JJWeatherman (Level 14)

***This is part of a blog series I've been doing on Giant Bomb. Thought it would be appropriate here as well!***

For anyone reading this that's not informed: I'm writing a series of blogs about cartoons. My loose plan is to feature one cartoon per blog and tell you--dear reader--why I love each featured cartoon. We can then proceed to recall the 'good ole days' of our respective youths.

Full series:

• Part 1 -- "Hey Arnold!"
• Part 2 -- "The Magic School Bus"
• Part 3 -- "Rugrats"
• Part 4 -- "Spider-Man" (You're reading it!)

I’ve been going back and forth on how exactly I should approach this blog. Initially I wanted to tell you everything I could about the featured cartoon, but then I realized that that’s not really what this blog series is supposed to be about. Not to mention how totally boring the first 600 words I initially wrote ended up. I can be a little slow sometimes, but I eventually remembered what I initially wanted these blogs to be, and what I wanted them to accomplish when I first started this mini-series several months ago. I started this series to look back at a cartoon of my youth and have some fun remembering what exactly I spent so much time watching while growing up. My secondary objective was--and is--to hopefully entertain you all as well, while simultaneously sparking some interesting discussion about whatever cartoon I happen to be taking a look back at. Let’s all jump into my little text-based time machine and take a look at a one of the many cartoons that filled my childhood with joy. I hope you all can relate!

It’s been quite a while since I’ve gotten one of these blogs out there. I’d always planned on continuing this series, but found my memory of certain cartoons to be lacking. Well, that’s not the case any longer with the 1994 Spider-Man animated series. A little while back I found myself frustrated with my routine internet-focused lifestyle. To combat this frustration, I decided to take a break from all normal internet activities. Of course I figured I had to entertain myself somehow, and that’s when I turned to Netflix and watched all 65 episodes of the 1994 Spider-Man, totalling approximately 21.6 hours of showtime. What better time than now to write about it, huh?

I guess we’ll get right down to it: The 1994 Spider-Man animated series is still an absolute delight to watch. Being able to say that even now probably explains why I loved watching it as a kid. Despite a few minor shortcomings like “framey” animations and the occasional cheesy one-liner dialog, this is a very well produced and interesting cartoon. For the record, I’m not the biggest comic book guy, but from what I hear this cartoon stays rather faithful to the comics in terms of plot points and whatnot. There’s a metric ton of interesting, recognizable characters that make appearances, and not exclusively from Spider-Man either, but from other Marvel properties as well. A gallery of important character photos can be found at the bottom of this post for your viewing--and hopefully nostalgic--pleasure. It really is an excellent cartoon, even to this day. Very entertaining and worth watching. With all of that said, let’s look at just a couple of individual episodes that I found to be particularly interesting.

The symbiote attacks the astronauts on their way back to Earth.

I’d have to say my favorite Spider-Man villain ever is pretty easily Venom. I always loved how crazy and scary he was as a kid. I remember having a Venom action figure or two as well. When you get right down to it, the whole symbiote plot is especially interesting. For these reasons, let’s talk about Season 1, Episode 7 - The Alien Costume: Part 1. In this episode you’re introduced to the symbiote that will eventually become Venom. The episode starts with a couple of astronauts mining some kind of asteroid. They get more than they bargained for when they accidentally bring a living black ooze onto their ship and back to earth. This ooze turns out to be an eeevil symbiote that must find a host to bond to in order to survive. Initially, it chooses Peter Parker. This is where the infamous black suit spidey comes from. This was something that was actually covered in the recent live action feature films as well. Anyway, this is a really fun episode and one of my favorites due to how Peter and Spider-Man alike change while under the influence of the symbiote. Black suit Spider-Man is much more powerful and able to do a lot more than OG Spider. Beyond that though, watching Peter act like a total dick is also a good time. It’s obviously a complete departure from his natural personality, and that makes it especially entertaining. Peter calling Flash Thompson a bonehead while they fight over Felicia Hardy is especially humorous. Peter just has a “take what I want” attitude that provides a nice little change of pace from his regular routine. I kind of wish there was a bit more of that. This episode ends before the symbiote has a chance to bond with Eddie Brock to form Venom, but it’s the start of all of that, and a great episode.

Spider-Man's chosen allies.

