Trying to get into Marvel animation, where to start?

[CyberCubed]

As far as I can tell, there's been about 5 different Spiderman cartoons and 3 different X-men cartoons. There's also been cartoons about Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Iron Man, etc. Then I know there's DTV DVDs similar to the DC universe movies.

I honestly have no idea where to start. Of course I am more interested in Spiderman and X-men. How many different shows were there exactly, and what are the episode lengths for each?

Are the older shows from pre-2000's too dated to watch now? I honestly never saw the 90's Spiderman/X-men back in the day.

[the greenman]

One of the major issues I have with Marvel is they seem to want their cake and eat it too when it comes to incarnations. Watching some of the older toons will allow you to see the true essence of the characters, before Marvel started dipping into the Ultimate nonsense. That's what ruined the Daredevil film, they basically threw about thirty years of stories into a blender and what came of it wasn't all that great.

Many of the toons nowadays are also stemming off of recent comics. I guess if you hadn't read the original comics, the changes won't bother you. I say watch everything and compare for yourself. I liked 90's series because they were very close to the comics. This includes Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, and of course X-Men. That's where I would start with a healthy dose of proper storylines. Some stuff should even be seen before watching the films. Those shows adapted the Venom, Weapon X, and other stories from the comics fairly well.

[Monte]

For spiderman i think you should go with "spectacular spiderman" first... Though i might still recommend the 90's show; it's dated with its bad animation but it will give you the broadest view of spidey's universe

As for X-men, I'd say either go with the 90's show or X-men Evolution; though i learn towards the 90's show...
Again, like spiderman the 90's show will give you the absolute broadest view of the x-men universe; however unlike the 90's spiderman it holds up better to modern standards; persoanlly i'd say it was the best of marvel's 90's animated series... "X-men evolution" is different in that it takes a step away from the normal continiuty showing something more of time before the X-men actually getting into being full time heroes with it focusing on them in the early days of their youth; dealing with Highschool, immature powers and dealing with the eventual outbreak of humans finding out about mutants... the downside is that it ends before they go full time heroes so you only see part of the universe and not the whole thing... i'd avoid "wolverine and the X-men" until you get through atleast one of those two series first; while WatXM is a good series it's own right i think it really isn't a good "X-men series" as it spends most of its time making wolverine look good and paying very little respect to the rest of the x-men; also i feel like the series was not self contained like it relied on the viewer having some knowledge of the X-men before hand... so i'd say it make for a poor intro

The currently airing "Avengers earth's mightest heroes" itself is also shaping itself up to be a good into to the marvel universe aswell. That covers captain America, ironman, hulk, antman, wasp, hawkeye. black panther, thor, nick Fury and a good deal more... granted the only downside is that thus far it hasn't really gone into the origins of some of the characters... for that you would either need to watch the live action movies which i think the writers drew some influence from or you'd have to watch some of the series from the 90's, but some of those series i really don't think they held up too well.

Fantastic four... kind of a tough one since what i've seen of the newer series is pretty bad, but i also wouldn't say the 90's series is all that strong today either. though i think i might lean towards the 90's

[AlgeaX]

I'm not sure what you mean by "start". Unlike the DCAU, almost all of Marvel's toons are their own continuities, so you can pretty much pick any one that looks interesting to you and start there. That said, here are my personal recommendations...

The Spectacular Spider-Man
In my opinion, the best Spider-Man 'toon ever if not one of the greatest superhero shows of all times. A must see for anyone looking for animated Spidey action.

Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
Really fun show. First couple of episodes are a little ho-hum but once it hits it stride watch out! Epic stories that span the depth and breath of the MU.

Wolverine & The X-Men
My personal fav of the X-Men shows, though not recommended for anyone who doesn't have a high tolerance for the hairy one. Also be warned, the show kinda assumes you're already somewhat familiar with the X-Mythos.

X-Men Evolution
As an alternative to the above. First season is pretty horrendous but it really picks up in season 2. Plus, Logan is kept strictly in the supporting role where he belongs.

90's Iron Man (second season only)
Closest 90's Marvel came to equaling Batman: TAS. Great characters, great drama, great show and single handedly responsible for making Tony Stark one of my favourite Marvel characters. Just keep away from the abominable first season.

