"Spider-Man - The '67 Classic Collection" DVD Talkback (Spoilers)

[Stu]

Nothing Beats The Original
http://marvel.toonzone.net/images/67collection1.jpg
Spider-Man: The '67 Classic Collection
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 27th (Pre-Order release) / June 29th, 2004

Synopsis: Available on DVD for the first time ever, Spidey's classic 1967 animated adventures are brought together in the amazing Spider-Man: The '67 Classic Collection DVD box set. This nostalgic six-DVD set brings together all 52 fully restored classic Spider-Man episodes from the original 1967 TV series. It's non-stop action and excitement as Spidey takes on his biggest foes, including Dr. Octopus, The Green Goblin, Mysterio, The Rhino, The Kingpin, Dr. Magneto, and many more! This unique set is a must-own collectible for every Spider-Man fan,

Features:
-All 52 episodes digitally remastered!
-Written Introduction By Stan "The Man" Lee!

Comments?

[Spider-Friends]

Here's a repost of my review which is also at www.spider-friends.com (http://www.spider-friends.com/)

1. PICTURE QUALITY: The picture quality is STUNNING! It feels bizarre to be watching this show in such good picture quality since I have never seen it look this good. Discs 1-4 are completely remastered though many episodes vary in quality. Anybody should be more than satisfied with them. However that are some strong exceptions:

Disc 5 : Episodes that are washed out and blurry:

"The Winged Thing"
"Conner's Reptiles"
"Sky Harbor"
"The Big Brainwasher"
"The Vanishing Doctor Vespasian"
"Scourge of the Scarf"
Disc 6 : Only one episode that is washed out and blurry:

"Up from Nowhere"
Disc 5 & 6 do have even more episodes that aren't quite as cleaned up as others but the difference isn't near as shocking as the above listed episodes. Keep in mind that those episodes may be better looking than they ever have been but compared to others on the disc they do not look good.

2. PACKAGING: Initially this was a disappointment to me. It could have been done a lot better. They did use some artwork from the show though, so it COULD have been a lot worse. Inside the package is a cool shot of Peter looking at his radiated hand that looks very appropriate. I'll say it again: COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE. For an example, look at the Spider-Man vs. Daredevil DVD.

3. MENUS: They are okay. They used some quick flashes of a very "paused" looking web for the menu intro that doesn't look so good, but the use of the music is pretty great. The menu itself has a nice retro look.

4. EXTRAS: None unfortunately. I read that Mark Evanier recorded an interview for this thing but it is nowhere to be seen. But for $60 this is still a great deal. It would have been nice to have a documentary on the show and some interviews with the people involved but beggars can't be choosers, right?

ALL IN ALL: What more do you really need? All 52 episodes are here in excellent quality. I'll be happy enough if they do the same for Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. Which brings me to my next point:

EVERYBODY PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BUY THE 67 COLLECTION (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001I55O2/spiderfriends-20)!!! I WANT MORE MARVEL CARTOONS ON DVD!!! IF this sells well Buena Vista will want to put out more Marvel Cartoons! PLEASE!!!!

[Spider-Friends]

Ralph Bakshi discusses his role with the 1960's SPIDER-MAN TV cartoons in the Toronto Globe and Mail (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040628/BAKSHI28/TPEntertainment/Film).

[AarHan3]

EVERYBODY PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BUY THE 67 COLLECTION (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001I55O2/spiderfriends-20)!!!
That's what I plan to do! :D I remember getting a first eyefull of 1967-70 Spider-Man repeats in the late 1970s after school every Monday-to-Friday afternoon @ 4 p.m. (Central) on my local CBS affilliate, WWL-TV Channel 4 (http://www.wwl-tv.com/), New Orleans. Once you've been bitten by that bug, you're hooked for life!

Sure would like to see a tribute to the 1967 edition of Spidey on your Spider-Friends.com page, Spider-Friends! :cool:

[Spider-Friends]

Sure would like to see a tribute to the 1967 edition of Spidey on your Spider-Friends.com pageTHUD! (That sound you hear is me falling over dead.)

