The Marvel Super Heroes- You Don’t Get Much More Old School Than This

I really have no taste when it comes to superhero TV shows. I've enjoyed Super Friends episodes for their endless cheesiness, and I actually own Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation on DVD. Mind you, I don't think Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation was good, but I enjoy making fun of how laughably bad it is. The same is true of many other older shows.

While looking into older cartoons in my endless search for cheesy superhero cartoons, I came across the first ever animated series by Marvel Comics: The Marvel Super Heroes. The Marvel Super Heroes aired in 1966, and the style of animation makes them pretty much the first motion comics. And yes, motion comics were just as pathetic looking back then as they are now.

The show had 5 different features: Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, The Invincible Iron Man, The Mighty Thor, and Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner. 13 episodes of each of the features were produced, making a total of 65 episodes.

Amusingly, these shows were allowed to have content that was often not allowed in future cartoon series. About a dozen titles included "die" or "death", and the very first episode involves realistic looking fire arms.

If you're like me and enjoy older cartoons, it is available on DVD . . . but only for Region 2 (Europe). If you live anywhere outside of Region 2, this means that you'll need a region-free DVD player if you want to actually watch the DVDs. (Otherwise, you'll just be buying some expensive Frisbees.)

Be warned that this show is incredibly corny and its age really shows. If you can, watch some episodes before buying it, so you know what you’re getting into.

Here are links to the DVDs on Amazon UK, if you're interested in buying them.

1) Marvel Superhero Classics Collection [DVD]
Contains 52 episodes (all but the Incredible Hulk episodes).

2) The Incredible Hulk 1966 Complete Season
All 13 Incredible Hulk episodes.