Why the ’90s Was the Best Decade for Comic Book Cartoons

Adam Salandra
TV Comics
TV Comics Animation

Comic books and cartoons are like peanut butter and jelly — an irresistible combination. And while cartoons based on comic book stories and characters have been around for decades, there was never a better time for comic cartoons than the 1990s.

The genre experienced a true renaissance in the ’90s. A plethora of comic characters got their own animated series throughout the decade, and they introduced the iconic characters to a new audience in the same way that the movies are doing now. But what made them so great? Let’s take a look at some of the best examples below.

The Innovators

Batman: The Animated Series
'Batman: The Animated Series'

We need to start with Batman: The Animated Series, as it is the Holy Grail of comic cartoons and explains why this period worked so well. The show is not only considered one of the best Batman adaptations outside of the comics themselves, but many declare it to be one of the all-around greatest animated series ever made. The cartoon actually won four Emmy Awards during its run between 1992 and 1995. Its voice actors also served us what is considered by many to be the definitive voices of both Batman (Kevin Conroy) and the Joker (Mark Hamill).

But perhaps most importantly, the animated series helped shape future iterations of the Batman franchise, including introducing the insanely popular character Harley Quinn into the mythology. She first popped up as the Joker’s henchwoman, girlfriend, and former psychiatrist in an episode titled “Joker’s Favor” and instantly became a favorite among fans. Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley in Suicide Squad was considered many people’s favorite part of the film.

But aside from Batman: The Animated Series, there were other cartoons in the ’90s that showed the comic book universe how it’s done. While there was a cartoon version of Marvel’s Spider-Man in every decade since it was created in 1962, it was the ’90s version that had kids glued to their TV screens. The animated series had many of its episodes written by comic book vets and did a great job highlighting Spider-Man’s rich rogues’ gallery.

The Complex

X-Men The Animated Series
'X-Men The Animated Series'

Those colors! Those stories! Those characters! The cartoon version of Marvel’s X-Men in the ’90s was about as compelling as cartoons get. The series pulled storylines straight from the comics, including the Dark Phoenix Saga, and dealt with some serious topics. The struggle of the mutants has always been considered a metaphor for racism, and the series even had storylines that paralleled things like the Holocaust and the AIDS epidemic. Frankly, some of the plots were so mature that our baby brains had a hard time keeping up as kids, but the vibrant characters and over-the-top action sequences definitely kept us hooked.

The series was so successful that it actually inspired a comic book spin-off, X-Men Adventures. At first, the comic was just an adaptation of the show’s first three seasons but it started creating original stories in 1996 when its name was changed to Adventures of the X-Men.

The Comical

The Tick: The Animated Series
'The Tick: The Animated Series'

While the previous examples featured superheroes often dealing with serious subject matters, there were a few comic cartoons from the ’90s that placed an emphasis on making us laugh. The Tick, for example, first popped up as a parody of traditional superheroes in his 1988 comic book series. But the unlikely hero gained way more popularity after landing his own animated series on Fox in 1994. The Tick didn’t die there, however. The success of the cartoon inspired a live-action series in 2001 and was just revived as a comedy on Amazon in 2016.

The Mask: Animated Series was also a comedic cartoon hit in the ’90s, and while it closely mirrored the tone of the 1994 Jim Carrey live-action movie, did you know the story actually originated as a comic book? The Mask was first born in the late ’80s as a Dark Horse comic originally written by Mike Richardson before eventually being taken over by writer John Arcudi.

While those are some of the classic comic cartoons that captured our attention in the ’90s, there are still so many more. From The Incredible Hulk to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sabrina: The Animated Series to The Adventures of Tin Tin, there’s a seemingly never-ending list of comic-cartoon fun. But tell us, kids of the ’90s, which comic book turned cartoon was your favorite?