As much as I am enjoying watching the 67 Collection, I actually HATED the show as a child so the nostalgia factor is not there for me. I loved Spider-Man & his Amazing Friends (obviously) so I rented & recorded a video tape from the early 80s that had the first 5 episodes of season two of the 67 show.

http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/kmccorry/spidermanmcavideo.jpg

When I watched it, the repeated swinging, jazzy music & Spidey's "superhero" voice were all unbearable to me. Being a kid though, I watched the tape quite a few times, all-the-while telling myself how much I hated it. As I grew older I pretty much avoided the show because of those memories. Now I wish I hadn't because I think I would have enjoyed the first season episodes since they had the comic book villains that I wanted to see.

Reading that interview with Ralph Bakshi made me glad to find someone to blame for what I hated about the show: "Whenever we fell short a couple of minutes, I just kept the son of a b**** swinging." AARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

Glad to hear that you are buying the set!

[Stu]

That was a nice little interview with someone who appears to be very angry. :)

My set came in the mail this morning, and I've watched the first 2 discs so far, and they've been great. A solid presentation so far. I'm a little dissapointed about the lack of features, a few episode introductions or Stan Lee's Soapbox would've been great, but I can't really complain...the cartoon is nearly 40 years old, and we've got every single episode in a box set.

I'll be reviewing it in length for Toon Zone News and The Marvel Animation Age soon.

[Jon T]

Well, got my set this morning and am very satisfied! This is how cartoons should be treated on DVD, with every single episode released in one handy boxset! I've seen most of the episodes before, so there are no surprises for me.

It is nice however, to be able to watch a great majority of them (haven't gotten to the poorer picture quality episodes yet) with such clear picture quality. Should Disney ever release any of the other older Marvel shows, they should definitely go back to the original negatives and get some new prints made. The results with this show and with others that have had the same treatment (such as Rhino's DVD releases of Transformers & G.I. Joe) are immediately obvious.

One thing I did notice however, that the seconds long scenes of Spidey climbing on a web that used to go between two of the half-hour stories have been removed from a majority of episodes. I did spot one in a second season ep, so at least there is an example of it on the set. Also, the next episode previews have been removed. I believe that the 2nd and 3rd season previews were virtually identical, with only a voiceover by Spidey giving information about the following episode. For the 1st season, we are treated to a few visuals of Spidey talking to the camera and actual clips from the following episodes are shown.

I had heard that a mini documentary about the show was filmed with at least Stan Lee and Mark Evanier participating, but there's no sign of it on the set. I don't think it was meant to be too long, but even a small extra such as that would have been very welcome. It's a shame Disney left it out of the set.

Aside from these not altogether unexpected removals, I'm very satisfied with the set. Could the '81 collection and beyond be far behind?

Oh and here's another interview, this time with a surprisingly knowledgeable Paul Soles:

http://www.superherohype.com/articles/index.php?id=1615

[The Overlord]

Yeah Ralph Bakshi was one who replaced all the grounded stories featuring Spidey's comic book rogues, with insane tales involving aliens, demons and monsters in season 2.

[GrantM]

Anyone know if the DVD set is getting a UK release?

[Spider-Man]

I had heard that a mini documentary about the show was filmed with at least Stan Lee and Mark Evanier participating, but there's no sign of it on the set. I don't think it was meant to be too long, but even a small extra such as that would have been very welcome. It's a shame Disney left it out of the set.
I heard about that, too. What about the "written introduction" by Stan Lee that is supposedly on the DVD set? What does it cover?

[bradvickers69]

Is there any gunplay or any other bits cut like they do sometimes on the ABC FAMILY channel?

[Stu]

The gunplay seems to be there. Some edits do seem have been taken place, one of which is in "The Origin Of Spider-Man". The shot of his costume coloured in incorrectly is missing.


