This article contains no spoilers for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and is based on all 10 episodes of season 1.
When it was first announced near the end of 2021, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man‘s path to success seemed pretty clear.
As long as the Marvel Disney+ series projected the same energy of previous animated Spider-Man efforts like the beloved cartoon of the ’90s, subscribers would go home happy, bellies full of memberberries. But then a funny thing happened on the way to that streaming layup. What’s that synth music in the distance? Duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuuuh. Duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuuuuh nuh.
X-Men ’97 proved that modern Marvel animation didn’t need to rely solely on nostalgia to be worthwhile. A good Marvel animated series can also elevate the material it’s honoring … as long as it cared enough to do so. And X-Men ’97 clearly cared a lot. Under the initial guidance of creator Beau DeMayo (who was fired by Marvel before the show premiered), X-Men ’97 certainly looks like X-Men: Animated Series of the mid ’90s. It also features many of the same characters and background canon that made the Fox Kids program a cult classic. But X-Men ’97 wasn’t content to rest on the shoulders of the mutants who preceded it. It adopted a bold storytelling plan that incorporated the political commentary of the comic source material with a daring plot that featured multiple character deaths midway through the season. All in all, it was one of the best shows of the year, animated or otherwise.
X-Men ’97‘s creative success raised expectations for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, especially since the ’90s X-Men and Spider-Man cartoons occupied the same storytelling universe. Unfortunately those expectations prove to be a bar that this Peter Parker cannot clear, agile as he may be.
The only real similarity YFNSM bears to X-Men ’97 (aside from creating behind-the-scenes headaches for Disney before it even premieres) is an animation style that pays vague homage to its ’90s counterpart, and even that isn’t quite as lush as its Disney+ cousin. There are some visual treats for those who care to look (Norman and Harry Osborn have the same wavy red-and-black hairstyle that I found so striking as a kid in the ’90s) but the 3D cel-shaded animation itself is choppy. It’s not overly distracting (and could even be viewed as creatively mirroring its arachnid hero’s twitchy personality and powers) but it is missing a certain level of visual diversity and ambition.
The season-long plot, spread out over 10 episodes*, is equally predictable and safe. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man becomes the umpteenth Spider-Man property to depict a now-familiar origin story. While a certain sorcerer supreme cameos in the first episode to clarify that this show exists in one of Marvel’s many alternate universes, things are still kicked off with a little eight-legged buddy chomping down on a young Peter Parker’s neck.
*Which are to be released in some truly bizarre intervals. Two episodes in week one, three in week two, three in week three, and two in the fourth and final week.
Despite taking place outside the confines of Earth-616, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man doesn’t do much to take advantage of its status as a multiversal outsider. Both Iron Man and Captain America still exist in this timeline and characters frequently make reference to their exploits that sound roughly identical to the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga. The show also maintains the current MCU continuity by making sure that Peter’s Aunt May is super hot. Tony Stark and Happy Hogan aren’t around so I’ll be the one brave enough to comment on this animated fictional character’s appearance!
Still, at the end of the day, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man presents a pretty straightforward Spidey story and that’s hard to screw up (unless you’re The Amazing Spider-Man 2). Oscar-nominee Colman Domingo proves a capable, sturdy presence as Peter’s mentor (yes mentor) Norman Osborn. The show is also very much not stingy with its Spider-Man cameos and Easter eggs. Every week contains multiple new characters who, while relatively minor in this story, are prominent enough in the larger Marvel mythos to have their own Wikipedia entry. Indeed the main cast of the show may hold some larger Marvel secrets to those unfamiliar with the comic history.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man also gets the most important part of Spider-Man right, which is Spider-Man himself. This Peter Parker is a charming lad. From the moment he’s introduced trying to operate the cracked screen on his smartphone, the viewer is confident that he’s the same hot mess we’ve always known and loved. He also matures and improves his skillset believably across the season, building meaningful relationships and rapport with his supporting cast.
By the end of its finale, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man hasn’t broken any new ground but it has made its case as a low-stakes comfort watch that merits a second season. That would have felt like a resounding success for Marvel fans in a pre-X-Men ’97 world. It doesn’t quite feel like a victory now.
The first two episodes of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are available to stream on Disney+ now. New episodes premiere Wednesdays, culminating in the two-episode finale on February 19.
Learn more about Den of Geek’s review process and why you can trust our recommendations here.
The post Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Review: Not X-Men ’97 But Not Bad appeared first on Den of Geek.
0 Commentaires