Off-Week, Casting News, & Short #3 Preview

Four episodes in and Spidey has finally arrived. The response to 1.04 has been as good (or better) than I was hoping. I've always felt it's the best episode we've completed thus far, so I'm glad everyone seems to agree. I still didn't expect that 10 from Matt, though. Those suckers don't come easy, and it's a double-edge sword because now 1.05 has to follow that.

Speaking of 1.05, I'm actually working on some last-minute changes to it, including one pretty big development that we're moving to a future episode. 1.08 to be exact. Keep in mind, though, before 1.05 we've still got short #3 - "Big Time Super Hero" - which is going to be quite a bit different than the first two shorts. This one is actually a better indication of what you can expect from shorts in the future.

The short will be released Wednesday in place of an episode. 1.05 is set to be released the next Wednesday, October 10th.

In the meantime, be sure to check out my interview with xandmatt Productions: http://xandpro.co.uk/?p=1160#more-1160

Speaking of which, I've just penciled in a new short which will introduce a new character.

Yes, that's Dante as in Dante's Restaurant.

Speaking again of characters, Robbie has been generating quite a bit of positive buzz. I'm happy to see that he's catching on. There are a lot of things he allows us - access to the Bugle for one - and he will play a big part in the season. I actually can't imagine an episode for the rest of the series that he won't be in. He might as well be a regular, and maybe come S2, that'll be made official.

Anyway, onto the previews - two of them this week:

By Jay Everington

"Ultimate Spider-Man? What the hell kind of lame-ass excuse for a title is that?!"

THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

• WHO? Stanley.
• WHAT? The cover story.
• WHEN? All damn weekend.
• WHERE? The Daily Bugle.
• WHY? They're lazy bastards.

Released: Wednesday, October 3rd.

By Jay Everington

Star football player Alex Sytesvich goes down with a serious neck injury, but thanks to a dangerous new experimental steroid, based in part on the Renaissance serum, he is able to make a full recovery. The downside? Severe mental instability. Meanwhile, Gwen attempts to return a favor by helping Eddie through some difficult times, but is he willing to accept?

THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

• WHO? Wilson Fisk.
• WHAT? A miracle recovery.
• WHEN? Friday night.
• WHERE? Fisk Tower.
• WHY? Robbie doesn't know, but he'll find out.

Released: Wednesday, October 10th.

Until then, enjoy the short and hopefully 1.05 won't completely suck ;)

New Web Site, Spidey Watch, & More...

So here we are - three episodes in now - and I think by now people have started to really get what it is we're trying to do. I'm rather surprised that we haven't gotten a single major complaint from anyone about this new direction we're taking these characters in.

Speaking of new, next week's episode - as I've said many times before - is, in my opinion, our best to date. It just seems like it came together pretty much exactly as I always pictured it. My involvement in this one wasn't as extensive as the first two episodes, or even the spot duty I did in 1.03. I basically did some editing, and wrote a scene here and there, along with the outline for the episode, along with Jamel. The majority of the credit for this one goes to J.B. & Jamel (that's Jamel Baker, who will be making his official MZP debut with this episode Wednesday.)

I hope you guys enjoy this one as much as I think you will. I definitely think it's our most balanced episode to date, and it is without question Peter's most intense and important episode so far, and maybe of the entire season.

Random Off-Topic Warning:

I'll keep this one short and sweet - my Panthers got their asses whooped by the Houston Texans last Sunday. I shouldn't have been surprised - it was their home opener, which they haven't won in four years now. And so, with nothing to brag about this week, back to business:

I've noticed our characters doing pretty well in the Survival Game thus far - aside from Mary Jane. I hope that's more of an indication of the fact that she's gotten less attention in the early-going than it is of the fact that you guys just don't like her. Don't worry, though - MJ is a huge (HUGE) part of out plans this season, especially towards the second half.

The release of 1.04 this week will also mark the beginning of our first official hiatus. There will be a two week break - that's 14 days, not 2 episode releases - between 1.04 & 1.05. Fear not, G&C fiends - we will be releasing a short in place of an episode during the off-week. From the looks of things, it could be a special double-length short, but I haven't finished it yet, so I'm not completely sure how long it'll be exactly.

