The Spectacular Spider-Man

Josh LeBar draws on all kinds of life experiences when giving voice to Flash Thompson for The Spectacular Spider-Man.

LeBar, best known for his role as agent Ari Gold's arch rival Josh Weinstein on HBO's Entourage, has lived the life of both a prep jock and an aspiring super hero ... so taking on Flash Thompson's persona wasn't much of a reach.

Growing up in Cincinnati, LeBar was the captain of his high school football team and then advanced to Butler University, where he starred for a year before a shoulder injury ended his career -- and permanently steered his livelihood toward the performing arts.

In this Saturday's episode of The Spectacular Spider-Man, LeBar gets the opportunity to give Flash Thompson a more heartfelt side that goes beyond his usual goofy bully approach.

Following is a question-and-answer session provided by The CW 4Kids:

Question: Do you have any relatable history in the super hero arena prior to assuming the role of Flash Thompson?

LeBar: Oh yeah, I did a lot of research (laughs) -- I played The Flash at Six Flags St. Louis. I had to put on the muscle suit and the roller blades, so I could whoosh around the park for about four hours a day. I'd just be flying through the gates of Super Hero Den -- it was pretty much the easiest job ever. When I got the part of Flash Thompson, I thought that was just a funny coincidence.

Question: What do you bring to the role of Flash Thompson?

LeBar: I think Flash has a certain brashness, but he also has a likeability, so he's not a complete doof that you hate. He's a dichotomy -- he's got a few different sides, and he surprises people. I was both a theatre guy and a football guy in high school, and people tried to stick me into that one-note category, depending on how they knew me -- and I didn't like being stereotyped. So when the (Spider-Man) show gives me the opportunity to represent his other sides, like this week when you see Flash's compassion rather than just all that testosterone, I really enjoy showcasing that part of his character because I can relate to his situation.

Question: As a relative newcomer to the Los Angeles acting scene, you seem to have had some quick success -- between the regular gig on Entourage, guest starring roles and a main cast voiceover job on The Spectacular Spider-Man. Is it as easy as it appears?

LeBar: I think I've been on about 600 auditions since I got to LA, and I consider my ratio (of success) pretty good. I used to log all the auditions, but it got depressing. Spider-Man is a real blessing because it's employment that's consistent, and it's great acting. You aren't defined by your face in animation, so you don't get over-exposed. I do one episode of Entourage, it gets aired 40 times and my face gets played out. You can get typecast. Here, you get to step in every week and use your voice as your instrument and really push some limits. You really get to participate in the acting part of the job.

Question: This is your first true voice acting experience, and Spider-Man records its actors together rather than individually. How are you acclimating to this process, and was there any intimidation factor entering the booth for the first time with 10-12 other actors?

LeBar: Everyone has made this a great experience. This is an amazing ensemble cast -- they're all complete and total professionals. It's fun, because I've watched all of them in their iconic roles. I used to watch Coach, and here's Bill Fagerbakke. I loved L.A. Law, and I'm standing next to Alan Rachins. I've never missed a Nightmare on Elm Street movie, and the first week I did Spider-Man I'm right here with Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund. It's amazing to be a part of such a great, experienced cast.

Moreover, the caliber of the voice actors on this show -- the people you normally never see on camera -- are beyond amazing. These are the real A-listers. You have no idea how good the people are that do the Saturday morning cartoons until you actually get to see them in action. It's really humbling. They walk in and just start switching between three or four characters on a dime. Actors like Kevin (Michael Richardson) and Daran (Norris) and Vanessa (Marshall) -- I'm just in here stocking up massive amounts of experience and information from these pros. It was a little intimidating at first, but I'm more confident now because I've now seen how the best of the business do it Š and I just try to emulate that.

Question: Have animation and comic books had any influence on your life prior to joining the cast of The Spectacular Spider-Man?

LeBar: I was a cartoon junkie as a kid -- I'd make my mom wake me an hour early so I could watch cartoons before school. I never missed a G.I. Joe and I always loved the old Batman series, and things like Thundercats and Voltron. I still love those shows. But now I have two nieces, and they don't get to watch "Entourage" and my primetime shows, so they're very excited to see their uncle as a cartoon character. And I've got my TIVO and my alarm set for Saturday mornings.

"Group Therapy," this Saturday's new episode of The Spectacular Spider-Man, is the second directed by Jennifer Coyle this season.

Coyle discussed the episode:

Question: It's hard enough bringing one villain to full-blown animated life in an episode. How did you approach positioning six on-screen?

Coyle: Well, all things being equal, six is tougher than one -- but it does make it interesting. When you're doing fight scenes with that many characters, you really need to focus on the choreography. You have to make sure the action stays clear, quick and interesting, and you have to focus on moments to highlight each of the characters.

Question: Without offering any crucial spoilers, is there a scene or moment in the episode that you're particularly proud of?

Coyle: I thought our big action sequences really utilized the environments well -- in both Times Square and in Central Park. Those two environments gave us plenty of room to work, and allowed us to get very cinematic in the direction. We were able to incorporate a lot of iconic looks, like the big screen in Times Square and a bridge in Central Park -- and really use them within the action.

