| Spider-Woman | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Superhero Action Adventure |
| Based on | |
| Developed by | Jeffrey Scott |
| Voices of | Joan Van Ark Bruce Miller Bryan Scott |
| Narrated by | Dick Tufeld (Opening) |
| Composer | Eric Rogers |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | David H. DePatie Friz Freleng |
| Producer | Lee Gunther |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | DePatie–Freleng Enterprises Marvel Comics Animation New World International |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 22, 1979 (1979-09-22) – January 5, 1980 (1980-01-05) |
Spider-Woman is an Americananimated television series, based on theMarvel Comics characterSpider-Woman.[1] The series was produced byDePatie–Freleng Enterprises,New World International, andMarvel Comics Animation,[2] and aired from September 22, 1979 to January 5, 1980 onABC.[3][4] It was DePatie–Freleng's final series before its reincorporation, asMarvel Productions.
Jessica Drew is Marvel's firstsuperheroine to star in her own animated series.[5][6]
TheSpider-Woman cartoon should not be confused withWeb Woman, aFilmationsuperheroine cartoon launched at around the same time, which reportedly prompted Marvel Comics into creating a Spider-Woman character to secure the copyright.[7][8]
According to thetitle sequence, Jessica Drew was bitten by avenomous spider as a child. Her father, Dr. Alex Drew, saved her life by injecting the girl with an experimental "spider serum", which also granted her superhuman powers.[9] As an adult, Jessica Drew is editor of Justice Magazine,[10] with two other employees featured, such as photographer Jeff Hunt, and Drew's teenage nephew Billy. When trouble arises, Drew slips away to change into her secret identity ofSpider-Woman.[11]
The cartoon differs considerably from the comic book in its premise and supporting cast. Billy, Jeff, and Justice Magazine never appear in the comic book in any form, nor do the darker elements of the comic book (the heavy use ofArthurian legend and theoccult, Jessica's feelings ofsocial alienation) enter into the much brighter world of the cartoon. The origin of her powers is also altered somewhat. At the time of the series' production, the threat to her life in the comics wasradiation poisoning (though her published origin has since been altered).
The animated Spider-Woman's powers are noticeably modified; her enhanced strength in particular seems entirely missing, as she is shown in several episodes being restrained by means (such as ordinary rope) that her super-strong comic-book counterpart could easily break. In addition to the ability to cling to walls:
| No. | Title | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pyramids of Terror" | September 22, 1979 (1979-09-22) | |
Guest-starsSpider-Man. TheJustice Magazine crew investigate an alien invasion in Egypt led by the mummy Khufu. | |||
| 2 | "Realm of Darkness" | September 29, 1979 (1979-09-29) | |
| 3 | "The Amazon Adventure" | October 6, 1979 (1979-10-06) | |
| 4 | "The Ghost Vikings" | October 13, 1979 (1979-10-13) | |
| 5 | "The Kingpin Strikes Again" | October 20, 1979 (1979-10-20) | |
Spider-Woman confrontsKingpin and his henchmen as they rob a bank, but after taking out two of his men, one of Kingpin's minions manages to turn the tables and lock Spider-Woman up, allowing Kingpin to get the loot with the superheroine unable to do anything about it; and to add insult to injury, Kingpin later produces a concrete alibi to throw off all of Spider-Woman's implications against him for the theft. Humiliated, Spider-Woman as Jessica Drew tries to get back at the Kingpin by writing up a maligning news article about him. Angered by her recentJustice Magazine article, the Kingpin steals an experimental invisibility ray and seeks revenge on its editor Jessica Drew. However while invisible, he witnesses her transforming into Spider-Woman and opts for a blackmail plot instead. | |||
| 6 | "The Lost Continent" | October 27, 1979 (1979-10-27) | |
AfterUnited States Air Force planes vanish in theBermuda Triangle, the team fromJustice Magazine investigate. They soon find themselves thrown into a hidden dimension wheredinosaurs roam the Earth. | |||
| 7 | "The Kongo Spider" | November 3, 1979 (1979-11-03) | |
Guest starsSpider-Man. While covering the filming of a movie, theJustice Magazine team encounter a giantspider (in a plot inspired byKing Kong). | |||
| 8 | "Games of Doom" | November 10, 1979 (1979-11-10) | |
Athletes in the World Athletic Games inMoscow are being kidnapped and replaced byandroid doubles. Jessica Drew goes undercover as along jumper to investigate. | |||
| 9 | "Shuttle to Disaster" | November 17, 1979 (1979-11-17) | |
TheJustice Magazine team find themselves on a hijackedSpace Shuttle, heading towards the Moon, where the villain Steeljaw intends to enslave mankind and put it to work digging for valuable gems. | |||
| 10 | "Dracula's Revenge" | November 24, 1979 (1979-11-24) | |
The world's population are threatened with being turned intovampires,werewolves, andFrankenstein's Monsters. Spider-Woman discovers thatDracula is behind this. | |||
| 11 | "The Spider-Woman and the Fly" | December 1, 1979 (1979-12-01) | |