The release of 1.04 will also come alongside the debut of our new web site. Many thanks to Matt "xandmatt" Latham for allowing us the use of his kick-ass template, once used for his very own teIam, and for my latest addiction, the Company. The new site gives me tons more options when updating and adding content, as well as communicating with our readers who don't visit the forums - and from the looks of these download stats so far - there are plenty of them.

So, I'm out, and as usual I'm going to end the entry with a preview of the next episode:

When the identity of Ben's killer is discovered, Peter attempts to track him down, but is he prepared for what he may find? And just what's in the package sent to the Bugle with Spidey's name on it? Meanwhile, Gwen overhears her foster parents second-guessing their decision to take her in, and finds comfort in the last place she would ever expect.

THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

• WHO? Dennis Carradine
• WHAT? The brown box.
• WHEN? When they were kids...
• WHERE? Peter's roof.
• WHY? Is she pregnant?

Well, that's all for this week - enjoy 1.04 and the new web site - see you next time!

The Reaction

I'm incredibly surprised to see the reaction we've gotten after the first two episodes of G&C. It's exceeding well beyond what I could have dreamed and hoped, and yes, I was pretty confident but unsure of some of the liberties we've taken. I'm happy to see some of these things are paying off and working well. But I did want to take some time to address some of the criticisms we've received so that you, the reader, can understand better what we're trying to do.

1) Not enough action. I can see where this is founded, not all of our episodes will be packed full of action sequences. This is one reason why we're not labeled as an action show anymore but as a drama. That was a discussion that Jay and I had had many times before the final genre-casting was made. We feel that G&C is more a drama than anything else, about these people who are put into these extraordinary circumstances and forced to deal with them. Realism is our battle cry.

2) Too many characters. We do introduce a lot of characters in the first two episodes (believe me this is better, they were all in the first episode at first), and we know it's a lot, but we do nothing unless we find it to be pertinent to the story as a whole. Which is one thing I want to make a comment on here and now: G&C is an arc-based drama. We're telling many stories within one big one. The overall story is the story of Peter Parker. The best way to think of it as would be to think of each season as an act. Don't worry though folks, everyone gets their share of time.

3) One character is more developed than another. Jay and I discussed this a long time ago, and after fan reaction to everyone's favorite wise ass some things may need to be said. First off, no one character receives or has received more development than another. The way everyone seems is for a particular reason. Eddie, for one, does indeed seem to be more developed than the others, but a big thing to remember is that this is the Eddie we see. All the characters are only what we see. Trust me, as the season continues we'll begin to see some major developments for a lot of our main characters. 1.04, 1.07 and 1.11 are big for Peter, 1.04 is big for Gwen and 1.05 for Eddie. And MJ... Well, she's a little different. But that's for another time.

4) Shorts. This is more of a comment on things I've noticed being said about the shorts and I think Jay and I both feel the same way about this: The shorts are intended for optional story possibilities or as asides (chances for us to have fun with the characters, just wait for the Awesome Aussie). Please don't think that the shorts are major pieces of work. I wrote SPLAT! in an hour. Which explain some possible disappointment.

Overall, like I said, reaction has been great and exciting. I'm happy everyone is enjoying the series so far and I hope everyone enjoys "Renaissance" on the 19th, I know I had a lot of fun writing it and after it's posted I may take the time to post one of the deleted scenes here that I was sad was cut from the final draft. But that's for then and I still have a final pass to do on the draft, so good night, and good luck.

--JB

Eddie, Fan Reaction, & Those Creepy-Ass Squirrels

It seems as if 1.02 has been largely well received, even more so than the pilot. This surprises me a bit, I have to admit. I've always viewed 1.01 as the stronger of the two, though I suppose 1.02 is faster-paced, and does much more to further the series. I'm guessing that's why most of you seem to prefer it to the pilot.

One thing I was very eager to see with this show was the fan reaction. I'm talking the hardcore comic fan reaction. I've always felt that the readers who went into this with the least experience with Spider-Man would get the most out of it, would enjoy it the most. I knew we were going to be changing some pretty fundamental elements of the character, and I was nervous as to how everyone would react to that. I still am, actually, as some of the bigger changes are still to come. So far though, I have to say, I haven't had a single complaint about the level of re-invention going on. You guys really seem to be enjoying the characters, and I think that's great. It's really the biggest compliment a showrunner or writer can receive, because in the end, if nobody cares about your characters, they're not going to care about your story and what happens to them.

