A web-slinging blast! Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is fresh, fun, loaded with easter eggs, and brought to life with animation that pays homage to Steve Ditko's designs.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Review
When we first learned about Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, it was going to serve as a prequel to Jon Watts' MCU trilogy starring Tom Holland. The series would serve as the origin story we didn't get, filling in blanks from Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming. For whatever reason, things changed, and instead the show was morphed into something more like Marvel's What If…? Unlike Sony's Spider-Verse films, this show not only knows it's part of a larger universe, but also sprinkles in nods to the Spider-Man legacy it is a part of. It never dives too hard into the meta or the fan service of it all, rather it seamlessly weaves together the comics, TV shows, and movies for a fun twist on Peter Parker's beginnings as a superhero.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a web-slinging blast! It's fresh and exciting, paying homage to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's iconic creation. The animation, a combination of 2D and 3D, brings those 1960s comic books to life, delivering some of the best Spidey thwips we've seen to date. Even the theme embodies the past while updating it making it almost as much of a banger as the new X-Men 97 theme – as a millennial nothing beats the X-Men TAS opener. It is clear from the very opening segment right through to the end that Jeff Trammell (creator and writer) and his team not only know these characters but deeply care about them, delivering one epic Spider-Man show.
Set in 2016, Peter Parker (Hudson Thames) is an ordinary high school freshman that gets bit by a radioactive spider thanks to an event involving Doctor Strange and an Alien Symbiote. Jumping ahead 3 months, Peter has been doing local superhero-ing when he's not in class or hanging out with his best friend Nico Minoru (Grace Song). His genius level intellect catches the eye of Spider-Man's biggest comic book foe – Norman Osborn (Colman Domingo), who shows up to his house with an internship offer. Wanting to help out Aunt May, Peter accepts and so begins a new mentorship with Norman attempting to make Peter into the hero he thinks he should be.
At its core, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is very much your usual Spidey story. A kid gets bit by a spider, wakes up with some strange new powers and an overwhelming responsibility to use them to help those in need. His friends and family get caught up in his escapades for better or worse, all while he is trying to keep his grades up and get noticed by his crush. But the ways Trammell and co have infused this show with comic lore as well as switching up any pre-established relationships in favor of unexpected pairings make it feel wholly familiar yet new and exciting.
From the onset the animation is the biggest clue that this Spider-Man story is set to swing to the beat of its own drum. It has a distinct retro, 1960s feel where the blending of 2D and 3D cel-shaded animation creates a moving comic book effect. The result looks like Ditko's artwork is coming to life. Occasionally panels are used, both as a knowing nod to the source material and another way to make the series overall look pop on the screen. Even the intros to each episode are adjusted to reflect various comic book covers from Lee and Ditko's original Spider-Man run. At first the frame rate can be a little distracting but once you settle in, it isn't noticeable and by the end of the first two episodes, you don't remember why it may have bothered you in the first place.
The story itself takes cues from the MCU including Peter's introduction in Captain America: Civil War (complete with Alt J's “Left Hand Free”) all the way to Spider-Man: No Way Home. Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Hawkeye, they all exist in this universe. Even Captain America's falling out with Iron Man due to the Sokovia Accords is laid out. Thankfully though, these heroes are only meant to accent the narrative surrounding Peter's first year as Spider-Man, giving all the space needed to bring in some familiar and deep cut Spidey villains. Although some aren't quite as evil as usual, knowing who they represent (and how they will likely turn on Peter in the future) adds some thrilling tension to the works.
Rhino, Scorpion, Tarantula, and others keep Peter busy as they wreak havoc on the streets of New York thanks to tech upgrades from a certain Doctor. But for every classic villain, Spider-Man reintroduces others with new purposes. For instance, Dr. Carla Connors (Lizard) is positioned to help Peter as he begins his new internship at Oscorp. No nefarious intentions to be seen. Harry Osborn (Zeno Robinson) may be a social media influencer and a nepo baby but he has a good heart and becomes Peter's stand-in for the MCU's Ned, his guy in the chair. Then there is the greatest reworking of a backstory to date – Lonnie “Tombstone” Lincoln (Eugene Byrd). In this iteration, Lonnie is a star QB at Peter's school who is friendly, smart, and committed to his family even if that mentality is what ultimately forces him on a path that mirrors Peter's as he is also burdened by great responsibility. However, these two will end up colliding as their paths veer ever closer to the other.
The voice cast all deliver but it is Domingo who truly steals the show with his inherent charm that he infuses with warmth when needed and conversely with malice when called for. He's this Peter's Tony Stark, taking the kid under his wing to give him the boost he needs to achieve greatness. Especially since that greatness also has something to do with Osborn's own goals. At times you almost can forget this is the Green Goblin, Domingo is just that good but just when you're feeling lulled by his machinations something happens to snap you back to reality. Osborn even gives his own “with great power…” speech that I don't think Uncle Ben would agree with, however it does the job, forcing Peter to decide what kind of hero he wants to be.
Verdict
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a web-slinging blast from start to finish. It's a fresh yet familiar take on Peter Parker's origins that delivers fun, heart, and plenty of thrilling action. Longtime Spidey fans will delight in spotting comic deep cuts as well as MCU easter eggs, sprinkled throughout the episodes. The animation pays homage to Spidey's on page beginnings while offering something unique to the vast catalog of his appearances. This is a love letter to one of Marvel's most iconic heroes and the people who created, supported, and continue to love this character. With so much to geek out about and knowing it's just the beginning, it's a great time to be on team Spider-Man.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man premieres on January 29 on Disney+.
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