Before I begin my rant I would like to make a few things very clear. Firstly, I believe that Spider-Man is one of the greatest superheroes of all time. Secondly, I feel the 90’s Spider-Man Animated TV Series is one of the greatest superhero shows of all time. Lastly, I am severely disappointed with the way the DVD release of Spider-Man TAS is being handled.

For those of you who are unaware, Spider-Man The Animated Series is a show that was produced in the mid 90s for the Fox Network. The show presented Spider-Man in a manor befitting of his rich comic history. We got to see a full cast of our favorite Spider-Man characters in episodes that contained compelling plots and a rich visual style.

The only real valid complaint I can see people making about the show would be the toned down violence. At the time the show was being produced, the Fox Network had many heavy censorship practices in place. For example, no direct references could be made to “death” or “kill”, instead people were “destroyed”.

Such heavy censorship could very well have led the producers of the show to just take the easy road and make the show overly childish. Instead though the producers stuck with the mature approach, utilizing clever means to overcome the tough censorship. The result of their dedication is a serious cartoon in the same vain as Batman The Animated Series. A show with episodes that contain genuinely intriguing stories. It wasn’t just Spidey shows up, beats down the baddies, then calls it a day. Instead the show focused on character development, making extensive use of the vast universe of Marvel characters.

I could go on and on talking about the greatness of show. It really does hold a special place in my heart. So it should come as no surprise that the current state of the show’s DVD releases just pisses me the hell off.

Currently Spider-Man TAS is owned by Disney, exactly how that happened I don’t know. To be honest, I could really care less who owns the rights, just as long as the show is being released onto DVD in box set form. But apparently Disney does not share my view. Instead they feel it makes more sense to release single disc DVDs that contain a random assortment of episodes. Such releases do appeal to a segment of fans, mainly children who can convince their parents to pick up the relatively cheap discs. However there are many fans, including myself, who are not content with getting several single discs that contain various episodes in no particular order. Many fans just simply want to see a box set release.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask Disney to treat Spider-Man TAS with the same respect Warner Brothers has given their DC Animated Universe. Warner Brothers has released nearly every single season form every one of their hit animated series shows. In all fairness though, Warner Brothers was also a little slow in figuring the whole box set thing. Their earliest DC animated universe DVD releases where single discs with only a few episodes, just like what Disney is doing with Spider-Man. Seeing that Warner Brothers wised up and released the box sets gives me some hope that Disney will soon do the same.

Given the current success of the Spider-Man movie franchise and the new CW cartoon series that is forthcoming, now would be the perfect time for a Spider-Man TAS box set release. Spider-Man fans are demanding a box set release and Disney seems to have no intention to supply one. My fingers remained crossed that Disney will do the right thing and give Spider-Man TAS the treatment it truly deserves.

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