I've always said G&C is about 60% character-driven, 40% plot driven, and 10% action driven. Yes, that's 110%, because we always give 110% ;)

Random Off-Topic Warning:
So NFL opening kickoff weekend has come and gone and my Carolina Panthers' record stands at 1-0 after defeating the Rams 27-13 in St. Louis on Sunday. I have to say, as much ass as that kicks, I am surprised. You see, the Panthers have not win a season opener since 2003 when they defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in Charlotte on a last-second touchdown pass. That same year, they ended up making it all the way to the Super Bowl, losing to the New England Patriots 32-29 on a last-second field goal. I now officially have a good feeling about this season :)

On a more serious note, Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett suffered a very serious spinal cord injury during the Bills home opener against the Denver Broncos Sunday. It was just an ordinary play, he was covering a kickoff return when the return guy ran into him. Everett immediately hit the turf and didn't move again until just about 24 hours ago. It took paramedics 15 minutes to take him off the field. I'm such a huge fan of football, I often overlook the violent nature of the game, and while injuries are always a serious issue, it's usually because they hurt the team. This time, it cost Everett his career and nearly his life, and while doctors are optimistic that he'll eventually walk again, a tragedy like this really puts things in perspective.

If you're the religious type, do keep him and his family in your prayers. If not, then keep them in your thoughts. Here's to Kevin making a swift and complete recovery.

Back on the G&C front, as I spoke about characters before, the one who seems to be getting the most attention so far has to be Eddie. I kind of figured on this happening, given his wide-open, wise-ass personality. Trust me though, you guys haven't seen anything yet. Next week's episode is written by myself and executive producer J.B. Gibson - mostly by him.

Believe me when I say that there is nothing quite like JB-written Eddie. So, if you're a fan of Mr. Brock, you should enjoy 1.03. Speaking of which, this entry's coming to an end, which means it's preview time:

Peter must cope with his Uncle Ben's death, while at the same time dealing with his new found abilities. Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk continues his hunt for the Renaissance serum, and Nick Fury pays a personal visit to OsCorp in regards to the Gargan incident.

THINGS TO WATCH FOR:

• Who? Alistair Smythe.
  
• What? Web shooters.
  
• When? Last week.
  
• Where? Stanley's apartment.
  
• Why? Circus people.
  

Release Date: Next Wednesday, September 19th.

Until then, watch out for those creepy-ass squirrels!

Post-Launch Thoughts

So here we are - G&C has been officially launched for three days, and in those three days it's been very interesting for me to get a look at the various reactions to the show. Some of it has been expected, and some has not. In the end, I'm just happy people are reading.

The most common reaction seems to be surprise - largely regarding the pace of the pilot. This I expected and always have. I agree, actually. I've always felt that it's a little too slow-paced, but, as I said in a response on the forum, I viewed it as a necessary evil so to speak. The goal was to introduce the characters - or re-introduce them as it were - and begin to establish the tone of the show. Whether or not I succeeded, well I suppose that remains to be seen.

The original plan was for 1.01 & 1.02 to be released as one, feature-length pilot. In fact, the first two acts of 1.02 were originally written as acts 5 & 6 of the pilot. There were a few logistical problems though, and by the time I got around to re-shaping the pilot the way I liked it, it became clear that splitting them up would be the best option. They do still serve as a two-part pilot, though, and I think most of you will agree once you've read 1.02 next Wednesday.

Random Off-Topic Warning:
I just watched the defending NFL champion Indianapolis Colts put an ass-whooping on the New Orleans Saints 41-10 in the first football game of the season. The fact that the Saints are in the same division as my Carolina Panthers means that I am laughing my ass off right now. The fact that my friend/fantasy football opponent this week used Saints quarterback Drew Brees (who threw two interceptions) means I'll also be laughing tomorrow when I see him :)

Okay, now back to business. Before I forget, I want to thank everyone for their feedback. Positive or negative, it's what keeps most of us VS writers going, and it seems like every time I log on to MZP there's a new comment or review. For that, I thank you all.

