There goes Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man!
The Evolution of A Hero
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man charts a new path for the famed web-slinger of Marvel comics. With a visual style reminiscent of Steve Ditko’s infamous art, a modern retelling of the webhead’s origins, and an imaginative shuffling of supporting characters the Disney+ joint offers an exciting new corner of the multiverse to drop into. Despite an awkward and sometimes uneven animation situation and an even stranger release schedule, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man manages to have plenty of positives that far outweigh the negatives.
Four-Act Structure
With a wild release schedule consisting of a two-episode premiere, followed by two weeks of three-episode story arcs concluding with a two-episode finale, the structure doesn’t necessarily follow “traditional” weekly release models. That said, I think releasing these episodes in chunks made more sense. Not only did it benefit the storytelling of each respective arc, but it also allowed for future installments to follow a similar path. Waiting a week to week to finish a season can feel daunting, especially when filler episodes drag the main story out longer than needed. However, another advantage Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man with every episode moves the story forward and offers plenty to chew on for the characters. The entire subplot showing Lonnie Lincoln’s fall from grace remains a highlight of the series freshman season.
Remixing Iconic Lore
Peter’s relationship with Norman Osborn throughout the season also reimagines the dynamic between the age-old rivals. Still, it sets the stage for an inevitable showdown between the future Green Goblin and Queen’s finest wall-crawler. Peter Parker’s overall kinship with this world’s characters blends old and new. Instead of Mary Jane Watson being friendly or Ned Leeds being the guy in the chair, Peter has Harry Osborn and Nico Minoru. One revamped element that remains relatable is not having Peter be tormented and bullied by his classmates. It’s nice to see this old trope of nerds being picked on retired, as it reflects a time when that kind of harassment was appropriate, which is no longer the case.
The Epic Rogues Gallery
Spider-Man is notorious for having some amazing and sinister villains. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man starts our Spider-Man off against some lower-tier villains like Butane, Tarantula, and Speed Demon before gearing up against the likes of Mac Gargan’s Scorpion. Gargan’s Scorpion to an extent is the big bad of the season, whilst the Otto Octavius and Norman Osborn feud feels inspired by the Spider-Man 2 video game from Insomniac, it feels natural that these two hyper-intelligent individuals would clash. Other enemies making appearances include the likes of Dmitri Smerdyakov (The Chameleon) and a glimpse at Klyntaar in the finale, the homeworld of Venom. Having too many villains will bog down a story, but Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man balances the inclusions of these antagonists that are both organic and integral to the overarching story.
Amazing Friends
The friends Peter makes along the way are just as crucial to this tale as the antagonists are. Outside of Harry Osborn, Nico Minoru, and Lonnie Lincoln, there are plenty of other familiar allies who pop up in this first season. A massive highlight of the season was a face-off against the one and only devil of Hell’s Kitchen, Daredevil (with Charlie Cox reprising the role from the Daredevil Netflix series as well as the upcoming Daredevil: Born Again continuation.) Doctor Stephen Strange bookends the series with an appearance in both the pilot episode as well as the final episode. Peter also interns at Oscorp and befriends plenty of deep-cut Marvel characters: Amadeus Cho, Jeanne Foucault, and Asha from Wakanda. If you are familiar with any of these names, your Spider-senses went off immediately with excitement. Next season will include Gwen Stacy, confirmed by showrunner Jeff Trammel via his Instagram.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Visually, the art style of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is inspired by the legendary Steve Ditko. The opening theme is a revised spin on the classic 1960s theme from the first animated Spider-Man show. Bringing these characters to life includes the likes of Kari Wahlgren as Aunt May, Hugh Dancy as Otto Octavius, and Hudson Thames in the lead role as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Colman Domingo brings a welcoming yet ruinous take to Norman Osborn. The only pitfall this show falls into is the animation itself. At times it feels stiff and difficult to watch. Although, it reminded me of Spider-Man: The New Animated Series. Overall, the latest Disney+ series has many positives that outweigh the negatives with plenty of surprises sprinkled throughout for longtime fans of Marvel’s web-slinging superhero.
All Episodes of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are streaming on Disney+.