Which is your favourite Animated Version of Spiderman?

[samurainoir]

So many to choose from!

Of course most of us have a soft spot for Ralph Bakshi's Psychedelic Skies Swingin' Sixties original.

There is also a fondness felt for Spiderman and his Amazing Friends.

I have to admit that I have little recollection of the brief eighties series that I think was syndicated with Robocop as The Marvel Action Hour or something similar? Was this series even aired in Canada?

Of course there is the popular and long running Fox Kids Spiderman Animated Series which is probably the most faithful of all the animated adaptations so far.

I didn't really ever catch Spiderman Unlimited, but have generally heard mixed things about this series.

I have to admit that I really liked the Mainframe 3-D animated Spiderman that only lasted one season on MTV. I believe Brian Bendis was involved in writing the Pilot and served as an executive producer on this show?

Now there is a new animated Spiderman series on the way.


Given the success of Straight to DVD animated Marvel features such as The Avengers (based on Millar and Hitch's The Ultimates) and Iron Man, I'm suprised that Spiderman isn't getting any kind of made for DVD animated feature. I would love to see an adaptation of The Death of Kraven in this format.

[thunderbolt]

67 Spidey!!!

[kingdom warrior]

60's Spidey just can't be beat for me.

[thunderbolt]

That new one might change my mind if it's as good as the preview art looks.

[The Bat]

MTV Spidey!

[HardyGirl]

'67 Spider-Man is the definitive Spidey! Period! :spidey:

[Mikey]

The only one I know is the SPIDER-MAN, SPIDER-MAN, DOES WHATEVER A SPIDER CAN .... cartoon.

Never seen or care to see any of the others.

[Earth 2 Chris]

While I have a fondness in my heart for the 67 toons, I really liked the solor 80s toons that were packaged with the 67 toons for syndication. Same designs as Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, but it seemed less campy and more faithful to the comics. Retold a lot of the classic Spidey tales and featured all the classic villains. Some of the plots were recycled into Spidey and Friends episodes.

It was always a treat when one of these would show in amongst a week of 67 toons I had already seen 12 times before.

Chris

[Goblin19]

I know the 67 Spidey is better, but I like Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends the best. It holds too much nostalgia for me. It's the reason I switched from DC to Marvel at that age and Spidey became my favorite comic.

[brineb]

67 Spidey is it for me ... by the 80s, I was tired of Spdey!!!

[huedell]

Spider-man is awesome in general---but I don't think has ever realized
even NEAR his potential until the movies

The DCU, howerver ain't gonna get much better than the Timm animated stuff

Frankly I just wish Timm would start working with Marvel now that
B:TAS, S: TAS, BB, JL and JLU are at an end

A Timm styled Spider-Man would become the definitive one I think

On a side note---I was weaned on the 60 Spider-Man toon and I think it
deserves a lot of credit because of that. Electro, Vulture, Sandman,
Rhno, Lizard, Scorpion all became BIG favorites of mine after viewing that 'toon

The Firestar/Iceman 'toon was okay too, but
I think was overshadowed by too many characters that weren't directly
Spidey related within its short run

[toys2cool]

I like the 90's cartoon version the best

[Wolverine1969]

'67 Spidey without a doubt!

[The Toyroom]

'67 Spider-Man followed by (even though it's not a cartoon, but live action).... Spidey's Super Stories from The Electric Company!

"Dah Dah Dah Dah Dah...Spider-Man! Where are you coming from, Spider-Man? Nobody knows who you are?....Thwip!"

[samurainoir]

'67 Spider-Man followed by (even though it's not a cartoon, but live action).... Spidey's Super Stories from The Electric Company!

"Dah Dah Dah Dah Dah...Spider-Man! Where are you coming from, Spider-Man? Nobody knows who you are?....Thwip!"

Electric Company was my first exposure to Spiderman, and I had a few issues of Spidey Super Stories as a kid. I recently had a chance to catch some of the Electric Company Spiderman on YouTube and still found them quite charming. I say Spiderman helped me learn to read!

[Bionic Joe]

the greayest of them all is hands down the 67 spiderman series nuff said

[Hulk]

67 for nostalgic reasons. The 90's series was a great primer to what was happening at the time, but there is just something inherently simple and fun about the original.

[thunderbolt]

Never got into the 90's Spidey toon. The animation was pretty bland, especially compared with what was going on with Bruce Timm's Batman.

[filmation batman fan]

I'm probably the odd man out here, but I love SpiderMan and His Amazing Friends the best. Dan Gilvezan is to me the most authentic voice for Spidey that I've ever heard.
Cheers.

[huedell]

I'm probably the odd man out here, but I love SpiderMan and His Amazing Friends the best. Dan Gilvezan is to me the most authentic voice for Spidey that I've ever heard.
Cheers.