Adam Salandra
Adam Salandra is an Entertainment Editor for FANDOM. When he's not covering the latest in pop culture, you can find him playing with his French Bulldog pup or hovering over the table of food at any social gathering.
EA Cancels Black Panther Game, Closes Its Developer, And Lays Off More Staff
EA is cancelling Black Panther and closing its developer, Cliffhanger.
Copied to clipboard
Elden Ring Nightreign Review - Distilled Souls
Elden Ring Nightreign successfully condenses the ER experience, cramming challenging combat, exploration, and more into a multiplayer game.
Copied to clipboard
Nintendo Switch System Update Out Now, Here Are The Patch Notes
The new 20.1.0 update makes some small tweaks to the interface to better match the upcoming Switch 2.
Copied to clipboard
The PS5 Pro Has Received Its First Discount For Days Of Play 2025
PlayStation's high-powered PS5 Pro is available for $50 off alongside deals on more hardware, accessories, and games until June 11.
Copied to clipboard
F-Zero Is Going Through A Quiet Resurgence
Between F-Zero 99's updates and a regular stream of re-releases, Nintendo's forgotten racing series is suddenly more prominent than it's been in years
Copied to clipboard
CoD Season 4 Battle Pass Adds Stitch And Two New Guns In BO6 And Warzone
New weapons, operators, and cosmetics arrive with the Season 4 battle pass.
Copied to clipboard
PlayStation's DualSense Edge PS5 Controller Is On Sale For Its Best Price Yet
PlayStation's Days of Play 2025 sale includes $30 discounts on the pro-style PS5 controller and $20 off all regular DualSense controller colors.
Copied to clipboard
The Handmaid's Tale Series Ending Explained
All the farewells, reunions, and major moments from Hulu's Emmy winner
Copied to clipboard
Sirens Boss Reveals Where She Thinks Devon, Simone, and Michaela End Up
Netflix's miniseries ends with a twist and many question marks
Copied to clipboard
More PlayStation Plus Premium/Extra Games Revealed And Coming Very Soon
PS Plus subscribers can look forward to a diverse selection of games this month.
Copied to clipboard
The Last Of Us Showrunners Tease Season 3's New Direction
Following the Season 2 finale, The Last of Us Season 3 is shifting perspectives turning back the clock.
Copied to clipboard
Pokemon Go Delightful Days Starts June 3, Adds More New Gen 8 And 9 Pokemon
Several new Pokemon from the Galar, Paldea, and Hisui regions are making their debut during Pokemon Go's summer season.
Copied to clipboard
Fortnite Is Giving Away A Free Skin To Celebrate Return To US App Store
You can get this free skin through Fortnite Mobile for a limited time.
Copied to clipboard
Challenge Accepted | ‘Game of Thrones: Kingsroad’
Johnny Chiodini and Luke Westaway battle for the throne in 'Game of Thrones: Kingsroad'
Copied to clipboard
Squid Game and More New Netflix Shows and Movies Coming in June 2025
The light is turning green one last time in Squid Game Season 3
Copied to clipboard
CoD Season 4: Start Date, Ana De Armas Operator, Return Of Zombies Grief Mode
Here's everything we know and what we've heard so far about Black Ops 6's Season 4 update.
Copied to clipboard
Game Pass Now Has A Retro Games App, Including A PS1 Game
The new Retro Classics app on Xbox will let you access dozens of classic games from a variety of platforms.
Copied to clipboard
Catch These Five Games Before They Leave Game Pass At The End Of May
Remnant 2 is among the games leaving Game Pass on May 31, but there's still time to play them or keep them.
Copied to clipboard
Mario Kart World - 14 New Details Nintendo Just Revealed
Nintendo has revealed a boatload of new information about Mario Kart World.
Copied to clipboard
More New Game Pass Titles For May 2025 Include 2024's Best And Day-One Releases
Metaphor ReFantazio, Stalker 2, and To a T lead the second wave of titles coming to Game Pass this month.
Copied to clipboard
You Could Be Playing Battlefield 6 Playtests Very Soon, Here's How
As DICE announces an invite-only pre-alpha playtest for the new Battlefield game, here's how to access it.
Copied to clipboard
2025's Best-Selling Games So Far In The US
Here are the best-selling games of 2025 so far.
Copied to clipboard
Fortnite Is Finally Back On iOS In The US; Here's How To Download It
The legal drama might continue in one way or another, but Fortnite is out now on iOS after nearly five years away.
Copied to clipboard
One Chicago Showrunners Preview All Three Emotional, Game-Changing Finales
Car accidents, pregnancy news, a wedding, and more hit the Windy City
Copied to clipboard
Murderbot: Alexander Skarsgård on Crafting an Android With Neurodivergent Traits
'The core idea of the show is you shouldn't reduce personhood.'
Copied to clipboard
The Overwatch 2 X Street Fighter Collaboration Is "A Match Made In Heaven"
Two of Overwatch's key art directors discuss bringing Capcom's fighter to Blizzard's hero shooter.
