Spider-Woman (1979–1980)
7/10
Neat Marvel Cartoon
27 April 2023
Spider-Woman is one of those older Marvel cartoons that aired in the 1970's and 1980's, and is the final production.

In this series, Jessica Drew is a reporter for Justice Magazine, who has the secret identity of Spider-Woman. As the intro reveals, Jessica was bitten by a venomous spider while visiting her father's lab, which results in him using an untested spider serum, which cures her, and gives her spider powers. Now, she becomes Spider-Woman to stop evil while saving her nephew Billy and photographer Jeff Hunt, the two always getting captured.

A cartoon based on the comic series by Marvel comics, Spider-Woman is a cartoon that differs a lot from its comic book source material. As the comic was said to be a lot darker (especially since the heroine started out as a villain, as she was a member of HYDRA), this show tones down the dark elements and adds in lighter elements, like Jeff and Billy, who are basically there to be the characters Spider-Woman has to save every episode (similar to how Superman has to save Lois Lane). In the show's sixteen episodes, Spider-Woman goes on adventures around the world, facing mostly supernatural danger, from vikings who found a way to travel to the present day, to an alien mummy leading an army, and even android athletes. Yeah, these are mostly original villains, with a few episodes involving actual Marvel Comics supervillains, like The Kingpin, Dormanmu, and even Marvel's version of Dracula. In two episodes, Spider-Woman even teams up with Spider-Man.

Yeah, this does have some problems, like some of the sillier storylines and the cheesy plots, but I got to used to them as this was a product of a time where such things were common in cartoons. The last Marvel cartoon made by DePatie-Frelend Enterprises, who afterward was reincorperated into Marvel Productions (which two years later, would release the 1980's Spider-Man cartoon, and would go on to make a some of the decade's most-remembered cartoons, like G. I. Joe, The Transformers, and Muppet Babies), Spider-Woman only lasted sixteen episodes, but they are a neat example of how a cartoon with the main protagonist being female can be done, even if it is cheesy and silly.
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