I think he's the best too---sounds the most youthful and (charmingly) sarcastic

[Sandlantern]

'67 all the way...unless SOMEONE wakes up and does a really faithful Ditko-centric series!:grin:

[clemso]

The 67 series, no doubt. I loved the music and those late evening water colur skys. It had quite a mood about it. Then of course the 90s series.
Spidey and his Amazing friends... well I just couldn't take Fire Star seriously, it may as well have been the Human Torch, now that would have worked a lot better seeing as they had a history together in the comics.

Clem...

[palitoy]

67 series hands down.

The eighties Marvel toons suffer from Booming soundtracks and sound effects, the 90's toon would drag storylines out forever, often getting dull.

[MIB41]

Hands down... The '67 classic. I grew up with it, saw it during it's first run, and consumed it as part of my afternoon diet in the early to mid 70's when I was coming home from school. Stan Lee and John Romita Sr were story consultants all through the first season and the results from my vantage point speak for themselves. I even liked the fact he didn't have webs on his chest. Even though it was more for budgetary reasons than anything else, I liked it as a kid because the seperation nicely illustrated the fact he could take off his mask or gloves apart from the rest of his costume (in other words it didn't read as one whole piece). The other aspect is that it's the ONLY animated feature where J Jonah Jameson is accurately portrayed for what he was in the comics. If you go back and listen to what he says, much of that would not make it past the censors today.

All other incarnations of JJ have been very diluted and generic in painting him as anything other than a frustrated figure. In the '67 series you KNEW what he was thinking because he attacked everything from teenagers to women and their role in society. I'm not saying I agree with what he was saying, but the role was honest to the character and I respect that (even more now since everything is so PC).

My greatest disappointment is that Stan Lee did not give it the props it was entitled to in the DVD box set. Much of what he wrote in the companion booklet was little more than a generic retrospect on the character rather than the series. That saddened me because the cartoon was so big in it's day, it deserve to get that recognition for a new generation. Most kids today can't see that because the animation obviously isn't up to specks with today's computer-generated features. I'm still waitng for one of those computers to show him swinging around a poll into a perfect squat position like the '67 series did so beautifully. The computers have done some things better but not everything...and of course the show tune will probably remain the most enduring of all time when it comes to superhero animated features.

[VintageMike]

I like Amazing Friends the best. I also think Dan Gilvezan was the best Spidey voice. I grew up on Amazing Friends to this day I like the designs (and by extenson those on the 80's solo toon) of the charcters the best. No shock there since they were base don the art of my favorite Spidey artist John Romita, Jr. Like any show it had it good episodes and bad ones.
For the most part I loved the guest stars. One of my favorite "little" possesions is the unedited VHS of "Seven Little Superheroes" that was put out years ago. I have the '67 box set while it's a classic can't get past how bad the art is in some places.

[LovetheLizard]

Hands down... The '67 classic. I grew up with it, saw it during it's first run, and consumed it as part of my afternoon diet in the early to mid 70's when I was coming home from school. Stan Lee and John Romita Sr were story consultants all through the first season and the results from my vantage point speak for themselves. I even liked the fact he didn't have webs on his chest. Even though it was more for budgetary reasons than anything else, I liked it as a kid because the seperation nicely illustrated the fact he could take off his mask or gloves apart from the rest of his costume (in other words it didn't read as one whole piece). The other aspect is that it's the ONLY animated feature where J Jonah Jameson is accurately portrayed for what he was in the comics. If you go back and listen to what he says, much of that would not make it past the censors today.

All other incarnations of JJ have been very diluted and generic in painting him as anything other than a frustrated figure. In the '67 series you KNEW what he was thinking because he attacked everything from teenagers to women and their role in society. I'm not saying I agree with what he was saying, but the role was honest to the character and I respect that (even more now since everything is so PC).

My greatest disappointment is that Stan Lee did not give it the props it was entitled to in the DVD box set. Much of what he wrote in the companion booklet was little more than a generic retrospect on the character rather than the series. That saddened me because the cartoon was so big in it's day, it deserve to get that recognition for a new generation. Most kids today can't see that because the animation obviously isn't up to specks with today's computer-generated features. I'm still waitng for one of those computers to show him swinging around a poll into a perfect squat position like the '67 series did so beautifully. The computers have done some things better but not everything...and of course the show tune will probably remain the most enduring of all time when it comes to superhero animated features.

I could not agree more...the 67' series is hands down the best adaptation of the true wonderful years of the Spider-Man saga. You cannot trump Ditko and Kirby art. The voices and animation was so close to the comics it brought them to life. I just watched Lizards' Lizards' everywhere from the 80's Spidey cartoon and all I kept saying was GOD this is awful. The Spidey and his amazing friends was well accepted by me only because it was Spidey, but aside from that Brian summed it up exactly by saying his thoughts which I agree 100% with regarding the 80's and 90's Spidey cartoons. The MTV computer animation was OK they just screwed with the villians and tried to make a catchy "coed" cartoon surrounding spidey. All in all I do not think there will ever be another Spidey cartoon which will ever be as good as the original.

