Spider-Man's 1990s Animated Cartoon - looking back, what are your thoughts?

[arosenbarger]

Recently discovered my two year old son enjoys the Spider-Man cartoon from the 90s, which is perfect for this Spider-Man fan when I'm waking up in the morning.

However - I find the series doesn't age well.

I remember watching the series first run, excited as comic book properties were not really on television, however they were about to go through a resurgence - given DINI/TIMM.

My problems with the original series:

1 - Spider-Man never threw a punch.
2 - the animators reused animated shots with bad overdubbing.
3 - they really had stories backwards (Hobgoblin/Green Goblin situation), but some of these problems had reasoning behind them.

Positives include
1 -enjoyed the animation
2 - appreciated the connected storytelling/universe building the creators made throughout the seasons.

What are your thoughts?

[SuperiorIronman]

I could've sworn he punched at least one person in the show.
It a product of its time but I feel for what it had it really knocked it out of the park. Yeah it doesn't hold a candle to most things these days but for what its worth I had fun with it and I still do. I still love the spider wars episodes because I thought it was so cool to see so many different spider-men in one place. It doesn't age well and yet I can still watch the show continuously. Maybe I just grew up at the right time for it to be nostalgic or maybe its Christopher Daniel Barnes being the spidey voice for me but I liked it then and I still do.

On another note: Dan, are we ever going to see a spider-man like Billionaire Peter Parker from the show? It sounds like it would be a fun thing to poke fun at the Tony Stark comparison and play up the similarities.

[Mister Mets]

This was a series that kept me a Spider-Man fan.

Parts of it are silly and the censorship was ridiculous, but looking back, I appreciate how episodes built on one another, something that's always been part of the Spider-Man comics, but hadn't been part of the animated episodes.

[John Ossie]

I loved it. For me it's my favourite animated Spider-Man series. First thing that made me ''aware'' of Spider-Man and, ultimately, got me into comics in the first place. Well, that and there's a certain nostalgia involved I admit but those Saturday mornings as a kid were great back then.

[Huntsman Spider]

Yeah, while the animation quality wasn't that good even for the standards of the period and the censorship was flat-out ridiculous, the 90s Spider-Man animated series still holds up very well in terms of storytelling and voice acting. Also, what'll always tip it over for me is the finale --- beyond just having multiple versions of Spider-Man duke it out for the fate of all reality, it was actually a very loving and heartfelt tribute to everything that made Spider-Man who he was. We saw two paths he could have taken if his circumstances had been worse or better. One turned him into a psychotic driven to avenge himself upon an uncaring world by absolutely obliterating existence itself, the other turned him into an arrogant jerk who thought there was no way he could ever lose. Ultimately, both paths converged when the arrogant jerk Spidey's Uncle Ben managed to talk down the psychotic would-be destroyer of worlds Spidey from the proverbial ledge, which in retrospect explained why the arrogant jerk Spidey would still be a hero at all; he had a living Uncle Ben to look to for love and guidance.

And then, the crowning moment?

"Our" Spider-Man met his creator Stan Lee, and when he expressed to Stan his epiphany on his life after meeting his alternate counterparts, Stan remarked that Spider-Man didn't seem like the guy he'd been writing all these years. Spider-Man's response was the best:

"Well, Stan, we all have to grow up some time, I suppose. Even us characters of fiction."

It's also, in retrospect, a very good rebuttal to the people currently in charge at Marvel who think Spider-Man would've been better served never moving on from high school and into full adulthood. We all have to grow up eventually. The refusal by too many to do that is what leads to stagnation and decline.

[Captain Jibberish]

The 90's Spider-Man Animated Series was my introduction to Spider-Man when I was a kid, and it still impacts how I enjoy Spider-Man today; whenever I read the comics, I still hear the 90's TAS voices... including Doc Ock's inexplicable German accent!

[Metamorphosis]

I also found it to be fairly unwatchable when I tried to rewatch it on Netflix a few years back.

However, what they got right, they did very well (the Black costume / Venom saga was nicely done). I loved seeing villains like Hobgoblin, even though he showed up before Norman suited up as Green Goblin.

[Huntsman Spider]

The 90's Spider-Man Animated Series was my introduction to Spider-Man when I was a kid, and it still impacts how I enjoy Spider-Man today; whenever I read the comics, I still hear the 90's TAS voices... including Doc Ock's inexplicable German accent!

R.I.P. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. Also, I still hear his voice doing the inner monologue for Superior Spider-Man, albeit overlaid with Christopher Daniel Barnes's more confident and aggressive tones as symbiote-influenced Peter Parker/Spider-Man or that one alternate universe's armored billionaire Spider-Man. In retrospect, that's kind of funny now that 616 Peter has his own company, though 616 Peter deliberately cut his salary to a middle management rate because he thought the profits would be better served going toward his employees and the people he wanted to help using the company.