[W.C.Reaf]

I think the best thing to do is pick some series that you think looks good and interesting and start watching. See what you like and don't like as there's no big DCAU type universe where you should watch it in some type of order.

Most series will take what's classic and what's modern and sticks them together to make a cohesive whole so don't worry about a show being "comic accurate". 90's Spider-Man used Venom and Carnage along side origins of Doc Ock and the Green Goblin, and hints to the Clone Saga, 90's X-Men had Phoenix Saga along with Cable and Bishop showing up from time to time, Spectacular Spider-Man had classic Lee-Ditko stories (like the Master Planner arc) along with the Ultimate version of Eddie Brock. Don't really think about the comics too much and what fits in where and just enjoy the shows.

(Since AlgeaX covered my other suggestions) Watch 90s Incredible Hulk (season 1). Great animation, the stories that are fairly classic and it grasps the tragic nature of the character. Great starting point to learn about the character and his world.

[Ed Liu]

Over and above what others have recommended (would repeat the suggestions for Spectacular Spider-Man, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/35321/nycc2010-avengers-earths-mightiest-heroes--highly-concentrated-kick-ass), and X-Men Evolution; guarded recommendation for Wolvie & the X-Men because I really like some of it and really, really, really hate other aspects (my review of the pilot (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/28137/wolverine-and-the-x-men-rewards-the-faithful), which still pretty much sums up lots of other stuff I liked and hated about it later)), I'd also say that Marvel has done a few really good DTVs. I quite enjoyed Next Avengers (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/25998/next-avengers-heroes-of-tomorrow-the-kids-are-alright) and Planet Hulk (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/32543/planet-hulk-is-a-smashing-success), and even Hulk Vs. has a lot of things to like about it. They're also all more-or-less self-contained and don't require a lot of background knowledge to watch and enjoy (vs. Wolvie & the X-Men and even Avengers), but if you have that background knowledge you can catch a few more in-jokes. They're kind of like the DC TV series and DTVs that way.

[Medinnus]

I recommend you head over to Marvel.com; they have a lot of content available on demand.

http://marvel.com/tv/

[ABrown]

I'm really not a fan of Marvel characters. But I very much enjoy watching Spiderman & His Amazing Friends, and the MTV Spiderman series.

[GregX]

Start with "The Spectacular Spider-Man" then head on over to "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes," and then, "Wolverine and the X-Men." The latter isn't perfect, but it's still my favorite X-Men series. The first two shows are stunning, though.

[Dexters Lab]

the marvel animated universe similar to the dcau in the 90s is really the best way to get the broadest understanding of the marvel universe as a whole. however unlike the dcau counterparts it has not aged as well. if you dont mind limitations of some censorship and not the best animation go for it since it is quite a ride. 90s spiderman/xmen are beloved to this day even if they aged for that very reason awesome shows. the other 90s tv shows are a mixed bag fantastic four/iron man/hulk/avengers, its a great way to get to know the characters but really arent the best shows but its neat how its all one universe.

if you want the best spiderman cartoon and a great introduction to the character watch spectacular spiderman, you won't get to know the entire spiderman universe like you did in the 90s show but the little we got of it is the best interpretation yet. x-men evolution is also a great take on the x-men very fun with the high school setting and making the characters teenagers gave them a bunch of fun stories to play with however you also dont get the full broadest view of the x-men universe since it ends pretty much where the 90s xmen cartoon starts. also the first season is fairly episodic and weak, the teenage thing seems like a turn off but it was written very well and its very interesting seeing them young.
. the new fantastic four show is pretty funny and has great action plus interaction just dont expect complicated plots or actual comicbook mythos of the fantastic four.. avengers earth's mightiest heroes check it out, its a good show but it might not be for you if not check out the Ultimate Avengers DTV and it gives you a good understanding on who the avengers are. the dtvs by marvel range from ok to pretty good but they are never as good as the dc ones. iron mans first cartoon is terrible even the second season, i hear the new cartoon isnt bad but dont know, watch the movie though great fun and youll know all the basics of iron man.

[jmsscarlet]

spectacular spider-man is the best spidey cartoon ever made and maybe the best marvel cartoon. i would start there and maybe try out the 90s x-men cartoon too. the new avengers cartoon is really good 2.

