Consisting of five individual episodes from the rather popular 1994 Spider-Man cartoon, The Venom Saga is precisely what the Spidey fans expect: wild web-slingings and lots of Venomous villainy.

Born from a cosmic space gloop, Venom is a "symbiont" parasite that, at first, gives Peter Parker a swanky black uniform and a lot more power. But Peter quickly learns that sharing one's body with an interstellar leech creature is probably not all that smart of an idea, and he takes measures to remove the evil goo forever.

Enter one of Peter's main adversaries, the attention-starved photographer Eddie Brock. Disgraced and more than a little furious at the young Mr. Parker, Brock becomes the new host to the slimy space symbiont -- and together they become Venom!!

The hardcore Spider-fans seem to be split right down the middle where Venom is concerned. On one hand, he's a mega-powerful and exceedingly dangerous foe, but he seems to lack the kitschy charm (and outright showmanship) of old-school villains like Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus and crazy ol' Kraven the Hunter. But Venom does have a bad-ass black Spidey-suit and a seriously impressive array of super-powers. Plus there's always room in the Spider-Man rogue's gallery for another slick and spooky evildoer -- and Venom fits into the mix like a slimy black glove.

Originally released as stand-alone episodes of the '94 Spider-Man cartoon, these five chapters are presented as on DVD as one feature-length adventure. We get to see the outer-space origins of the power-hungry symbiont, Peter's initial introductions to the newcomer's power-enhancing capabilities, and the foolhardy Mr. Brock's transformation from jealous jerk to amazingly dangerous super-villain. Toss in a few guest appearance from heroes & villains like Rhino, Iron Man, Shocker and Carnage -- and you're looking at a satisfying little animated treat for all you Spidey fans.

The animation is strictly TV-level material, but that only adds some charm to the proceedings. (Not every super-heroic adventure has to be ultra-modern and seamlessly slick!) The voice actors do a fine job with the somewhat kid-centric dialogue, and the writers were smart enough to jam a whole lot of action in between the generally vanilla "plot" proceedings. I can only assume that fans of the '94 animated series would prefer to be offered a series of full-season DVD editions, but Marvel and Buena Vista have combined to "theme up" the adventures in nifty style.

Just for the sake of fanboy clarity, here are the five episodes that are included within The Venom Saga:

The Alien Costume, Part 1 (Season 1, 93-94)
The Alien Costume, Part 2 (Season 1, 93-94)
The Alien Costume, Part 3 (Season 1, 93-94)
Venom Returns (Season 3, 95-96)
Carnage (Season 3, 95-96)

And if you find yourself enjoying The Venom Saga, be sure to keep an eye out for the single-disc releases entitled Spider-Man: The Ultimate Villain Showdown, Daredevil vs. Spider-Man, and Spider-Man: The Return of the Green Goblin (available individually or as part of the 3-disc Spider-Man Collection). Also on DVD are Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock and Spider-Man: The Venom Saga (obviously!)

The DVD

Video: The cartoons are presented in their original television broadcast format, which of course is Full Frame. The transfer quality is surprisingly strong; I cannot imagine that the original television broadcasts looked better than this!

Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 in your choice of English or Spanish. Optional subtitles are available in the same languages.

Extras

Stan Lee's Soapbox is an 8-minute "catch-all" conversation with the lord of the Marvel Manor. Stan seems like such a likable old gent, and his comments are always welcome on these DVDs. Mr. Lee talks a bit about Venom's origins, but he also manages to touch upon writers, fandom, and the importance of reading. (Listen up, kids!)

The Venomous Web is a collection of questions and answers directed towards Venom creator David Michelinie. Click through the colorful web to learn 14 different trivial tidbits about Venom's origins, inspirations, and resurrections. Pretty nifty stuff.

You'll also get five separate episode introductions from Stan Lee. Brief and engaging on their own, these introductions also allow you to watch the episodes on an individual basis -- as opposed to as part of the feature-length version that's offered on the main menu. Also strangely endearing is the way in which Mr. Lee speaks about these cartoons with such enthusiasm and conviction. The guy's sincere about what he does, and that's a tough thing to dismiss ... even if it is a little cornball.

On the main menu you'll find a whole bunch of Sneak Peeks for titles such as Chicken Little, Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock, Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows, Power Rangers SPD: Volume 1, Tarzan 2, Pokemon: Destiny Deoxys, and Bionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nui.

Final Thoughts

While I'm an old-school Spidey fan since waaay back in the late-70s, I never really got all that "into" the various animated incarnations of the web-slinger's high-flying adventures. So it's a whole lot of fun to catch up with some of the best cartoons -- now that I'm just another clueless old fart. Whether you remember these animated adventures from your childhood, or you're a "modern" fan who can't get enough of Spidey after his big-screen live-action exploits, you'll probably find a lot to enjoy from The Venom Saga.

Barring a full-season string of releases, this is most likely the best the Spidey-faithful can expect, but the single-disc releases are produced with care and a few extra goodies each time out, which means I have no problem at all giving The Venom Saga our Recommended rating.