This was a great series that is over looked by spider-man and his amazing friends. Ted Schwartz voice was far better then Dan Gilvezan. why didn't Ted do the voice of spider-man in amazing friends.Doctor doom was the main villain of the series but i didn't mind. it was a shame spiderwoman didn't make a cameo in the the series as spider-man was made to look an idiot in the spiderwoman series this would have been ideal to get there own back. the animation is very good for the time.The superman references are funny to.other heroes appear to prince namor and Namorita captain America ka-zar and madusa, in some episodes. most of your spider-man villains are here to green goblin,sandman kingpin,kraven the hunter black cat and the lizard. episode 22 is called Arsenic and Aunt May which has the chamelon tricking aunt may im sure in the comics it was mysterio who tried to trick aunt may, two episdodes are remade in amazing friends is told better in this series The Web of Nephilia remade in amazing friends called Attack of the Arachnoid and Revenge of the Green Goblin remade in amazing friends is called The Triumph of the Green Goblin. again though with there is always the stupid made up villains to
15 Reviews
Spider-Man (1981-1982)
georgy_1181130 May 2023
There were certainly great animated TV series based on Marvel Comics properties coming out in the 80s and this one, featuring Spider-Man, one of Marvel's most prominent superheroes, is no exception. While the series definitely has a few weaker episodes, there's definitely more good ones.
While the premise is lifted straight from the comics, all of the plots are original to the series and the series balances a supporting cast of Spider-Man enemies, guest villains and original characters. A lot of the cast from the comics is present, like Peter's elderly aunt May, his choleric boss J. Jonah Jameson or Peter's love interest Betty Brant. Other characters are mentioned and lots of other Marvel characters have either guest appearances or cleverly hidden cameos.
The series is a big step up from the 1967 TV series and not only features thrilling superhero action but also very human moments like Peter's struggle with money and him trying to balance his private life with his superhero life.
In one very outstanding example, Spider-Man actually tries to help the supervillain get out of his miserable situation instead of just defeating him. Unfortunately, it is a one-time example but it definitely sets the stage for other Spider-Man series to come.
One minor issue I had when watching it was that I noticed that the series could have benefitted from a different episode order in my opinion. There's an epic six-parter with Doctor Doom scattered througout the series and a two-parter with a Kingpin and then the series just ends with a one-shot that not even contains a Spider-Man villain. The Doom episodes certainly have the feeling of a series finale and the viewer experience could enhance if the episode "Countdown to Doom" is watched last.
While the premise is lifted straight from the comics, all of the plots are original to the series and the series balances a supporting cast of Spider-Man enemies, guest villains and original characters. A lot of the cast from the comics is present, like Peter's elderly aunt May, his choleric boss J. Jonah Jameson or Peter's love interest Betty Brant. Other characters are mentioned and lots of other Marvel characters have either guest appearances or cleverly hidden cameos.
The series is a big step up from the 1967 TV series and not only features thrilling superhero action but also very human moments like Peter's struggle with money and him trying to balance his private life with his superhero life.
In one very outstanding example, Spider-Man actually tries to help the supervillain get out of his miserable situation instead of just defeating him. Unfortunately, it is a one-time example but it definitely sets the stage for other Spider-Man series to come.
One minor issue I had when watching it was that I noticed that the series could have benefitted from a different episode order in my opinion. There's an epic six-parter with Doctor Doom scattered througout the series and a two-parter with a Kingpin and then the series just ends with a one-shot that not even contains a Spider-Man villain. The Doom episodes certainly have the feeling of a series finale and the viewer experience could enhance if the episode "Countdown to Doom" is watched last.
Fun show
pbloome788 June 2022
I grew up with this show, it's counterpart in Amazing Friends, The Incredible Hulk and all of the dc counterparts floating around. I loved them all when I was three. I know there's a debate over what's the better show and to me that's unimportant. I love both these shows because of how they embraced the marvel universe and exposes you to characters you'd never think of running into. This show is also guilty of making me a Dr. Doom fan and until I really started reading comics did I find out that they rarely cross paths. This show has six episodes costarring doom and it's great. This show is fun and a blast from the past. Watch this with the little ones and grab some popcorn it's a gem.
an overlooked ground-breaker
phoenix2rachelsummers23 January 2005
This series has been somewhat overshadowed by the better-known, but in my opinion inferior, "Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends," which aired simultaneously during the early 80s. "Amazing Friends" was produced for network television, and this show was produced for syndication. That's why this show was free of a lot of the clichés and cuteness of most other early 80s cartoons, including "Amazing Friends." There was something genuinely weird and dark about this show, and it captured the flavor of the classic 1960s/early 1970s comic books which inspired it. Instead of teaming him up with countless other Marvel superheroes, Spidey worked mostly alone here, and the show was all the better for it; the only team-up was with Captain America, and even then it was consistent with the tone of the show, as they fought a truly scary villain, Captain America's main enemy, the Red Skull. It is also a historic show, as this was the first series to emerge from Marvel Productions, which went to make some of the greatest cartoons ever, including "Transformers" and "GI Joe." Even though the writing varied in quality from episode to episode, and even though the animation looks somewhat stiff compared to the Marvel shows that followed, this show still deserves more respect.
