Spider-Man is based upon the Marvel superhero and this is an animated series that was first released in 1994. The first season is comprised of thirteen episodes and each episode is usually loosely based on story arcs from the comics. The show already assumes that you are familiar with Spider-Man. It is actually one of the best decisions as it doesn’t waste time with an origin story or introducing the various characters. It dives straight in with Peter Parker already familiar with his role as Spider-Man and facing up against the Lizard. That being said, Peter is still gaining experience but he has his web shooters perfected, he’s already familiar with Flash and Harry Osborne, and he is achieving a sort of balance between his two personas. There is an episode that does end up doing a quick summary of what happened to Uncle Ben but it doesn’t dwell on it for long.
Another side effect of not doing an origin story is that Spider-Man is already established in the city. People know who he is and what he does. Unfortunately, we are shown time and time again that being Spider-Man is a thankless job. He hasn’t left a good impression since he is a vigilante but he is often the one who is immediately blamed or framed, before later proven innocent. The season is very episodic and as a result, it jumps all over the place, leading it to feel disjointed at times. It is very much like a best of villain gallery since each episode has the appearance of an iconic villain, as well as more obscure ones. We’ll see villains from Dr Octopus to Mysterio to the Lizard.
There is a slow burn of the love relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson. He seems to be desperate to find a girlfriend and can’t decide whether to go for Felicia or Mary Jane. He’ll spend one episode with one, then another with the other, before swapping back.
Another thing that the show nails is the witty one-liners by Peter / Spider-Man. He doesn’t mince words and openly mocks his opponents as well as J Jonah Jameson. Jameson is a frequent target since the Daily Bugle’s coverage for Spider-Man is usually negative. On the flipside, there is a lot of cheesy dialogue and melodramatic voice acting.
The animation is good for its time. Of course, by today’s standards it is not as smooth or fluid in comparison. At least the show doesn’t use repetitive stock footage and he is extremely nimble with his web swinging and acrobatics. There is 3D CG used for the buildings as the camera pans around the city, and this clash greatly against the traditional animation.
Due to the episodic nature, it can be repetitive and predictable. The second half of the season gets a lot better with the introduction of two multi-episode story arcs. The one involving the rise of black Spider-Man and appearance of Venom is definitely the highlight of the season. It has an interesting character arc and it perfectly represents the crazy power and the fact that Peter Parker realizes that he is being changed. Venom is power and you wonder how Spider-Man will overcome this threat. It ends up relying on a coincidence which is a bit disappointing.
Early on, there are name drops of several other Marvel characters and groups, like the Hulk, Fantastic Four and the Avengers. The final episodes then do the setup for the potential for several other Marvel characters to start making appearances. Overall, the first season of Spider-Man is fairly average. It would have been great at the time of its release but it hasn’t aged gracefully due to its writing and episodic nature. It shows a lot of potential though for its later seasons and it is definitely great seeing such a variety of Spider-Man’s villains in action.
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