[Customslab]

i liked the 60's spiderman but i must say the 80's one

[Comic Book Geek]

I understand people that originally watched the '67 series liking it the best, but watch 5 straight episodes now if you didn't and you're pulling your hair out.

Amazing Friends is my favorite if for no other reason than that's the one I watched as a kid. Stan Lee's voice, Plenty of Marvel Villains and Heroes made apearances, and the best Sat moring animation at the time. Add the Hulk toon in the mix and I was in superhero heaven for an hour. No other superhero toons at the time compared (Sorry Superfriends but it's true)

The 90's toon was overshadowed by the far superior BTAS. I can see how kids would have loved it, but I was well into my 20's and couldn't stomache it.

The MTV version was fun to look at. The characters could be stiff, but the lighting and action scenes were great. I think they departed too much from the comics though. and girlfriend's sleeping over and bad language alienated kids. It aimed at teens and college demos too much.

Spidey and the Marvel U have never had a great toon, but neither had the DC U until Timm/Dini

[LovetheLizard]

I understand people that originally watched the '67 series liking it the best, but watch 5 straight episodes now if you didn't and you're pulling your hair out.

I can see where you are coming from with regards to the last 2 seasons of the show. However, completely disagree with you on the 1st season.

Amazing Friends is my favorite if for no other reason than that's the one I watched as a kid. Stan Lee's voice, Plenty of Marvel Villains and Heroes made apearances, and the best Sat moring animation at the time. Add the Hulk toon in the mix and I was in superhero heaven for an hour. No other superhero toons at the time compared (Sorry Superfriends but it's true)

That is cool that you liked Spidey and his Amazing friends which I also grew up with, but watching it now I think the plot lines were horrible and Spidey's voice was awful. I hated what they did to classic Spidey villians as well. I am a true bonafied Spidey collector, but I would rather watch an original Superfriends with the Legion of Doom any day of the week opposed to watching the Spidey and his Amazing friends.

The 90's toon was overshadowed by the far superior BTAS. I can see how kids would have loved it, but I was well into my 20's and couldn't stomache it.

Agreed, this cartoon was 'OK' at best. The story lines well were adequate but far from great. I was never in love with the animation and thought they could have done much better. People who have very little knowledge of early Spidey tales are the ones who love this cartoon.

The MTV version was fun to look at. The characters could be stiff, but the lighting and action scenes were great. I think they departed too much from the comics though. and girlfriend's sleeping over and bad language alienated kids. It aimed at teens and college demos too much.

Agreed, they could have done so much more with this cartoon. Not sure what they were thinking...I do not think college kids are going to be watching spidey at 10-11 o'clock on a friday night instead of partying!

Spidey and the Marvel U have never had a great toon, but neither had the DC U until Timm/Dini

Ultimately, I have yet to see a cartoon from the 90's and today live up to the oldies from the 60's and 70's and 80's. I think the closest that has come to that is the 90's Batman the Animated Series.

[MIB41]

I understand people that originally watched the '67 series liking it the best, but watch 5 straight episodes now if you didn't and you're pulling your hair out.

Amazing Friends is my favorite if for no other reason than that's the one I watched as a kid. Stan Lee's voice, Plenty of Marvel Villains and Heroes made apearances, and the best Sat moring animation at the time. Add the Hulk toon in the mix and I was in superhero heaven for an hour. No other superhero toons at the time compared (Sorry Superfriends but it's true)

The 90's toon was overshadowed by the far superior BTAS. I can see how kids would have loved it, but I was well into my 20's and couldn't stomache it.

The MTV version was fun to look at. The characters could be stiff, but the lighting and action scenes were great. I think they departed too much from the comics though. and girlfriend's sleeping over and bad language alienated kids. It aimed at teens and college demos too much.

Spidey and the Marvel have never had a great toon, but neither had the DC until Timm/Dini

I have to tell you the '67 box set gets run constantly in my household. It's nothing for me to sit down and watch an entire disc of episodes. The kids enjoy it and it also serves as background company when I'm on the computer or doing some artwork and want something running that's relaxing. Ultimately everyone's favorite version appears to be rooted in the generation they came from and that's great. For me, getting to see Spidey move on television for the first time was just pure heaven and you almost had to grow up during that period to connect with my understanding. You had four channels on television and your entertainment was limited to comic books and what you could invent in the back yard. The age of action figures, cable television, and the internet were mere dreams.... but the prospect of a new cartoon with Spiderman on it was nothing short of thrilling. For a child in the 60's that was comparable to what Star Wars was in the late 70's. It was huge. In 1967 Spiderman came to life and so did a whole new generation of fans. You can never recreate the first time!

[HardyGirl]

When I was a kid, I really looked forward to my after school cartoons. '67 Spidey was in the line-up for years. Even after seeing them over and over, and saying those great one-liners w/ Spidey, it never got old. And there'll never be another great theme song like that! :spidey: