This week we’re covering season 3, episode 5 of Spider-Man: The Animated Series – ‘Rocket Racer’.
This episode has some serious Big Wheel Energy, with both Rocket Racer and Spider-Man’s ultimate foe, Big Wheel, making an appearance. Along the way, we talk Avril Lavigne, crime-induced comas, and melon vandalism. Then we look back to 1977 with Rocket Racer’s first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #172.
Listen on Apple Podcasts here
Spotify here
Stitcher here
Further podcast notes
We do have some stills (some cool, some dumb as hell) from this episode below. If you’re looking for some of those comic panels mentioned during the episode, you can skip to that here.
Episode Stills!
He may be just getting out of this situation but… he’s not wrong.
This is the expression of someone with extremely poor taste in men.
Big Wheel is here! Smashing through bank doors!
He sends his jetpack gang out (raiders I think they’re technically called), which makes me wonder – why do we need the big wheel at all?
Fit with multi-directional lasers, this vehicle is the most chaotic nonsense.
You can almost see the tiredness through the mask.
Meanwhile, Robert gets caught by the police for… picking up money he saw on the street?
A classic line to rub in just how terrible Peter is at maintaining a love life.
This cop is so mad for no reason… or maybe one reason, if you catch my drift.
Science!
Spinny science!
The shoulder touch of doom. Peter is told he’s just a friend and turned down for the umpteenth time.
This is the face of rejection.
And this is the face of someone who refuses to face reality and give up on Felicia.
“My cabbages!”
This gang’s shakedown mostly involves fruit vandalism.
If it wasn’t clear (it wasn’t to Henry), this dude is also part of the jet pack gang, just mugging on his lunch break I guess.
Which is a shame, cos it looks like they’re having a jolly ol’ time back at HQ.
Robert uses the stolen Big Wheel tech to supe up his skateboard and become Rocket Racer.
He uses his gyroscope tech with magnetism to skate up walls.
And the wrist missiles? I’m guessing that’s mostly Big Wheel’s stuff.
Spider-Man finds it pretty hard to nail him even on his first night out on the town. Not sure how embarrassing that is.
He only catches up when Robert’s magnetic boots get stuck on an elevator that is slowly descending, threatening a gruesome death.
Spidey just stops the lift with a press of a button, leading to this great out-of-context line.
Robert escapes anyway, with Spidey watching on and not doing anything. I guess he can just track him, right?
Wheel is on the lookout for Robert after he stole his tech.
Luckily for him, JJ decided to run a front page article shaming Robert for not even committing a crime.
How many times is Spidey going to land face-first in garbage in this show?
Definitely not the last time.
He tracks down Robert, who to be fair is just chilling in his living room in full Rocket Racer gear.
He gives him the whole responsibility talk.
But Robert isn’t having any of it.
And checks his privilege pretty damn hard.
The interior of the wheel (which I guess is stabilised to stop constant vomiting).
Car chase! Felicia can drive pretty damn well!
Whoa Spidey, no need for such a low blow.
If Robert was tired of being coddled before, he’s probably not too happy with being held like a baby.
All’s well that ends well. Oh and Robert manages to skate-kick one of the robbers from earlier (and our podcast episode image).
I don’t know why I included this guy below, I just thought it was funny how lifeless he was. I have a lot of time on my hands this year, okay?
If you want to see comic panels that Jack was sharing with Henry during this episode and find out a little more about the origins of Rocket Racer, check out the comic origins here.
Otherwise, that’s all for this week, folks! Make sure you check out our Patreon for more bonus episodes!
That '90s Spider-Man Show 