All six of those villains are really spectacular in their own way -- and using those locations gave us enough room to show what they do best. Vulture can fly, Doc Ock can move freely with those great arms, Rhino can use his full strength -- he actually punches a hole in the bridge. Every villain gets to do something that they do best, and Spider-Man has the space to do his thing and turn it on them.

With Spider-Man, it's a constant struggle to keep raising the bar on his action sequences -- he has to be honest to his character, and you can't have him just talking and making jokes. The action has to top what you've done before. But with those locations and all six of the villains, we were able to amp it up.

Question: All of these villains have appeared in previous episodes. Did the lack of normally-required exposition allow more freedom for a fairly action-packed episode?

Coyle: We didn't have to spend any time at all -- you know who they are and what they want, and that they're going to cause trouble. It was exciting on a number of levels -- because it's the first time they're all together, and because it sets the groundwork for a lot of the episodes in the future.

Question: In directing "Reactions," you introduced Doc Ock to the series -- and now you set the tone for many future episodes by revealing Doc Ock as the leader of The Sinister Six. What attracts you to Doc Ock?

Coyle: Oh how I love him. Every director is only as good as their artists -- we don't do these shows by ourselves -- and I had some stellar board talent on the "Group Therapy" episode in Kevin Altieri and Joaquim Dos Santos. They deserve a lot of the credit for bringing Doc Ock to life.

Doc Ock is so much fun. The character design is so good, and I enjoy drawing him on a very basic level. I think everybody identifies with him on some level -- he's a good guy who has worked hard his whole life, and he's been pushed to the point that he's not coming back. You can easily understand the pathos Š and now he's really become a bad guy. You can do just about anything with that character -- those arms are amazing, and the timing has been really good for this show, so much so that I think you feel the impact of those arms.

I think I've had him in almost every episode I've directed -- so now he's like an old friend. I think I've got a bad boyfriend thing going on here. He's caused me so much pain, I think I might actually like him.

Question: You've directed two episodes in the opening season of "The Spectacular Spider-Man," and you're working on your fourth for the second season. What is that makes directing Spider-Man enjoyable for you?

Coyle: Spider-Man offer me the best of all worlds -- it's comedy and cartoony and zany, there's great acting and amazing action. We push him in a squash and stretch way, and yet there's plenty of room for acting goodness -- with all the high school intrigue -- and there's obviously enough scope for quite a lot of action. So I get everything I like right here in one show.

Question: You are the only female director on this series thus far -- and one of the few females directing super hero/action-oriented animation. Do you see growing opportunities for female directors in the animated world and, particularly, in the fanboy arena?

Coyle: I just had those sentiments confirmed a few weeks ago -- I met a woman director at Disney, and she said she didn't know of another female directing action adventure. I know of Lauren Montgomery (Superman Doomsday), but that's about it.

When you take a look around, it is kind of a man's world, and I think it speaks highly of Mr. Victor Cook that he'd give me an opportunity to do this. I work with a lot of amazing, talented people who have always overlooked the fact that I'm a girl, so it's nice. I don't feel oppressed.

I know that being a woman, I do bring some different perspectives -- I think the big difference comes in the acting, because I know that's where I tend to make a lot of notes. I love the nuances of animation acting. Just today, we were posing a sequence where we're knocking the cheerleaders down a few notches. I don't think a lot of men pay as much attention to the politics of relationships when they're posing out these high school scenes, but that was what honestly attracted me to the Spider-Man comics in the first place. I read a lot of comics in high school and college, and I always liked Spider-Man because of all the angst -- it wasn't just a straight up fight.

I think this series has a lot of heart. They've really pushed that aspect of the series and made it accessible for girls -- and the ratings have reflected that. Here's this oppressed kid, dealing with everything regular high school kids do, all the while having to take care of his Aunt May, and the having the burden of being who he is when he pulls on the mask. That's always been a factor in how readable the Spider-Man stories have been for girls. It's not like we girls don't appreciate a good ass-kicking from time to time, but the thing that attracts me to the story is that it's got heart as well.

Question: Who or what inspired you to direct animation ... and was working with super heroes always part of your goal?

Coyle: I always wanted to do comic books, but I had the classic, clichéd lecture from a teacher that I'd never make a living working in comics. Back then, I didn't realize that my love of comics could transition to animation, and that I could actually make a living in animation.

Andrew Robinson got all the toys to play with as writer of "Group Therapy," this Saturday's episode of The Spectacular Spider-Man on The CW 4Kids.

The episode continues the story of the black suit and pits Spider-Man against the Sinister Six.

The Continuum caught up with the writer for a quick question-and-answer.

The Continuum: How'd you get involved with the show?

Robinson: I've known Greg Weisman for... well, more years than I care to be exact about, but let's just say since high school. And I've been writing for animation for a while, but I had never worked with Greg until a couple of years ago, when he hired me to write a few episodes of a show for JETIX called "W.I.T.C.H." My recollection is that when Spider-Man came up, he suggested that I put my name in the hat for approval from Sony, Marvel and KidsWB, and thankfully I made the cut. And I'm thinking it didn't hurt that he knew I was a comic book collector.