I've also noticed that Gwen seems to have developed quite the following after just one episode, notching quite a few votes in the summer/fall 07 survival game. I guess that means we're doing something right ;)

I'll wrap this entry up with a preview of next week's episode:

In the midst of personal tragedy, Peter discovers his new abilities. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn gets some disturbing news regarding a leak in Project: Renaissance. Little does Norman know, the secret to unlocking the serum lies with recently fired project lead Mac Gargan, who has an agenda all his own.

THINGS TO WATCH:

Who? Robbie Robertson.

What? Peter's shoes.

When? During PE class.

Where? The OsCorp parking lot.

Why? She doesn't know.

Release Date: Next Wednesday, September 12th.

Until then, look out for genetically-altered spiders! Hopefully yours will be smaller than the one I killed in my living room Wednesday afternoon.

Here we go for real...

About a year ago, maybe like June or July, I saw a post on the TrekWeb forums looking for writers for a Spider-Man virtual series. I was new to the idea and medium of the Virtual Series but knew that what it basically was, was something that I enjoyed doing as hobby: Screenwriting.

Now, a year later, and in less than four hours, we'll see the premiere of the first episode of the fruits of the past year. We saw the show and story rise and fall several times until we got the point where we wanted to be about six or seven months ago. It was right after we were picked up by MZP and before we knew exactly where we were going to go with the series and the story, and now we know and we're starting this journey.

1.01 will be fantastic and a treat for Spider-Man fans as we begin to weave this tapestry we've designed.

I have to agree with Jay that 1.04 is the best episode that we've finished completely, maybe even the best of the season, but that is yet to be seen.

I really don't know what else to say so enjoy and I know I look forward to hearing from everyone on what they think of this show, good and bad.

--JB

Two Days & Counting

It seems like only yesterday. I opened Final Draft and set about making edits to the G&C pilot, hoping to make this draft the best it could possibly be. I wondered if there was an extra line of dialogue I could add that would add that extra something to the script, an extra scene perhaps.

Wait... that was yesterday.

I didn't make any changes, but yes, I did cave and in a moment of pre-launch jitters began to wonder if I needed to make yet another set of edits to the script. Nevermind that I've literally made about forty since the draft that got the show picked-up in the first place, for whatever reason I have this need for every word of every script I write to be as close to perfection as absolutely possible. Granted, most of those edits were minor things like cleaning up scene headers and adding or taking away a transition or two, but still, no matter how many times I read one of my scripts I always spot something that makes me think "why the hell didn't I see that before?"

I'm hoping that's something my fellow showrunners are familiar with, otherwise I just made an ass of myself on my very first blog entry :)

In any event, launch day is finally on the horizon and it's finally begun to dawn on me that even after all the planning, plotting, developing, and yes, writing, this show hasn't even released an episode yet. So here I sit: 2:54 am, with my laptop, wide awake, writing this and listening to Weird Al Yankovic...

Don't ask.

Not that this is anything new for me. I rarely make it to bed before sunrise anymore, but for some reason this premiere day thing has kinda crept up on me. Maybe it was that damn stomach flu I'm just now getting over that sent me to the hospital Friday morning at 4 am. Maybe it's the flury of activity surrounding football these last few days, I don't know, but for whatever reason it seems like September 5th (which also happens to be my 23rd birthday) is going to be here a whole lot sooner than I was expecting. Not that that's a bad thing - we do have the first seven episodes all ready to go - and the second half of the season well on it's way to being completed as well. Hell, even the season two premiere has an act done.

To be honest, I am SO ready to get this thing kicked-off. At the same time though, I'm both interested and nervous to see how people react, both from a VS perspective and from a comic fans perspective, and then there's the general audience. We've got the benefit of being based on one of the most popular characters around these days, I hope we don't disappoint. That being said, I've been told this stuffs pretty good. I'm not one to brag on myself, though, or even feel comfortable rating my own stuff, so I'll leave it up to you guys. I will say there's been some great work turned in by the rest of the staff. I personally feel that episode 1.04 (written by myself, J.B. Gibson, and newcomer Jamel Baker) is our strongest episode so far. Both of them did a great job on that one, and come September 26th, I hope you guys will agree.

Anyway, hopefully the entry's from here on out will be slightly less rambly (is that a word? guess I'll find out when I run spell check here in a sec - nope, it's not) than this one was.

For now, though, see you on the 5th!