Flawed But Solid
Let me preface this by saying that I understand why this podcast may not be everyone’s cup of tea. The guys who put their time and efforts into this sound like your dad’s knucklehead friends yucking it up over inside jokes and stories that don’t seem to have endings. They do have a tendency to make occasional unapologetic crass jokes about sex and gender that are pretty backwards and embarrassing - they remind me of things my grandfather would crack just to elicit a room of groans. This was even addressed in a recent episode during a segment where they discuss reviews like these and the topic of gender jokes came up… and then one of the guys cracked a joke about transgender people just a few minutes after. It was met with a jovial round of “i can’t believe you went there” chuckles. It never gets outright mean like Family Guy humor, but it sometimes approaches that bubble. That’s kind of the atmosphere you’re getting with this. But... these guys aren’t bad guys and it’s a little unfortunate to see review after review on here discussing how negative they are when it comes to Spider-Man and the world around them. Despite the misgivings listed above, the group is actually pretty positive and -wants- to see new comics succeed and be entertaining. It’s hard to really pinpoint that if you’re a new or casual listener. It may -seem- like some of these guys want to gnaw over everything they see on the stands today, but they actually give copious amounts of chances to new things to tell proper stories and to prove themselves (the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, for example). Not only that, but they spend a lot of time groaning over terrible plotting and characterization from older comics as well. Yes, nostalgia sometimes plays a part in all of this. But I’d wager that this podcast never goes out of their way to praise something just for being old (except for JR - zing!). That has to be worth something. Yeah, sure, they might be curmudgeons for new characters and events, but that’s just what happens when you know Marvel and the games they play to get people to buy books. These guys just know their stuff. It’s almost encyclopedic when continuity is brought up and characters are dissected in discussions. You can tell some of them have been reading this series for a really long time and in the portions of the podcast where they discuss those topics, it is really interesting! As a fan of Spidey, I’ve learned a lot just by listening to this series. Also, some of the time, the podcast is really, truly funny without being offensive - I love the Stegron discussions and sometimes their riffing off of each other’s goofy jokes leads to some really fun moments. I find myself laughing quite a bit when listening to this show. That all being said, Spider-Man Crawlspace has been making strides to improve their podcast with varied content and by being more inclusive and these things have started to take hold lately. So maybe they are a bunch of knuckleheads... but at least they know it and try to reach for something better every now and then. That’s more than I can say with most comics podcasts. I still probably wouldn’t listen to this around any of my comic-reading friends or family but hopefully I’ll be able to recommend it in time.
irredeemable_antman via Apple Podcasts · United States of America · 11/17/14
More reviews of Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast
I've been listening since the beginning of the show and have always enjoyed the podcast. Everyone brings their own take to the show and all the hosts have a great dynamic between them. Every episode has laugh out loud moments and always brings the funny. Only drawback is the slight negativity...Read full review »
Alex 909 via Apple Podcasts · Great Britain · 12/19/11
Writing this review pains me. I love interacting with the universe of Spider-Fans and the Crawlspace is one of the defining Spider-Man fansites/podcasts on the net. I listened to the show for years for all the knowledge contained within (they do really know their stuff) and learned a ton about...Read full review »
Buford_Hollis via Apple Podcasts · United States of America · 09/03/14
Since Brad Douglas first started posting the Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast, I have been listening. I would check the Crawlspace regularly for new episodes and while I waited, I would visit the Crawlspace message boards regularly. Something I love about about the podcast is that it has something...Read full review »
Huskie Pride via Apple Podcasts · United States of America · 06/25/14
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