4. SPIDER-MAN (1967-1970)

There are so many things that kicked ass about this cartoon it’s hard to categorize them all. The stylized art, the theme song, the weird and ominous stories, Spider-Man had it all. One of the main aspects that made it great was how smartly it was written, almost as if it was trying to bring in the college students who loved the comics at the time.

In the late sixties the country was immersed in some of it’s darkest history so cartoons tried to be light and fun. Spider-Man instead was very serious and very realistic which was a real anomaly. These days cartoons that attract adult attention are a dime a dozen but in the late sixties it was a real accomplishment. In the last two seasons this trippy and serious vibe got a shot in the arm when underground cartoonist Ralph Bakshi took over. Bakshi added darkness and shadow to the cartoon backgrounds and even bizarre camera movements in an attempt to make Spider-Man’s world even more tilted.

On a lighter not it was also the first time people saw some of their favorite villains come to life. The Green Goblin, Rhino, Doc Ock, Electro, all of them were on board as well as thugs, gangsters and general bad guys. Then there was the theme song which is arguably the greatest cartoon theme song ever written, so much so it was even covered by the Ramones. Spider-Man was incredibly ahead of its time and laid the groundwork for the more adult animated features we have today.