Unknown artist from A Feature Presentation #5, April 1950

Giant Spiders in Golden Age Comics II

More re-organizing. Just found ten more! So I recommend you go back to Part 1 first. You may begin to see more Jungle Lords and Ladies swinging into spider webs as the 1950s get on. Tarzan is no exception. Like Fantomah, Biff Powers and Jo-Jo, the Jesse Marsh Tarzan has a few run ins with a monster called Arrack…

Art by Jesse Marsh

“The Webs of Arrack” (Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan #25, October 1951) was written by Gaylord Du Bois. Tarzan stumbles onto a web of a giant spider that delivers him (twice) to a strange kingdom. Oddly, he doesn’t fight the spider in this segment.

Art by Mike Sekowsky and Bill Walton
Art by Mike Sekowsky and Bill Walton

“Black Magic in a Slinky Gown” (Baffling Mysteries #6, January 1952) has Leonore, a woman who fascinates and repels men. She marries Delloys, a millionaire, then kills him. Her old boy friend is on her trail as the were-spider kills again. (It is a very Lovecraftian comic, in that the victim’s lovingly describe their dooms.)

Art by Russ Heath

Art by Fred Kida

“The Spider Waits” (Marvel Tales #105, February 1952) has Sven growing up hating spiders. His boss at the factory pushes the arachnophobe to clean out the spider-filled closets. Sven does, gets a five dollar tip from the boss which he spends in bar. There he meets a lovely lady who takes him home to her web.

Art by Joe Certa

“Demon Flies” (Witches Tales #8, March 1952) begins with Dr. Gilbert creating man-eating flies. To catch these, he has to develop a super-spider. Too bad, it eats his creator as well as flies.

Art by Jesse Marsh

“Tarzan Meets the Threat of Arrack” (Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan #30, March 1952) was written by Gaylord DuBois. Finally we get to see Tarzan take on the giant spider known as Arrack and the men who control him. We also get giant bees in this one.

Art by Graham Ingels

“Sucker For a Spider” (Tales From the Crypt #29, April-May 1952) was written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein. The boss, Stoneman, shows his collection to Mr. Spurd. He also kills him with one of his black widow spiders. The cops can’t find any evidence of foul play but Stoneman decides to go to Miami until the heat blows over. His small plane crashes in the swamp where a giant spider turns him into a meal. Karma’s a bitch!

Art by Dick Ayers

“I Can’t Stop Screaming!” (Journeys Into Unknown Worlds #11, June 1952) has Mr. Green receiving a strange business proposition. A weird hunchback offers him a ready supply of cheap silk. Green is curious and greedy so he sneaks back to find the mysterious source of the silk. The hunchback turns out to be a giant spider and makes the silk himself. He eats Mr. Green.

Art by Al Avison

Art by Joe Certa

“Web of the Spider” (Witches Tales #12, July 1952) starts with Professor Hugo Dorando being ejected from the Hall of Science again. He has created a formula that can turn a man into a giant spider. He uses his spider-form to rob banks and become rich. When he brings a woman to feed his horde of giant spiders, he suddenly turns human and joins her in as a meal.

Art by Gene Fawcette
Art by Everett Raymond Kinstler
Inked by Vince Alascia

“The Red Spider” Witchcraft #3 (July-August 1952) gives us Red Widow Spiders. Ellie and Damon bring a strange red spider from the swamp, where they hear the story of the Road of No Return. When Damon kills the spider it turns into the red-headed woman from the story, who had been turned into a spider.

Art by Abe Simon

“The Spider Man!” (Chamber of Chills #14, November 1952) is set in 19th century France. Professor Frage creates a serum from spider blood that turns a dog into a giant spider. When the university rejects him too many times, he sics his pack of spider monsters on the populace. A fire starts in his lab and he is trapped in a web and burns to death. That title is interesting…

 

Art by King Ward

“Were-Spider’s Doom” (Forbidden Worlds #12, December 1952) has a bug collector looking for spiders for his collection. The locals send him to Bald Mountain where a strange woman lives. She turns out to be a were-spider. The man is caught in her web. Only he is a were-wasp and kills her. Oh well, at least it wasn’t another scientist!

Art by Mort Drucker and Joe Giella

“Collector’s Item” (Strange Adventures #28, January 1953) was written by Jack Miller. Adrian Hammer, entymologist extraordinaire, goes in search of a specimen for his very thorough collection. Too bad he gets collected for some alien’s specimen collection. Strange Adventures was a Science Fiction anthology comic so it had to have a space connection.

Art by Ben Brown and David Gantz

“The Web of Horror” (The Purple Claw #2, March 1953) has the Purple Claw face of against giant spiders in the Italian Alps. The Countess Arachni is their master.  For more on the Purple Claw’s occult adventures, go here.

Continue with more giant spiders…

 

Occult Noir and Mythos meet!
The classic Mythos collection!