Web captures cartoons, old and new

by Eric Schwartzberg

Web Watch

Before the Web, there was the Webhead, your friendly neighborhood Spiderman, spinning series in the '60s, '80s and two series in the '90s. Swing on over to Spiderfan.org (http://www.spiderfan.org/noncomic)for downloadable .wav files and other media.

While there's not much to say about the site's design or content, "Hanna Barbera according to Wingnut" (http://w3.nai.net/~wingnut/Hanna_Barbera.html), merits a mention because of its full episode guides for Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, Josie and The Pussycats, The Smurfs and too many other hilarious shows to name in one column.

Stroll down memory lane a bit further and relive the colorful adventures of an early '80s icon - Rainbow Brite. The cheesy yet well-designed "Welcome to Rainbow Land" (http://www.rainbowbrite.net) provides an episode guide, discussion board, and sections for merchandise and fan-written fiction. Still yearning for yesteryear? Sign the "Bring Back Rainbow Brite" petition and bring a kaleidoscopic blast from the past to today's TV schedule.

For those who prefer a dose of testosterone, "The Ultimate G.I. Joe Cartoon Website"

(http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Set/1577) springs into action with reviews for every episode and sound files for every character. There's even an episode endings section that features advice from members of the G.I. Joe team on how to stop nosebleeds, avoid strangers, tread water and survive many other challenges.

Continuing in the anti-estrogen mode, fans of Jay and Silent Bob will delight in "Clerks: The Cartoon"(http://www.clerksthecartoon.com), a Web site with a well-stocked multimedia section. The site claims one can post questions to "Clerks" writer/director Kevin Smith, even though the cartoon went the way of the dinosaur after only six episodes.

"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?" Fans of SpongeBob Squarepants already know the answer. The rest of us can just shrug our shoulders and take a gander at the "Spongebob Fan Club" (http://www.spongebobsquarepants.net), which offers a diagram to make a real "live" version of the titular character.

For a more cerebral cartoon experience — relatively speaking — check out "Go-Go Gadget" (http://gogogadget.simplenet.com/ieindex.html), the home of Get Smart-inspired klutz Inspector Gadget. The site's menu makes posting to the message board, viewing pictures or listening to sound files from the show a real breeze. Next up for the redesigned site: Inspector Gadget videos.