The Marvel Comics Video Library, released by Prism Entertainment, was a series of VHS/Betamax tapes that featured episodes from animated series based on Marvel Comics characters. A total of 24 tapes were released and included episodes from Spider-Man (1967), Spider-Man (1981), The Marvel Super Heroes, Fantastic Four (1978), The Incredible Hulk (1982) and Spider-Woman.[1] Each tape ran for approximately 60 minutes, and included 2 full episodes. The first episode could be from any of the series, but the second episode was always from the 1981 or 1967 Spider-Man series.
The volumes were released in a numerical sequence, and each one featured a title and cover relating to a character that appears in one or both of the episodes on the tape. Most covers included the title of one of the episodes as well. The videos came in a slightly oversized case with artwork from Marvel Comics on the outside, complete with episode descriptions on the back.
Characters featured included heroes such as Spider-Man, Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man, as well as villains such as Dr. Doom, the Vulture, Green Goblin, and Magneto.
The intent was to keep going with the series until every available episode of the various series were released on tape. However, Prism canceled the arrangement after two cycles were released, one with the hero's names and one with a villain's name.
Volumes
| Volume | Title | Episodes | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Amazing Spider-Man: The Origin of Spider-Man | Spider-Man (1967): "The Origin of Spider-Man" | Spider-Man (1981): "The Incredible Shrinking Spider-Man" |
| 2 | Doctor Doom: Meet Doctor Doom | Fantastic Four (1978): "Meet Doctor Doom" | Spider-Man (1981): "Cannon of Doom" |
| 3 | Captain America: The Origin of Captain American | The Marvel Superheroes: "The Origin of Captain America" | Spider-Man (1981): The Capture of Captain America |
| 4 | Magneto: The Menace of Magneto | Fantastic Four (1978): "The Menace of Magneto" | Spider-Man (1981): "When Magneto Speaks...People Listen" |
| 5 | The Incredible Hulk: When Monsters Meet | The Incredible Hulk (1982): "When Monsters Meet" | Spider-Man (1967): "One-Eyed Idol" / "Fifth Avenue Phantom" |
| 6 | The Fly | Spider-Woman (1979): "Spider-Woman and the Fly" | Spider-Man (1967): "The Slippery Dr. Von Schlick" / "The Spider and the Fly" |
| 7 | Fantastic Four: The Impossible Man | Fantastic Four (1978): "The Impossible Man" | Spider-Man (1967): "Spider-Man Meets Dr. Noah Boddy" / "The Fabulous Fakir" |
| 8 | The Sandman: Nothing Can Stop The Sandman | Spider-Man (1981): "The Sandman Is Coming" | Spider-Man (1967): "Sands of Crime" / "Never Step On A Scorpion" |
| 9 | Iron Man: The Hands Of The Mandarin | The Marvel Superheroes: "The Hands of Mandarin" | Spider-Man (1967): "Conner's Reptiles" / "The Winged Thing" |
| 10 | Doctor Octopus: The Power of Doctor Octopus | Spider-Man (1967): "The Power of Doctor Octopus" / "Sub-Zero for Spidey" | Spider-Man (1967): "The Terrible Triumph of Doctor Octopus" / "Magic Malice" |
| 11 | The Thing: Olympics of Space | Fantastic Four (1978): "The Olympics of Space" | Spider-Man (1967): "Criminals of the Clouds" |
| 12 | The Vulture: The Vulture Has Landed | Spider-Man (1981): "The Vulture Has Landed" | Spider-Man (1967): "The Vulture's Prey" / "The Dark Terrors" |
| 13 | Spider-Woman: Games Of Doom | Spider-Woman: "Games of Doom" | Spider-Man (1981): "Doctor Doom - Master of the World" |
| 14 | The Mole Man | Fantastic Four (1978): "The Mole Man" | Spider-Man (1967): "Spider-Man Battles the Molemen" |
| 15 | Sub-Mariner: The Start of the Quest | The Marvel Superheroes: "The Start of The Quest" | Spider-Man (1981): "The Wrath of Sub-Mariner" |
| 16 | Green Goblin: Revenge of the Green Goblin | Spider-Man (1981): "Revenge of The Green Goblin" | Spider-Man (1967): "Diet of Destruction" / "The Witching Hour" |
| 17 | Thor: Enter Hercules | The Marvel Superheroes: "Enter Hercules" | Spider-Man (1967): "Neptune's Nose Cone" |
| 18 | The Red Skull: The Origin Of The Red Skull | "The Origin of the Red Skull" / "Lest Tyranny Triumph" / "The Red Skull Lives" | Spider-Man (1981): "Arsenic and Aunt May" |
| 19 | Spider-Man: The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 | Spider-Man (1981): "The Unfathomable Professor Gizmo" | Spider-Man (1967): "Phantom From The Depths of Time" |
| 20 | Thor: The Mighty Thor | Vol. 2 | The Marvel Superheroes: "The Absorbing Man" | Spider-Man (1967): "Spider-Man Meets Skyboy" |
| 21 | Captain America Vol. 2 | The Marvel Superheroes: "The Sleeper Shall Awake" | Spider-Man (1967): "To Cage A Spider" |
| 22 | Fantastic Four | Fantastic Four (1978): "Phantom of Film City" | Spider-Man (1967): "Double Identity" / "To Catch A Spider" |
| 23 | Spider-Woman Vol. 2 | Spider-Woman: "Pyramids of Terror" | Spider-Man (1967): "The Return of the Flying Dutchman" / "Farewell Performance" |
| 24 | The Incredible Hulk | The Incredible Hulk (1982): "Prisoner of the Monster" | Spider-Man (1967): "Fountain of Terror" / "Fiddler On The Loose" |
DVD release
Several DVD volumes (8) were released in 2008 by Morningstar Ent. in Canada. However, these were direct Betamax transfers, (using the Betamax BII linear audio track which resulted in muffled sound, even though all the Beta releases had had their audio recorded in Beta Hi-Fi) and were not remastered in any way, apparently because of legal reasons. Also, none of the DVDs mention MARVEL COMICS or ENTERTAINMENT anywhere.
They included:
- Doctor Doom: Meet Doctor Doom
- The Incredible Hulk: When Monsters Meet
- The Fly: Spider-Woman And The Fly
- Fantastic Four: The Impossible Man
- Doctor Octopus: The Power of Doctor Octopus
- The Vulture: The Vulture Has Landed
- Thor: Enter Hercules
- The Red Skull: The Origin Of The Red Skull
References
- ↑ "Marvel Comics Video Library | VHSCollector.com". vhscollector.com. Retrieved 2024-01-01.