The Continuum: How many episodes have you written? Are you working on Season 2 also?

Robinson: I did three episodes of Season 1 - "Market Forces," (Shocker), "Catalysts" (Green Goblin) and "Group Therapy." And I wrote three episodes for Season 2.

The Continuum: What do you like about this incarnation of Spidey?

Robinson: Wow. Umm... well, of course, I love that I can prove to my folks now that all that time and money "wasted on comic books" actually DID help prepare me for a career. Apart from that, I feel like this Spidey is the fortunate beneficiary of Greg's encyclopedic intimacy with the stories and characters, and his having been able to take what he regarded as the best elements of all the previous incarnations and blend them into this new reality. I love that we've rebooted the mythos and made it completely contemporary, from Peter's relationships, to the pan-ethnic look of New York, to the measured, technologically cutting-edge and logically interconnected creations of his rogues' gallery. I like that our boy's learning the ropes of life and of heroism here, and he makes mistakes as both Peter and Spidey that make him feel like a real person - not to mention the fact that he has to use his brain a lot. And he's funny. Visually, I give huge props to the artists and particularly the directors; I've never seen an animated show that - per Greg's and Victor Cook's desire from inception - moves like this one does. Best-directed and most fluid action sequences ever, bar none. I could go on, but I'm hoping that clinches my spot in the rotation for season 3.

The Continuum: How was it to write the Sinister Six? Was it hard to give everybody screen time?

Robinson: It's actually kind of hard to TYPE "Sinister Six," so you can imagine how tough it was to WRITE them. It was great fun, but it was actually a little tougher than I expected. And yes, giving everyone enough screen time is one thing, but it's also making sure that you're capturing each character's established speech patterns and rhythms, not to mention their fighting styles, in that limited amount of time, while keeping the story moving. And making sure Spidey didn't beat anyone the same way twice, of course.

The Continuum: Anything special viewers should watch out for Saturday?

Robinson: Four words: "Aunt May. Table dance." Nuff said? Okay, I'm kidding...Brrrr.. Nobody wants to see that. Well, almost nobody. Uh...without giving away any spoilers, this is the second episode of the Venom saga, so viewers should watch out for some major action as we learn just how far the black suit can take Spidey.

The third times figures to have a lot of charm.

Matt Wayne's third script of Kids' WB!'s The Spectacular Spider-Man, "Persona," airs this Saturday. It figures to be among the season highlights, with Black Cat and the introduction of the black suit.

The Continuum caught up with Wayne to talk about the episode, along with his other projects.

The Continuum: Black Cat, the symbiote, Chamelon, possibly some other villains...was it difficult to pull that many elements together?

Wayne: Not really. Greg Weisman tends toward tightly interwoven plots, and these four episodes that finish off the first 13 are especially full. By the time I'm writing an outline, it's more a matter of dramatizing each scene as succinctly as possible, making choices that might arrange the various threads in exciting ways. But the major arcs and the big moments are Greg's, with me and the other writers all pitching ideas as we go. Having said that, it was an interesting switch to be writing Part 1 of the arc, unlike "Natural Selection" and "The Invisible Hand," which were each Part 3 of a three-episode arc. I especially like some stuff I did in the teaser: When the symbiote is introduced, Pete's reaction is pure science fanboy. That kind of fascination with the natural world, it's something that kids are born with­which is why there are so many Discovery channels­and that our schools end up stifling by age eight. (Not that the alien symbiote is anything but pseudoscience!) I just think our approach makes it easy to feel his wonder.

The Continuum: This show is for kids, but did the sexual chemistry between Black Cat and Spider-Man translate to television?

Wayne: Within reason, yes. Black Cat thinks that Spidey's an adult when he's really a teen. That made it easy to walk up to the line, jump up and down, wave our arms, and never cross over into inappropriateness. It's more funny than sexual, although Peter's dead serious. He's in it to win it!

The Continuum: What did you think of the casting of Tricia Helfer?

Wayne: Her voice is her sexiest attribute. And that's saying something.

The Continuum: You're working on the new Batman: The Brave and the Bold series. What's your role and what can you say about it?

Wayne: My role is "Writer #4," or so, as it so often is, plus some later episodes as well. And I don't know what I can say. I dropped a hint at Dwayne McDuffie's messageboard and they came very close to guessing just what I was hinting at, so I'm either coy or mum these days. But the designs look awesome and I always enjoy working with James Tucker and Michael Jelenic.

The Continuum: Any other animation or comics projects on your docket?

Wayne: More Spectacular Spider-Man; some comics stuff that I can't talk about for a few months; more Ben 10: Alien Force airing June and apparently for some time after; the animated Hannibal the Conqueror with JLU's Stan Berkowitz and novelist Steven Barnes, for BET; and a pet comics project of mine, The Road to Hell, co-written with McDuffie with art by Colin McNeil, will be on wowio.com this summer.

Animation veteran Kevin Hopps' third script for the first season of The Spectacular Spider-Man, "The Uncertainty Prinicple," airs this Saturday on Kids' WB!.

Hopps, whose credits include Static Shock, Justice League and Hellboy: Blood and Iron, has written four scripts total for the first season, and is also working on the second.

