The iconic animated series that created a generation of fans in the 90s is revisited in Spider-Man ’94: The Return. After searching to the ends of the Multiverse, Spider-Man swings back into the streets of New York City – with his beloved Mary Jane Watson in tow! But his friendly neighbourhood is going to take a decidedly unfriendly turn, courtesy of this universe’s debut of not one but two of Spidey’s greatest villains!
For many millennial Spider-Man fans, their introduction to the character and the Marvel Universe itself came from the 1994 Spider-Man animated series. Running for five seasons, the show was both a faithful adaptation of the original comics and – at the same time – was highly influential on the comics and films that would follow. The series is however notorious for its fifth season ending on cliffhanger with Spider-Man setting out to save Mary Jane from the dimensional limbo she was trapped in by The Green Goblin. With the runaway success of X-Men ’97 on Disney+, it was only a matter of time before the Spider-Man of that era would be revisited and these cliffhangers would be addressed. Whilst this series doesn’t explain how Mary Jane was rescued, readers will get to see what happened after.
J.M. DeMatteis has a long history with Spider-Man that dates back to the 80s and has written some of the most acclaimed stories featuring the character including Kraven’s Last Hunt, The Child Within and the death of Harry Osborn. He even wrote a two-part episode for the 90s animated series. Since the 2000s, he has revisited the character in various limited and anthology series. As one of the top Spider-Man writers of the 90s, he is a natural fit for Spider-Man ’94.
DeMatteis manages to merge his approach to writing the character with the style and tone of the animated series to great effect. In addition to revisiting characters and plot points from the animated series, he also introduces character who never appeared in the show including Kaine, Molten Man, Vermin and Morlun. The latter gets the lion share of the attention as he takes on the role of the main antagonist, albeit in a slightly different take from his main comic counterpart. Meanwhile, artist Jim Towe fully embraces the brief of replicating the designs and aesthetic of the animation – with Peter and Mary Jane maintaining their classic looks and the general Spidey action being on top form.
Fans of the classic show will find plenty to enjoy in Spider-Man ‘94 and it is also a great time capsule of the show’s essence for those who never saw its original broadcast.
Spider-Man ’94: The Return is out 19 May from Marvel (9781302962098, p/b, £16.99)
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