 
Obviously this story has been told before but they did a fine job. I never noticed until Jon
mentioned it to me that they never actually say Uncle Ben was murdered or died. I guess that
comes with knowing the origin story so well I just thought it was there. I guess this was a good
way of doing the origin story for Spidey but still not quite a four star episode for me. Nothing
against the Shocker either, it was about time he made his animated debut. I guess maybe the
Spidey clichés did it for me. You know, Aunt May in the hospital and Spidey considering giving up
being a superhero and all. Don't get me wrong they did a good job with this one and I do enjoy the
episode. This one is the highlight of the second season.
Sometimes there is genius in simplicity...and writer Don Glut recognized it.
Spidey's origin is presented here almost verbatim from Spidey's first ever
appearance in AMAZING FANTASY #15. No attempt to add an "interesting twist", a "timely update", or to even flesh out the story. Spidey's origin is TIMELESS and thankfully Glut realized it even though the web-spinner was only 20 years old in 1982. Great set-up to present the origin...and the animation, by Toei Doga, in these second season episodes rocks. Also, Dan Gilvezan really gets to show his acting range here. It's fabulous work and I still today think he shines as the perfect voice for Spider-Man.
Mark, I couldn’t agree with you more. It was a good
episode and well told. Like Jon mentioned, I think it worked so well
because it was left alone, no new twists were added (or needed) and thanks to
this the episode has a timeless quality about it. A ‘Must See’ for all
Spider-Man fans. It is interesting that it was never openly stated that
Uncle Ben had been killed, but on reflection this is a
practice
used in most cartoons, the situations are hinted at but words like 'died',
'dead' or 'killed' are rarely, if ever used.
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