I heard about that, too. What about the "written introduction" by Stan Lee that is supposedly on the DVD set? What does it cover?

It's in the free booklet that came with the disc. It's basically a 2 page written article, the typical Stan Lee goodness you'll have no doubt heard before.

I'm onto disc 3 of the set now, what's happened? The quality of the series has taken a slight dip and there's no Spidey villians in site! He's fighting people from the bottom of the earth and stuff. In damn weird backgrounds too.

And he must spend a good 5 minutes webslinging in every single episode. Ralph Bakshi obviously ran short in every episode. :sad:

[Spider-Friends]

I'm onto disc 3 of the set now, what's happened? The quality of the series has taken a slight dip and there's no Spidey villians in site! He's fighting people from the bottom of the earth and stuff. In damn weird backgrounds too.
You've hit the second season and are feeling my pain, I see. I like that there is more to Peter's social life but besides that I don't know how many of these episodes I can make it through. I started fast-forwarding through the web swinging scenes in "King-Pinned" and will continue to do so in each and every episode from here on out!

[Stu]

You've hit the second season and are feeling my pain, I see. I like that there is more to Peter's social life but besides that I don't know how many of these episodes I can make it through. I started fast-forwarding through the web swinging scenes in "King-Pinned" and will continue to do so in each and every episode from here on out!

It got beyond a joke on some of the episodes. He must have been swinging for hours in the caves below earth...

I noticed they moved him back to school too. Jameson and Betty are now long gone too, to my dissapointment. They've changed the designs, and made them look far too cheap. It's not been too good at all so far.

I thought seeing The Scorpion being 20 feet tall would be the weirdest thing I'd see in the set :)

[Jon T]

The gunplay seems to be there. Some edits do seem have been taken place, one of which is in "The Origin Of Spider-Man". The shot of his costume coloured in incorrectly is missing.
Which shot was that? I know they reversed the red and blue in the scene where he first appears in costume and jumps through his window, but that shot was still there.


You've hit the second season and are feeling my pain, I see. I like that there is more to Peter's social life but besides that I don't know how many of these episodes I can make it through. I started fast-forwarding through the web swinging scenes in "King-Pinned" and will continue to do so in each and every episode from here on out!
I think a large part of my nostalgia for the show comes from the fact that the majority of episodes available on rental tapes here were wisely taken from the 1st season. I only saw some of the 2nd and 3rd season eps for the first time years later, and hated them. I do kind of like some of the gloomy mood and music present in the later episodes, but the shockingly poor animation, lack of any Marvel villains, and downright weirdness of the stories does put me off quite a bit as well. Things probably would have been easier to watch if they'd kept the same writers as the 1st season.

It's obvious that Krantz Films alone were very short on time and resources to make the show compared to Grantray-Lawrence's work on the first season. Indeed, the animation on some of the 2nd and 3rd season episodes is so poor, that they come off worse than the old G-L Marvel Superheroes shows! I bet Bakshi was elated when he got a hold of G-L's stock animation cels of Spidey swinging away!

So I'm afraid the only episodes that most people will see any merit in (and consequently, the only ones highlighted in advertising) are the 1st season ones. Still, at least all of those episodes were actually re-mastered!

[Stu]

Which shot was that? I know they reversed the red and blue in the scene where he first appears in costume and jumps through his window, but that shot was still there.

I must've missed it. I was probably looking for thw wrong version.

Some of these second season episodes have been a chore to watch. I heard the quality dipped but they've messed everything up, even Jameson's design! The scene with him talking is exactly the same thing everytime. Not a single thing changes. Beyond a joke. I'm on disc 4 now.

Do any more good villians appear? I thought them using Dr. Magneto in the first season took the piss...

[batmanosaurus]

Disclaimer: Hopefully this doesn't qualify as advertising and break any rules. That's not my intent.

I just want to let you fellow spider-fans know something I'll know you'll enjoy. An indie band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada called Volume teamed up with the series' composer, Ray Ellis, and in 2002 released a cd. This is the only way you'll ever get any of the show's music (aside the famous theme song -which Ellis didn't write) albeit it's not the original recordings.

