Speaking of the Whedon connection, it may have been some of Drew Goddard's earliest work, but the scripts he turned in for Buffy wound up being some of the best episodes of that show. Much like Spider-Man, it was a series that walked the line between campy genre fare and genuine pathos, which always took its characters and situations seriously even if the characters were less convinced. Goddard only has five credited episodes, and most of those came in Buffy's seventh and final season, but they were five of the best. Lies My Parents Told Me flashed back to the pre-vampire life of anti-hero Spike, examining his slightly odd relationship with his mother back when he was a foppish, aspiring poet. It provided some humanity to a character that sometimes teetered into an archetype, and it's a three-dimensionality that Spidey and his villains really need. Goddard also collaborated with some of Buffy's regular writers (including Whedon) on the award-winning Conversations With Dead People, which split the characters up to examine them in detail, with Goddard showing a real understanding of them.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
