The 25 Best Animated Comic Book TV Shows Of All Time

It's no secret that movie adaptations of comic books are the current trend in Hollywood, but there is a medium that translates these characters even better than live-action features: animation. With the ability to not only recreate the storylines from the comics, but to actually replicate the artwork, superhero cartoons have featured some of the most memorable comic book stories of all time.

Over the years, these cartoons have evolved from short segments with crudely animated heroes and bad one-liners into some of the most sophisticated animation that we have ever seen. In fact, it can be argued that in recent years, many of these animated series have overshadowed the comics that they were originally based on.

Tonight at 11 p.m. ET, G4 is debuting a brand new Blade anime series featuring the popular comic book character (and voice work from actor Harold Perrineau). The show's blockbuster action scenes and widescreen directing style expand upon the notion that these cartoons should be viewed as truly artistic accomplishments, rather than cheap children's entertainment. So in honor of Blade’s strong debut, we’re taking a look back at The 25 Best Animated Comic Book Shows of all Time.

Written by Jason Serafino (@serafinoj1)

Follow ComplexPopCult

Slightly campy and unapologetically goofy at times, Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends featured the famous Wall Crawler teaming up with the X-Men’s Iceman and Firestar, who replaced the Human Torch due to licensing issues. From its often bizarre plots, to Aunt May’s dog, which existed solely for the purpose of comic relief, Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends is purely, unabashedly '80s. Sure it lacks sophistication, but this show is a memorable part of Spider-Man’s adventures in popular culture.

With only 20 episodes, Fantastic Four wasn’t the longest-running comic book show out there, but it was one of the most impactful. The show, which was produced by Hanna-Barbera, was highlighted by skillful storytelling and voice-acting so perfect that it’s still hard to read the comics without hearing them in your head.

This cartoon also hit the air just six years after the comic book was created, so most people had never even heard of the Fantastic Four before, which gave the show the advantage of being completely original for a lot of its audience. Not only is this still the best Fantastic Four cartoon ever, but it easily outdoes the team’s live-action movies as well.

It only had one stand-out season out of two, but Season One of The Incredible Hulk was a surprisingly dark take on the Green Goliath. The show would often spend just as much time focusing on Bruce Banner’s own self-loathing as it would on colossal action scenes. But when it did come time for the good Doctor to “Hulk Out,” the show let loose with some of the most powerful brawls we have ever seen.

Unfortunately, the show took on a decidedly lighter tone in its second season, and it was soon canceled. But during its first handful of episodes, The Incredible Hulk made a run at being one of the best comic book cartoons on at the time, against some quality competition.

In the wake of the Super Friends, Ruby-Spears Productions took a run at the Man of Steel in a show that would be just as solid as it was brief. Airing only 13 episodes, Superman was the first DC show to feature the Post-Crisis universe that had been introduced in the comics only a few years earlier. This meant the Superman mythos were slightly altered, but the spirit of the character was kept alive. And with talent from the comic book industry hired to design the show and edit the scripts, Superman wound up being a notable, if sometimes forgotten, superhero cartoon.

Throw away everything you know about Batman and just sit back and enjoy the complete insanity that is The New Adventures Of Batman. Playing out more like the campy '60s live-action show, rather than the later, darker incarnations, this show is pure comic book gold as the Caped Crusader fights his way through a horde of classic foes with Robin and the aid of another, more surreal sidekick, Bat-Mite. Plus, this show is one of the last times Adam West and Burt Ward ever played the Dynamic Duo, which is more than enough reason to track these episodes down.

Based on the popular DC comic book, Teen Titans gave an Eastern makeover to the super team by introducing a heaping helping of anime elements to the show. The result was a completely fresh take on the superhero genre, one that featured a perfect blend of fantastic action and humor. Teaming up well-known heroes, like Robin and Cyborg, with the lesser-known Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy, Teen Titans introduced the mainstream audience to one of DC's best kept secrets.

The only regret we have about this show is that it often catered to the younger demographic too much. We would have loved to see a faithful adaptation of The Judas Contract hit the screen, which was one of the comic’s most popular titles.

Though it didn’t last long, The Marvel Super Heroes was the company’s first foray into the world of animation, and it gave comic book fans everywhere a completely new roster of characters to latch on to. The show ran five days a week, with a different hero starring every day, such as Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and the Sub-Mariner.

