Question: In directing "Reactions," you introduced Doc Ock to the series -- and now you set the tone for many future episodes by revealing Doc Ock as the leader of The Sinister Six. What attracts you to Doc Ock?

Coyle: Oh how I love him. Every director is only as good as their artists -- we don't do these shows by ourselves -- and I had some stellar board talent on the "Group Therapy" episode in Kevin Altieri and Joaquim Dos Santos. They deserve a lot of the credit for bringing Doc Ock to life.

Doc Ock is so much fun. The character design is so good, and I enjoy drawing him on a very basic level. I think everybody identifies with him on some level -- he's a good guy who has worked hard his whole life, and he's been pushed to the point that he's not coming back. You can easily understand the pathos Š and now he's really become a bad guy. You can do just about anything with that character -- those arms are amazing, and the timing has been really good for this show, so much so that I think you feel the impact of those arms.

I think I've had him in almost every episode I've directed -- so now he's like an old friend. I think I've got a bad boyfriend thing going on here. He's caused me so much pain, I think I might actually like him.

Question: You've directed two episodes in the opening season of "The Spectacular Spider-Man," and you're working on your fourth for the second season. What is that makes directing Spider-Man enjoyable for you?

Coyle: Spider-Man offer me the best of all worlds -- it's comedy and cartoony and zany, there's great acting and amazing action. We push him in a squash and stretch way, and yet there's plenty of room for acting goodness -- with all the high school intrigue -- and there's obviously enough scope for quite a lot of action. So I get everything I like right here in one show.

Question: You are the only female director on this series thus far -- and one of the few females directing super hero/action-oriented animation. Do you see growing opportunities for female directors in the animated world and, particularly, in the fanboy arena?

Coyle: I just had those sentiments confirmed a few weeks ago -- I met a woman director at Disney, and she said she didn't know of another female directing action adventure. I know of Lauren Montgomery (Superman Doomsday), but that's about it.

When you take a look around, it is kind of a man's world, and I think it speaks highly of Mr. Victor Cook that he'd give me an opportunity to do this. I work with a lot of amazing, talented people who have always overlooked the fact that I'm a girl, so it's nice. I don't feel oppressed.

I know that being a woman, I do bring some different perspectives -- I think the big difference comes in the acting, because I know that's where I tend to make a lot of notes. I love the nuances of animation acting. Just today, we were posing a sequence where we're knocking the cheerleaders down a few notches. I don't think a lot of men pay as much attention to the politics of relationships when they're posing out these high school scenes, but that was what honestly attracted me to the Spider-Man comics in the first place. I read a lot of comics in high school and college, and I always liked Spider-Man because of all the angst -- it wasn't just a straight up fight.

I think this series has a lot of heart. They've really pushed that aspect of the series and made it accessible for girls -- and the ratings have reflected that. Here's this oppressed kid, dealing with everything regular high school kids do, all the while having to take care of his Aunt May, and the having the burden of being who he is when he pulls on the mask. That's always been a factor in how readable the Spider-Man stories have been for girls. It's not like we girls don't appreciate a good ass-kicking from time to time, but the thing that attracts me to the story is that it's got heart as well.

Question: Who or what inspired you to direct animation ... and was working with super heroes always part of your goal?

Coyle: I always wanted to do comic books, but I had the classic, clichéd lecture from a teacher that I'd never make a living working in comics. Back then, I didn't realize that my love of comics could transition to animation, and that I could actually make a living in animation.