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The Marvel Comics Video Library, released by Prism Entertainment, was a series of VHS and Betamax tapes that featured episodes from animated series based on Marvel Comics characters. A total of 24 tapes were released and included episodes from Spider-Man (1967), Spider-Man (1981), The Marvel Super Heroes , Fantastic Four (1978), The Incredible Hulk (1982) and Spider-Woman . [1] Each tape ran for approximately 60 minutes and included 2 full episodes. The first episode could be from any of the included series, but the second episode was always from either the 1967 or 1981 Spider-Man series.
Contents
The volumes were released in a numerical sequence, with odd-numbered volumes featuring hero characters and even-numbered volumes featuring villains as their focus character. Each volume featured a title and cover relating to a character that appears in one or both of its episodes, with most covers also including the title of one of the episodes. The videos were released in black clamshell cases with removable labels fitted behind clear plastic sleeves, with artwork from Marvel Comics on the outside and episode descriptions on the back. [2]
Characters featured included heroes such as Spider-Man, Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man, as well as villains such as Doctor Doom, the Vulture, Green Goblin, and Magneto.
The first eighteen volumes were released on September 17, 1985 at a suggested retail price of $19.95 each, [2] positioning them as part of the emerging sell-through home video market at a time when most pre-recorded videocassettes were priced primarily for the video rental market. The first eighteen volumes each included a promotional segment announcing that twelve new volumes would follow every sixty days after the initial release. [3] [2] However, Prism canceled the arrangement after only two cycles: the initial eighteen-volume set and a follow-up six-volume set released in 1986, each of which was a second volume for a character or team that had appeared in the initial wave.