This is no small feat. The original recordings were lost. Volume figured everything out by going over old VHS's and of course by working with Ellis. It's a fantastic album and a must-have for anyone who picked up the DVD's.

I'm not going to include a direct link to where you can buy this album online (and it's only available online) because that's obvious advertising. But here's the link to the band's site where you can hear a few samples. I'm sure you'll figure it out from there.

http://www.spider-band.com/

[angilbas]

I'm onto disc 3 of the set now, what's happened? The quality of the series has taken a slight dip and there's no Spidey villians in site! He's fighting people from the bottom of the earth and stuff. In damn weird backgrounds too.

That's "Menace From the Bottom of the World," the first of Bakshi's 'trippy' episodes in which Spidey encounters bizarre creatures and humanoids against psychedelic backgrounds. But with a time-and-money budget of one week and $14,000 per episode, it's remarkable that Bakshi's works, for all their oversights and mistakes, look as good as they do. Evidence of cost-cutting predominates, but nice animation touches are seen here and there. Some of the character designs are very fine. And Bakshi made sure that the soundtrack had a variety which was lacking in Season One.


-Tony

[Senbei Norimaki]

I just got this set today. Which Episode in the the set has Mary Jane in it?

[Spider-Friends]

I just got this set today. Which Episode in the the set has Mary Jane in it?
"The Big Brainwasher"

[Anarky]

as a lover of superheroes and all things comics, i am obligated to my duty and i will buy this set..even though i've never seen a single episode of the '67 series...or the '81 series.

remember, one good turn deserves another:
BUY BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES VOLUME 1

*i'm still waiting for box sets of the 90's Spidey series.

[Spider-Man]

Do you think the prices will drop on these sets? Everywhere I go it's still too expensive for me to pick up. I'd like to get the set even though I wasn't a big fan of the show. I do see that alot of people here really like the set and I would definitely like to see the new transfer since I'm so used to the old one.

[Spider-Friends]

Do you think the prices will drop on these sets? Everywhere I go it's still too expensive for me to pick up. I'd like to get the set even though I wasn't a big fan of the show. I do see that alot of people here really like the set and I would definitely like to see the new transfer since I'm so used to the old one.I think it will be a long time before there is a manufacturer's price drop. They spent money to get these episodes looking this good and I haven't heard of any other show sets getting drastic price reductions.

Of course, the price will gradually drop for used copies on Ebay but I really hate for you to buy it that way. Buying a used copy will not increase the number of units sold and I would LOVE for this set to sell a large number to insure that there will be more Marvel cartoon sets from Buena Vista! :)

BTW, I borrowed my nephew's copy of SPIDER-MAN VS. DAREDEVIL. It has the episode "Kingpinned" from the 67 show on it which was obviously not remastered: WOW, WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!

EDITED TO ADD: I just checked AMAZON.COM (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001I55O2/spiderfriends-20/104-6076319-0399132) and the 67 set (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001I55O2/spiderfriends-20/104-6076319-0399132) is now down to $44.99 with FREE shipping!

[Spider-Friends]

From his website (http://www.newsfromme.com), Mark Evanier has the answer of what happened to the interview he did for the DVD set:

Lastly, a number of folks have written to ask me why there are no special features (like, say, the interviews they did with Stan Lee and me) on the new DVD set of the 1967 Spider-Man cartoons. This one, I can answer. A little documentary was prepared but didn't get finished and approved in time to make it onto the set...which, I gather, had a very strict release schedule since they wanted it to coincide with the new movie. No word on whether that mini-documentary will ever appear anywhere.