[dmxx116]

I say start with 90's X-men, Spider-Man, Iron Man and Fantastic Four season two and The Incredible Hulk season one.

And 2000 and up watch X-men Evolution and Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

[ktk]

For spiderman i think you should go with "spectacular spiderman" first... Though i might still recommend the 90's show; it's dated with its bad animation but it will give you the broadest view of spidey's universe

As for X-men, I'd say either go with the 90's show or X-men Evolution; though i learn towards the 90's show...

The currently airing "Avengers earth's mightest heroes" itself is also shaping itself up

I'll agree with this post:
-Spectacular Spider-Man
-90's X-Men
-Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes


After you sit down and watch literally every single animated project ever from Marvel, those three may not wind up in your absolute top three, but they'd probably all be in your top 5. And more importantly, all 3 are great starting points.

[Barbossa]

X men tas has aged so badly its not even funny anymore

Watch the BIG four as I call it Avengers EMH, Spectacular Spiderman ,Wolverine and the x men, and Xmen Evo,the quality of these shows are too much too handle

[AlgeaX]

(Since AlgeaX covered my other suggestions) Watch 90s Incredible Hulk (season 1). Great animation, the stories that are fairly classic and it grasps the tragic nature of the character. Great starting point to learn about the character and his world.

Yeah, season 1 of the 90s Hulk 'toon was pretty good too. The show is like some strange polar opposite of the 90s Iron Man, Solid first season followed by an atrocius second.

[Bat-Fan Beyond]

Over and above what others have recommended (would repeat the suggestions for Spectacular Spider-Man, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/35321/nycc2010-avengers-earths-mightiest-heroes--highly-concentrated-kick-ass), and X-Men Evolution; guarded recommendation for Wolvie & the X-Men because I really like some of it and really, really, really hate other aspects...


I will echo those suggestions and sentiments exactly. For DTV's I'd recommend the first Ultimate Avengers movie and Hulk Vs. before any others.

[AlienX]

i'd reccommend ironman armored adventures and spectacular spiderman, x men evolution was good

Start with "The Spectacular Spider-Man" then head on over to "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes," and then, "Wolverine and the X-Men." The latter isn't perfect, but it's still my favorite X-Men series. The first two shows are stunning, though.didn't you say avenger's wasn't that good on one of your young justice reviews??

[GregX]

i'd reccommend ironman armored adventures and spectacular spiderman, x men evolution was good
didn't you say avenger's wasn't that good on one of your young justice reviews??

That was pretty early in it's run, as I recall.

Mod Edit: Please keep the language all-ages appropriate.

[Rick Jones]

Let's play nice, guys.

[Miyamoto Musashi]

As far as I can tell, there's been about 5 different Spider-Man cartoons7 actually, the 8th show is on its way, and you may count Batman Beyond as the current 8th cartoon, it's highly inspired by Spidey
Start with Spectacular Spider-Man animated

and 3 different X-men cartoons.Start with Wolverine & the X-Men, then watch X-Men Evolution
The 90s X-Men cartoon has good stories, and real nice art for the most part, but it has the issue of slow voice performance

DTV DVDs similar to the DC universe moviesThe only DTV's I can recommend are the Hulk ones, there are three of them
Avoid the Iron Man feature, trust me, it's very confusing


I honestly have no idea where to start. Of course I am more interested in Spider-Man and X-men. How many different shows were there exactly, and what are the episode lengths for each?20-24 minutes


Are the older shows from pre-2000's too dated to watch now? I honestly never saw the 90's Spider-Man/X-men back in the day.They are flawed, I wouldn't call them outdated

[savedbythebell]

X men tas has aged so badly its not even funny anymore

I disagree, I've recently been rewatching it with my friend who's never seen it and we both love it.

Sure theres plenty of mistakes in the animation. like Wolverine magically putting his shirt on without putting his arms through the holes, but its still incredibly fun to watch.

[Trevor]

As far as I can tell, there's been about 5 different Spiderman cartoons and 3 different X-men cartoons. There's also been cartoons about Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Iron Man, etc. Then I know there's DTV DVDs similar to the DC universe movies.

I honestly have no idea where to start. Of course I am more interested in Spiderman and X-men. How many different shows were there exactly, and what are the episode lengths for each?

Are the older shows from pre-2000's too dated to watch now? I honestly never saw the 90's Spiderman/X-men back in the day.