The voice actor is tooo far over the top
michael-anthoney25 August 2020
Alright, I've only seen two episodes (I'll revise this later, as I'll probably watch them all) so feel free to downvote me, but I'm having a hard time listening to this iteration of Spidey. He recites the lines as if they're actually funny, and he's trying waay too hard with the corny dialogue - you can't make something funny just by saying it louder. Well, some people can, but not him, so far. It's probably not the actor's fault, I bet he's doing just what the director wanted - he's certainly skilled, but the tone here is pretty grating. The villains so far are much better. The humor from this sort of older animated show comes from its charming clunkiness, and the implausible nature of its superhero world. Not from having Spider-Man crack LAME jokes every other line of dialogue. He says them like he expects big laughs, if he were in front of a live audience. The only way they might be funny is in how they top themselves in their unfunniness.
It seems like a minority opinion among the reviews here, but I enjoyed Amazing Friends much more. It takes itself seriously within the confines of its world and you don't have to shrug off the awful jokes every twenty seconds. It probably helps that there, the characters have each other to bounce lines off, where here, Spidey is forced to comment on the proceedings alone, mostly. I really don't care about the stories, maybe they're better here, but that's not why I watch something like this.
We'll see if this grows on me. So far, the wisecracks are *not* cracking me up. Maybe there's a reason Amazing Friends was much more popular.
It seems like a minority opinion among the reviews here, but I enjoyed Amazing Friends much more. It takes itself seriously within the confines of its world and you don't have to shrug off the awful jokes every twenty seconds. It probably helps that there, the characters have each other to bounce lines off, where here, Spidey is forced to comment on the proceedings alone, mostly. I really don't care about the stories, maybe they're better here, but that's not why I watch something like this.
We'll see if this grows on me. So far, the wisecracks are *not* cracking me up. Maybe there's a reason Amazing Friends was much more popular.
6/10!
AnnaPagrati18 March 2022
The ultimate "Spiderman" cartoon show.
alexanderdavies-9938229 June 2017
I still retain vague memories of watching this "Spiderman" cartoon show from the early 1980s. To me, it was like watching the comics come to life. Bearing in mind how long ago this was made, the animation still holds up very well. The plots in themselves may not be as detailed or as mature as the "Spiderman" show from the 1990s but it doesn't matter to me. There is a whole gallery of villains to watch: The Green Goblin, Dr. Doom, Dr. Octopus, Kingpin, The Red Skull, The Lizard, Mysterio, The Black Cat and other more obscure adversaries. It was slightly unexpected to see Dr. Doom in so many episodes from this show - a total of 6. After all, he has never been a regular "Spiderman" villain. The reason why he was included in so many episodes, was due to the huge following of the "Star Wars" character Darth Vader. There are so many great episodes here to choose from. There are 26 altogether and I would rate 19 from being excellent to very good. The music from this "Spiderman" show is very good as it suits the style and the tone. I was glad when all the episodes were released on DVD, as video releases were fairly seldom. I shall always rate the 1981 "Spiderman" cartoon show as the definitive one.
Excellent Introductory Spider-Man cartoon
hypestyle17 December 2020
This is the eponymous Spider-Man cartoon which debuted in syndication in 1981. Ironically, the production of this series was kind of a 13-episode pilot to convince television networks to order a Spider-Man based series for Saturday morning programming. This series, which was self-funded by Marvel Productions (formerly, DePatie/Freling Studios) focused on college student and part-time photographer Peter Parker, better known as the Amazing Spider-Man.
This series focuses on his adventures defending New York City (and sometimes, the entire country) from a wide array of menaces, most of them pulled straight from the Marvel comic books.
There were guest stars from different corners of the Marvel Universe of the time.
The animation was competent by late 1970s/early 1980s standards, and the voice actors are all compelling and fit the characters well.
Surprisingly, there is something of a 'meta-arc' involving the Dr. Doom character that finally reaches a climax in the 13th and final episode.
As stated, this series was self-funded and produced for syndication as a one-and-done series. "Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends" debuted the same year on NBC and became popular in its own right.
This was a welcome update to Spider-Man for Generation X fans who would have been the first to see this on television. Certain components may come across as dated to Z fans and even some younger Generation Y folks who haven't known a time before Nickelodeon, Disney Channel or the Cartoon Network.
Still, this is a worthy entry in the overall Spider-Man canon.
This series focuses on his adventures defending New York City (and sometimes, the entire country) from a wide array of menaces, most of them pulled straight from the Marvel comic books.
There were guest stars from different corners of the Marvel Universe of the time.
The animation was competent by late 1970s/early 1980s standards, and the voice actors are all compelling and fit the characters well.
Surprisingly, there is something of a 'meta-arc' involving the Dr. Doom character that finally reaches a climax in the 13th and final episode.
As stated, this series was self-funded and produced for syndication as a one-and-done series. "Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends" debuted the same year on NBC and became popular in its own right.