[Spider-Man]

Lastly, a number of folks have written to ask me why there are no special features (like, say, the interviews they did with Stan Lee and me) on the new DVD set of the 1967 Spider-Man cartoons. This one, I can answer. A little documentary was prepared but didn't get finished and approved in time to make it onto the set...which, I gather, had a very strict release schedule since they wanted it to coincide with the new movie. No word on whether that mini-documentary will ever appear anywhere.
That's a shame to hear. From what I read on a couple Spider-Man sites the interview was pretty good. The set is still pretty pricey and I can't find it for less than $56 dollar Canadian. I am hoping with a little patience it will dip under the $50 mark. Are there any extensive reviews of the set online?

[Stu]

I reviewed it for my site, http://marvel.toonzone.net/spideytas

I've also read a review for the set on www.ign.com

I still haven't made my way through the set, the 2nd/3rd season episodes are simply a chore to watch now...

[Helena Wayne]

I reviewed it for my site, http://marvel.toonzone.net/spideytas

I've also read a review for the set on www.ign.com (http://www.ign.com/)

I still haven't made my way through the set, the 2nd/3rd season episodes are simply a chore to watch now...
You said it. There were some great eps in Season 2/Season 3, but some of them are complete duds. I love the 'Home' episode, but 'Pardo Presents' is plain stupid, and 'Cloud City of Gold' was just boring. I haven't worked my way through discs 5 & 6 yet, but I was surprised by how much I was bored with some of these. I don't fault the release of these, since the completist in me wants them all, but I haven't seen the show in over 10 years and I was astonished at how much I loved some of these and how much I couldn't wait until some of them were finished... ho hum...

Ed

[Chris Wood]

You said it. There were some great eps in Season 2/Season 3, but some of them are complete duds. I love the 'Home' episode, but 'Pardo Presents' is plain stupid, and 'Cloud City of Gold' was just boring. I haven't worked my way through discs 5 & 6 yet, but I was surprised by how much I was bored with some of these. I don't fault the release of these, since the completist in me wants them all, but I haven't seen the show in over 10 years and I was astonished at how much I loved some of these and how much I couldn't wait until some of them were finished... ho hum...

Ed
Are those later episodes at least unintenionally funny like the SuperFriends? Or are they completely dull? I don't know if I want to buy the whole set if so much of it is subpar.

[Helena Wayne]

Are those later episodes at least unintenionally funny like the SuperFriends? Or are they completely dull? I don't know if I want to buy the whole set if so much of it is subpar.
No, a lot of it isn't subpar, at least to me. I'm just expressing my surprise since I was so gung-ho over this set and thought I'd love every episode. It's been at least 10 years since I've seen these shows (probably even more, like 15) so my memory was hazy. Sometimes the memory of liking a show is what we're enamoured with rather than the show itself. But that isn't the case here. There are definitely a lot of eps on this set that make it worth the purchase. There are just some stinkers as well, at least in my opinion, but we all have different tastes and you may end up liking the eps I dismissed as boring in my earlier post.

In any case, don't hesitate to buy this. It's worth the investment.

Ed

[angilbas]

Sometimes the memory of liking a show is what we're enamoured with rather than the show itself. But that isn't the case here. There are definitely a lot of eps on this set that make it worth the purchase. There are just some stinkers as well, at least in my opinion, but we all have different tastes and you may end up liking the eps I dismissed as boring in my earlier post.


Ed


I like Cloud City of Gold. Its music, which sounds like 1950s horror stock, enhances this ep's genuine suspense. Bold colors make the scenery eye-catching. The plot elements (like devil-tailed bats gathering in an attack formation) are preposterous, but fun. And the animation, though cheap, isn't entirely limited (at one point, foreground stalagmites move faster than the background ones to give the scene a 3-D effect ... and the bats' tails wave menacingly as they prepare to dive).


-Tony

[Helena Wayne]

I finally got done watching ALL of the episodes on this DVD. Man, I had no idea how much stealing from other episodes this show did, especially for Season 3. I can take recycled shots of Spidey swinging and all, but come on, recycling stories that only appeared a season before? That's really bad.

But you know what? I wouldn't part with this set for anything. This show was such an integral part of my childhood and there's enough gold in the set to make up for the lemons.