The best Spider-Man cartoons were the 1967 series and the 1994 series (plus the 1999 Spider-Man Unlimited was really good). Stay away from the 2003 and 2009 Spider-Man's since their story lines were weak and the animation has not aged well (the 2003 show, I just put an episode on recently and the CGI made the series look like an early Nintendo 64 game---it was decent back then, but not now). Plus in the 1994 Spider-Man you have a number of crossovers with other Marvel characters such as Blade, Morbius, the X-Men, Fantastic Four, etc.

As for X-Men, you can't go wrong with the 90's series or the Pryde Of The X-Men pilot, plus give Wolverine and the X-men a shot.

So far I've only found Iron Man Armoured Adventures to be the best Iron man television/film version yet (although I haven't seen the 60's Iron Man).

[GregX]

The best Spider-Man cartoons were the 1967 series and the 1994 series (plus the 1999 Spider-Man Unlimited was really good). Stay away from the 2003 and 2009 Spider-Man's since their story lines were weak and the animation has not aged well (the 2003 show, I just put an episode on recently and the CGI made the series look like an early Nintendo 64 game---it was decent back then, but not now). Plus in the 1994 Spider-Man you have a number of crossovers with other Marvel characters such as Blade, Morbius, the X-Men, Fantastic Four, etc.

To the OP, you see the above here? Do the exact opposite. Those series were crap. Although the 1967 series is great for a laugh, especially considering how blatantly racist it was at times.

[Bloody Marquis]

To the OP, you see the above here? Do the exact opposite. Those series were crap. Although the 1967 series is great for a laugh, especially considering how blatantly racist it was at times.
Indeed. I can in no way describe the '67 series or the '94 series as examples of watchable animation. Time has not been kind to the former's animation, and if you're gonna watch the latter for the crossovers, you may as well just pick up any Marvel comic nowadays instead.

[Gregatron]

When it comes to Spider-Man, I'd recommend the '94 series and Spectacular Spider-Man.

The '94 show can get you familiar with all the characters. But some of them are different than what they actually are (Doc Ock taking orders from Kingpin, Electro, etc.)
Then watch Spectacular Spider-Man and be blown away by how great it is.

When it comes to the other Spidey shows I can watch a few episodes but I don't feel the need to watch all of them or I don't want to watch them.

For the X-Men stuff I can't comment on Wolverine because I haven't seen it yet.

I suggest watching the 90's show since it has good episodes like the Phoenix saga, and Days of Future Past. Like the '94 Spidey, X-men does a good job of showing a lot of the characters like Mojo, the Starjammers, and the Shi'ar.

I like X-Men Evolution, but I wish they did more stuff from the comics and had less school stuff. We don't see Sinister, Bishop and a lot of other characters.


Also, Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes is awesome. You need to watch it.

[Chaos Yoshi Mage]

To the OP, you see the above here? Do the exact opposite. Those series were crap. Although the 1967 series is great for a laugh, especially considering how blatantly racist it was at times.

This. Although, I like Spider-Man: The Animated Series (And X-Men: The Animated Series) for nostalgia. I would also reccomend the new Avengers, Wolverine and the X-Men, and (to a certain extent) X-Men: Evolution. Spectacular Spider-Man is definitely Marvel Animation at it's best.

[Miyamoto Musashi]

The best Spider-Man cartoons were the 1967 seriesIf you'd enjoy superhero stories with voice acting a bit hammy and no character depth you should give it a try, also for some nice laughs
and the 1994 seriesI enjoy this show a lot, but there is corn to be noticed, also the CGI in this series belongs to an early N64 game, decent back then, not so good now
(plus the 1999 Spider-Man Unlimited was really good).It has some better things than the one before it, don't fear trying it, you might like it
Stay away from the 2003 and 2008 Spider-Man's since their story lines were weakThe 2003 has some weakness, not so strong on continuity, good adaption of Spidey's strength and speed
and the animation has not aged wellThat line describes the series before 2000 more, the 2000+ shows have real strong animation

[Desensitized]

Unfortunately, there is no definitive X-Men show. The 90s show has really bad animation despite being easily the most accessible and true to the comics of all 3 series. Evolution takes a while to get rolling and is great once it becomes its own thing, but not everyone will enjoy it. Wolverine & The X-Men is too niche and insular for my tastes, though it is decent enough at what it does.