[Beorg]

Noticing all the censors and the big amount of re-used animation on a re-watch it did bother me, but not too much. The studio had a limited budget and was held tightly by those stupid censorship rules. Considering all that they did a pretty good job. It was my favorite show as a kid and introduced me to the Marvel universe.
Christopher Daniel Barnes is the definitive voice of Spider-Man for me. Many like Josh Keaton, but I think he's fit more for teenage Peter. Barnes is perfect for 616 SM. The voice acting in general was pretty solid and fitting for the characters. I'll never forget the episode when SP meets the X-men. It was pretty cool to see two separate cartoons cross over.

[Hypestyle]

Recently discovered my two year old son enjoys the Spider-Man cartoon from the 90s, which is perfect for this Spider-Man fan when I'm waking up in the morning.

However - I find the series doesn't age well.

I remember watching the series first run, excited as comic book properties were not really on television, however they were about to go through a resurgence - given DINI/TIMM.

My problems with the original series:

1 - Spider-Man never threw a punch.
2 - the animators reused animated shots with bad overdubbing.
3 - they really had stories backwards (Hobgoblin/Green Goblin situation), but some of these problems had reasoning behind them.

Positives include
1 -enjoyed the animation
2 - appreciated the connected storytelling/universe building the creators made throughout the seasons.

What are your thoughts?

pretty much the same.
kudos for: guest heroes- lots more Marvel hero appearances, including some folks never seen in animation at the time (Blade) or who previously only had a cameo (Daredevil).

Also, my gripes:
"every" pistol is a laser. Okay, return to the GI Joe standards..
Peter is more of a wimp, and often his character is drastically misjudged.
Shrewish Aunt Anna. (Seriously, what the hell was that all about)
Felicia Hardy replacing Gwen Stacy. (John Semper had a weak excuse, citing that she was 'dead'. Well, yeah, in the comics!! Not anyone's cartoon!)

[Agent Z]

Yeah, while the animation quality wasn't that good even for the standards of the period and the censorship was flat-out ridiculous, the 90s Spider-Man animated series still holds up very well in terms of storytelling and voice acting. Also, what'll always tip it over for me is the finale --- beyond just having multiple versions of Spider-Man duke it out for the fate of all reality, it was actually a very loving and heartfelt tribute to everything that made Spider-Man who he was. We saw two paths he could have taken if his circumstances had been worse or better. One turned him into a psychotic driven to avenge himself upon an uncaring world by absolutely obliterating existence itself, the other turned him into an arrogant jerk who thought there was no way he could ever lose. Ultimately, both paths converged when the arrogant jerk Spidey's Uncle Ben managed to talk down the psychotic would-be destroyer of worlds Spidey from the proverbial ledge, which in retrospect explained why the arrogant jerk Spidey would still be a hero at all; he had a living Uncle Ben to look to for love and guidance.

And then, the crowning moment?

"Our" Spider-Man met his creator Stan Lee, and when he expressed to Stan his epiphany on his life after meeting his alternate counterparts, Stan remarked that Spider-Man didn't seem like the guy he'd been writing all these years. Spider-Man's response was the best:

"Well, Stan, we all have to grow up some time, I suppose. Even us characters of fiction."

It's also, in retrospect, a very good rebuttal to the people currently in charge at Marvel who think Spider-Man would've been better served never moving on from high school and into full adulthood. We all have to grow up eventually. The refusal by too many to do that is what leads to stagnation and decline.

Pretty much my thoughts. Though I've never really been a fan of the whole "symbiote makes you evil" plot that every adaptation has used.

pretty much the same.
kudos for: guest heroes- lots more Marvel hero appearances, including some folks never seen in animation at the time (Blade) or who previously only had a cameo (Daredevil).

Also, my gripes:
"every" pistol is a laser. Okay, return to the GI Joe standards..
Peter is more of a wimp, and often his character is drastically misjudged.
Shrewish Aunt Anna. (Seriously, what the hell was that all about)
Felicia Hardy replacing Gwen Stacy. (John Semper had a weak excuse, citing that she was 'dead'. Well, yeah, in the comics!! Not anyone's cartoon!)

I don't think this show's Peter was a wimp outside of the flashback episode. And how was Aunt May a shrew?

[Rahul]

I loved this series as a kid. I love CDB as Spidey. He hasn't been topped yet for Spidey VAs, sorry Josh Keaton and Drake Bell.

Sometimes he did a bit of overacting though like in this clip, but overall it's great.

[Hypestyle]

Pretty much my thoughts. Though I've never really been a fan of the whole "symbiote makes you evil" plot that every adaptation has used.



I don't think this show's Peter was a wimp outside of the flashback episode. And how was Aunt May a shrew?

LOL-- I said Aunt Anna, Agent Z. She was horrible.

[Mister Mets]

I loved this series as a kid. I love CDB as Spidey. He hasn't been topped yet for Spidey VAs, sorry Josh Keaton and Drake Bell.

Sometimes he did a bit of overacting though like in this clip, but overall it's great.

To be fair, he was supposed to overreact in that scene.

[SpiderNerd]

I love this show and will continue to love it for as long as I am a Spidey fan. Now if you'll excuse me...

MMMMMMMMAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRYYYYYYYY JJJJJJJJAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!