Television shows based on superheroes or comics, be it live-action or animated, are plentiful. So, so plentiful. While they can vary in quality, every once in a while one comes about that just feels –right--. The Spectacular Spider-Man premiered ten years ago and quickly climbed up the ranks as not just one of the best (if not the best) Spider-Man cartoons, but one of the best superhero series ever. It also joined the list of television shows that were brought to an end sooner than it should have, in more ways than one, and one whose premature end still stings.
     Developed by Greg Weisman (Gargoyles, Young Justice) and Victor Cook (Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated), the duo drew on classic Spider-Man stories while mixing them with other eras and adaptions of the character, such as the Ultimate series and the Sam Raimi series. It focused on fleshing out character and overarching plots with drama, comedy, action and heart while Peter Parker attempts to keep things going well in his high school days.

     The best place to start would be, of course, the characters. All of them were voiced exceptionally. Josh Keaton, Lacey Chabert, and James Arnold Taylor as Peter, Gwen Stacy, and Harry Osborn, respectively, formed the main trio of friends, and imbued their performances with sweetness, heart, and character. They were also surrounded by an incredible supporting cast, all of whom were cast perfectly.
     But a great cast can only be as good as the writing, and The Spectacular Spider-Man excelled in its character and plot work, filling each character with their own complications and histories, wants and needs, strengths and weakness in a way that easily made them three-dimensional from the moment they arrived on screen. This didn’t just add sympathy to common traits in the Spider-Man series (Aunt May’s personal struggles and worries to pay the bills as Peter felt desperate to help) but also added an extra layer of drama and suspense to the proceedings (Eddie Brock being friends with Peter, anything involving Harry Osborn’s storyline).

     The writing was always excellent, from the drama of everyday life, be it romance or hardships between friends or stresses and worries, to the unravelling of plots involving villains. It was the level of this work that added an extra layer of tension to the on-goings at all times. There is a lot going on here, especially in terms of villain work, from Tombstone’s mob control to Norman Osborn’s ‘projects’ in the earlier episodes to Doc Ock’s eventual rise to a level where he was a formidable and dangerous foe not just to Peter, but the structure of power in the New York underground. The simple choice of making Parker and Brock close friends was a fantastic one, and one that added that extra layer of personal threat and suspense to what was happening. Eddie already knew everyone close to Peter before the symbiote was introduced to him, so the two coming together seemed to be an even higher threat than before. I plan on eventually going through the series as a whole where I can talk more in depth, and spoiler-filled, with what I enjoy about each step of the story-telling, but the fact of the matter is that, for two great seasons, this was an absolutely gripping series. That’s not even mentioning the great way they are able to make drama and suspense and mystery out of the reveal of a certain villain.

     While I could go on and on (and on) about the writing and character moments, the animation also needs to be mentioned, of course. It’s gorgeous, with the simple designs working in great favour to the action on screen. Spectacular Spider-Man has some of my favourite superhero action sequences, animated or not. The battles are a sight to behold, beautifully choreographed and executed. They always seemed to know how to work Spidey against the powers of whichever villain he was battling, whether it was one-on-one or one-on-six (the Spidey vs Sinister Six fights are just…wow). Not just that, but certain extra touches to fights make them, somehow, even more incredible than they would be alone (there’s one in particular taking place during an opera, with the music beautifully used to overlay the action).

     I could keep going, and eventually will. I did initially, for the time being, plan on simply writing one big piece on the serious to explain my love of it, but as I kept thinking about what and how to write, I realized that there was too much to cover to not do the entire series down the (possibly very soon) line. All I can do in a situation like this is simply give what amounts to point form reasoning’s. It’s a beautiful series, from writing and animation, and if you haven’t ever seen it, you owe it to yourself to watch the 26-episode series.

     So with it being so highly regarded and well executed, why did it end? Originally the plan was to have a 65-episode series, ending it with five seasons. The problem was that it ended up being a victim to… well, numerous circumstances. Viewership wasn’t the best during season 2, possibly due to it being moved channels, but though it may have been able to overcome that, the series ended up falling right in the middle of some legal issues, as the rights of the show went from Sony back to Marvel. Thus, Spectacular was canned in favour of a brand new series. That’s depressing as it is, along with the great cliffhanger it ends on, but Greg Weisman went on to say that they planned on introducing Hydro-Man, Carnage (who made an unspeaking cameo as Cletus Kassidy in an episode), Hobgoblin (with Kingsley being established), and expanding Emily Osborn into a speaking role/actual character after the events of Season 2. The possibilities of the series as a whole were endless, and contemplating what we would have gotten is incredibly sad. I can only hope that someday we may see or hear some of the more detailed ideas they may have worked out for what was to come, just to tide us over.

     Needless to say, The Spectacular Spider-Man stands, in my opinion, as the best all-around adaptation of the character (yes, my nostalgic view of the 90’s series also included). I feel that if it were able to finish its run, the series would probably be viewed as the Batman: The Animated Series of Spider-Man, as the end-all be-all in terms of the characters on the screen. If you haven’t seen it yet, whether or not you’re a fan of superheroes or animated series, you owe it to yourself to. There’s such an incredible level of story and character work here that it has something for everyone. Even in its short run, The Spectacular Spider-Man sits as one of the all-time greatest adaptations ever.

     And that’s not even mentioning the absolutely incredible theme song.