While the jury is still out on whether or not Marvel is “back” after the mixed reception of the not-so-brave and not-so-new Captain America film, things are continuing on the upswing in the animation department. Marvel Animation’s latest romp, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, has been must-watch weekly television on Disney+. This is saying a lot since it’s been vying for comic book fans’ attention by streaming against the likes of Prime Video’s Invincible season three.
Amid the long-standing discourse over whether superhero fatigue is real or not, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has been a reminder that there are still good stories to tell, even if they’re not entirely new. With a season in the history books and two more on the horizon, here’s everything we fancied—and everything we weren’t too hot on—about the show.
Liked: The banger opening theme
Regardless of our pending reservations about Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, its opening theme is catchy as hell. While it’s not passing the corporate-engineered rap allegations sonically, it’s been a fun time humming along to it week to week. It also doesn’t hurt that the opening title sequence flexes the most captivating imagery in the show while neatly dovetailing into a unique comic book-style cover for every episode.
Liked: The tone
Despite its cel-shaded look, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man felt pitched toward a slightly older audience than recent cartoons featuring (or starring) the character. Sometimes it was the swears peppered throughout episodes; other times, it made clear in no uncertain terms that characters were getting killed or extremely hurt. It’s a small thing, but it helped make the show feel like its own thing tonally, and hopefully means it’ll grow up alongside its cast in future seasons.
Liked: The compelling Spider-friends drama
The show’s onset made it feel like Peter Parker would be navigating a grating rut with his best friend Nico Minoru and new best friend Harry Osborn. To our surprise, the show didn’t dish out the typical drama that often comes with hiding secret identities. Instead, it offered a layered serving of drama that touched on the trio butting heads over preconceived notions about their economic differences—and the hurt that comes with being the last person to be let in on a secret. It also succeeded in weaving believable conflict between the trio while having them act like people you could envision yourself watching a movie and gossiping with.
Liked: It told an actual small-scale Spider-Man story
As soon as Spider-Man got slotted into the MCU, Peter Parker was fast-tracked into world-ending conflict after world-ending conflict. He’s up to the task of handling his own alongside the Avengers, but it’s become the bane of many a Spider-Man fan’s existence to see Parker become Iron Man Jr., with nano-machine technology and other gizmos manufactured by the billionaire philanthropist being the focal point of the hero in place of his own genius.
... continue reading