Similar Tarzan and the Super 7, Manta and Moray, The Freedom Force, Space Sentinels, Hero High | ||
Web woman cartoon from filmation
"Web Woman" is the primary alias used by Kelly Webster, a fictional character and cartoon superheroine. She is featured on the 1978–1980 television series Tarzan and the Super 7 by Filmation. Web Woman's voice was provided by actress Linda Gary.
Contents
Web woman the perfect crime part 1
Series format
The redheaded Kelly is a NASA scientist turned farmer who saves the life of a tall, thin insectoid alien when he is swept into a raging river during a thunderstorm. In gratitude, the alien presents her with a special ring with a black widow "hourglass" design which grants her the powers of the entire insect kingdom. The alien proves to be an agent of the mysterious entity named Scarab, the guardian of the space station Citadel 7, who communicates with her via a huge crystal orb in the secret lair hidden in a cavern beneath her barn. Exactly how she came into contact with Scarab after receiving the ring was not specified in any of the cartoons, but she becomes Web Woman soon afterward. Her transformation from Kelly Webster into Web Woman is brought on by a vocal command, combined with the power of the ring, that is spoken like this:
"Insects of the world...small creatures of the cosmos...lend me your powers--NOW!"
Clothing, allies, and equipment
The outfit Kelly wears as Web Woman consists of a purple leotard with a "W"-shaped collar, a matching belt, matching boots, and a matching skullcap with an attached antennae-like "W"-shaped black mask. She has a variety of weapons, such as a rope-like "web-line" that unspools from her utility belt and obeys her commands, and the ring can produce sleeping gas, an energy beam that solidifies into a spider web for ensnaring enemies, and an force field of energized webbing.
Web Woman is aided in her missions for Scarab by a cute plump and furry alien with bat-like ears, big buck teeth and large black eyes who responds to the name of "Spinner." While the shrilly-gibbering little space creature is often used for comic relief, he is also an expert mechanic and has the ability to curl up into a ball and roll at high speed so that he can bowl over the enemies Web Woman fights. Together they travel in a spider-shaped, eight-legged flying saucer she calls the "Web-Trac." The Web-Trac can burrow through the ground as easily as it flies through space.
Enemies
Web Woman heeds the Web Call from Scarab to fight such enemies as Dr. Abyss, Madame Macabre, Dr. Jack Frankenstein, Rax, Dr. Despair, Mr. Perfect, and Tsetse.
Episodes
- "The Rainmaker"
- "The Eye of the Fly"
- "The World Within"
- "Madame Macabre's Calamity Circus"
- "Red Snails at Sunset"
- "Send in the Clones"
- "The Sun Thief"
- "Dr. Despair and the Mood Machine"
- "The Perfect Crime"
- "The Lady in the Lamp"
DC Comics
Web Woman's origin, that of a Terrestrial human saving the life of an alien whose reward to the human is a grant of super-human powers, usually through an alien artifact of some sort, is a parallel of that of the DC Comics character Lana Lang, during the Silver Age Of Comics, becoming a crusader who used the primary alias of "The Insect Queen" and was featured in the pages of Superboy, a comic-book series that dealt with the adventures of Superman when he was a boy. It is also similar, though not identical, to that of Harold "Hal" Jordan becoming the Green Lantern in the Silver Age Of Comics. (It is not identical because Jordan's benefactor, Abin Sur, died just after he had benefitted Jordan.)
Marvel
Web Woman's primary alias, real name, origin story, and list of abilities and equipment all had to be revised after Marvel Comics learned of Filmation Associates's plans and rather hastily created Spider-Woman, real name Jessica Drew, in the pages of Marvel Spotlight to seize ownership of the copyright.