For Spider-Man the obvious answer is The Spectacular Spider-Man. It has everything you'll most likely want out of Spider-Man, and then some.

[Bat-Fan Beyond]

Unfortunately, there is no definitive X-Men show. The 90s show has really bad animation despite being easily the most accessible and true to the comics of all 3 series. Evolution takes a while to get rolling and is great once it becomes its own thing, but not everyone will enjoy it. Wolverine & The X-Men is too niche and insular for my tastes, though it is decent enough at what it does.

For Spider-Man the obvious answer is The Spectacular Spider-Man. It has everything you'll most likely want out of Spider-Man, and then some.

Totally agreeable!

I grew up reading the Claremont X-Men comics from Cockrum to Byrne to Jim Lee, but when it comes to the 90's X-Men animated series, the stories are great, but I could not get past some of the voice acting and the horrible animation, which was bad even for the time. I feel the same way about the 90's Spider-Man animated series.


X-Men: Evolution and The Spectacular Spider-Man are two of Marvel's best.

Wolverine and The X-Men is also good, but does have its problems, which personally bother me more than any differences that X-Men: Evolution gave us.

[Trevor]

2003 has some weakness, not so strong on continuity, good adaption of Spidey's strength and speedThat line describes the series before 2000 more, the 2000+ shows have real strong animation


Have you watched an episode of the 2003 series recently? I just popped in one of the DVD's a few days ago and I could barely watch the episode because the CGI looks like early 3-D CGI from around 1995-96.

And while the post-2000 X-Men, Iron Man and Fantastic Four series have watchable animation, the 2003 Spider-Man's animation was watchable in 2003, but quickly became unwatchable, while SSM's animation was just plain boring to watch and is not the obvious answer.

[Miyamoto Musashi]

Have you watched an episode of the 2003 series recently? I just popped in one of the DVD's a few days ago and I could barely watch the episode because the CGI looks like early 3-D CGI from around 1995-96.I watched the whole show twice recently, and it isn't really what you describe
CGI terrible for a video game, alright for a cartoon half CGI, and my saying you quoted has no mention of CGI

SSM's animation was just plain boring to watch and is not the obvious answer.How come? Animation remained fluid and nice, no scenes were too fast to be watched and no scenes where quick paced action is needed had sluggish frame rates, which the 90s cartoon really suffered from real often

[Trevor]

I watched the whole show twice recently, and it isn't really what you describe
CGI terrible for a video game, alright for a cartoon half CGI, and my saying you quoted has no mention of CGI

From what I can tell, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003) was completely 3-D CGI. There was no half-CGI, half-2-D-animation.



How come? Animation remained fluid and nice, no scenes were too fast to be watched and no scenes where quick paced action is needed had sluggish frame rates, which the 90s cartoon really suffered from real often

We've talked about this on other forums, but basically the characters looked like they had been made out of flat construction paper and were presented against a flat, background. The shadows gave no dimension of depth: when a character swung their arm it didn't look like a rounded arm was coming from the character, but a very flat, rectangular arm. While the producers may've been going for a style that required less effort to pull off, their decisions left the characters and art looking very subpar to the 1990's cartoons or even the earlier cartoons. Plus the writing of the series scripts was done in a very quick manner in that many of the stories were ripped from the movies on the earlier TV series. The Venom story-arc in the show I remember finding was very much, frame for frame, the same as the 1994 Alien Costume show, with just a little bit added to show what was going on in Peter's mind versus the Venom creature, but when I compared the 2 shows one right after the other I found that I was drawn to the 94 version better than the SSM version. And with the framerate, I've seen quite a few live-action TV shows where the producers spliced in a piece of footage from another part of the episode or another episode for maybe a close-up, but they've had to slow it down because the character was nodding and speaking at the same time, and they just needed the character to nod, plus I've seen the reverse where the framerate speeds up (and not just because the editors were going from film to video). So while you can tell where the producers had to change the framerate of the video is a little noticeable, it is hardly a concern, especially since people don't kick up very much fuss when it is done in live-action, so why bother with the issue in animation unless you've got 5, 10 or more minutes of animation that is moving too fast or too slow. If it's only for a minute or two...pfff. Those are minor "corner cuts". What Sony did with SSM was a Major "Corner Cutter".

