Hail, all fearful city-dwellers, pretty ladies, and science geeks: Spiderman is here!

Actually, Spider-MEN. Josh Bishop and Joey Mason, assistant character designer and background painter for the CW’s new The Spectacular Spiderman, went through VCU’s art program and ended up working together on this modern and more youthful take on the superhero’s story. Marvel Comics, partnering with Sony Entertainment, put together a team of artists to flesh out Peter Parker’s experiences as a high school student; according to Josh, the show stays true to the style of the original comics, with a few updates like a cell phone for calls to Aunt May. “The fact that he’s really kind of a nerd drew me to him when I was young,” Josh recalls, “because I didn’t really know or interact with people too much. Yeah, I might have sat at the popular table in school, but the kids there didn’t really know me… and Peter Parker was a science nerd, which was also my thing. I thought about studying biology in college. I related to his personality as a man, not a hero.”

Like most graphics and illustration folks I’ve talked to, these guys started out reading comics at a young age and watched as it grew into a more serious art form over the last couple of decades. Disney characters like Donald and Mickey drew Josh into the medium at first, setting him up to be seduced by the Turtles and a string of other superheroes as he got older and more action-thirsty. He penned his own Garbage Pail Kids and dreamed up friends for the Disney crew, and eventually sent in his application to VCU with the intention of becoming an animator. “Of course you get there, get yourself some life experiences, and see that things aren’t what you once assumed they were.  I realized that I didn’t want to draw the same thing over and over, with only a few minute changes from sketch to sketch.” As an assistant designer, his contribution to the show is comprised of editorial work like cleaning up the sketches, making designs uniform and creating a consistent line quality for all the characters. Joey used to be an assistant character designer, but now also creates original work for the backgrounds.

Josh’s time away from the computer (insert goofy “web” joke here) is spent at his alma mater—he teaches for VCU’s art foundation program. “I love teaching in this program. It’s the students’ core year, the first year that they’re exposed to a crazy atmosphere that they may not be used to… I try to get them to see art in a completely different way.” He views cartoons and comics as communication devices for storytelling, a pastime that has flourished since the beginning of man. “People need to tell stories. Comics genres cover such a wide range [of stories], so many genres...that helps them stay current and endure.” Haven’t gotten your childhood fix in a while? Check out The Spectacular Spiderman on the CW, Saturday mornings at 10.