Following is a studio-provided interview with the writer:

Question: "The Uncertainty Principle" is the third episode you've written this season. Does it get easier as the season progresses, or more complicated as the "web" continues to grow?

Hopps: It gets easier now that I've seen some of the episodes animated and heard the characters' voices, but new characters and new plot lines always bring new challenges. Fortunately, The Spectacular Spider-Man is a spectacularly fun series to write for.

Question: Thus far this season, you've written for three villains -- Electro, Sandman, and now you get to expand upon Green Goblin. How did you approach each, and do you have a writing preference among the villains?

Hopps: Before I began writing any of the villains, I re-read all the comics I could get my hands on that featured Electro, Sandman and Green Goblin. As to preference -- I love all the villains I've been lucky enough to include in my scripts. They each bring something new to the series -- their motivations are different and, therefore, they interact with Spider-Man is different in their own special ways.

I like the humanity of Electro -- here's a person who didn't ask to be a villain, but found himself thrust into that role. I love the ordinary-ness of the motivation for Sandman -- he's just basically a crook who suddenly finds himself with super powers. Then there's Goblin -- you might consider him crazed, but he's truly brilliant and has thought things out far in advance. He's always several steps ahead of where you think he is. So while I'm writing Goblin, I'm always trying to keep in mind where he's going next.

I'm not allowed to say what I'm writing for second season, but I can say that sometimes it gets a little harder when you write a character a second time because you have to top what you did the first time. A good example for this season is Spider-Man's battle with the Green Goblin in the episode coming this weekend. I had to pay special attention to the battles from the episode that aired two weeks ago, and concentrate on how we could make it different and really up the stakes.

Question: You have a lengthy history of writing for comics/super hero animation. What's your personal satisfaction working in that realm?

Hopps: I just love this genre ­ both in live-action and in animation. I started out in comedy, writing sitcoms, then animation comedies -- but I realized the movies and TV shows I mostly watched were action adventure. And so, whenever possible, that's what I try to write. Of course, I like to think I'm able to add a good deal of humor to the action I write.

It's fun to write a variety of characters, too -- both in terms of jumping from show to show, and from heroes to villains. Spider-Man and Hellboy present that kind of variety. The key differences come in their age and their motivation ­ those factors help give them distinctly different personalities and attitudes. Even though he has all this teen angst, Spidey still really has fun with being a super hero, and he lets it show. Hellboy is older and more mature -- he keeps his emotions more in check. I don't really have favorites, but I guess if I was creating a character of my own, it would probably be Spidey -- between the character's comedy, action and humanity, he all the elements I like to write.

Question: Is there a super hero you haven't written for yet that you still wish to work on, and why?

Hopps: To paraphrase, and lay ruin to, a famous quote: I never met a super hero I wouldn't write. Spider-Man, however, is ideal since he combines super hero heroics with teenage real-life problems, and a healthy dose of humor combined with action. As for super villains, well, after the Green Goblin, I'm writing another classic Spidey villain -- but I guess you'll just have to keep watching to find out who that is.

Question: Is there another genre that you would like to explore?

Hopps: I never know what next is in store. I've done a lot of comedy and even a fair amount of pre-school programs. They all flex different writing muscles. And I love combining the comedy and action when I can. Even while writing one of the Hellboy animated movies, I was able to add a little comedy to the more adult-themed action.

"Reaction," this Saturday's new episode of Kids' WB!'s The Spectacular Spider-Man, introduces Doctor Octopus.

Randy Jandt, writer of the episode, talked about the character and story in this short Q&A:

Question: What were the obstacles for you in introducing Doc Ock into the series?

Jandt: The challenge to writing this episode and specifically, introducing Doctor Octopus, was to keep in mind the expectations and history with a show/character like this -- so my approach was rather simple: be mindful of the history, listen to the direction and guidance of Greg Weisman, and then write an episode with a good, entertaining story that is packed with as much action and humor as 22 minutes will allow.

Question: Knowing all that has come before in the comics, and being aware of the storyline of Spider-Man 2, what did you seek to do with the characters -- particularly Doc Ock -- within this episode?

Jandt: In terms of deviating or staying true to character and story from the comics, the show's creators didn't think there was need to reinvent the wheel, but rather take and use all the elements that made Spider-Man such a fan favorite and then expand on it.

However, with that said, the fact that Greg chose to NOT start out the show with Spider-Man/Peter Parker as an adult, but as a 16-year-old kid, was brilliant and liberating on a variety of levels. That fresh perspective of a young Spider-Man/Peter Parker translated to the entire spirit of the show.

Doctor Octopus was challenging because he had such a range of character. From weak and meek genius, Otto Octavius to Megalomaniacal Doctor Octopus -- that's an amazing jump, filled with chances to create great drama ... and humor!. When you add the techy bells and whistles of his arms/harness, bringing this iconic character to life was extraordinarily fun to do.

The kids gloves are off this Saturday on Kids' WB!'s The Spectacular Spider-Man.

While Dr. Octavius has had a submissive role in the first seven episodes of the series, Doc Ock makes his explosive debut in a new episode entitled "Reaction" that will air at 10 a.m. (ET/PT).

