"Action Is His Reward!"

Like a lot of kids today ( By "kids" I mean forty-somethings ), my first exposure to Spider-Man was the classic 1967-1970 cartoon. You know the one I mean, with the catchy theme song that goes "Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can!" I remember watching this show religiously after school on cable channel WSNS Channel 44, out of Chicago. Even during the summertime, I made a special point to come in from playing outside, just to catch the animated adventures of my favorite super hero, though I had probably already seen them a zillion times each.

Eventually the series disappeared from our local cable television line-up, and it wasn't until a few years later that I would be reunited with Spidey's cartoon counterpart. Marvel, along with Prism Video started releasing television episodes of animated versions of their characters on tape. Then, thanks to some lucky bastard with a video recorder and the foresight to hit the record button at just the right time, bootleg cassettes of the series began showing up at comic and sci-fi conventions. That's where I managed to snag a couple of tapes containing a handful of episodes, which I have worn out from repeat viewing.

Thanks to the internet, I’ve come across several web-sites over the years that touched on this marvelous animated classic, but none really gave me the detail I was looking for, just brief plot descriptions and minor details. What I was really interested in knowing was some behind-the-scenes info, such as why did they re-use animation of Spider-Man swinging through the city to pad out certain episodes? And why did Peter Parker sound like the little elf that wanted to be a dentist from "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer"?

The series was released on DVD back in the early 2000’s ( Now out of print ), and in just the last couple of years, the episodes have been available to view for free at Marvel.com, as well as streaming on Netflix. Plus, the show has pretty much remained in syndication in the U.S. and other countries non-stop, since the early 1970’s, still airing in Canada, where the show’s voice actors originated from. Thanks to these all of these options, this show continues to delight the fans who have re-discovered it, as well as entertain a whole new generation.

This blog is dedicated to these classic Spider-Man cartoons. I plan on posting reviews of episodes, interesting screen shots, and generally picking apart the series. Don’t get me wrong, my tone may seem snarky at times, but I LOVE this show. I must, otherwise I wouldn’t be dedicating a whole blog to it. As a kid watching, it was just cool to see Spidey on TV, quipping and thwipping. But as an adult, part of the charm of this show is its low-budget, the results of which are quite apparent on screen. So yes, I still think this series is one of the best representations of the character outside of the comics, but I’m also aware of its flaws. Trust me, I’m aware.

Note the spelling error. One of those “flaws” I mentioned.

Anyway, I hope that other fans of the Classic Spider-Man cartoon enjoy reading this blog as much as I do creating it. Just like Spidey, when it comes to wealth and fame, I’m ignored. Your positive feedback is my reward!

NEXT: What the hell happened between Season One and Two?