Plus I found that the art and animation of the SSM show was very much like the art and animation in The Batman (2005?) cartoon that was airing at around the same time, and I found that cartoon to be very flat and boring, nothing like the 1992 Batman or 1999 Batman Beyond. I was very pleased when Warner Brothers went with an art style that was very reminiscent of the 1970's Filmation Batman cartoon in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, since they used a design that was interesting to watch and looks complex, but is very easy to work with. And from the clips that I've seen of Ultimate Spider-Man, it looks like Marvel and Disney are going a similar route by using a model that is more reminiscent of the pre-2000 Spider-Man TV designs than what has been used in the cartoons since 2000.

[GregX]

From what I can tell, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003) was completely 3-D CGI. There was no half-CGI, half-2-D-animation.



We've talked about this on other forums, but basically the characters looked like they had been made out of flat construction paper and were presented against a flat, background. The shadows gave no dimension of depth: when a character swung their arm it didn't look like a rounded arm was coming from the character, but a very flat, rectangular arm. While the producers may've been going for a style that required less effort to pull off, their decisions left the characters and art looking very subpar to the 1990's cartoons or even the earlier cartoons. Plus the writing of the series scripts was done in a very quick manner in that many of the stories were ripped from the movies on the earlier TV series. The Venom story-arc in the show I remember finding was very much, frame for frame, the same as the 1994 Alien Costume show, with just a little bit added to show what was going on in Peter's mind versus the Venom creature, but when I compared the 2 shows one right after the other I found that I was drawn to the 94 version better than the SSM version. And with the framerate, I've seen quite a few live-action TV shows where the producers spliced in a piece of footage from another part of the episode or another episode for maybe a close-up, but they've had to slow it down because the character was nodding and speaking at the same time, and they just needed the character to nod, plus I've seen the reverse where the framerate speeds up (and not just because the editors were going from film to video). So while you can tell where the producers had to change the framerate of the video is a little noticeable, it is hardly a concern, especially since people don't kick up very much fuss when it is done in live-action, so why bother with the issue in animation unless you've got 5, 10 or more minutes of animation that is moving too fast or too slow. If it's only for a minute or two...pfff. Those are minor "corner cuts". What Sony did with SSM was a Major "Corner Cutter".

Plus I found that the art and animation of the SSM show was very much like the art and animation in The Batman (2005?) cartoon that was airing at around the same time, and I found that cartoon to be very flat and boring, nothing like the 1992 Batman or 1999 Batman Beyond. I was very pleased when Warner Brothers went with an art style that was very reminiscent of the 1970's Filmation Batman cartoon in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, since they used a design that was interesting to watch and looks complex, but is very easy to work with. And from the clips that I've seen of Ultimate Spider-Man, it looks like Marvel and Disney are going a similar route by using a model that is more reminiscent of the pre-2000 Spider-Man TV designs than what has been used in the cartoons since 2000.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v661/gregx/Funny%20Pictures/megaeyerollqn6.gif

[James Harvey]

Let's keep things civilized, people. This will be the only in-thread warning.

[Bat-Fan Beyond]

Plus I found that the art and animation of the SSM show was very much like the art and animation in The Batman (2005?) cartoon that was airing at around the same time, and I found that cartoon to be very flat and boring...


Personally, I love The Spectacular Spider-Man AND The Batman, and although there are probably several reasons why either show does not appeal to some people, the last thing I would ever think anyone would say about them is that their animation is "flat and boring." I think they are two of the most fluid and most dynamic animated shows ever on television. You may not like their designs, but the visual motion and action is exceptional in both series.

[the greenman]

Coming from someone who hated the human designs on Spectacular Spider-Man with a passion, the show is the best SpiderMan toon around. Even though there are small details that came from latter comics like Eddie Brock being an old friend, Weisman did a good job putting it all together. That's why I suggest the 90's series cause you can get what came from the comics. People get confused as heck from the films, comics, and toons, and I felt watching these two shows will give you a good sense of what Spider-Man is about.

I agree, X-Men has no Spectacuar Spider-Man equivalent. Animation aside, the 90's series does the best job with the XMen. If you watch that, you understand the complaints about the films, and what could have been. Also, get a peak at the Hellfire Club before the new film appearance.

