Spider-Man: Toei Crafted One of the Best Adaptations of the Hero’s Origin – Despite Censors – CBR – Comic Book Resources

Welcome to Adventure(s) Time's 125th installment, a look at animated heroes of the past. This week, we're revisiting what has to be the most accurate retelling of Spider-Man's origin, though it happened to appear in an unexpected place. And if you have any suggestions for the future, let me hear them. Just contact me on Twitter.

Spider-Man and His Amazing Friendsdidn't have much of a life after its airing, but it tends to be fondly remembered by fans of the era. The series featured character designs from John Romita and other comics artists, replicating much of the look of an early '80s Marvel comic. The kid-friendly premise had Spider-Man joined by Firestar and Iceman as his crimefighting pals (an attempt by the network to cribSuper Friends' success) who share a secret crime lab inside Aunt May's home. The menaces aren't terribly menacing, and the show's no more dangerous than anything else on Saturday morning of the era.

One episode, however, pushed the bounds of what the censors would allow. And surprisingly featured a stylish anime look that blends well with the traditional Western superhero aesthetic. Debuting onOct. 2, 1982, is "Along Came Spidey," from writer Don Glut and director Don Jurwich. The anime styling of the episode is evident from the opening and almost as prevalent as the billboard advertising a Daily Bugle expos on Spider-Man from none other than Stan Lee himself.

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The opening sequence has the Shocker, in his television debut, escaping prison and immediately attempting a robbery. Spider-Man and his allies confront him, but in the process, innocent bystander Aunt May spots Spider-Man, of whom she is afraid, and is injured. It's a jarring sequence, as this is a reality where people are rarely injured or face true danger. Having this happen to Aunt May of all characters gives the episode a gravity the other episodes lack.

While visiting the unconscious May in the hospital, Peter expresses his guilt to Iceman and Firestar. After confessing to thoughts ofgiving up being Spider-Man, he's asked why he became the hero in the first place. And this leads us to the obligatory origin flashback. However, in this case Spider-Man's origin is actually a dark parable about the consequences of abused power. How exactly will it fit in the sanitized reality of heavily censored kids' TV?

Well, with barely any changes, as it turns out. And this isn't a quick thirty second detour. The sequence takes up a chunk of the episode. Writer Don Glut has revealed NBCdid not want Uncle Ben's death included in the origin, but Stan Lee"stuck to his guns" and demanded it be part of the episode. When adapting the origin fromAmazing Fantasy#15, Glut essentially goes panel to panel, telling the story as diehard comics fans know it.

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We have ostracized nerd Peter Parker enduring Flash Thompson's bullying, getting rejected by a dark-haired girl named Sally, and attending a science exhibit, where he's bitten by a radioactive spider. This is followed by a montage of him discovering his powers (including the bit with the kid who spots him climbing a building), then calling out wrestler Crusher Hogan in an amateur wrestling match. After gaining celebrity as a costumed performer, Peter allows a thief to pass him by. And, as we all know, this thief will later have an encounter with Peter's beloved uncle.

Clearly, this is written by someone with great affection for the original tale. A writer who, earlier that year, adapted the same story for the concurrentSpider-Manseries airing in syndication! That version of the story, however, had a brainwashed Aunt May in the framing sequence, attempting to kill Spider-Man.

Glut doesn't shy away from presenting the newly powerful Spider-Man as an arrogant jerk, one who bears responsibility for his Uncle Ben's death. And the animation from Toei is dark, moody, and perfect for the sequence. The censors do step in, however, and have the characters always stop just short of outright saying Ben has died. Still, it's clear to even a small child what's happened.

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Telling the story reaffirms Peter's dedication to helping others, so the team reunites to haltthe Shocker's crime spree.Afterdestroying the belt that grants Shocker his powers, they return to visit May in the hospital, where she's making a fast recovery. She's even forced to acknowledge that she might've been wrong about Spider-Man all of this time, which is the opposite realization she had in Glut'sother Spidey origin story from that year. In "Arsenic and Aunt May" we're teased with the idea of May going soft on Spider-Man, only to learn she despises her nephew's alter ego even more.

The second season ofAmazing Friendsonly featured three episodes. The economics of the shortened season enabled the production to have legendary Japanese studio Toei animate the episodes, making them the best looking shows on Saturday morning at the time. Toei even snuck in a cameo from Gatchaman's Joe in his familiar No. 2 t-shirt during Peter's wrestling match. However, Toei does seem to have some issues with animated Spider-Man's chest emblem at times, and it's so small it's barely visible in some scenes.

To distinguish between the flashbacks and today, Aunt May is given auburn colored hair and a more "youthful" voice during Spider-Man's origin. This does force the audience to question just how long ago Peter became Spider-Man, though, as May's apparently aged twenty years or more.

Accomplished voiceover actorJohn Stephenson voices the Shocker. You might not know his name, but his voice isfamous as thenarrator on Dragnet.

Network censors wouldn't allow any direct punches from Spider-Man, so the classic Steve Ditko image of Spidey decking the burglar is replaced with him webbing up Ben's murderer instead.

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In a way, this episode is an unfair tease. Fans of the era were simply excited to see these characters on television. The lackluster animation and simplified plots were tolerated, considered a price that had to be paid for adapting the property. But what if the same approach to storytelling was brought to the adaptations? Fans witnessed this in the '90s, when FOX Kids loosened restrictions and allowed faithful adaptations ofBatmanandX-Mento air. It's a shame ten years had to pass before the promise of this episode could be fulfilled.

But, even then, the Marvel animated series of the '90s suffered from some flagrantly cheap overseas animation. Japanese studios like Toei were doing work within the budgets of Western productions in the early '80s, enabling an episode that looks this nice to air. (By the '90s, the majority of these jobs were going to cheaper operations in Korea.) If you want a taste of what an '80s style anime starring a classic Marvel hero could've been, this is as close as you'll get. Sure, there'sPryde of the X-Men, also animated by Toei, but that story's intentionally divorced from the complexity of the comics canon."Along Came Spidey" actuallyisSpider-Man's origin, directly from the comic!The majority ofAmazing Friendsdoesn't hold up to time, but this one is worth checking out on Disney Plus.

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Spider-Man: Toei Crafted One of the Best Adaptations of the Hero's Origin - Despite Censors - CBR - Comic Book Resources