Well-deserved Five Stars
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“The problem with reviewing the "Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast" is that it isn't really just one podcast; it is several. The host has made a decision (wisely, I think) to break the 'cast into several smaller ones. What at one point were segments of a large podcast are now individual files. So what you get from the feed may be the news segment; the review segment, the general discussion segment, a segment on Spider-History, or even the annual game of Spider-Jepordy.
You may like some of these segments, or all oof them, or just one of them. But you won't have to fast-forward past something you don't care for. If it's the segment you don't like (I enjoy all of them), just move on to the next file.
This way of doing things is especially well thought-out.
Some of the reviews on iTunes express problems with the host and the panel being to critical of the Spidey books.
It is true that they are critical.
Very critical.
Very, very, very critical.
The new listener needs to understand that the panel is a group of fans who have been following Pider-Man for a decade or more. In some cases, closer to 40 years. They have seen what can be done with Spidey, and the great stories that can be told.
And they have seen times when Spidey has become little more than a crap-fest cash cow, used mainly to promote licensing.
(Which is what the books are now, in 2016, and have been for about 8 years, with VERY few bright spots interspersed.)
So they have very little patience with crap-fest periods in the books, and are not afraid to say so.
At least they try to have a sense of humor about it, and they keep the torch burni g, in hope of better days to come.
This is supposed to be a review of the podcast rather than a review about the books the podcast covers, so I'm trying to focus on that. But one has to consider the current state of the books, and the often wonderful history of them, in order to understand the disappointment and frustration you will hear on the 'cast. If you are able to do that, this podcast can be very enjoyable, and a great resource for coming to really know Spidey (and Marvel) in their very long history.
The panel tends to be very critical of the current creative team controlling Spidey, to the point where the current writer, Dan Slott, has engaged in some very public hissy fits about them.
But in fairness, when Slott has produced good work, they have been very supportive of him, and complimented his work. I learned about his Spidey-Torch miniseries from the podcast, and they simply raved about it, to the point where many who were on the show back then expressed hope that Slott would get a shot at writing the main title. They are not "anti-Slott," or "anti-[insert writer here]," but they *are* very much "anti-crap-style-writing-and-plotting," and are not afraid to say so. (And given the 2008-2016 state of the books, they end up saying that. A . . . LOT. I can't blame them.)
The host, B.D., is personable, and fun to listen to. You can hear a smile in his voice, which is a plus.
The panel members can be a mixed bag. The newest (and only female), Ashley, sometimes seems a bit bemused by the proceedinga. The male members seem to consider it "points scored" if they can make her laugh so much she snorts. And they are pretty good at doing that.
The Cranky Old Man character does the Spider-History segment. The host tried recasting that voice a fews months back, but it does not seem to have worked out. Whoever does that voice is pretty knowledgeable about the history of Spidey, but also pretty jaded and snarky. (I got thrown under the bus by that character when I first wrote into the show, and didn't much care for him ever since, but I have to say that whoever writes for that particular character generally knows his or her stuff. If you can put up with the stereotypical thinking written into the character, he can be fun to listen to. I'd rather they retcon that out of him, but that's just me.)
Overall, it's definitely worth a listen! There are over 400 episodes in the feed now, and the Spider-History ones in particular should hold up over time. The review episodes as well, I think.
If you don't care for this style of podcast, don't listen. But if you find something in it you like, stick around, I feel safe in saying you'll find a bunch more.
(And please, don't forget . . . you may find it via iTunes, but Apple is NOT paying their bills for hosting and bandwidth for your downloads. The show is "free," but that does not mean that it isn't costing the host some money, for net access, computer equipment, microphones, etc. If you like the show, be a sport, and throw them a few bucks from time-to-time. It is STILL a lot cheaper than most audiobooks, and a heckuva lot more fun!)”Read full review »
Oklahoma Rob via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
01/19/16
More reviews of Spider-Man Crawlspace Podcast
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“Ignore the troll who made copy accounts to drag down the ratings. This is and has always been one of the best podcasts on iTunes. Rock on, Bubba Moose!”
Ertrov via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/22/11
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“I've listened to the Crawlspace for a long time now, and I still enjoy it. With it's many hosts and panelist Brad Douglas you get a lot of opinions and debate. You also get more than a fair share to truly biting of sarcasm, particularly from JR. It's kind of a tough time to be a...”Read full review »
JThompson6577 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
10/21/14
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“I listened to this after going through the Spider-man classics podcast and hearing that the other two hosts were here. Never did I hear, nor did I expect such negativity about everything spider-man. I don't understand why they still buy the comics if they hate them so much. Just like I will...”Read full review »
houndmountain via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/05/12
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