Spider-Woman

Spider-Woman was a fantastic animated series from Marvel at a time when cartoons had begin to dumb down. What you get from Spider-Woman is still quite juvenile, but it manages to capture enough of the Marvel/Stan Lee spirit to make it a hit. The characterisations of Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman and co are good enough to make this an interesting Cartoon, and it has the added plus that it doesn't talk down to the viewer.

It was very interesting for Marvel to choose to make an Animated series about Spider-Woman in the first place. The character had only appeared briefly in the pages of Marvel Comics and then she was cast as a villain. The comics writers had to create a whole new character to accomodate the series, and with a fresh origin etc. The character of Spider-Man is all but jettisoned from the proccedings albeit as a guest star in the pilot episode Pyramids Terror. This series was exciting, funny and is well worth a look for Marvel afficianadoes.

Spider-Woman is one of those older Marvel cartoons that aired in the 1970's and 1980's, and is the final production.

In this series, Jessica Drew is a reporter for Justice Magazine, who has the secret identity of Spider-Woman. As the intro reveals, Jessica was bitten by a venomous spider while visiting her father's lab, which results in him using an untested spider serum, which cures her, and gives her spider powers. Now, she becomes Spider-Woman to stop evil while saving her nephew Billy and photographer Jeff Hunt, the two always getting captured.

A cartoon based on the comic series by Marvel comics, Spider-Woman is a cartoon that differs a lot from its comic book source material. As the comic was said to be a lot darker (especially since the heroine started out as a villain, as she was a member of HYDRA), this show tones down the dark elements and adds in lighter elements, like Jeff and Billy, who are basically there to be the characters Spider-Woman has to save every episode (similar to how Superman has to save Lois Lane). In the show's sixteen episodes, Spider-Woman goes on adventures around the world, facing mostly supernatural danger, from vikings who found a way to travel to the present day, to an alien mummy leading an army, and even android athletes. Yeah, these are mostly original villains, with a few episodes involving actual Marvel Comics supervillains, like The Kingpin, Dormanmu, and even Marvel's version of Dracula. In two episodes, Spider-Woman even teams up with Spider-Man.

Yeah, this does have some problems, like some of the sillier storylines and the cheesy plots, but I got to used to them as this was a product of a time where such things were common in cartoons. The last Marvel cartoon made by DePatie-Frelend Enterprises, who afterward was reincorperated into Marvel Productions (which two years later, would release the 1980's Spider-Man cartoon, and would go on to make a some of the decade's most-remembered cartoons, like G. I. Joe, The Transformers, and Muppet Babies), Spider-Woman only lasted sixteen episodes, but they are a neat example of how a cartoon with the main protagonist being female can be done, even if it is cheesy and silly.

Her spider-like powers include flying and shooting lasers from her hands and she works for a magazine. It's funny that they thought her origin had to be different than Spider-Man's but then she works at a magazine. The first episode had Spider-Man in it for no apparent reason, he had nothing to do with the story. Of course there's the random little boy who has full access to the magazine offices and goes on adventures with her and the photographer. In almost every episode they think she died because she just jumps out of vehicles. This is bad but Marvel has done worse.

This show make no sense whatsoever, and that's generally fun. Spider-Woman defeats alien mummies with cubes. It absurd, ridiculous, and needs to be seen to be believed . My only real gripe is the series use of spider-man. He's only in two episodes, but he's weirdly condescending and kinda sexist to spider-woman, and this isn't portrayed as a bad thing. It's at its worst at the end of his second appearance. Spider-Woman gets captured and Spidey has to saves her, and even takes down the villain basically by himself. He also randomly asks her out afterwards. Making Spider-Man into a sexist jerk and Spider-Woman into a damsel in distress in her own show isn't great. Thankfully he's gone after that, and she goes back to beating up Dracula and stuff.

Marvel Comics are the best comics line in the world (along with DC Comics) and Marvel have always made great cartoons too.

Spider Woman was fantastic-it's impossible to dislike any fantasy show in my opinion. Spider Woman was a strong heroine who needed absolutely no help from any males when it came to vanquishing the bad guys. And she has a cool costume as well.

There were some great episode-my favorite one was "Pyramids of Terror" guest starring Spider-Man. But it was Spider Woman who ended up saving Spider-Man on a few occasions.

The tune for this show just sticks in your head and I couldn't stop humming it at one point.

If you like Marvel Comics, then you'll like this show.