These episodes didn’t feature traditional animation; instead, they were mostly recreations of the original comic book panels that moved slightly and were lip-synched to a certain degree. But despite the lackluster production values, these cartoons introduced the Marvel Universe to kids everywhere with stories that almost perfectly resembled the comics.

It’s still early into its run, but Young Justice has already shown that it is a worthy successor to the comic book shows that came before it, such as Justice League and Teen Titans. Focusing on a group of younger heroes like Robin, Aqualad, Red Arrow, and Kid Flash, the show presents every episode with the type of widescreen aesthetics of a Hollywood blockbuster.

It’s sleek, action-packed, and incredibly compelling as the neophyte super team is charged with fending off some of the heaviest hitters in the DC Universe, while also struggling with their own hang-ups and immaturity. Boasting a roster of writers plucked from the comic book world, Young Justice is an incredibly smart show that has been gaining momentum since its debut.

Despite living in the shadow of X-Men: The Animated Series and Batman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man managed to gather a loyal audience during its run thanks to its offbeat humor and inclusion of '90s icons Venom and Carnage. And though it muddled the original comic book continuity to a disturbing degree, the show kept the spirit of Spider-Man intact and treated audiences to a host of memorable stories and villains.

Unfortunately, the series’ cost-cutting measures led to a lot of recycled animation in the later seasons, and the plots eventually went completely off the rails after outer-space adventures and bizarre clone sagas were introduced. But in its early days, Spider-Man was a perfect love letter to all fans of the Wall Crawler.

Touting storylines straight from the comics and one of the catchiest theme songs of all time, Spider-Man single handedly introduced countless future comic book fans to the Wall Crawler’s exploits. Every episode was like a lethal dose of fantasy action as Spider-Man faced off against classic rogues like Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and the Rhino, and some completely original baddies like the Human Fly and Dr. Humperdink Dumpty.

No one will ever mistake this series with high art, but for its time, Spider-Man was a genuinely good show with enough action to keep even the most hyperactive child fully focused. The Web Slinger's cartoons did improve over the years, but none were more fun than this one.

This series started off promising enough: An explosion at the X mansion seemingly takes the life of Professor Xavier and Jean Grey, and the X-Men disband in the aftermath. Years later, the team is forced to reunite in a war-torn dystopia as an epic clash between mutants and humanity looms large.

After just one season, Wolverine And The X-Men vanished from the air without as much as a goodbye, but during its short run the show presented the kind of intricate storytelling and social commentary that X-Men fans are used to. Plus, there was more than enough action to make the 10-year-old in all of us smile with glee.

Everybody knows that, in 1986, Frank Miller came along and wrote The Dark Knight Returns, which chronicled the later-days of an older Batman as he attempts to reclaim Gotham City after years of retirement. But that story was always going to be too violent and intense to bring to Saturday mornings, so Warner Brothers, along with Bruce Timm and Paul Dini, introduced the world to Batman Beyond, a futuristic look at the new Caped Crusader, Terry McGinnis.

Armed to the teeth with an arsenal of futurist weaponry like advanced batarangs, jet boots, and a flying Batmobile, Batman Beyond was a sleek piece of cyberpunk mayhem with a roster of villains and psychopaths that came close to topping Batman’s original rogues. With Bruce Wayne now acting as an elderly mentor, McGinnis spent most of the show’s run adapting to his new title as Batman, as well as attempting to balance out his personal life.

In an attempt to make the ultra-violent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle comics more palatable for the mainstream audience, CBS launched a cartoon based on the characters that was designed to be soft and cuddly, rather than crude and bloody. The result was one of the best children’s cartoons of all time, and the beginning of the property’s stranglehold on pop-culture during the early '90s.

Despite separating itself from the source material considerably, the show succeeded by introducing memorable characters, catchphrases, and eye candy to impressionable youths everywhere.

Unlike the other entries on this list, The Tick was specifically designed to be a parody of the superhero genre and comic book medium, but ironically the show’s irreverent humor and sharp writing made it one of the best examples of comic book animation. Based on the indie comic book character, The Tick may have worn tights and had super strength like a normal hero, but his tenuous grasp on sanity and absurd supporting cast made him run directly against the grain.

