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When \u201cSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse<\/a>\u201d hit theaters in 2018, it served as a delicacy for longtime fans, who found in the film clever allusions to the vast history of Spider-Man comics and animated series. \u201cInto the Spider-Verse\u201d and its sequel, \u201cSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,\u201d was full of Easter eggs plucked from several eras of Spidey shows, many of which have been revered (and some maligned) over the years.<\/p>\n The new Disney+ series \u201cYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,\u201d which takes place in an alternate reality where our hero is discovered and mentored by Norman Osborn (alter ego of the Green Goblin), is just the latest animated TV offering about the web-slinger. Spider-Man has been swinging across the small screen for decades, with every new series showing a fresh take on the hero and his world, both narratively and stylistically.<\/p>\n Spider-Man (1967-1970)<\/p>\n Whether or not you\u2019ve watched the original \u201cSpider-Man\u201d <\/em>TV show, you\u2019ll surely recognize it from its famous opening theme (\u201cSpider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can\u201d) or the omnipresent pointing meme, from the Episode 19 story \u201cDouble Identity.\u201d<\/p>\n The animation is, of course, very much of its time: blocky outlines, jerky character movements and flat, untextured backgrounds. As Spidey swings through the cityscape, the buildings around him are big, mostly solid blocks of pastel colors, with the occasional window and brick detail. And Spider-Man himself has a simplified costume design: The webbing pattern on his mask doesn\u2019t extend down to his torso as in later incarnations; the physical build of the hero (and all the characters, for that matter) is just as nondescript.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981-1983)<\/p>\n Premiering a decade after the original series ended, \u201cSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends\u201d <\/em>features more finessed animation: Spidey\u2019s wall-crawling looks smoother and more deft, and his surrounding world features significantly more detail. The New York City that this Spider-Man inhabits has a darker, more realistic-looking palette, with ominous skyscrapers. Spider-Man\u2019s own design includes more defined musculature.<\/p>\n An attempt to replicate the success of the popular animated series \u201cSuper Friends,\u201d \u201cSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends\u201d sets the hero alongside Iceman and an original character named Firestar. This joining of forces allowed the show to strike a tone that the 1967 series couldn\u2019t quite replicate: Here, Spider-Man has more jokes and playful banter as he often did in the comics, as opposed to the more strait-laced Spider-Man of the original TV series.<\/p>\n Spider-Man: the Animated Series (1994-1998)<\/p>\n For many Spider-Man fans, especially those of the millennial generation, \u201cSpider-Man the Animated Series\u201d is the <\/em>defining Spider-Man series. It is stylish, cool and shows a fully developed Peter Parker at his most sardonic as he flies over the streets of New York.<\/p>\n This \u201990s version also made significant strides in Spider-Man media in terms of both the animation and storytelling. The series included more complex fight scenes, and even smoother choreography to show off Spider-Man\u2019s agility and acrobatic feats. And \u201cSpider-Man the Animated Series\u201d had a living city backdrop: Whenever he would swing across the avenues or look down from a rooftop, the screen would catch sight of car headlights and taillights racing by. Even though the touches of CGI in the cityscapes look awkwardly patched together now, they were remarkable for the time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003)<\/p>\n The CGI is much more apparent in this series. In fact, it overshadows everything and ultimately gives the show the appearance of a cheap video game. This Spider-Man and his world look farther removed from reality than the previous animated series. The fault doesn\u2019t lie solely with the CGI, but with the overall aesthetic, which aims for an uber-modern, almost futuristic presentation.<\/p>\n Each of the Spider-Man series is a product of its time. But everything about \u201cSpider-Man: The New Animated Series\u201d feels overdone and particularly stuck in its era: the techno-heavy score, the hip early aughts outfits, the overuse of slow motion and oversaturated colors. Neil Patrick Harris voiced this Peter Parker, but the series\u2019 dialogue still isn\u2019t as fun or snappy as some of the other incarnations. The series was, unsurprisingly, short-lived, canceled after only 13 episodes.<\/p>\n Ultimate Spider-Man (2012-2017)<\/p>\n This zany, upbeat, fourth-wall-breaking series is probably the clearest stylistic precursor to the \u201cSpider-Verse\u201d movies. Fast-paced and full of jokes, \u201cUltimate Spider-Man\u201d features animation that shifts style when appropriate to the story. Peter often addresses the audience directly, and his inner thoughts are illustrated with silly doodles and cartoons.<\/p>\n Fight sequences are played more for comedy than for action, with the occasional comic-book-style exclamation flashing in the background. Whereas \u201cSpider-Man the Animated Series\u201d and \u201cSpider-Man: The New Animated Series\u201d both presented college-age Peter Parkers with all the pressures and stresses of his young adult life, the Peter in \u201cUltimate Spider-Man\u201d is aged down to high school, with the show\u2019s conflicts and problems speaking to a younger demographic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Spidey and His Amazing Friends (2021- )<\/p>\n This bright and cheery pre-K-friendly series shows a grade-school version of not just Peter Parker but two of his Spider-friends, Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy. (This recalls yet another entry into the Spider-Man canon, the 1980s series \u201cSpider-Man and His Amazing Friends.\u201d)<\/p>\n The vibrant colors of these short, computer-generated episodes recall a toddler\u2019s play set come to life. The character design is fittingly rendered in fun-size proportions, with Peter, Miles and Gwen sporting bulbous heads, disproportionately large eyes, slim torsos and large feet.<\/p>\n Your Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man (2025- )<\/p>\n This latest Spider-Man series introduces a novel animation style that\u2019s a combination of old meets new. The 3-D animation is rendered in a process similar to CGI, though the designs evoke those of the classic \u201cThe Amazing Spider-Man\u201d comic books by Steve Ditko and John Romita. The thick outlines, heavy shading and supersaturated colors create the nostalgic appearance of what the showrunner calls a \u201cmoving comic book<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead of using this series as an extension of the main Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline, or as an offshoot of the Spider-Verse movies, \u201cYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” opts to tell the story of a Peter Parker from an alternate universe. The story isn\u2019t nearly as exciting as the animation design, but the Disney+ series is already confirmed for a second season.<\/p>\n Produced by Tala Safie<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe Original<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nTeamwork Makes the Dream Work<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nThe Fan Favorite<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nA Y2K Relic<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nSpider-Man Comes Out to Play<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nItsy Bitsy Spiders<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nThe Moving Comic Book<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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