Which is your favourite Spidey TV outing?

[iamthedoctor]

Peter Parker may be dominating the multiplexes right now - with hundreds of fans flocking to last nights premier of Spiderman 2 but Spidey has been known to spin his magic on the small screen too.

To mark the imminent release of our hero's latest blockbuster - out April 16 in the UK, May 4 in the US - here's a reminder of five spectacular Spider-Man TV outings.

Spider-Man (1967)
 

Yes, the one with the theme-tune - Spider-Man was a huge hit with kids in the late '60s and has since become a cult classic.

Launching on ABC, the first ever animated adaptation of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's web-spinning superhero saw a teenaged Peter Parker (voiced by Canadian actor Paul Soles) spin a web any size and catch thieves just like flies.

That theme - now as synonymous with Spidey as his red-and-blue suit - was composed by Bob Harris, with lyrics by Oscar winner Paul Francis Webster, but Spider-Man's fine pedigree doesn't end there - following an initial 20-episode run, the second and third seasons were produced by animation icon Ralph Bakshi.

The Amazing Spider-Man (1977-79)
 

Alright, so it wasn't the finest comic book adaptation there's ever been, but as the sole attempt to produce a live-action Spider-Man series, this late '70s effort - which starred The Sound of Music actor Nicholas Hammond as Peter Parker - deserves a place in our list.

Fans were critical and even Spidey creator Stan Lee once branded the CBS series "juvenile", but for fans in the '70s, it was still plenty exciting to see our favourite comic hero brought to physical life and The Amazing Spider-Man did at least make a fair attempt at depicting Parker's fantastic wall-crawling abilities, in an age before CGI provided an easy out.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981-83)
 

Following a short-lived solo Spidey cartoon which aired a single season in late 1981 and early '82, NBC launched the more successful Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends - a series unique in the wallcrawler's TV canon, in that it teamed our hero with two other costumed crusaders.

Bobby Drake - better known as the X-Men's Iceman - helped Pete tackle difficult college assignments and sinister super-villains alike, while flame-haired Angelica Jones - aka Firestar - was representing for the ladies.

So popular was Amazing Friends that original creation Firestar - devised when attempts to land the rights to The Fantastic Four's Human Torch proved unsuccessful - was introduced into mainstream Marvel Comics continuity in 1985.

Spider-Man (1994-98)
 

If you're a '90s kid, then this series from Marvel Films Animation is the undisputed king of Spider-Man adaptations - the animation might not have been up to par with the groundbreaking work being done over on Batman but every other element was stellar.

Christopher Daniel Barnes' earnest performance as Peter Parker was so winning that - almost 20 years since the show began - it's still his voice an entire generation hears when they think of Spidey, and the show also boasted top vocal turns from the likes of Ed Asner as J Jonah Jameson and Hank Azaria as Eddie Brock / Venom.

Packed full of action and excitement for the young 'uns, with an undercurrent of darkness and real emotion for us big kids, this Spider-Man was truly amazing, spectacular and every other possible superlative you can think of.

The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-09)
 

In the past 12 or so years, a number of new Spidey series have attempted to cash in on the success of Sam Raimi's movies and the subsequent Marc Webb pictures - including MTV's Spider-Man: The New Animated Series in 2003 and Disney XD's Ultimate Spider-Man, which kicked off in 2012.

But the best-received modern iteration was arguably The Spectacular Spider-Man - a cartoon heavily influenced by Lee and Ditko's original '60s comic run which aired first on The CW and later on Disney XD.

From writer/producer Greg Wiseman - creator of the acclaimed '90s animation Gargoyles - it was recently named one of the 60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time by TV Guide.

Which is your favourite Spidey TV outing?

 

[iamthedoctor]

I was a 1980s - 1990s kid but for me the best one always has to be the 60s version. Yes they used the same animation in alot of episodes but who cares I loved this version had the best theme tune.

 

A close second would be the 80s version but felt the 60s one who which at the time of the 1980s appeared alot in repeat form on TV and in recent years Bravo used to air it in the mornings. Hands down it beats anything in recent years.

[HarlotEffect]

I grew up with the 90's one, so I go with that. It's on the same quality in my opinion that the Batman Animated Series, Superman and a couple others that they re-vamped in the 90's.

 

The 60's one is good, but the internet has ruined it with memes slighty. And I dislike the voice acting of the 80's version. I tried watching it on Netflix and ugghh that voice is just meh.

[Crikes™]

I absolutely loved The Spectacular Spider-Man. Wish they continued the series.

[fufu ÷]

90s Spider-Man was so good. I watched them all again last year and they still hold up great. Just a shame they ended it prematurely and never finished the main story of the final season.