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If there's been one thing that Marvel has thrived on these past few years, it's been nostalgia. To be clear, there's nothing wrong with revisiting the worlds of shows from the past. However, it can be troubling to see nostalgia fare divorced from the creators who made it in the first place. 

John Semper, the producer and head writer of the Spider-Man: The Animated series from the 90s released a statement on Twitter where he addressed the news that Marvel Comics will be "continuing" the events of the show through a four-issue comic book series called Spider-Man '94. Semper's statement says that he is "NOT involved with this comic book and no one at Marvel approached [him] to be involved in any way."

Perhaps more crucially, Semper wrote, "Yes, it would have been nice (some might even say respectful) if Marvel had reached out to me at some point as a courtesy. But I have long ago abandoned all expectation that Marvel would acknowledge any of my contributions to the Marvel universe - like, for instance, my creation of what is now known as the 'Spider-Verse.'"

About that last claim: The fifth and final season of the show - which ran on Fox from 1994 through 1998 - featured a serial titled 'Spider-Wars.' and features Spider-Men from multiple dimensions crossing over and interacting; the storyline has been retroactively cited by fans as the first 'Spider-Verse' story in light of the comic book and animated feature multiverse stories using that title. 

Spider-Man '94, which launches in September, will be written by veteran comic book writer J.M. DeMatteis, who Semper has "nothing but the greatest respect for." Art for the series will come from Jim Towe; Marvel's description of the series runs, "After searching to the ends of the Multiverse, PETER PARKER  –  the AMAZING, the SPECTACULAR, the RADIOACTIVE Web-Head himself  –  A.K.A. SPIDER-MAN, swings back into the streets of New York City with his beloved Mary Jane Watson in tow! But what’s this? One of these villains is not like the others: Witness this universe’s debut of not one, but TWO of Spider-Man’s greatest villains from the comics — MORLUN and KAINE! Break out your action figures, and post up in front of the TV as we bring you back to the greatest era of animated super hero television in history! You’re never going to expect the twists and turns ahead for your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!" (All emphasis Marvel's.)

It's a huge bummer to see that Semper wasn't informed about Spider-Man '94, considering his stature within the world of animation. In addition to writing Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Semper wrote episodes of Static Shock for Warner Bros. Semper is still an active writer of animated superhero projects, and co-wrote the Green Lantern: Beware My Power film from 2022. But, to echo Semper's statement, sometimes it's best to keep expectations low. 

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