Really, there aren’t many episodes NOT worth watching, but I’m going to go ahead and skip to one of the final episodes: Season 5, Episode 9 - Secret Was Chapter 1: Arrival: Part 1. They sure do know how to name titles; lots of colons, lots of dashes. Anyway, this is one of the last episodes in the series. The end of the series really goes out with a bang though, so I’d hate to not talk about these closers a bit. So there are three “Secret Wars” episodes. These involve Spider-Man being transported to another universe (or something) to be tested in an epic battle of good vs. evil. Spider-Man is taken by a man known only as The Beyonder and told he’s going to have to defend a planet from evil. Spider-Man doesn’t know that this is all just a test for his final challenge, taking place in the final two episodes of the series. But anyway, the reason I love this set of episodes so much is because of who all is involved. Over the course of the cartoon, several Marvel characters are introduced and fight alongside Spider-Man. Characters such as: Daredevil, Blade, The Punisher, Ironman, and the X-Men all make appearances. This episode brings great groups together on both sides of the fight. The Beyonder selects such villains as Doc Oc, The Lizard, Dr. Doom, and even the Red Skull. Spider-Man then gets a chance to select his own super team to help him take on these foes. Spider-Man brings in such characters as Storm, Ironman, the entire Fantastic 4, and of course Captain America. This is just a really fun episode full of super hero and super villain collaborations. Those are never not fun, and that holds true here. Just lots of good action as Spidey learns to be a leader in order to fight off all dat evil. One of the more interesting episodes for sure, and it leads into the final few episodes of the entire series, which are all great as well.

I’ve talked about a very early episode as well as a very late one. There’s mountains of amazing episodes between these two I chose to talk about, though. Really, I started watching this expecting to get through maybe six or seven episodes. Boy was I surprised to make it all of the way to the end. Despite my obvious nostalgia for this cartoon, I think my making it all of the way through is still a strong testament to how watchable and genuinely great this cartoon is, even still. I’d recommend going back and watching this if you were a fan, or better yet, if you missed out.

I guess that about wraps things up. Before I go though, I’ll of course remind you that I’d loooove to hear your thoughts on the 1994 Spider-Man series. Were you a fan like me? Did you hate the show for some odd reason? Let your voices be heard! And as is tradition, feel free to bring up ANY cartoon you’d like to reminisce about. Perhaps this blog reminded you of another similar cartoon that you loved. Let us know about it! All cartoon talk is welcome; encouraged, even. And don’t forget to look through the character gallery I quickly threw together, below!

<3

--JJWeatherman

Spider-Man Characters (36 images)

Who says podcasts can’t be fashionably late? That’s right, no one. There’s lots of goodness and magic to be had in this episode, as former spotlighted user Psycosis takes the guest seat. We talk about ponies, Gen Con, more ponies, and even the occasional Whiskey Media goings-on as well. Oh, and I think there was something about ponies somewhere in that mix; not entirely sure...

Download MP3

Special Guest: Psycosis

Giant Bomb’s resident porn-game-story player joins us this week. You may know him for his crazy mash-ups (the pony ones being personal favorites of mine - SK) and his talk of a #supersecretprojectshh coming to a close after a year of procrast-work is pretty exciting. Psycosis forces a lot on his plate, but always seems to churn out some really off-the-wall and entertaining something or other. Hard to focus when he’s just so incredibly Scottish.

Featured User: madpierrot

The featured user to this podcast is a pretty fresh face over on Anime Vice. He’s only been around for about a month, but already is blogging more than slowbird and Sparklykiss combined! (Zing!) The retrospective on Cowboy Bebop alongside the Anime School: Fact or Fiction segments give some perspective on both how Bebop has held up over time, as well as various real-life schools compared to schools in anime. Not only that, but madpierrot has helped Anime Vice out a ton by slapping captions up on the bajillion photos they have over there. It’s nice to see newer users contributing, so follow this guy! Make him contribute more. :D

Top-Shelf Community Content:

Hathawayard Catwoman? The Costume Aftermath -- HexThis details their opinion on Hathaway’s Catwoman costume.

Internal Affairs / Robinson Revue / Pass the Whiskey Themes EX!!! -- Mix master Tebbit posts the full-length versions of his podcast themes for all to hear.

Gaming laptops buying guide for 2011 -- In the market for a new laptop, but don’t know what to buy? insanejedi’s got your back!

The Success of Final Destination -- sissylion gives some insight on why Final Destination seems to be so morbidly successful.

Guide to the Best Twitter App for Android -- Aurahack gives you the rundown on every worthwhile Twitter app for Android.

Tested Wiki(a) -- Tested doesn’t have an official wiki yet, but that isn’t stopping Rallier and others from giving Tested the wiki it’s been longing for.

Keep in touch with us!

• Mevio/RSS Feeds -- Pass the Whiskey
• Twitter -- @PTW_Podcast
• Facebook -- Pass the Whiskey Podcast
• Formspring -- PassTheWhiskey
• Email -- askptwanything@gmail.com

Missed episode 4? Catch it here!

Episode 2: Some People Pronounce Anime Differently, Slowbird Says "Yeah" A Lot, and We Support The LGBT Cause (Not Just The L Part, Either)

Hey, everyone!

After the surprisingly positive reception of the first “Pass the Whiskey” podcast, we’ve returned for another round of whiskey. For the uninitiated, this is a community podcast through and through. It’s run by the Whiskey community, and it’s about the Whiskey community. Hostess extraordinaire, Sparklykiss, is joined by resident pony expert, Slowbird, and hey, I’m in there too. The fun doesn’t end there though, as we also had our first guest this week. You may know him as Kyreo, and he participates in another podcast that you all may have heard of. You’ve also probably heard some crazy new tunes/music/audio magic. That would be the product of fellow user, Tebbit. Big thanks to that duder! Without further ado, here is the podcast for your listening pleasure!

