TV shows based on comic books have been around since the early 1950s. For you younger folks reading this, yes - we did in fact, have televisions. They were made of stone, and we pounded them with our clubs to change channels.

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Since that prehistoric time, dozens of live action and animated versions of our favorite comic book characters appeared and sometimes quickly disappeared. Some we truly miss while others have led to years of night terrors. To jog our memories, here are 5 cancelled comic book shows we miss and 5 we don't.

10 Don't Miss - Spider-Man Unlimited (1999)

Out of all the Spider-Man cartoons, this is one many wish never happened. It's not that it wasn't good. Rather, it put Spidey so out of his element that the rest of the Spider-Verse elected not to invite him to the next barbecue.

The cartoon's producers, Saban Entertainment, wanted to animate the earliest issues of the Amazing Spider-Man comic. Due to the first series of Spider-Man movies being produced at the same time, they decided to put Spidey on a mission to rescue J. Jonah's son from a Counter-Earth. Here, Green Goblin was a superhero, walking tigers roamed the planet, and Peter Parker wore a costume that barely resembled a spider. It only lasted a few episodes on Saturday mornings before it was relegated to the Fox Kids cable network.

9 Miss - Batman: The Brave and the Bold (2008-2011)

This Cartoon Network series brought back the Silver Age days of the Caped Crusader. It also made him more powerful and universally well-known than his red-caped buddy in Metropolis. Opposed to Batman: The Animated Series, each episode was a fun romp that didn't take itself too seriously.

Much of the enjoyment was in the show's teasers instead of the main story. In these moments, Bats joined characters like WWI's Enemy Ace and WWII's Sgt. Rock. In another teaser, the Dark Knight and Space Ghost teamed-up. Other teaser appearances included Steve Trevor, the original Teen Titans, and, unfortunately, Bat-Mite.

8 Don't Miss - The Amazing Spider-Man (1977-1979)

Marvel did their darnedest to crack the small screen in the 1970s. Out of the four live-action shows created, The Incredible Hulk was the most successful while small-screen versions of Doctor Strange and Captain America were, to be kind, total train wrecks.

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The live action Spider-Man was a good effort. They got Spidey's costume right-ish, but the show was ruined by poor special effects, even for the late 70s. The Spidey's Super Stories segments on the original Electric Company had better effects.

7 Miss - Marvel's Netflix Shows

Fans were ecstatic when Netflix premiered shows based on Marvel's street-level characters. Folks like Daredevil and Jessica Jones got their just dues as living, breathing, three-dimensional humans. Soon, these folks were joined by Luke Cage and Iron Fist to become the non-team group known as the Defenders. Between that and new episodes of Fuller House, all was good in the world.

Then Disney+ turned everything upside down, and Netflix decided to cancel these series when they were still popular. Disney+ is producing a new set of live-action shows for their more powerful heroes. However, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage are not part of that new batch. Furthermore, it's not certain if they will ever be.

6 Don't Miss - Night Man (1997-1999)

nightman in front of a moon

This syndicated series from the 1990s follows some superhero stereotypes. The main character, Johnny Domino, gets his powers not from spinning too many Top 40 records ("Here's N'Sync's latest, on KFRC). Instead, he gets hit by a bolt of lightning that gives him telepathic powers and ability to fly. The downside -- he doesn't sleep. We'll, maybe there aren't so many stereotypes.

Night Man was based on Malibu Comics' Ultraverse character. In 1994, Marvel bought Malibu and thought this guy, instead of Prime or Sludge, would bring in viewers. While it lasted for two seasons, the only thing people remember was the crossover with the main character from Manimal. Now, there's a show that needs to return.

5 Miss - Justice League Unlimited (2004-2006)

Where the original Justice League was great, Justice League Unlimited was super in terms of character depth and storytelling. The creators grabbed as many current DC heroes as they could. They even helped themselves to members of the 7 Soldiers of Victory and included them in major storylines.

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Some standout episodes of JLU include "For the Man Who Has Everything," adapted from a 1985 Alan Moore Superman story, and "Once and Future Story," where several present members meet DC's Western heroes as well as the future Justice League seen in Batman Beyond. One of the best, and most action-packed, is "Divided we Fall." Here, the founding JL members battle a Lex Luthor inhabited by Brainiac's robotic form.

Ah, comics.

4 Don't Miss - WildC.A.T.S. (1994-1995)

Putting a WildC.A.T.S cartoon together was a good effort. However, it completely missed the book's original concept by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi. What was shown as an ages-long battle between two alien races that breeds with us humans became a typical superhero cartoon with a totally radical rap-infused musical intro.

There's a little irony to the failure that was the WildC.A.T.S. series. There's a good chance it was given the green light so CBS could complete with the Saturday morning X-Men juggernaut. The fact that Jim Lee was the artist on the second volume of X-Men before he left for Image was probably not lost on him as his creator-owned cartoon tanked.

3 Miss - The Tick (All Incarnations)

Take your pick on this one. It can be The Tick cartoon that aired on Fox Kids 1994 to 1997, the first live-action series that lasted from 2001 to 2002, or the latest version that recently aired on Amazon Prime from 2016 to 2019. All of these were fan and critic faves and yet, they were all canceled in their prime... pardon the streaming service pun.

The animated series and second live-action version of The Tick are the most loved. The animated version stayed as close to the comic as possible. The second live-action series rated well with several critics and was nominated for a 2018 Saturn Award. The 2001 series with Patrick Warburton? Sadly, not even The Tick's cry of "Spoon!" can make people remember it.

2 Don't Miss - The Cape (2011)

Though not directly connected to a comic book, this superhero series from the early 2010s is here because, frankly, it wasn't good. The acting was bad, the writing was bad, and the action was bad. Even the star of the show, the spider-silk Cape, was a poor substitute for Doctor Strange's living cape. In fact, that one could beat the snot out of the TV version.

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The Cape starred David Lyons, late of medical drama ER, as Vince Faraday, a good cop who is framed in a corruption scheme. Tired trope -- activated. Instead of falling into an irradiated vat of Amazon gamma spiders with power rings, Lyons' character ends up being abducted by a traveling-circus-turned-bank-robbery gang called the Carnival of Crime. It's here that Faraday learns about the many capabilities of the Cape. Apparently, not enough abilities to save the show.

1 Miss - The Flash (1990-1991)

DC has rarely failed with its live-action shows. Case in point, the first Flash series that aired on CBS in 1990. Yes, more than one network aired DC Comics shows back then.

There were several reasons it worked. First, it took costume technology from the live-action Batman and effectively utilized it for Flash's outfit. Second, John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen was the right choice to portray the smart, funny, and somewhat humble character. Third, the supporting cast enhanced Shipp's role. This included Amanda Pays as Tina McGee, pre-Homicide/SVU Richard Belzer as a news reporter, and this up-and-coming actor named Mark Hamill as Rouges Gallery villain The Trickster.

Thankfully, this continuity of The Flash will run once more in the upcoming Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover.

NEXT: DCAU: 5 Stories We Want In Live-Action (& 5 We Don't)