Spider-Woman (TV series)
| Spider-Woman | |
|---|---|
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Intertitle
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| Genre | Animation |
| Created by | Stan Lee (Created for Television) |
| Voices of |
Joan Van Ark Bruce Miller Bryan Scott |
| Composer(s) | Eric Rogers |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
David H. DePatie Friz Freleng |
| Producer(s) | Lee Gunther |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises Marvel Comics Animation |
| Distributor | Disney–ABC Domestic Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 22, 1979 – January 5, 1980 |
Spider-Woman is an animated television series, based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Woman. The series was produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and Marvel Comics Animation (both owned by Marvel Entertainment), and aired on September 22, 1979, to January 5, 1980, one season of sixteen episodes, on the ABC-TV network. It was also DePatie-Freleng's final series before its reincorporation as Marvel Productions.
According to the title sequence, Jessica Drew (voiced by Joan Van Ark) was bitten by a poisonous spider as a child; her father saved her life by injecting her with an experimental "spider serum," which also granted her superhuman powers. As an adult, Jessica is editor of Justice Magazine, with two other employees featured; photographer Jeff Hunt (a cowardly braggart who nonetheless fancied himself as a quick-witted and resourceful crime-stopper) and Jessica's teenage nephew Billy. When trouble arises, Jessica slips away to change into her secret identity of Spider-Woman.
The Spider-Woman cartoon should not be confused with Web Woman, a Filmation superheroine cartoon launched at around the same time, which reportedly prompted Marvel Comics into creating a Spider-Woman character to secure the copyright.
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 of Arthurian legend and the occult, Jessica's feelings of 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 was radiation 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:
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Wikipedia