Unfortunately, the show’s off-center humor and bizarre situations made it a tough sell for kids, who were much happier buying Batman, X-Men, and Spider-Man toys, rather than Tick toys. This lack of interest led to the show getting canned years before it should have.

When Batman: The Brave And The Bold was first announced, and it was revealed that this version of the Caped Crusader would take its cues from the Golden Age version of the character, and not the ultra-realistic take from Christopher Nolan’s movies, some fans expressed their disapproval. But after the first episode aired, it was clear that this show wasn’t just a rehash of the child-friendly comics from the '50s and '60s; instead, it was a tongue-in-cheek homage to that time period complete with non-stop humor and off-the-wall characterizations.

As opposed to focusing on Batman taking on the Joker like we have seen countless times before, Brave And The Bold teamed the Caped Crusader up with a new hero every week as they battled the lesser-known villains of the DC Universe. It’s not often we get to see heroes and villains like the Psycho Pirate, Adam Strange, Crazy Quilt, and Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man on screen, but this show pulls it off with the wit and whimsy of a Dick Sprang comic from the '50s.

With its kid-friendly tone and goofy plots, Super Friends is the show responsible for bringing comic books to the Saturday morning cartoon block. Sure, other shows came before it, but none lasted as long. Throughout its run, the show evolved as the comic books themselves grew more mature. When it was first introduced in the '70s, the show featured the Justice League teaming up with kid-heroes Wendy, Marvin, and Wonder Dog in a series of head-shaking adventures.

But soon, the show introduced the villainous Legion of Doom in a direction that was much more appealing to the average comic book fan. Eventually, the show morphed into a space opera that pitted the League against Darkseid and the intergalactic foes from Apokolips. This season was a precursor to the industry changing shows that Bruce Timm and company would bring to the genre.

Debuting in between Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League, Superman was always going to have a tough time finding its own identity, but thanks to great stories and titanic action scenes, the show managed to succeed despite being overshadowed. Delving deeper into the character’s mythology than any cartoon or movie had attempted before, Superman introduced fans to popular enemies like Brainiac and Lex Luthor, but it also brought in some of the Man of Steel’s quirkier villains like Mr. Mxyzptlk and Titano.

And if comic book lore and a stacked roster of villains don’t satisfy you, then the show’s action scenes surely would. In this show, Supes threw planet-sized haymakers and beat enemies senseless with cars on a weekly basis, while destroying countless buildings and roads in the process. In short, this is the only superhero TV show that lived up to the type of action that comic book fans read about every week.

Debuting just a year-and-a-half ago, Avengers has already solidified itself as one of the best superhero adaptations ever—and we’re not just talking about animation. The show simultaneously pays homage to the Silver Age comics from the '60s and includes aspects from the modern books, managing to be completely fresh in the process. With the classic Avengers roster intact (like Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Hawkeye), Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is all about big action and sprawling stories that often span multiple episodes and seasons.

But the show’s real highlight is its selection of Marvel Universe villains that spans from household names (Loki and Red Skull) to B-listers (Blizzard, Graviton, and the Bi-Beast). This show can be viewed as a marketing tool for this summer's Avengers movie, but we have a suspicion that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes may very well outdo what even the great Joss Whedon has planned.

Despite being absolutely brilliant while it was on the air, The Spectacular Spider-Man was canceled right when it was hitting its stride. The show was the perfect amalgamation of the classic Stan Lee/Steve Ditko/John Romita comics from the ‘60s and the more modern Spidey stories from the '90s and '00s. Every episode seemingly topped the one that came before it as classic Spider-Man foes and supporting characters were brought to life to near-perfection.

But the show didn’t stop at a few great fight scenes and stellar voice-acting; it also featured sophisticated storytelling that completely strayed from the clichés of the genre. There was no such thing as a throwaway episode of this show; instead, every episode laid the groundwork for a larger storyline that would often span an entire season, such as the mystery behind the Green Goblin’s identity. The Spectacular Spider-Man was pure comic book perfection while it was on the air, and if it had lasted a little bit longer it probably would have ranked even higher than it does.

