Via Disney+
Pretty Ugly
Nothing encapsulates my mixed feelings about Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man quite like its visual style. On one hand, I absolutely love the idea of a Spider-Man show that looks like it was pulled straight from the pages of a comic book. On the other hand, it just so happens to be one of the ugliest comic books I’ve ever seen.
The animation itself is 3D, but if you pause at any moment, every frame resembles a classic comic panel, complete with thick black outlines and flat yet vibrant colors. It’s a great concept—if only we hadn’t already seen it executed perfectly in the Spider-Verse movies. It’s not enough to simply look like a comic book come to life—it also needs to be visually appealing, stylish, and artistic. The Spider-Verse films accomplished this in spades; this show, unfortunately, does not.
That said, I have to give credit where it’s due—the action scenes are fantastic. They’re energetic, dynamic, and capture the essence of Spider-Man’s movement beautifully. Every swing, flip, and fight sequence feels fluid and exciting, which is exactly what you want from a Spider-Man adaptation. I just wish the show’s overall design felt more timeless and expressive rather than feeling like it was specifically tailored for a Gen Z audience. Everything feels safe, inclusive, and diverse—which is fine—but I would much rather have it look cool, expressive, and interesting. Nothing wrong with going that route.
Via Disney+
Swinging Wildly
The writing, much like the visuals, is all over the place. One moment, we’re watching Peter Parker in classic form—struggling to balance school, friendships, and responsibilities while excelling at only one thing: being a superhero. These moments prove that the writers do understand Spider-Man and what makes him tick.
But then… the show makes some truly bizarre choices. At one point, criminals are live-streaming their crimes as if that’s a normal thing people do. In another scene, all the "jocks" in Peter’s school are surprisingly kind to him—but then awkwardly go silent when a teacher walks by, as if they’ve been caught doing something wrong. It’s moments like these that feel out of place, forced, or just plain weird.
The overall story is both familiar and new. It initially feels very similar to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the MCU, even featuring shot-for-shot recreations of certain scenes. But then, things take a sharp turn, revealing that this Spider-Man exists in a parallel universe—not the same 616 universe we know from the movies. The classic Spider-Man themes are all there, but the show takes liberties with established characters, remixing things in unexpected ways. For example, Dr. Connors (The Lizard) is now a woman, and Nico Minoru (from Runaways) appears to be taking Ned Leeds’ role as Peter’s best friend.
The result is a mix of solid, traditional Spider-Man storytelling with some questionable, sometimes cringeworthy creative choices. Some moments had me completely engaged; others had me rolling my eyes. It’s a back-and-forth experience—one that kept me watching, but also kept me debating whether I even wanted to keep watching.
Via Disney+
great potential
So, am I going to keep watching Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man after these first two episodes? Yeah, probably. It’s not the best thing on TV, but it’s also not the worst. I think I’m starting to accept the fact that Marvel is just okay now. It stopped being great, but it also stopped being awful.
This show isn’t going to give me the same awe and excitement as The Avengers, but it also isn’t going to make me want to turn off the TV in frustration like Secret Invasion did. It’s just okay—which is okay. I just wish it was consistently okay, instead of swinging wildly between great and cringe.
I’ll keep an eye on my friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, hoping that with great potential will also come a great season.
