| Spider-Woman | |
|---|---|
 The animated Spider-Woman meets Spider-Man |
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| Genre | Animation |
| Created by | Archie Goodwin, Sal Buscema, Jim Mooney (characters) Stan Lee (Created for Television) |
| Presented by | DePatie-Freleng Enterprises Marvel Comics Animation |
| Voices of | Joan Van Ark Bruce Miller Bryan Scott |
| Composer(s) | Eric Rogers |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| 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 |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 22, 1979 – January 3, 1980 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
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, and aired on September 22, 1979 to January 3, 1980, one season of sixteen episodes, on the ABC-TV network.
Contents |
Introduction
Jessica Drew, voiced by Joan Van Ark, is editor of Justice Magazine, a publication which has its own skyscraper and helicopter yet shows only two other employees — photographer Jeff and Jessica's teenage nephew Billy. When trouble rears its ugly head, Jessica comes up with an excuse to slip away and change into her Spider-Woman secret identity. Spider-Man also guest stars in two episodes of the series. 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.
Differences between cartoon and comic book
The cartoon differs considerably from the comic book in its premise and supporting cast, while modifying Spider-Woman's powers slightly. 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 animated Spider-Woman retains the ability to fire bursts of energy from her hands called "venom blasts", but they are white instead of green and can apparently be used an unlimited number of times. Like Spider-Man, she has a "spider-sense": a kind of clairvoyance that allows her to see dangers as they happen, no matter where she is, she can close her eyes and see the event outlined by a spider-web. The animated Spider-Woman also has the ability to change into costume merely by spinning around, an idea borrowed from the Wonder Woman television series starring Lynda Carter.
Cast
- Joan Van Ark … Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman (voice)
- Bruce Miller … Jeff Hunt (voice)
- Bryan Scott … Billy Drew (voice)
- Lou Krugman … Police Chief (voice)
- Larry Carroll … Detective Miller (voice)
- John H. Mayer
- Vic Perrin
- Ilene Latter
- Tony Young
- Karen Machon
- John Milford
- Dick Tufeld
Episodes
| Episode Name | Airdate | Synopsis |
| Pyramids of Terror | September 22 1979 | Guest stars Spider-Man. The Justice Magazine crew investigate an alien invasion in Egypt. |
| Realm of Darkness | September 29 1979 | The powerful demon Dormammu emerges on a Pacific island, threatening to enslave mankind. |
| The Amazon Adventure | October 5 1979 | Stolen gold from Fort Knox leads the Justice Magazine team into the Amazon, where they uncover a plot to take over the world. |
| The Ghost Vikings | October 12 1979 | A 'ghost' Viking ship emerges off the coast of Norway. The crew plan to steal the riches of the world, before returning to their own time. Spider-Woman travels back to 952 A.D. to defeat them. |
| The Kingpin Strikes Again | October 19 1979 | Angered by a recent Justice Magazine article, the Kingpin steals an experimental invisibility ray and seeks revenge on its editor, Jessica Drew. However, while invisible, he witnesses her transform into Spider-Woman, and opts for a blackmail plot instead. |
| The Lost Continent | October 26 1979 | After US Air Force planes vanish in the Bermuda Triangle, the team from Justice Magazine investigate. They soon find themselves thrown into a hidden dimension, where dinosaurs roam the Earth. |
| The Kongo Spider | November 2 1979 | Guest stars Spider-Man. While covering the filming of a movie, the Justice Magazine team encounter a giant spider (in a plot inspired by King Kong). |
| Games of Doom | November 9 1979 | Athletes in the World Athletic Games in Moscow are being kidnapped and replaced by android doubles. Jessica Drew goes undercover as a Long Jumper to investigate. |
| Shuttle to Disaster | November 16 1979 | The Justice Magazine team find themselves on a hijacked space shuttle, heading towards the moon, where the villain 'Steeljaw' intends to enslave mankind and put it to work digging for valuable gems. |
| Dracula's Revenge | November 23 1979 | The world's population are threatened with being turned into werewolves. |
| The Spider-Woman and the Fly | November 30 1979 | Jessica confronts a former research assistant to her father, who has been mutated into a human fly after a lab accident. Deducing her secret identity, he creates a formula which will rob Jessica of her spider powers. |
| Invasion of the Black Hole | December 7 1979 | A UFO attempts to swallow the Earth in a black hole, in readiness for an invasion. |
| The Great Magini | December 14 1979 | Magician, the Great Magini, attempts to steal the World's most famous landmarks. |
| A Crime In Time | December 21 1979 | An experimental time machine unleashes an invasion of Wookiee-like creatures. Jessica is forced to reveal her secret identity to her fellow magazine crew, in order to save mankind. |
| Return of the Spider-Queen | December 28 1979 | Spider-Woman is brainwashed by an alien race of human spider creatures, who believe she is their long lost queen. |
| The Deadly Dream | January 3 1980 | An alien threatens the World with her sleep inducing powers. |
DVD
As of 2007, similar to the majority of the other Disney-acquired Marvel Comics animated series, there are no plans to release this series on DVD.
External links
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| Founders: David H. DePatie - Friz Freleng
Cartoons: The Pink Panther • The Inspector • Roland and Rattfink • The Ant and the Aardvark • Tijuana Toads • The Blue Racer • Hoot Kloot • The Dogfather • Misterjaw • Crazylegs Crane • Looney Tunes • Merrie Melodies Television shows: The Pink Panther Show • The Super 6 • The Houndcats • Super President • Here Comes The Grump • Doctor Dolittle • The Barkleys • Bailey's Comets • The Oddball Couple • The New Fantastic Four • Spider-Woman Dr. Seuss: The Cat in the Hat • The Lorax • Dr. Seuss on the Loose • The Hoober Bloob Highway • Halloween Is Grinch Night • Pontoffel Pock, Where Are You? See also: Marvel Productions Ltd. |