Doc Ock is voiced by Peter MacNicol, who adds the role to a busy schedule. MacNicol is a core cast member in two primetime television series -- 24 and Numb3rs -- but was still able to devote an afternoon every other week to creating the voice of Dr. Otto Octavius and his villainous alter ego.

MacNicol has crafted an extremely diverse and successful career, balancing primetime series starring roles (including Ally McBeal and Chicago Hope) with numerous guest performances (Boston Legal, Cheers, Tales From The Crypt), not to mention feature film appearances (Ghostbusters II, Sophie's Choice) and, of course, his first starring role as Galen in the fan favorite, Dragonslayer.

Despite all the on-camera work, MacNicol maintains a steady flow of voiceover roles in animated television series and movies, as well as being popular in the books-on-CD arena. MacNicol's animated voiceovers cover a wide range -- from lighter series like The Wild Thornberrys, Olive, the Other Reindeer and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command to the super-hero series Justice League, The Batman and now, The Spectacular Spider-Man.

"Cartoon work is pure recreation for me, pure playtime," said MacNicol. "But 'Books-on-CD' ­ now that's work! Keeping even the minor characters straight in my head, giving each bit-part his/her/its own voice, working for days in that airless chamber of the recording booth, with my eyes playing tricks on me as the hours drag by, and the pages I'm narrating, which must be noiselessly turned, and the sheer whiteness of those pages, which begins to create a kind of snow-blindness by mid-afternoon.

"Once for an epic fantasy series, I had to voice literally dozens of elves, fairies, and ogres, all of different ages, sexes, and from many lands -- with the hill dwarves needing to sound different from the valley dwarves. Had there been a window I would have jumped out of it."

MacNicol has found great pleasure in bringing villains to animated life; Doc Ock follows previous portrayals of Chronos and Manbat For Doc Ock, MacNicol opted to channel the persona of a classic actor far outside the reference points for most Spidey fans.

"The voice I chose for Dr. Octopus was something of an homage to Laird Cregar, one of Hollywood's greatest 'heavies,' and I do mean 'heavies,' " MacNicol explained. "Throughout his brief 1940s career, Cregar waged a war to the death against his own obesity, ultimately losing too many pounds too quickly; he was barely 30 when he died. In his two greatest movies, Hangover Square and The Lodger, he seemed so haunted and hulking, and I loved that soft menacing voice of his. Still, I'm no mimic and it was Cregar's quality rather than his voice which gave me my model."

MacNicol said he enjoys devouring the role of a villain, pointing out the extreme texture the dark side adds to any story ­ particularly in super-hero tales.

"It's all relative ­ this business of hero or villain," MacNicol said. "After all, villains are somebody's hero ­ certainly they've won the devotion of their cronies, their parents, and perverse fans like myself who actually prefer them over the title characters. Yep, it would be a pretty dull universe if we didn't have Rhino, Sandman and Doc Ock trying to destroy it."

After a brief introduction two weeks ago, Vanessa Marshall brings Mary Jane Watson to animated life in the character's first full episode of The Spectacular Spider-Man this Saturday.

The episode, "Catalysts," premieres at 10 a.m. (ET/PT) on Kids' WB!.

A veteran voiceover artist with credits ranging from animated films and television to video games and commercials, Marshall has embraced the role of Mary Jane, bringing forth all of the character's free spirit.

"I always make sure my choices for Mary Jane are that of an independent thinker, that she's not concerned with what the people around her think, which is an uncommon trait in teenage girls," Marshall says. "There's a distinct confidence about her that I try to emulate."

Marshall has spent the majority of her career in the recording booth. While she admits her initial goal was to act on camera, voiceover work has allowed Marshall to have success in the entertainment business without having to endure the endless scrutiny of maintaining the "Hollywood look."

"A lot of the rejection in on-camera work comes because of how you look," explains Marshall, a radiant redhead much like her animated character. "Voiceovers open up a great deal of creative freedom. I've played an African-American boy for 36 episodes of Grim & Evil -- so I'm able to cross virtually all racial and gender lines, explore all kinds of new roles, and you just can't do that on camera. I have a passion for acting, and in voiceovers, I get to bring it all to the microphone."

Marshall has crafted an extremely diverse resume, ranging from on-camera and voiceover acting to stand-up comedy, the creation of her own one-woman show, and her current focus on writing a novel. Still, Marshall admits that the fanboy deeply embedded in her psyche leapt for joy when landing the role of Mary Jane.

"I was in the middle of doing a Honda commercial, and my knees went out from under me," Marshall says. "I rarely get to play a woman or a girl -- it's always boys. So when my agent Cathey (Lizzio) called, she just said, 'Hello, is this Mary Jane?' Well, my knees fell out and I hyperventilated. The commercial producers were very concerned. I don't think they understood how momentous that was. It's an absolute honor."

Interestingly, Spider-performances run in the family. Marshall's mother, Joan Van Ark, voiced the title character in the 1979 Spider-Woman animated series on ABC.

An admitted comic-book lover, Marshall is well-educated on the history of the character and enjoys keeping that knowledge in mind while giving voice to Mary Jane during her formative days.

