Spider-Man TV (1967) - Season 3, Episode 2 (Story 1)

Background

I know what the trouble with yellow snow is. Not from personal experience, mind you.

Story 'Trouble With Snow'

During the dead of winter, a full-sized snowman has been made near an electrical tower. The snowman - according to our helpful narrator - has traces of industrial waste from a plant upriver in it. Combined with the frigid temperature and 500,000 volts of electricity from a downed power line, the snowman is brought to life. The snowman awakens in a grumpy mood and walks toward the city.

In the city Peter Parker is in the process of being rejected by a girl named Susan for classmate Roy Robinson. The snowman appears and begins a minor destructive streak before he gets bored and leaves. Peter then returns to school and performs test on a sample of the snow. He finds the trace chemicals and somehow finds the spot where the snowman [We'll call him Evil Frosty. You knew this was coming.] was made. This confirms his suspicions that Evil Frosty is a combination of pollution and electricity. [No wonder, he's in a bad mood].

Evil Frosty makes several appearance over the next few days absorbing equal amounts of electricity and snow. This allows him to increase in size, prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency.

When Spider-Man confronts Evil Frosty next, he observes that he's attracted to all types of electrical power. He then deduces that he has to replenish the lost electricity that's keeping him "alive". He quickly uses some copper wiring to drain the creature of all its power, returning it to snow.

Jameson is furious that Peter doesn't have any pictures of the event.

General Comments

I'm torn. I really am. There's just enough scientific mumbo-jumbo in this story to justify animating a snowman. On the other hand, Spider-Man had to fight an animated snowman.

Overall Rating

2 webs. Where the plot may not have been the greatest, it was at least short and relatively painless.