The Spider

The Original Spider (Quality Comics)

Paul Gustavson’s first hero for Quality was the Spider, but it wasn’t his first archer. He’d previously created “The Arrow” for Centaur’s Funny Pages #11 (Nov. 1938). This feature was titled “Alias the Spider” (like the Clock before him), but the hero’s name was just “the Spider.” The Spider’s adventures were short and felt contrived. The title character usually appeared from nowhere, and could perform many amazing feats without explanation. 

The Spider was introduced in civilian attire, as a member of a “fashionable sportsman’s club.” But in response to danger, this young man took on the alias under which the public knew him best—the Spider. The Spider was a supreme archer who crafted a special kind of arrow that burst into flame upon firing. The arrow’s tip left behind the Spider’s mark, a scarab-like medallion, that served as a warning. His first adventure came at a time when his city was gripped by the terror of the Cricket. Like the Spider, the Cricket left a calling card bearing his symbol. With cunning, the Spider tracked him down and sent him into a watery grave. (Crack Comics #1) 

The Spider was wealthy enough to hire helpers like Harry (#3) and Chuck. Our hero was most often seen already attired in his blue-and golds, and soon he unveiled a formidable automobile called the Black Widow (over which he demonstrated limited control). The Black Widow was an ultra-long bullet of a vehicle fortified against bullets. (#7) The car gave even the Batmobile a run for its money—it could careen horizontally along the face of a building! (#9)

As for the Spider’s morals, he did not hesitate to kill a kidnapper when a boy’s life was in danger. (#8)

Like most heroes of the early 1940s, the Spider soon ran afoul of Fifth Columnists bent on compromising U.S. security. When the Baron Karl Von Ernst escaped Nazis with his jewels and was killed by a bomb, the Spider uncovered B-16, an operative of the Crickets. B-16 led the Spider to the Big Cricket. In the fight, the Spider never once used an arrow; he was forced to flee gunmen and fight the Crickets another time. (#11)

The Spider fought some weird foes, too, like the old crone who had been locked in a tomb for decades and sought revenge on young girls. (#14) Then in Manhattan, a green gas was unleashed by the Green Horde, an army of monster men. The Spider succumbed and was taken beneath the streets to their leader, who claimed that his network of caverns crisscrossed the Earth. The Spider eventually choked him to unconsciousness and his Horde fell asleep as well. (#17) 

The Spider’s secret identity remained obscure until Crack Comics #16, when he was named Tom Hallaway. (Over at Timely, Gustavson’s other creation, the Angel, had also recently been named “Tom Halloway” in Marvel Mystery Comics #20, June 1941! This could be described as “efficiency” on Gustavson’s part, in an era when such things were beneath notice.)

The Spider’s foes usually bore the names of the predators and prey of spiders. He had one recurring foe, the scar-faced underworld boss called the Crow. (#18) When the Crow broke out of prison and killed, Chuck helped Tom round him up. (#21) Then there was the murderous Fly, Ted Tembroke, who was business partner to the former Human Fly. (#29)

The Spider was wise enough to keep upgrading his equipment, too. When he was shot by Japanese spies, he was saved by his new bulletproof suit. Their agent, the Yellow Scorpion, eluded him. (#23)

In Gustavson’s penultimate Spider tale, millionaire Arthur C. Clark was attacked by his own employee, the hooded Dr. Monk, and transformed into a monster. (This was an interesting choice of name, as the author Arthur C. Clark would not become well known until the publication of his 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968. But in the 1940s, he was a minor pulp writer. Perhaps Gustavson was a pulp reader himself.) (#26) 

The Spider lasted only three more adventures drawn by Joey Cavallo. Several issues after the Spider’s feature ended, another archer—the Marksman—debuted in Smash #33 (May 1942). They do not appear to have anything in common. 

The Next Issue Project

Picking up where Quality left off, sort of… Image Comics released a solicitation for Crack Comics #63, which features a Spider tale by Adam McGovern and Paolo Leandri. Image co-founder Erik Larsen created the “Next Issue Project,” which pays homage to public domain Golden Age characters. Each issue continues the numbering from the title’s last published issue, but the stories are more loosely inspired by its former characters. The authors received a sneak peek at this tale, which reads rather like pulp fiction.

The Dark Spider of DC

The Dark Spider of DC The Quality Comics Spider had no family ties whatsoever. Writer James Robinson (a fan of obscure heroes) saw an opportunity to reinvent the Spider in the mythos of pages of his 1994 Starman revival. DC’s Spider served two purposes: as a foil to Starman’s friend, the Shade, and as a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory.

When DC universe continuity changed after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC’s Golden Age team, the Seven Soldiers (a.k.a. Law’s Legionnaires) needed new members to stand in for the Green Arrow and Speedy. Those heroes had been “retconned” out of DC’s Golden Age. Roy Thomas wrote the first revision to the SSoV, merely adding sidekicks to total seven. (Young All-Stars #27) After another chronal shake-up, the Zero Hour, the DC universe changed again and Green Arrow had now been replaced by another archer—the Spider. But secretly? This Spider was evil.

