TV Talk - Spider-Man (1994)

Well, it's time for another TV show. I do have to say that this one trumps the live-action tv show by a lot, but this is a show that also included this...guy. Wow. Anyway, what show am I talking about? Spider-Man (aka Spider-Man: The Animated Series).

Background

It all started with a tape of recorded shows. After part 3 of the Dark Phoenix Saga ended, I saw an intro (an awesome intro) of this show. It was the first episode of the series. I really didn't watch the series regularly. I either saw episodes recorded or at someone else's house. When we finally got cable, the show was getting ready to go off and I was able to see the last two episodes. Since then, I've seen just about every episode of the show via Disney XD and reruns on FOX. I think my favorite seasons would have to be Seasons 2 and 3. You can't go wrong with mutated spiders and goblins.  Recently, I've been watching some episodes on  Netflix. What do I think of  it now? Find out below.

Likes

Spidey: My theme song is better than your theme song!

Wolverine: Uh-uh.

Iron Man: Guys, what about my theme?

S &W: Shut up, Tony!

So, what is there to like about this show? 

• Awesome  theme song!!!! - There is a reason this intro showed up on list of favorite animated intros.
• Great voice-casting - The voice casting on this show was pretty good. Everyone sounded pretty good. I don't think there were any bad voices on the show. The guy that voiced Peter/Spidey was awesome. He could be funny, tough, crazy, and angsty on the show. 
• Decent Animation - The animation was even pretty decent. There's nothing bad about it, but there is something about it that I'll talk about in the Dislike section. 
• A serious tone - There was a pretty serious tone to it. It wasn't too serious though and deviated from the comics (the INSIDIOUS Six instead of the Sinister Six? WTC?). Still, there were some powerful episodes. The constant angst of Peter being Spider-Man  and the consequences  that came with the job were there as well. (See "Turning Point" for more).
• Great villains - I think the show presented the villains well, though most of them did look a little off. What was up with Chameleon's suit? Anyway, they weren't used too much  though I do think I could have seen Venom around for a little longer. 
• Nice team-ups with other Marvel heroes- The numerous team-ups with other Marvel heroes were  pretty good. Spidey teamed up with a lot of heroes like The X-Men, Dr. Strange, Blade, and even some forgotten heroes from World War 2. I guess my favorites would be the X-Men team-up, the Blade team-up, and the Forgotten Heroes/Captain America team-up.  

Dislikes

Wow, that suit looks off. It even has useless shoulder pads!

Are there dislikes? Yeah, it's like that with every show.

• The fact that it ended with a big unanswered plot point - Just like with all the other shows that show up on here, this show ended after 5 seasons and 65 episodes. The sad part is this: the story was not over. In season 5, it was revealed that the MJ that Peter married was a clone, and that clone dies in what is probably the saddest thing on the show. Anyway, I read somewhere that there was a sixth season planned for the show. Peter would finally find MJ. Problem: some butthead decided to not give the show a sixth season.
• The animation - At times then and now, I notice that they reused a lot of footage from previous episodes and even the same episode. It's kinda funny but lazy. Sometimes, the animation wouldn't even match up with audio. 
• The music was a little bland  and overplayed - The music was overplayed a bit. Yeah, it was a tv show, but the music was pretty much the same every episode. Another thing that bugged me was that we never hear the rock theme in the show itself.

Favorite Episodes

Here are some highlighted episodes from the series:

• Night of the Lizard - The first episode of the series.
• The Alien Costume - We get the black costume, a bad Spider-Man, and Venom in three episodes.
• The Insidious Six - Six villains team up with the Kingpin to take out Spider-Man.
• The Mutant Agenda/The Mutants' Revenge - The X-Men team-up.
• Duel of the Hunters - The Punisher & Kraven the Hunter vs. Man-Spider. Oh yeah!!
• Enter the Green Goblin - Gobby finally shows up. 
• Turning Point - Stuff Happens. 
• Return of the Green Goblin - Harry takes the mantle of the Goblin.
• The Wedding - Peter and MJ get married.
• The Return of Hydro-Man - Something is revealed about MJ. 
• I Really, Really Hate Clones/Farewell, Spider-Man - The last two episodes where Spidey meets alternate versions of himself. 

................................

Well, that's all I have. If you're a Spidey fan, definitely check this show out. It's on Netflix and still on TV somewhere. Next time, I'll look at a show that is...well...heck. It's Spider-Man Unlimited. Yay?