"Mary Jane's character is incredibly complex," Marshall says. "Her strength plays a major part in Peter's growth and maturation -- she really keeps him on the straight and narrow. Even though our characters are still only in high school during this cartoon, and you're not going to get a lot of that character development at this point of the series, I know it's going to be there in the future and so that has an effect on how I play her now."

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Continuum continues its series of interviews with the talent behind The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series today with producer/supervising director Victor Cook.

The Continuum sat down with Cook backstage at WonderCon for a short interview. Following is an edited transcription.

The Continuum: You're working on the second set of episodes now. How does the second set feel compared to the first? Do you feel more like you have your footing now?

Cook: We had our footing really from the beginning of the first season, knowing how we wanted to approach the show. The Comic-Con trailer that we did was really the great testing ground for some of the action things we wanted to do, giving it a little bit more of a Hong Kong flair and a little bit more fun choreographed action as opposed to straight-forward punches and stuff.

What the challenge for the second set is that we are simultaneously doing post-production on the first set. So that's the huge challenge -- it's like we have two full-time jobs going on at the same time. It literally started at the same time. Episode 1 came back basically the same week started storyboards on Episode 14.

The Continuum: Often with these the shows, the second seasons are better because people are more familiar with the property and the routine. Do you feel you hit the ground running?

Cook: I think we hit the ground running with this. That's not to say these aren't going to get better. They're going to get better because we're going to be better at what we're doing. But in terms of the things we wanted to do with character development, designs and how we're staging and storyboarding the action, this stuff was very thought out for months before we attempted our first episode.

But it's going to get better. Each one is better. Even in the first season.

The Continuum: Spider-Man has a lot attention brought to it. It would appear a hard thing to get started. Was it arduous?

Cook: It was, to get everybody on the same page. We're dealing with Sony, who's producing, and Kids' WB! and also Marvel. While there are a lot of similar concerns and goals, there are sometimes different expectations. Kids' WB! wants this to be appealing for kids, Marvel wants this to stay true to the classics and we're trying to do a show for everyone.

From a writing standpoint, Greg Weisman and Sony made the right decision in terms of, we're going to start where (Stan) Lee and (Steve) Ditko started. We're just going to contemporize it. We're just going right to the beginning. And that was the appeal for me coming out. He's a teenager, he's in high school, just like the original comic.

In terms of the visual development, because this had to appeal to kids and to fans, we wanted a design style that was going to give us that ability for animation. If you remember the old, original animated Spider-Man, there was no webs on his costumes. Then you go to the 90s one, where there were webs and muscles everywhere. We knew, because of the movies, that the bar had been raised on how Spider-Man was expected to be seen moving. And, for me, knowing that and having been an animator in the past, the challenge was how do we take the detail down to its most simplest, while still retaining the classic look of the character.

The (Ralph) Bakshi cartoon was a classic, but it still bothered me that he didn't have webs on his body. I think we achieved that. We simplified. He's got webs, but it's distilled to its very essentials. And, as seen on the Comic-Con trailer, it moves great. He's jumping and flipping.

The Continuum: And you have to deal with the cityscapes, too.

Cook: We knew were not going to do a "CG" Spider-Man this time around. But part of Spider-Man's movements isn't just about Spider-Man. It's also the backgrounds, moving dimensionally. We just took the same approach to the backgrounds we did to the characters, just distill it down to the essential details to have architectural detail and real perspective, and have it feel like New York. You'll have buildings in the backgrounds, but there won't even be windows on it, because you don't need them in the far backgrounds.

The Continuum: Can you talk about the look of the villains?

Cook: With the villains, on top of that animation design idea of simplification and having strong silhouettes, we wanted to contemporize the look of each villain, while keeping the iconic look.

The Continuum: Would it be safe to say you changed them a little more?

Cook: If anyone has seen the commercials or the clips of Electro, he is obviously very much changed from the comic book. He doesn't have the stafish mask or anything like that. But, at the same time, you take another look, that electrical head of his is reminscent of that mask. His costume is still green.

I'm not sure if it was by design or by accident, but in the 1960s the majority of Spider-Man's villains had green them it. I don't know if that was because of the comic-book printing process or the limited colors that they had. But Electro, Lizard, Sandman, the Vulture...

And for me, being the filmmaker guy in the series, I said, "You know what? I'm going to make that a choice for the show -- green is the color of evil or oppression." When you go to the high school, for instance, in his biology class, the color is kind of yellow. It's friendly. It's where Peter Parker is most comfortable. When you get out in the hallways, the corridors, it's kind of green. And that's where the social interaction is happening, and there's Flash Thompson and King Kong. The jocks wear green lettermen jackets. It's a little thing, but maybe the average person won't pick up on it, but for me that's a film choice.

The Continuum: With the Green Goblin, were you most influenced by the classic, Ultimate or movie?

Cook: I'd say he's a contemporized version of the classic.

The Continuum: And Sandman?

Cook: A contemporized version of the ciassic. You know, you meet almost every villain in the first episode. You're going to see them. You see Doctor Octavius, Flint Marko, Alex O'Hirn. Marko and Alex O'Hirn are two-bit hoods. And you see the motivations for what their goals are once they have their powers.

