his big screen debut in the much-promised sequel-to-be Spider-Man 4. The latest episode of the excellent new series Spectacular Spider-Man debuts this Saturday 3/22/08. Check local listings for show time in your area.

Spider-Man: Natural Selection

This Saturday the Spectacular Spider-Man series will premiere another villain, the monstrous Lizard, in the third episode entitled ‘Natural Selection.’

Introduced in the 6th issue of the original series by Lee and Ditko in 1963, the Lizard was an urban legend in the Everglades tormenting the locals. With dollar signs in his eyes, Peter Parker finagled a trip for the Daily Bugle to Florida to take snapshots of the monster while also doing some super heroics in his alter ego Spider-Man. The battle became a rescue as it was revealed that the Lizard was none other than brilliant scientist Curt Connors. The one armed Connors was attempting to find a way to use a lizard’s ability to regrow dead tissue to grow his arm back and… things went bad, resulting in the birth of the rampaging member of Spider-Man’s rogue’s gallery, The Lizard.

This issue introduced both a villain and a compatriot to Spider-Man in the dual identity of Connors (who later moved to New York City to pursue his career as a chemist) and the Lizard (who continued to terrorize the Big Apple). In the more recent iterations of Spider-Man Connors has been introduced as a scientist first and a monster second in order to build a connection between Connors and Parker.

Rumored to be a major player in the fourth Spider-Man film, The Lizard is a horrific character as well as a sympathetic one. Spider-Man is constantly trying to stop him, but his main goal is to return the beast to the form of the mild-mannered brilliant scientist. This was typical of the 1960’s Marvel Comics school where ’something different’ was introduced to replace the tired old mustache-twirling mad scientist.

The new episode of Spider-Man premieres this Saturday at 10 AM ET/PT.