Copied to clipboard
Some $80 Games Are A "Steal" Based On What They Offer, Former Sony Exec Says 
"As long as people choose carefully how they spend their money, I don't think they should be complaining."
Copied to clipboard
New Xbox Update Makes A Key Improvement
Microsoft is delivering an improvement that fans have been asking for.
Copied to clipboard
The Last Of Us Season 2 Finale's Intense Trailer Sets Up A Dramatic Conclusion
Season 2 wraps up this Sunday with what looks like a powerful episode.
Copied to clipboard
Red Dead Redemption At 15: There Will Never Be Another Spaghetti Western Like It
Even in its own trilogy, there's nothing quite like Red Dead Redemption.
Copied to clipboard
15 Games Like Call Of Duty To Play With Your Friends In 2025
Here's our full list of the best games like Call of Duty to play right now if you need a new multiplayer shooter to dive into.
Copied to clipboard
Magic: The Gathering - Final Fantasy Through The Ages: Every Bonus Sheet Card
Here are all 64 cards from the special subset included within the MTG Final Fantasy expansion.
Copied to clipboard
Fortnite Now Lets You Speak To Darth Vader With AI Voice Of James Earl Jones
The late actor now lives on in Fortnite, with his family's consent.
Copied to clipboard
Switch 2's Bravely Default Remaster Rings In 3DS Nostalgia Era With A Great RPG
The retro-throwback RPG looks beautiful in some ways, and charmingly rudimentary in others.
Copied to clipboard
Murderbot Review: Alexander Skarsgård Is Hilariously Awkward in Sci-Fi Dramedy
Skarsgård plays a rogue cyborg in Apple TV+'s somewhat shallow but appropriately snarky adaptation
Copied to clipboard
The Handmaid's Tale Cast and Crew React to the Show's Own Red Wedding Episode
'People are going to have their minds blown by what happens.'
Copied to clipboard
All The PlayStation Plus May 2025 Games For Premium And Extra Subscribers
PS Plus subscribers can look forward to a diverse selection of games this month.
Copied to clipboard
Duster Review: Thank You, J.J. Abrams, for Another Josh Holloway Show
The new crime thriller from Abrams and LaToya Morgan is a messy delight
Copied to clipboard
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 Review - Completing The Set
Capcom delivers another great fighting game collection--even with varying quality in the selections this time around.
Copied to clipboard
Control Spin-Off FBC: Firebreak Is A Defiant, Punk-Rock Take On Co-Op Shooters
Remedy's three-player FPS combines a DIY spirit with Left 4 Dead-like chaos.
Copied to clipboard
The Bear Season 4 Has a Tasty Premiere Date
We'll be back in the kitchen imminently
Copied to clipboard
FX Just Dropped a Ton of Alien: Earth Info, Including a Premiere Date
Noah Hawley's take on the sci-fi franchise is set somewhere Alien has never been
Copied to clipboard
Tracker Boss Unpacks That Season 2 Finale and What's Coming in Season 3
Elwood Reid says Justin Hartley evokes a certain classic tough guy
Copied to clipboard
Marvel Rivals Battle Pass Season 0 - All Skins, Emotes, And Other Rewards
The free-to-play hero shooter Marvel Rivals has arrived, launching with a short Season 0 battle pass.
Copied to clipboard
Marvel 1943: Rise Of Hydra Delayed
The new Marvel game won't make it out on time.
Copied to clipboard
The Best And Wildest Grand Theft Auto 6 Theories We've Seen So Far
Even with limited footage and screens, the GTA community has some big ideas for the next game.
Copied to clipboard
WoW Legion Is Getting The Remix Treatment, Blizzard Confirms
Legion Remix has been officially announced at PAX East.
Copied to clipboard
Fallout Renewed For A Third Season, But Heading To New Vegas First
Prime Video has greenlit Fallout Season 3 while we're still waiting for Season 2 to premiere later this year.
Copied to clipboard
Boba Fett, Final Fantasy 7's Aerith, And The Best Cosplay From PAX East 2025
Halo, Helldivers, Fallout, and much more were on display by fans at PAX.
Copied to clipboard
GTA 4 Remaster May Be In The Works
We might get GTA 4 a second time before GTA 6.
Copied to clipboard
Magic: The Gathering Final Fantasy Collab Led To Spirited Discussions Over Cuts
"I had to say 'Daniel, if they don't make it in, I will be very upset, because someone will get very upset with me if they don't make it in."
Copied to clipboard
Nintendo Reveals A Switch 2 Setting That Prevents Its Battery From Deteriorating
Make sure you turn on this Nintendo Switch 2 setting if you don't want your battery to deteriorate as fast.
Copied to clipboard
Magic: The Gathering – Final Fantasy PAX East Panel: See The Revealed Cards Now
The mad dash to June 13 has begun, as the PAX East panel revealed over 20 cards from the upcoming set.
Copied to clipboard
Borderlands 4 Will Feature Substantial Changes For Co-Op Players