The Continuum: Are you having fun?

Cook: It's been a blast. The Romita-era Spider-Man is what I grew up on, and the old Bakshi Spider-Man. When I was brought on, the opportunity to create a new classic animated Spider-Man for a new generation was the big appeal for me. The whole new theme song, the whole vibe of our show is not dark and brooding. The weight of the world is not on his shoulder. I think it's true to Lee-Ditko era, we just contemporized it, not just in the look and the stories, but in the music. We have a great theme song that has a nice retro touch to the 60's Spider-Man. It's a different song, but we wanted it for that reason. The score within the show is very contemporary, and orchestral in the dramatic and action beats. And in the high school beats, it's almost like a high school movie.

Visually, we wanted to bring in some iconic touches from the comic books, some retro touches. Tune in for the little last shot of the episodes. They've very reminiscent of some of the very last panels of the comic books.

The Continuum: You really had a lot to draw upon.

Cook: We really did have a lot to draw upon. For me, with on the visual style, it was like what if 1962 was today and but also but if in 1962 we were making a TV show today. The wipes and transitions to each scene kind of have a retro touch, the last scene you see dissolves the sky into Spider-Man's eyes and mask over the city, just like in the comic books.

In the first episode, you see Harry talking to Peter and he says, "What did you do over the summer?" And you see the half-mask dissolve really quickly and off -- just like in the comic book.

Those were retro, 1960s touches that we're bringing in to today. It just gives a fun feeling, and it really fits into the style of the show. With action shows, there's a range from like Samurai Jack to X-Men: Evolution or Ultimate Avengers, where they're more real. I'd say that Teen Titans, it wasn't all the way over to the real and they could get away with those anime, graphic things. We're not doing that, but, because our design style is all the way to the far right, the half-Spidey mask and the sky turning, it doesn't feel like, "Where does that come from?"

The "Big Man" mentioned in Kids' WB!'s The Spectacular Spider-Man will not be Kingpin. Supervising producer Greg Weisman confirmed that the character is not in the series.

"I'll admit, it's frankly the one hole in our series, the one thing that I think prevents it from being truly 100 percent along the lines of being definitive," Weisman told The Continuum.

"With Kingpin, it's a legal issue. It's got nothing to do with creative. Kingpin is part of the Daredevil license. We've been asking and will continue to ask. And I'm hopeful that someday, but we have not been able to get permission."

Kingpin was part of the MTV Spider-Man series, voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan, who played the character in the Daredevil movie.

"And I'm jealous," Weisman said, adding that Kingpin was in his early plans for the show.

Weisman said he also had hopes of including the Human Torch, but ran into similar licensing issues.

"I had a lot of plans for of characters to guest-star actually, although I wanted to make sure this was a show about Spider-Man and not a show about guest star of the week," he said. "So we were going to have one guest-star, the Human Torch, in Season 1 and one guest star in Season 2. We didn't want to make it about guest-stars, but the truth is, yes, we're not allowed to use any of those characters."

Weisman noted that because Spider-Man has such a rich base of supporting characters and villains, he doesn't think anyone will miss a Torch appearance. "The Kingpin was a bit of a tragedy, though," he said.

In other Spider-Man news:

* "Invisible Hand," the next new episode, will air Saturday on Kids' WB!. It includes Rhino and more drama surrounding the Fall Formal.

* Weisman on his approach to villains: "We're taking classic villains and introducing them in a logical fashion -- one that brings cohesion and clarity to their introduction and development, particularly as we revisit these villains through multiple appearances."

Robert Englund, who guest-stars in Saturday's series premiere of The Spectacular Spider-Man on Kids' WB!, said his voice for Vulture came organically from looking at the early designs of the character prior to the cast's first recording session.

"They gave us test drawings when we first came to record, and I used that for my inspiration, my basis for the choice of Vulture's voice," Englund said. "I sort of screech -- he is a large bird, after all. Mostly I've been doing a lot of screaming as Vulture because, as fans know, he flies -- and most of the time I'm chasing Spider-Man across the sky.²

The series premiere, "Survival of the Fittest," airs Saturday at 10 a.m., followed by a second episode at 10:30 a.m.

Englund, forever linked as Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, previously voiced The Riddler on The Batman.

Englund worked with The Spectacular Spider-Man voice director Jamie Thomason and producer Greg Weisman to further craft Vulture's personality and particular vocal inflections. In Saturday's episode, Vulture seeks revenge against Norman Osborn.

"So far I¹ve been conversational, and we¹ve spent some time finding Vulture's sense of humor," Englund said. "He's older and a little frustrated, because he feels he's just as good as the other villains. He actually has a bit of pomposity about him -- so he can be a smart-ass at times with a one-liner here and there. It's really coming out more as the season progresses -- I've only just begun to explore that. I think ultimately I'd like to put in a little bit of Clifton Webb -- there's a bit of his kind of wit."

Englund finds Spider-Man's ensemble recording sessions appealing.

"Jamie is a great voice director -- he's very funny, and he keeps it all nice and loose, which is important because there's usually a lot of us around," Englund said. "This is a huge cast -- for every episode -- and that makes it more fun for everyone. We all get to participate and work off each other. It's wonderful to finally work with some of these actors -- like Peter MacNicol. I've been a fan of his since he did Dragonslayer. Peter really gets into it."

