YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN Season 1 Review

Review

In the pantheon of cartoon series adapted from comic books there are two heroes who are rarely away from our screens. One is perhaps the best known character in all the omniverse, Batman. The other is Spider-Man. Going all the way back to 1967’s iconic theme tune there has been 10 different animated interpretations of our favourite wall-crawling Marvel hero. This week Marvel Animation looks to break the mould with a unique new interpretation which honours the character’s animated legacy alongside Tom Holland’s big screen success.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, first announced in 2021, takes a lot of cues from the MCU storybook. Opting to present them entirely from Peter Parker’s (Hudson Thames) point of view from a universe which features one small, but ultimately cataclysmic, change to the events of Captain America: Civil War. Rather than Peter being mentored by Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, when he arrives home from school it’s now Norman Osborn (Colman Domingo) who is waiting for home with Aunt May (Kari Wahlgren). The small change ultimately sends Peter on a different path. One which doesn’t see him join the warring Avengers in Germany as seen in Civil War and so operating without Stark in his corner.

The MCU has, so far, decided to completely side-step Peter’s origin story as Spider-Man. Feige and his team know full well it’s a story we’ve now seen in two big screen franchises and ten animated series. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man does choose to bring the moment this Peter was bitten to the screen. Only it’s an inciting incident which spins the entire story on an exciting axis which is ultimately very rewarding for the audience. In this universe Peter is bitten after a huge portal opens in the sky, seen in today’s series premiere, with a familiar creature dropping in to Midtown High School alongside Doctor Strange (Robin Atkin Downes). It makes for a high stakes first episode, bringing us explosively in to this MCU-adjacent world with more than enough intrigue to grasp at the audience.

Almost everything about Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is just ever so slightly shifted from audience expectation. Yes he lives with Aunt May. Yes he attends Midtown High. Yes he does eventually befriend Harry Osborn. But these elements aside, the series treads a very original path which is narrative gold for a character with so much history already committed to animation. It begins with the series’ supporting cast. Gone are Mary Jane, Flash Thompson and Gwen Stacey. They’ve been replaced by other recognisable but less high profile comic book characters. Peter’s best friend this time around is Nico Minoru (Grace Song) who many will know as a member of Marvel’s Runaways. The high school jock role vacated by Flash is now filled by Lonnie Lincoln (Eugene Byrd) whose season-long arc is wonderful take on the character’s comic book legacy.

Having a new cast surrounding Peter really opens up the world of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Allowing it a level of unpredictability which most Spider-Man cartoons are sorely lacking. Add that to a surprisingly slow burning story and the series really is one of the most refreshing takes on the character we have ever seen. After witnessing Peter’s bite at the hands of the legendary spider the series jumps ahead several months. It glosses over Peter learning to use his abilities and drops us back in to the story with Spider-Man out on the streets of NYC. Putting its foot on the breaks allows the series to really dig deep in its characters. Whilst the 1994 Spider-Man worked hard to develop its supporting cast. More recent series have tended to focus on Peter alone at the detriment of those around him. Here showrunner Jeff Trammell and his team treat teen drama with the same care as the super-heroics.

The series is at its most fun when digging in to the partnership between Peter and Normal Osborn. Of course much of the audience know where his character is likely to end up. But here Peter is entirely unaware, seeing him as a mentor and father figure helping to shape the Spider-Man legacy. Across all ten episodes Trammell and co. really put a huge effort in to this relationship. Osborn is industrious, intelligent and often charming. He takes care of Peter not only aiding his heroics but really protecting and nurturing him. In turn that means this version of Peter begins to sympathise with Norman’s view of the world. Ultimately that relationship becomes the backbone of the series. Leading us to a full circle finale that shocks the audience as much as it does Peter when Norman’s motivations are revealed.

The success of that dynamic between Peter and Norman is down to the talents of Thames and Domingo. Thames cut his teeth as Peter Parker in What If…? whose concept still looms large over the New York City skyline. He brings a youthful energy to Peter which never strives to copy Tom Holland. Instead opting to simply bring an exuberance to both Peter and Spider-Man which keeps him age appropriate. Domingo on the other hand, complete with Academy Award nomination, brings a warmth and gravitas to Norman we haven’t seen before. It gives Peter a father-son relationship to play with which is just another unique aspect of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

I don’t want to spoil all the villains of the series right here right now. There’s a sublime journey as the series builds these characters up before knocking them down. Or having them knock Spidey down. The series takes a unique approach to some characters, opting to gender swap or present them through new origins. But when they come in to play as opponents to Peter then the audience will feel the threat which each represents. There are moments you will genuinely fear for Spider-Man’s life and that kind of jeopardy isn’t easy to create in a story as often retold as this. Standouts are, of course, Dr. Otto Octavius (Hugh Dancy) who has a really fun and unexpected arc within the story. Mac Gargan (Jonathan Medina) aka Scorpion also has a great time in giving Spidey a run for his money.

Where the series runs in to issues is in trying to strike a tone suitable for all audiences. Naturally it will appeal to a young audience. But the slow burning which affords so much character development may put off those at the younger end of the audience. Likewise there are a couple of moments within the series action set pieces which infer rather lethal consequences to another character. It’s not bloody but could lead to questions like “mummy, why did that character stab that mean through the chest?”. Conversely this version of Peter Parker dons a number of different suits throughout the series on his journey to becoming the Amazing Spider-Man. This lends itself to plenty of toy sales to an audience potentially too young to watch.

Of course this is a Marvel Studios project so there are also cameos to contend with. As well as the aforementioned Doctor Strange there are other characters who will pop up across the season. With stories from the MCU playing out around the events of the this series there’s still time for Iron Man (Mick Wingert) and Captain America to make their presence know. It’s been widely known for some time that Charlie Cox will reprise his role as Daredevil in the series. His appearances provide a great moral centre for Peter. Despite very little screen time Cox is able to bring everything to the table which has made him a fan-favourite casting. Giving Daredevil both a memorable but also important role to play in the development of this Spider-Man’s heroic journey.

Equally as memorable is the series’ truly outstanding art direction and animation style. Two-parts pop art, one-part Steve Ditko and one-part contemporary 3D animation. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man does take its time in becoming natural to the eye. It was around episode three when I finally felt comfortable with its unusual frame rate. In particular character mouths feel a little uncanny in the way they don’t quite sync with either the emotion or literal words being spoken by the actors. At time it can be jarring and does distract from certain key moments across the season. But otherwise there is so much to love about this original and dynamic visual style. It’s refreshing that Marvel’s animation department hasn’t taken on a signature style. This series doesn’t look like X-Men ’97 but neither does it look like What If…?. Instead it operates in an entirely original space.

Verdict

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a breath of fresh air for the character’s long storied history in animation. A fresh approach, new supporting cast and flirtation with events of the MCU make it a truly unique, exhilarating and dynamic season of blockbuster storytelling.

⭐⭐⭐⭐