The '90s was a decade of pure nirvana for comic book fans looking for their favorite characters to hit the small screen, and X-Men: The Animated Series helped lead the revolution by introducing a generation of kids (and some adults) to the world of Marvel’s Merry Mutants. Adapting storylines straight from the comics, X-Men was famous for delving head-first into the complicated mythology of the characters without ever confusing fans by getting bogged down in its own excess.

Each episode touted a list of cameos and guest appearances by some of the most popular citizens of the Marvel Universe, but Wolverine, Cyclops, and the other X-Men were always the main focus of the show. With slick action scenes and deep stories that often took an entire season to unfold, X-Men: The Animated Series is still the best Marvel cartoon to ever hit the air.

It’s not often that you could turn on a cartoon and see limbs flying from bodies in a wave of crimson blood and hear foul language that would even make a Marine blush, but HBO’s adaptation of Todd McFarlane’s Spawn managed to bring the gritty, crude comic creation to life without the slightest hint of censorship. But the show did more than just retain the violence of the original comic, Spawn also featured a roster of incredible voice actors and stories that managed to top McFarlane’s original comic vision.

By adapting scripts straight from the books, and even going as far as trying to recreate the hyper-detailed art of McFarlane, it could easily be argued that Spawn is the most faithful comic book adaptation to ever hit the small screen.

Originally airing in Japan and later imported over to the States, Astro Boy is one of the most significant cartoons of all time because it introduced countless Americans to manga and anime. The story focuses on an incredibly powerful robot named Astro Boy, which was created in a futuristic world where robots have assimilated themselves into society.

Astro Boy was modeled after the late son of his creator, Doctor Tenma, and his adventures usually placed him at odds against humans, aliens, and even other robots. There have been various remakes of the original cartoon, and even a CGI film in recent years, but none of those adaptations come close to matching the charm and whimsy of the original black and white cartoon.

Visually dazzling and infinitely influential, Fleischer Studios’ Superman shorts from the 1940s were an early example of a comic book property making a successful transition into another medium, and to this day they’re still among the best. At the time, these shorts would play before a feature-length movie, and they would routinely offer something far more dazzling than whatever film they preceded. In fact, they were so well received that they even captured Academy Award nominations, a feat that comic book properties wouldn’t achieve again for decades.

During the '40s, fantasy action scenes could usually only be seen in static comic book images, but Fleischer Studios brought them to life with ease as the Man of Steel would often take down mountainous robots and stop speeding trains with grace and beauty. These cartoons didn’t just revolutionize superheroes, they also changed the way the industry looks at animation in general.

After working on superhero royalty such as Batman and Superman, Bruce Timm embarked on his most ambitious animated series ever at Warner Brothers, Justice League. Teaming up some of DC’s heaviest hitters, such as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, along with lesser-known characters like the Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl, Justice League explored the comic book mythology more thoroughly than any other animated show before it.

Featuring stories ripped straight from the comics, as well as some original material, Bruce Timm and a stable of writers presented rich characterizations, emotional stories, and a metric ton of over-the-top action in a way that most cartoons couldn’t compete with. But after two seasons of Justice League, the show was reformatted into Justice League Unlimited, which featured shorter episodes and more superhero cameos.

The result was even better than the original, as Timm and writer Dwayne McDuffie gave fans an epic, season-long story that questioned the League’s place in the world and whether or not their powers had grown out of control. This first season of Unlimited isn’t just the best Justice League cartoon ever; it’s the best Justice League story ever, period.

Could the #1 spot really belong to any other show? Batman: The Animated Series didn’t just revolutionize the way we looked at superhero cartoons, or cartoons in general for that matter, but it can be argued that it also fundamentally changed the Dark Knight as a character. With mature storytelling and an art-deco design aesthetic, Batman: The Animated Series paid tribute to the Batman comics of the '70s and '80s, while bringing a stylized look that was reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood to Gotham City.

The show helped define an interpretation of Batman that is still seen as the definitive version of the character to an entire generation of fans. In fact, it's still difficult not to hear Kevin Conroy’s intimidating, baritone Batman voice whenever we flip through the pages of Detective Comics.

The show adapted popular Batman stories directly from the comics, such as The Demon’s Quest and A Bullet for Bullock, but it also featured original stories and characters that proved to be so popular that they were quickly adapted into the comic book world. That should give you a sense of the show's importance. It's hard to find a word to describe Batman other than "perfection."