[W.C.Reaf]

Plus the writing of the series scripts was done in a very quick manner in that many of the stories were ripped from the movies on the earlier TV series.

I think you'll find the stories were "ripped" from the original comics that the other series and movies "ripped" them from.

Also I don't suppose we can get a response to know if any of this thread has helped to get into Marvel cartoons.

[CyberCubed]

What's the point of watching a cartoon that was only 26 episodes? It seems Wolverine and the X-men got canceled before it could really make a name for itself.

And I heard Spectacular Spiderman is really good, but again, only 26 episodes? It feels more like a mini-series than a series, and I am well aware it was canceled and wasn't supposed to end so soon.

[Bloody Marquis]

What's the point of watching a cartoon that was only 26 episodes?What kind of thing is that to complain about? There are oceans of perfectly good shows with less than or equal to 26 episodes.

[CyberCubed]

What kind of thing is that to complain about?

Because its so short, you'll be left with wanting more, but there is no more. And not alot can be accomplished in only 26 eps besides introductions of the characters.

[opopopz]

Because its so short, you'll be left with wanting more, but there is no more. And not alot can be accomplished in only 26 eps besides introductions of the characters.
Wait... what? 26 episodes is the equivalent of about 9 hours. My favorite film is The Godfather. It is about 3 hours long. Not only are multiple characters introduced, but a lot is accomplished.

I'm sorry, but I just can't understand your argument at all.

[GregX]

Because its so short, you'll be left with wanting more, but there is no more. And not alot can be accomplished in only 26 eps besides introductions of the characters.

Quality beats quantity any day. "Spectacular Spider-Man" did a lot of spectacular things in twenty-six episodes.

By the way, the highest praise an entertainer can get is "you left me wanting more."

[Dexters Lab]

Yes Spectacular Spiderman leaves you wanting more and only scratching the surface of what the show could offer but even then it did more with characters that other shows do in their entire run. Now if you want a full run, the 90s Spiderman got 65 episodes through 5 seasons and a 13 episode loose sequel/spin-off Spiderman Unlimited. The 90s show does explore the mythos completely and fleshes out the entire universe, if you can deal with stock footage worse animation and sometimes iffy dialog then thats a great choice if you want episode count, its really not a bad show just Spectacular is much better even if its only 26 episodes. And hey if you want to watch the Marvel Animated Universe of the 90s you have a total of 258 episodes through out all set in the same universe, through out 8 shows, they all have crossovers or at the very least shared a character there are some continuity issues since they were made by different people but for the most part it works. quality between the series/seasons differs but luckily the worse series are the shorter ones and even those have some worthwhile episodes or they get better during the second season. The MAU has aged not the best animated representations but still watchable and a great way to a feel of what the marvel universe is about.

[Rud]

X-Men the animated series (90's) and Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes is where you should start. X-Men TAS may not have the greatest animation (its pretty bad), but im not exactly an animation quality buff, im all about the story lines and characters and stuff, and looking at those things the 90's show still holds up today, great stories and great characters. Also, as far as i know everyone whose anyone in the X-men universe up to taht point in the 90's was in teh show somehow, and you really do get to know them, you will really get to understand the x-men universe if you watch it.

[Monte]

Because its so short, you'll be left with wanting more, but there is no more. And not alot can be accomplished in only 26 eps besides introductions of the characters.

you do know that the vast majority of anime's are only 26 episodes long and many of them really are great at that length. honestly if you can make a great movie in only 90 minutes i think you can make a great series out of 26, 20 minute long episodes. it really has nothing to do with the episode length, but with how the writers handle those 26 episodes

[macattack]

The thing about Spectacular was that the plan was 65 episodes and we didn't even get half that amount. In a lot of ways we're only getting a taste of what was to come, and what could have been.

But what a taste it was. Listen to the dialogue, and watch the fights. The show was incredible, though it took an episode to get going (episode 1 was blah, episode 2 was significantly better, episode 3 was when things got really good). This show, if it had been given the opportunity to get three more 13-episode seasons, would've been the best Marvel show ever produced. By the second season, the writing and action and dialogue were seamlessly mixed together, and even more filler-y episodes had their can't-miss moments.