Jessica confronts a former research assistant to her father named Dr. Hagel who has been mutated into the Fly after a lab accident. Deducing her secret identity, he creates a formula which will rob Jessica of her spider powers. | |||
| 12 | "Invasion of the Black Hole" | December 8, 1979 (1979-12-08) | |
ADarth Vader-like alien named Graviton attempts to use several UFOs to swallow the Earth in a black hole in readiness for an invasion. Spider-Woman uses her powers, including getting into alightsaber-like duel with Graviton, to stop him. | |||
| 13 | "The Great Magini" | December 15, 1979 (1979-12-15) | |
A magician called The Great Magini attempts to steal the world's most famous landmarks. | |||
| 14 | "A Crime in Time" | December 22, 1979 (1979-12-22) | |
An experimental time machine unleashes an invasion ofWookiee-like creatures. Jessica is forced to reveal her secret identity to her fellow magazine crew in order to save mankind. | |||
| 15 | "Return of the Spider-Queen" | December 29, 1979 (1979-12-29) | |
Spider-Woman is brainwashed by an alien race of human spider creatures, who believe she is their long-lost queen. | |||
| 16 | "The Deadly Dream" | January 5, 1980 (1980-01-05) | |
Numara, another Darth Vader-like alien, threatens the world with her sleep-inducing powers. | |||
The French and Italian dubs from the early 1980s used a different theme song byShuki Levy.[14] Levy would later go on to be credited as the composer forSpider-Man: The Animated Series (1994) andSpider-Man Unlimited (1999).[15][16] In the 2000s, a second Italian dub was made, which used the original American music rather than Levy's theme song.[14]
In July 1995,News Corporation and20th Century Fox acquired the show's producerNew World International, and spun off New World's animation assets into their children's division theFox Children's Network. In 1996,Saban Entertainment merged with the Fox Children's Network to form Fox Kids Worldwide, with this deal giving Saban distribution rights over New World's Marvel catalog, includingSpider-Woman.[17][18] Prints from the late 1990s plastered the 1996 Saban Entertainment logo and the Fox Kids Worldwide logo onto the end credits.[19] In October 2001, Saban Entertainment and Fox Kids Worldwide were sold toDisney, who themselves subsequently took over Marvel in 2009.Spider-Woman is currently available to stream onDisney+.[20][21]
In 1998, Marvel sold the film rights for theSpider-Man IP toSony. This deal gives Sony exclusive film and live action television rights to over 900Spider-Man characters. Characters related toSpider-Woman fell under the scope of the deal.[22][23] The deal also covers several characters created specifically for theSpider-Woman animated series, in addition to covering other characters that were created specifically for pre-1999Spider-Man cartoons.[22][24]
In 1982, a 100 minuteSpider-Woman VHS tape was released, containing several episodes. Later on in the 1980s,Prism Entertainment'sMarvel Comics Video Library VHS series included three episodes of the series. Volumes 6, 13, and 23 contain theSpider-Woman episodesThe Spider-Woman and the Fly,Games of Doom andPyramids of Terror, respectively. Volume 6 was re-released in 1991, minus the bonusSpider-Man episodes.
In 2008, volume 6 was released on DVD in Canada asSpider-Woman vs. the Fly by Morningstar Entertainment.
In April 2008, Liberation Entertainment secured the home media rights to select Marvel shows fromJetix Europe in select European territories, includingSpider-Woman.[25][26] The company had plans to release the series onDVD, but in October, the company closed their UK branch; leaving the DVD release cancelled.[27]
In 2009,Clear Vision took over the home media rights and released the complete series in a 2-disc set in Germany on July 23[28] and in the United Kingdom on August 3.[29]
Bradley Russell ofGamesRadar+ wrote, "Surprisingly progressive for its time, the Jessica Drew-led show sometimes featured cameos from Spider-Man and other superheroes, yet Spider-Woman wasalways the star of the show. It also retains some classicSilver Age campiness and blends it with an often weird, always entertaining look at a character that (hopefully) becomes more prominent in future Marvel properties."[30] Chris Sims ofLooper stated, "It's definitely every bit as clunky as you'd expect from the late '70s, but it also might be the single most buck wild superhero cartoon ever made. [...] If you're into the goofy stuff, or just want to see how the unfathomable weirdness of theBronze Age Marvel Universe was translated directly to television, there aren't many that are going to be more fun than this one."[31]
David Chapman ofCommon Sense Media gaveSpider-Woman a grade of three out of five stars, praised the presence of positive role models, stating Jessica Drew is portrayed as a strong and independent female character, and complimented the presence of positive messages, saying the series depicts benevolence and resourcefulness.[32] Lindsay E. Mack ofRomper rankedSpider-Woman 25th in their "33 Classic Cartoons To Stream On Disney+ All Weekend Long" list and called it the "cartoon you didn't know you needed", saying, "It's a great chance to show your kid what superhero cartoons were like way before they (and in many cases their parents) were born."[33]
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