From improved lobbies to the ability to fast-travel directly to your friends, Borderlands 4 looks like it'll be a blast of fun for fans of co-op games
Copied to clipboard
Andor's Kyle Soller: Syril's 'Finally Understanding That He's Been the Patsy'
'He's in such a primal state of transition, it's like he's leaving a cult'
Copied to clipboard
The Hilarious Peacemaker Season 2 Trailer Features Some DC Cameos
Check out the Superman connection in the first Season 2 trailer
Copied to clipboard
Revenge Of The Savage Planet Review - A Goo(d) Time
A bigger and better sequel, stretching out its joyful mix of platforming, exploration, and puzzle-solving across four diverse and lively planets.
Copied to clipboard
Doom: The Dark Ages Review - The Old One
Doom: The Dark Ages reinvents and reins in with equal measure, taking the series in a bold new direction without straying from its captivating roots.
Copied to clipboard
Europa Universalis 5 Is Unabashedly Hardcore, And I Love It
Europa Universalis 5 features all of the thorough mechanical depth Paradox Interactive’s grand strategy series is known for.
Copied to clipboard
How To Survive Fortnite's Painfully Slow Star Wars Meta
Zero Build players should never leave home without shield bubbles.
Copied to clipboard
8 Horror Subclasses Join Unearthed Arcana For Dungeons And Dragons 2024
New D&D horror subclasses announced with the latest Unearthed Arcana.
Copied to clipboard
Squid Game's Season 3 Trailer Teases a New Deadly Game
Let's talk about that gumball machine in the new trailer
Copied to clipboard
The Best Anime TV Shows on Netflix
The biggest streamer has a ton of Japanese imports and exclusive originals worth watching
Copied to clipboard
GTA 6 Trailer 2 Breakdown: What's Happening In Leonida?
You'd be amazed how much can be packed into two minutes and 46 seconds.
Copied to clipboard
Disney Lorcana Next Chapter Livestream: Everything Revealed For Lorcana's Future
Ravensburger's hit TCG has some big plans for its third year.
Copied to clipboard
Games Joining Game Pass In May 2025, Including Doom: The Dark Ages
Three day-one releases are part of this wave for the subscription service.
Copied to clipboard
GTA 6 - Here Are 177 Screenshots To Ease The Wait Until 2026
Grand Theft Auto VI is coming in May 2026.
Copied to clipboard
Filming The Last of Us Episode 4's Subway Action Scene Was No Easy Task
Go behind Episodes 2 and 4 with cinematographer Catherine Goldschmidt
Copied to clipboard
Apex Legends Season 25 Patch Notes: New Legend, Arenas Mode, And More
Season 25: Prodigy includes a new audio bug report system, the return of Arenas, and a new Legend named Sparrow.
Copied to clipboard
Nintendo Switch's Latest Update Disables Popular Game-Sharing Loophole
Switch owners have lost a helpful way to share online-enabled games thanks to the latest hardware update.
Copied to clipboard
Fortnite Star Wars Battle Pass: All Skins And Other Rewards
Fortnite is going all in on Star Wars this month.
Copied to clipboard
GTA 6 Delayed To 2026
Rockstar's giant open-world game will not make it out on time.
Copied to clipboard
FX Gives First Details on Shōgun Season 2
Production is set to begin in 2026
Copied to clipboard
Sam Elliott Joins Landman Season 2, as He Should
A legend of the West is joining Season 2 — yeehaw!
Copied to clipboard
Everything New In Fortnite's Star Wars Season, Galactic Battle
For the next five weeks, Star Wars is taking over Fortnite battle royale and Lego Fortnite.
Copied to clipboard
Fortnite Returning To US iOS Soon After Judge Slams Apple For "Insubordination"
The latest chapter in the Epic Games/Apple legal battle gives Epic a big win.
Copied to clipboard
Xbox Consoles, Games, And Accessories See Price Increases Starting Today
An Xbox Series X system will now cost $600 in the US, after previously being listed for $500.
Copied to clipboard
PlayStation Plus Free Games For May 2025 Revealed
Here's what PS Plus subscribers can look forward to in May.
Copied to clipboard
These Nintendo Switch 2 Titles Have The Full Game On The Game Card
Only certain physical releases for Nintendo Switch 2 will contain the entire game on the Game Card. These are all of the ones confirmed so far.
Copied to clipboard
Best Oblivion Remastered Mods To Download So Far
Mods are available to download in Oblivion Remastered, but which ones should you prioritize first for your journey in Cyrodiil?
Copied to clipboard
Borderlands 4 Release Date Moved Up
Gearbox's looter-shooter is now coming a few weeks sooner.
Copied to clipboard
Skin Deep Review - System Snark
While rewarding creativity like any great game in its genre should, Blendo Games' Skin Deep also offers a refreshingly lighthearted take on the im sim
Copied to clipboard
The Best Games Of 2025 (So Far)
2025 is off to a great start, thanks to games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Civilization VII.
Copied to clipboard