This was a welcome update to Spider-Man for Generation X fans who would have been the first to see this on television. Certain components may come across as dated to Z fans and even some younger Generation Y folks who haven't known a time before Nickelodeon, Disney Channel or the Cartoon Network.
Still, this is a worthy entry in the overall Spider-Man canon.
Mmmm
WeAreLive3 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This is an okay Spider-Man cartoon in my opinion, it is not the best or the worst but I have seen better than this.
I have only watched an episode where Spider-Man meets the Lizard and it was pretty good but coming from a late 90's/00's person I just don't find it interesting at all and the animation is just making the show tough to watch.
I wonder if the creators forgot that Curt Connors is the Lizard because that did put it down and the fact that some of the jokes are cheesy.
As an overall opinion midcore not the best or the worst just midcore.
I have only watched an episode where Spider-Man meets the Lizard and it was pretty good but coming from a late 90's/00's person I just don't find it interesting at all and the animation is just making the show tough to watch.
I wonder if the creators forgot that Curt Connors is the Lizard because that did put it down and the fact that some of the jokes are cheesy.
As an overall opinion midcore not the best or the worst just midcore.
Pretty underrated
paularjyarishi15 October 2020
PURE FUN
Big Movie Fan8 March 2002
My favourite Spider-Man shows were the late 1960's series and also Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. However, this was a decent show as well.
The animation techniques had evolved since the late 1960's series and there were some exciting villains in it as well. My favourite episode was where Spidey was shrunk by a villain called the Gadgateer. All the top Spidey villains were here-the Kingpin, Green Goblin, Doctor Doom etc.
This had the best written episodes of any Marvel series in my opinion and the animation was top notch for it's time.
Highly recommended.
Just one more point; Why do great shows such as this never get released onto video whilst other rubbish gets every episode released onto video?
The animation techniques had evolved since the late 1960's series and there were some exciting villains in it as well. My favourite episode was where Spidey was shrunk by a villain called the Gadgateer. All the top Spidey villains were here-the Kingpin, Green Goblin, Doctor Doom etc.
This had the best written episodes of any Marvel series in my opinion and the animation was top notch for it's time.
Highly recommended.
Just one more point; Why do great shows such as this never get released onto video whilst other rubbish gets every episode released onto video?
The Spiderman Of My Youth.
Vivekmaru452 February 2014
When I was young, I used to wait for this show on TV, after I came home for school. In my opinion, this is among the finest Spiderman shows I have ever watched.
In this series, Peter Parker having to balance his alter ego crime-fighting with his responsibilities as a university student, a part-time photographer for the Daily Bugle and caring for his elderly Aunt May Parker.
The show features Spiderman battling villains such as Chameleon, Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, The Kingpin, The Lizard, Sandman, Silvermane, Vulture, Mysterio, Magneto, Red Skull, Kraven the Hunter, Wizard, Sub-Mariner, Black Cat, Medusa, and the Green Goblin. Thus providing the viewer with plenty of comic book villains.
This series spawned a spin-off Spiderman And His Amazing Friends.
Other recommendations: Spider-man unlimited (1999-2001 13 Episodes), Spiderman The New Animated Series(2003-13 Episodes), The Spectacular Spiderman(2008-09 26 Episodes).
In this series, Peter Parker having to balance his alter ego crime-fighting with his responsibilities as a university student, a part-time photographer for the Daily Bugle and caring for his elderly Aunt May Parker.
The show features Spiderman battling villains such as Chameleon, Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, The Kingpin, The Lizard, Sandman, Silvermane, Vulture, Mysterio, Magneto, Red Skull, Kraven the Hunter, Wizard, Sub-Mariner, Black Cat, Medusa, and the Green Goblin. Thus providing the viewer with plenty of comic book villains.
This series spawned a spin-off Spiderman And His Amazing Friends.
Other recommendations: Spider-man unlimited (1999-2001 13 Episodes), Spiderman The New Animated Series(2003-13 Episodes), The Spectacular Spiderman(2008-09 26 Episodes).
The best animated version of Spiderman
afonsobritofalves16 September 2018
this cartoon show should be on DVD
fish4spider-119 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
this cartoon was one of my favorite's in the 80's and still is now i know the show only had 26 shows and should have lasted longer i thought ted swartz was great as spider-man. Dan Gilvezan was'nt that good as spider-man, ted should have been in spider-man and his amazing friends this show had peter working at the daily bugle most of the characters from the comic are in this show. this show had a six part story that had doctor doom being the main villain spider-man teaming up with captain America vs the red skull was a great episode this show has hardly any credit ted gets no credit for being great as a spider-man voice spider-man and his amazing friends was made as a rival for marval against dc comics superfriends spiderman teams up with prince namor captain America and others
I don't know
Op_Prime18 April 2000
When I was a little kid, I found this very enjoyable, but today I'm not quite sure. I don't think it's bad but I just did not get the same thrill from it. The animation could have used a little work and so could the stories. I don't think this was a bad show just not as good as some of the other Spidey shows.
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