Thanks Buena Vista!

Ed

[Hypestyle]

... I've got all of them on vhs.. but a dvd set would be super-convenient.. yeah, I'll pick it up somewhere eventually..

[Helena Wayne]

... I've got all of them on vhs.. but a dvd set would be super-convenient.. yeah, I'll pick it up somewhere eventually..
Yeah, I recommend that you do, if only for storage space. The thought of all 3 seasons on VHS must be quite a space taker, although it's better than nada. The quality is better than anything I've seen on TV as well, although about 5 eps seem a little washed out. Guess the show aged in more ways than one...

Ed

[Hypestyle]

I'll pick up the set eventually.. though I am disappointed that there is not much commentary..

Bakshi is apparently bitter over being mistreated.. unless there was a big check involved, he probably wouldn't have participated anyway.. :)

though it would have been nice to get Stan Lee, John Romita, and some contemporary comix creators who don't hate the show to comment...

[Batman]

I like this Dvd & many of the episodes in it althought it could have been better with more Speical Features.;)

[jermainemack]

I still have it on all 6 DVD set that I have at the mall in SC on my vacation in one of my favorite Spider-Man The 67 Collection and I watch all 52 episodes of Spider-Man when it ran on ABC from 1967-1970 atfer 3 seasons when Grantray-Lawrence Animation/Krantz Films made that show back in the 60's and I still have that at on DVD!

[screw on head]

We've already got a talkback for this collection, so I'm going to merge this thread with it.

[Hypestyle]

"The Big Brainwasher"
pete actually drives a car in several eps... neat, compared to the comics.. or the current toons...

[Stu]

I remember reading a comic where the Human Torch taught him to drive the Spider-Mobile.

Really.

I also read a later issue, in which the Invisable Woman asks him to take the wheel, and as soon as he stops, he's shaking, telling her he's never drove before. :p

[Trevor]

I picked up this collection back in 2006, one of my first TV-on-DVD purchases after I got out of college (when this was released in 2004 I was just heading to college, so I wasn't able to afford it then). But I wasn't prepared for the video quality of this set. Shure I had the DVD's of the 90's Spider-Man series mainly because I had wanted to see the episodes from this series, and I had noticed that on the "Daredevil" and "Doc Ock" DVD's I noticed the video quality was very good for this series, while the episodes on the Ultimate Villain Showdown and "Green Goblin" DVD's looked like they had been covered with the black exhaust that the Goblin's glider was emitting in the 67 Goblin episode on the Return of the Green Goblin DVD, and the video was very grainy and dark, and the audio sounded like it was coming through a speaker that someone had wrapped a couple of coats around.

But when I popped, I think it was the second disc, to view The Origins of Spider-Man episode I was just blown away by the video quality. This was not the same episode that had been shown in constant repeats and that had been used on the Ultimate Villain Showdown DVD and how many VHS Marvel Collections. Even the audio was really sharp and crisp.

But by far, back in 2006, I found that the most cleaned up episode that I could see on the set was the Goblin episode that had been a bonus on the Return of the Green Goblin DVD. It no longer looked like I was trying to see through the Green Goblin's poorly tuned engine exhaust and I was able to see details that had been obscured in the old transfers just from generational loss either due to the original film master being handled quite a bit, or even from the tape master being who-knows-how-many-generations-away from the original tape master that was probably on 3/4 tape in the 70's.

As for bonus content---that was the only major downside to this set. Aside from the note from Stan Lee, I was suprised that there were no audio commentaries or even interviews with Stan Lee or some of the voice actors and illustrators (with bonuses I'm sort of comparing this set to how Warner Brothers issued the old 1966 How The Grinch Stole Christmas in 2000 with an audio commentary by animator Phil Roman and Cindy Loo-Who voice actress June Foray, plus the 1994 TV special edition).

Anyway, hopefully, now that Disney owns Marvel we will see this collection re-released on DVD and released on Blu-Ray.