Spider-Man 1981, (Syn.) and Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends.

In the early 80s, Spider-Man appeared in not one, but two animated series. According to pre-eminent comic multimedia journalist Andy Mangels, the shows were produced concurrently - there was the obscure syndicated version, and the more remembered network version that co-starred Iceman and Firestar. And of course, the Goblin was appeared in both shows.

The character designs from these two series again were solid John Romita Sr. style, and faithful to the look of the Goblin. Indeed, certain shots recalled famous comic-book covers and panels. In an interesting nod to continuity, the Goblin's first appearance in "Revenge of the Green Goblin" takes place as Norman Osborn is released from an asylum, as if to reference to the Goblin's previous criminal activity from the 1967 series.

The voice acting was a step from the 60s cartoon - more serious, yet still with the maniacal edge. The network version of the show also included the character of Mona Osborn, Norman's niece and college friend of Spider-Man.

The "Spider-Friends", as they called themselves, were afforded a better budget, but that apparently wasn't for scripts as the Goblin story in this series was apparently the same story as the syndicated version, but adapted to include Iceman and Firestar. But, the network version was packed full of comic-book touches, such as frequent guest-appearances from famous Marvel heroes and villains. There were also stylish "title pages" that proclaimed the name of each episode - much like the comic-book covers.

Plus, the opening credits had cool extra footage - the signature scene of which was that of Firestar flying around the Goblin, engulfing him in a highly detailed painted animation of fire. Thankfully, the improved visuals made up for the familiarity of the material. The voice was another improvement adding the evil to his cackle that makes the Green Goblin Marvel's worthy answer to DC's Joker.

However, there were some elements of the Goblin that missed the mark. Both Goblin appearances had a plot device with a corny machine that allowed the goblin to see the past and future. It also would have been nice to see the Goblin rely on his traditional arsenal more often. But overall, these were somewhat minor complaints. One note of interest in Amazing Friends, was  Norman Osborn actually transformed into a goblin instead of wearing a costume.

In the 1980s, the character of the Green Goblin had long since been dead in the comics, of course with a couple copycats popping up now and again. And with decreased visibility in the books, the character appeared in only two of the combined 50 episodes of both series. This trend of under-representation would continue in the Green Goblin's next cartoon appearance, though it would still become the definitive translation of the character - to date.

Spider-Man The Animated Series - 1994-1996, FOX

Spider-Man: TAS, another critical and ratings smash for Fox, (click to read a review) is also hands-down the best adaptation of the wall crawler that Hollywood produced before the millennium. Unlike The X-Men cartoon, this one got the big-budget treatment from day one. The animation was top-notch, there was plenty of action, and the characterizations spot-on, with plenty of big name guest stars providing voices. The show was also a faithful story adaptation, drawing from classic stories and implementing them into season-long arcs.

Unfortunately for the Green Goblin, the earlier trend of under-representation would continue. By now, not only was the Goblin long dead, the Hobgoblin had risen to take his place and was a chief Spidey villain for years. Thusly when the first season kicked off, it was the Hobgoblin (voiced by Mark Hamill) that got a two-part episode, not GG. In fact, the series reversed the comic continuity - in the cartoon, the Hobgoblin comes first, and later it is the Green Goblin who adopts his predecessor's weapons and equipment.

But when the Green Goblin finally turned up about two-thirds into S-M:TAS's 65 episode run, it was a flawless rendition. The series had early on established a solid comic book version of Norman Osborn, both visually and through veteran cartoon voice actor Neil Ross. And when Ross was finally able to cut loose with the Goblin persona (and some good writing), we finally see GG in all his splendor. As mentioned above, the animation was excellent, and GG had all his weapons and equipment (though, the 10 ft. wide "super-jet-glider" that made a brief appearance was stretching credibility a bit).

Spider-Man: TAS had finally given fans the perfect Green Goblin. GG even upstaged the Hobgoblin as a better translation, and more effective villain. The potential of the character from panels