Download:

http://m.podshow.com/download_media/27518/episodes/286476/pass-the-whiskey-286476-06-28-2011.mp3

Stream:

Unlike in the first episode, all things Whiskey-related are actually discussed, and links to everything we mentioned can be found right here:

• AlphaVictor: the Unofficial Squadcast -- Anime Vice
• xerox-kitty's Comic Give Away: Transformers Generation 1 -- Comic Vine
• Character Creation Contest Winners -- Comic Vine
• Giant Bomb GT5 Race Night -- Giant Bomb
• The UK Friendly Screening Room Withdrawal Group -- Screened
• Unnecessary Follow-Ups: A list by bigheart711 -- Screened
• Giant Bomb Community Project for Trenched. I need your salutes! -- Giant Bomb
• Meet Comic Vine's Mods -- Comic Vine
• Meet Anime Vice's Mods -- Anime Vice
• The Giant Bomb Team Fortress 2 Bombing Run -- Giant Bomb
• Halo Reach Community Night...thing? -- Giant Bomb
• Mario Marathon 4 - June 24th - Child's Play Charity Event -- Giant Bomb

Featured User: Psycosis

As mentioned within the podcast itself, our featured user this week is the porn game-blogging, game-making, mash-up-mixing crazy person known to many simply as Psycosis. He writes an entertaining blog on Giant Bomb, so check out the blog tab on his profile. Also be sure to check out his website (psy-city.co.uk), which houses tons of his awesome creations. Keep being awesome, Psycosis!

Note from Sparklykiss: Really, Psycosis. Keep it up. We need more Nicki Minaj and Pokemon mash-ups in our day-to-day, if only turntable.fm was available to you again. And before I spoil it, finish your secretprojectshh. :D

Avatar/Banner Contest!

OK, guys. This being a community podcast and all, we’ve decided to enlist any of you who are willing for a couple of special tasks. At the moment, the avatar being used to represent PTW on various sites is a photo of two ferrets curled up into a heart shape. It’s undeniably cute, sure, but we need something that better represents what our podcast is really about: the Whiskey Media sites and their communities! We know how creative and clever the users of Whiskey sites can be, so we’re hoping lots of you will submit some great Whiskey Media-inspired avatar pictures. We basically need something silly like this profile’s avatar, except incorporating the rest of Whiskey and/or it’s community. Have fun with it, and we look forward to seeing your submissions!

The second part to this is the banner contest. As you can see, we have no banner to throw up at the top of these blogs. I’m a big supporter of banners, so again, we wanted to give the community a chance to shape this community-oriented podcast. Therefore, we’ll also be accepting submissions for banners! Again, the only real requirement in the creative sense is that it should incorporate Whiskey and it’s community in some way. Or if you want to get really crazy, you could make website specific banners for each of these crazy blog posts! Exciting, right? Anyways, there’s no definitive height requirement, but we would like it to be 800px wide. We’ve created a bare bones template for an 800x350px banner for your use, but feel free to make it a bit less or more than 350px tall if you think that would look better. If you guys don’t help us, then I’d probably have to make one, and I know you’re all much more creative than I am, so please help! This is the size we had in mind:

Last notes on this: The last day you can submit an avatar and/or banner will be July 11th. Also, there will be prizes(!), but we’re leaving the details fairly ambiguous. Help us out, and you could win something! That’s always a great motivator, right? (Note: We’ll be accepting anything afterwards if you feel so inclined, but that is the deadline for the mystery stuff that Sparklykiss has been cooking up.)

Thanks for listening!

Thanks to everyone for listening and all of the support. As always, we want to keep improving, so if you have any scathing criticism, send a PM to Sparklyki--I’m sorry, that was mean. Just post it here, but please keep it constructive. Also, we’d appreciate any and all questions or comments you have. If you’d like us to read something next podcast, the means of contacting us are listed below. Email and Formspring are the preferred methods for questions and such, but we’ll be watching everything. Also, we’re now using Mevio, which is exciting because it’ll let us do lots of things, including making it easy to subscribe to us on both iTunes and Zune, as well as through RSS. Just look for the icons on the right-hand side of our Mevio page.

Keep in touch with us!

• Mevio/RSS Feeds -- Pass the Whiskey
• Twitter -- @PTW_Podcast
• Facebook -- Pass the Whiskey Podcast
• Formspring -- PassTheWhiskey
• Email -- askptwanything@gmail.com

Note from Sparklykiss: I should stop talking about things that don’t exist yet! They then become LIES. Totally in JJWeatherman’s blog, not mine! But, hey, that’s cool, right? Like doing two podcasts in one day? (I have learned a very awful lesson.) Also wanted to give one last “HOO-RAH” to any listeners who make it to the end. Sorry for that extra half hour. I have no idea where it came from. Cheers!~

Missed episode 1? Catch it here!

Until next time!