Look for a feature on Crispin Freeman, the voice of Electro, soon here in The Continuum.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Continuum continues its series of interviews with the talent behind The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series today with Ben Diskin, the voice of Eddie Brock/Venom.

The Continuum sat down with Diskin backstage at the recent WonderCon for a short interview. Following is an edited transcription.

The Continuum: So who is Eddie Brock in the series?

Diskin: He works at the ESU lab with Doctor Connors. He's sort of like a big brother to Peter. He was kind of his protector throughout high school and then he graduated and moved on to college. He's one of these guys who has a lot of real serious pyschological issues that he keeps to himself. As the series progresses, you start seeing more and more and more of this demonic, freaky guy who really goes off the deep end.

The Continuum: What's your approach to this guy? Is he more intelligent than the comic?

Diskin: Yes. He's basically a muscular nerd. He's somebody who I would assume tried to change himself in high school into being a big football star and it really didn't work out too well. So when he gets to college he kind of goes back to being this sort of scientist guy. And he gets really giddy and excited about dorky things. But he's also this big, hulking muscular dude.

He's strong. He's brave to the point of serious recklessness and he just has a lot of deep-seeded problems that he drags out of himself eventually.

The Continuum: Obviously, and it's been confirmed, he becomes Venom toward the end of the season. What's the difference there and how do they create the voice?

Diskin: I supply the voice of Eddie Brock as well as the Venom symbiote. So what they do is have me record all the lines as the Venom symbiote and then I come it back and they played it through headphones and I loop to it as Eddie Brock's voice. So it has sort of a dual kind of sound to it. Then they'll probably put some extra sound effects to it or they're going to raise or lower the volumes of the different takes.

The Continuum: Did you watch the movie? They seemed to make him animalistic, too.

Diskin: I did watch the movie. I would say this Venom is more malicious and sadistic than animalistic. When he gets really mad, yeah he goes off the deep end and is very animalistic. But there's definitely a part of him that's more twisted and manipulative and trying to just destroy everything about Spider-Man piece by piece, inch by inch.

The Continuum: We'll be seeing him more than once?

Diskin: Yes. I can't say exactly how or provide details, but yes. He does become Venom and he gets defeated and right now in the recording sessions, he's on his way back. I don't know what he's going to do when he gets back.

The Continuum: Spider-Man is an ensemble recording?

Diskin: Absolutely, in the biggest sense of the word. There's usually about 12 actors and five or six people behind the scenes, too.

The Continuum: Those can be fun...a lot of energy.

Diskin: Lot of energy, and we all play off of each other. Interacting is a little bit nicer than standing by yourself in a little room with a microphone.

The Continuum: You're featured in Blood +. Do you have an anime background?

Diskin: My background is mostly just cartoons. I've done one anime. I did Codename: Kids Next Door for Cartoon Network. I did Hey Arnold! when I was younger for Nickelodeon and various commercials for radio and television.

The Continuum: So this is pretty different?

Diskin: This is really a unique series. It's the first one I've done for Marvel.

The Continuum: Were you a fan of the Spider-Man characters like Venom?

Diskin: When the 90's series came out, he was my absolute favorite villain on it. I was like, "That guy is so cool! If only they were hiring 12-year-olds." To actually get to do him now is a dream come true. It's really an awesome job. I love playing him.

The Continuum: Have you gotten to see what he looks like?

Diskin: I've gotten to see only one black-and-white line drawing of him. I have an idea of what he's going to look like.

The Continuum: So you watched the 90s show. Did you read the comics?

Diskin: I watched the show first, then I got a few Venom comics because I was such a fan. I thought Spider-Man was cool, but I really liked Venom.

The Continuum: What did you like about him?

Diskin: His powers, his completely twisted attitude. It was creepy, but neat. It was, "I hate that I love this guy."

The Continuum: What did you think of Spider-Man 3's version of Venom?

Diskin: I thought it was an interesting interpretation of the character. Certain things I liked, certain things I didn't. I thought Topher Grace was really good at playing that seedy, creepy guy that you don't know why you hate him, you just do. The whole "I am Venom" instead of "We are Venom" and that he was a skinniner Venom... but I liked the way it looked. I thought it played pretty well for the movie's sake. So I would say, I'm mostly for it.

The Continuum: Are there techinques that you use in doing Venom's voice? Something with your tongue?

Diskin: I try not to because it doesn't sound right. (laughs) His voice as the symbiote has a very gutteral sound. I just leave the cheeks very loose.

Marvel Studios' Craig Kyle said that Sean Galloway's designs for The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series are bringing "a new bone structure" to the character.

"It just brings new life to very old worlds," Kyle said.

Galloway previously did design work for the Hellboy animated movies.

In other Spider-Man news:

* Kids' WB! is staging a contest where a real-life school will be incorporated into the show.

* Kraven the Hunter and Calypso will be featured in an episode.

* Not only will the Sinister Six appear, there might be different lineups for the team of villains.

* Peter Parker will wear the black suit for multiple episodes.