1970's Japanese Spiderman Is Amazing

Most comic book fans would know that the Spiderman movie series will be given a reboot,this time without the services of Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire in favour of Marc Webb(500 Days Of Summer) and Andrew Garfield.

What most comic fans would not know is the existence of a Japanese live action show on our favourite wallcrawler's exploits.Dubbed Supaidaman in the Land of the Rising Sun,it was in the same vein as the mega popular Super Sentai series(otherwise known as Power Rangers in the West).In fact,according to Wikipedia,it made famous the concept of human-piloted mechs versus giant monsters(Spiderman's one is called Leopardon) and the main character even had his own Spidermobile!It also pioneered two scale battles:where our hero first fights enemies his own size before battling Godzilla-sized versions of them using his mech.

The plotline is typically Japanese,where Spiderman takes a sci-fi turn.Our Peter Parker is Takuya Yamashiro,with an infinitely cooler origin as a motorcycle racer rather than nerdy high school student.One day,he encounters a crashed alien mothership.While investigating the wreckage,he is bestowed a bracelet which grants him spider powers and the ability to control the ship which can tranform into Leopardon.Meanwhile,the crash attracts Professor Monster and his Iron Cross Army into ruling the universe.Like Uncle Ben said,"with great powers comes great responsibility".And so Takuya sets forth to stop Professor Monster's plans.It is interesting to note that this version of Spiderman DOES NOT SWING ON WEBS,instead relying on his trusty car.

Since 2009,Marvel has released all 41 episodes for free viewing on their website.And I must say...your time will not be wasted.Fans of Super Sentai and Kamen Rider will definitely enjoy this series,seeing as it was one of the granddaddies of its genre.Spiderman fans will enjoy this different take on him,seeing as this show is a part of Spiderman's history.Comic book fans and everyone in general will enjoy the 70s cheesiness,whether intentionally or not is still pretty humorous.

Watch the first episode here.Believe me,it will not be a waste of your time.Because when else will you be able to witness Spiderman holding a submachine gun?No wonder Stan Lee has gone on official record to say he liked this version better than the West's live action series.