Plus it has the best portrayal of many supervillains, especially Sandman and Rhino. Clancy Brown made the latter character his own and John DiMaggio's take on Sandman was unique and layered, more so than his usual performances.

Ultimate Spider-Man has a spectacular (heh heh) act to follow, unlike Spectacular Spider-Man, which, depending on your point of view, followed the non-kids MTV Spider-Man (which had mixed critical and popular reception) or fellow kids toon Spider-Man Unlimited (feelings are generally mixed-to-negative).

[the greenman]

Ultimate Spider-Man has a spectacular (heh heh) act to follow, unlike Spectacular Spider-Man, which, depending on your point of view, followed the non-kids MTV Spider-Man (which had mixed critical and popular reception) or fellow kids toon Spider-Man Unlimited (feelings are generally mixed-to-negative).

Yeah, it has a hard act to follow, which is why they're going with a team-up show. Kinda wish we'd get more seasons like Family Guy and Futurama. Really too bad.

[W.C.Reaf]

Because its so short, you'll be left with wanting more, but there is no more. And not alot can be accomplished in only 26 eps besides introductions of the characters.

I have watched the entirety of the DCAU, from BTAS to JLU, hundreds of episodes and I was left wanting more, and many fans feel the same way. Any great show will leave you wanting more no matter the series length.

SSM and WatX had 26 episodes and I wish they had more but what they did with that length was amazing and it was a lot more than simply introducing all of the characters. There was plenty of epic story arcs and character development to be had during the run time that I can assure you it will be worth it to check them out.

You wanted to get into Marvel cartoons well you're going to have to be left wanting more as all the series mentioned have ended (except Avengers and Iron Man AA) so you will be left wanting more regardless of series you pick. Every series you get into, Marvel or not, will give you that feeling as they will all end at some point and it's best to just ignore it and enjoy the shows.

[AlgeaX]

Because its so short, you'll be left with wanting more, but there is no more. And not alot can be accomplished in only 26 eps besides introductions of the characters.

Fawlty Towers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawlty_Towers) only made twelve episodes yet it's still regarded as one of the greatest British sitcoms of all time.

[Spider-Man]

The best Spider-Man cartoon to date is The Spectacular Spider-Man (which outclassed very previous Spidey cartoon in its 26-episode run without question), and the first season of the 1990s Spider-Man is watchable (it goes downhill in the second season and gets pretty terrible right up to the end, though the two-part "Spider-Wars" finale is a good watch I think). If you're looking for a long-running Marvel cartoon, the 1990s X-Men is the longest running Marvel cartoon to date. The current Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon is really worth waching too and Wolverine and the X-Men is fun as well. The Marvel DTVs are worth watching too.

[macattack]

In defense of the 90's Spider-Man, the basic concepts behind the stories are pretty good, they just weren't executed very well. The increasingly cheesy dialogue, overacting, bad animation, overplayed bombastic score, and suffocating censorship as the run went on crippled the show.

Some actors transcended their material and poor direction, like Ed Asner and Jennifer Hale. Most didn't.

I think it's still a worthwhile program but it doesn't hold up that well today. At the same time, as kid in the 90's, I ate Spidey up. So did a lot of kids. When you look at the cartoon through the eyes of a child, the show seems better than it really is (even though some episodes like "the Spot" made me roll my eyes even as a 8-9 year old).

[Miyamoto Musashi]

Plus the writing of the series scripts was done in a very quick manner in that many of the stories were ripped from the movies on the earlier TV series.Life is full of cliches, why complain about them in fiction
To be considerate to the OP who still watched nothing, I'll use a spoiler tag to ask you Trevor, did these happen in earlier Spidey series?
Gwen Stacey having an important role in the show
Peter working in a lab during his high school days
Jonah Jameson being a time addict
Detailed origins for some villains
Super powered criminals are meant to divert Spider-Man's attention from the sources of the crime boss income
Peter Parker's middle name being heard
Spider-Man discovers what makes Vulture flies, and disables it while he jokes
Shocker's origin (not the same guy from comics, but you get the picture)
Eddie being Peter's childhood friend
Norman Osborn is such a cold hearted business man
Mrs. Osborn
Sally Avril
Harry Osborn being a steroid addict, which translates an event from a 60s comics
Hammerhead being a crime boss