His fellow Soldiers tolerated his tendency for violence in light of his useful connections to the underworld. But in October 1948, the Spider betrayed their trust by calling them to St. Louis for their final adventure. Hallaway tricked the Soldiers into building a “nebula rod” to defeat their old foe the Hand. By then the Soldiers had become suspicious enough and sent the Vigilante’s mentor, Billy Gunn, to check the Spider’s background. The Spider killed Gunn and another member, Wing, subdued the Spider and escaped. Wing sacrificed himself that day but told the other Soldiers the truth about the Spider—before they were scattered throughout time. (Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #9)

Note: The members of the Seven Soldiers also joined the All-Star Squadron (a pre-Crisis tale), so it is reasonable to assume that in retroactive continuity the Spider was part of that group, too. (All-Star Squadron #13) 

James Robinson defined DC’s evil Spider as descendant of the English Ludlow family, who were mortal enemies of the Shade. After betraying the Seven Soldiers, the Spider continued his ruse and took up residence in Keystone City, home of the Flash, when the Flash went into temporary retirement. The Spider put on a good show. He even granted an interview with reporter Linda Dalt, revealing his secret identity to her. By this time, the Shade had unearthed the Spider’s secrets. When the Spider moved to murder the hero called the Flash, the Shade killed Hallaway first. Afterwards, the Shade leaked his findings to the news media. (The Shade #3)

Notes

Fictional archers trace their roots to the legend of Robin Hood. The Spider was also preceded by Fawcett’s Golden Arrow (Whiz #2, Feb. 1940), but Green Arrow and his Arrowcar came over a year later (More Fun Comics #73, Nov. 1941).

There was also a popular pulp hero called the Spider, who first appeared in a self-titled magazine cover dated Oct. 1933 (by Popular Publications). This character was not an archer.

Another comic book contemporary was the Black Spider, from Ace Magazines’ Super-Mystery Comics #3 (1940). Like the Red Bee, the Black Spider had trained arachnids to help him.

Notes

Fictional archers trace their roots to the legend of Robin Hood. The Spider was also preceded by Fawcett’s Golden Arrow (Whiz #2, Feb. 1940), but Green Arrow and his Arrowcar came over a year later (More Fun Comics #73, Nov. 1941).

There was also a popular pulp hero called the Spider, who first appeared in a self-titled magazine cover dated Oct. 1933 (by Popular Publications). This character was not an archer.

Another comic book contemporary was the Black Spider, from Ace Magazines’ Super-Mystery Comics #3 (1940). Like the Red Bee, the Black Spider had trained arachnids to help him.

The Spider and his son Lucas had no superhuman powers. They were both top notch archers and marksmen. The original Spider drove the lightning-fast Black Widow automobile, which was as long as a limousine, and could reach speeds of 160 mph. It came after the Batmobile—Detective Comics #27 (May 1939)—but before Green Arrow’s Arrow Plane (a car) in More Fun Comics #73 (Nov. 1941).

 

Before his death, Tom Hallaway fathered two children with Linda Dalt, whom he apparently married. (Linda—or any love interest—did not appear in any Golden Age stories.) The first of these, Lucas Ludlow-Dalt, eventually took up his father’s mantle and followed the Shade to his next home, Opal City. Luke became a dark vigilante, the Spider II. (Starman vol. 2 #47) The new Spider wore his father’s classic uniform and was recruited by the Shade’s mortal enemy, Simon Culp. Culp’s goal was to take down the Shade, a vengeance for which Luke had trained himself. This Spider was sure of his own agenda, but felt uneasy as part of a larger, murderous gang. (#65, 67-68) When he was finally given the chance for revenge upon the captive (and powerless) Shade, policeman Matt O’Dare stepped in and the Spider fled. (#70) The Spider might have tried to take revenge on the Shade’s ally, Jack Knight (Starman). One day an arrow was fired at Jack but struck Mason O’Dare. (O’Dare was healed by the spirit of Zatara.) The Shade vowed to track down this archer. (#80)

Lucas was found murdered, skewered with arrows in his secret headquarters. The culprit could have been the Shade, but FBI authorities fingered Lucas’ brother instead, Thomas Ludlow Dalt (see below). (Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #2)

Powers

Lucas had no superhuman powers but was a top notch archer and marksman.

Before his death, Tom Hallaway fathered two children with Linda Dalt, whom he apparently married. Their first son, Lucas Ludlow-Dalt, became the Spider II. (Starman vol. 2 #47) He was found murdered, skewered with arrows. The FBI fingered Lucas’ brother, Thomas Ludlow Dalt, for the crime. (Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #2)

Thomas became the third Spider and clad himself in black with sunglasses and a red spider on his chest. After taking on this family mantle, he heeded summons to Slaughter Swamp, armed with a quiver full of arrows. There he was bitten by an ancient faerie, one of the Sheeda. Its venom would have killed Tom if not for the intervention of his mysterious benefactors, the Seven Unknown Men. The Seven set to work transforming Tom into a weapon of sorts. As I, Spyder, Tom was sent to join a new grouping of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, led by the original Vigilante. Thomas now possessed “cold blood and perfect aim” and knew more than his fair share about spiders. This was handy, as the Soldiers’ quarry was a monstrous supernatural spider. They defeated it, but all of them were killed by the resulting Sheeda invasion, heralded by Neh-buh-Loh (a.k.a. the Nebula Man). (Seven Soldiers Special #0)

I, Spyder survived thanks to his new gifts. He was recruited by the Sheeda Queen herself, who was set to destroy all of civilization. Dalt played her faithful servant and even killed another Soldier, Don Vincenzo. (Seven Soldiers: Shining Knight #3-4) The Queen next sent him to kill the Bulleteer, a shot which he missed on purpose. When Spyder discovered that the Vigilante had also survived (he was a werewolf), he rejoined the fight against the Sheeda. (Seven Soldiers: Bulleteer #3) As the Vigilante’s double agent, Spyder shot the evil Queen through the neck. (Seven Soldiers #1)

Powers

I, Spyder trained himself to be a supreme archer. After he was transformed by the Seven Unknown Men, he gained a supernatural edge. He is now cold blooded and has perfect aim. He also has an affinity for arachnids. I, Spyder flies a black helicopter.