If you missed the last one (and you probably did)…
The end of the Golden Age saw fewer superheroes and Jungle Lords and more pure Horror tales. This was the height of the gruesome tales of terror that ultimately led to the Comics’ Code and more superheroes in the Silver Age. (If I do a Silver Age Post, the giant spiders will all be space monsters and few and far between. We’ll see.)
“The Spiderman and His Web of Doom” (The Thing #7, March 1953) has a young couple renting the only house available, one belonging to the creepy Mr. Nemo. Nemo turns out to be a were-spider and he targets the woman of the couple. He leaves a spider-shaped mark on her neck. Hubby puts an end to Nemo and the house burns in the process. As I said earlier, this is essentially the plot of Leiber’s “Spider Mansion” combining villain and spider.
“Lair of the Spidery Fiend” (The Beyond #20, May 1953) While on tour in Germany, Dave Curtiss encounters the Spider Witch, Spinetta, who seduces him away from the army. Her trap for the G. I. is thwarted by the ghost of Crazy Carl, who she killed earlier. When Dan eventually falls victim, it is Carl who saves him from the beyond. Spinetta can appear as a young woman, a hag, and as a giant spider. She also commands an army of spiders. 
“Web of the Spider Woman” (The Hand of Fate #18, June 1953) Constable Evans of Scotland Yard goes to the folklorist, Professor John Hawkins, when a spider-like killer attacks several people. Hawkins meanwhile is dating Lucretia Tate, the writer of horror novels. The two plan a friendly debate over a weekend but Ms. Tate is actually the Spider Woman and plans to drink John’s blood. Only the quick action of Evans saves the day. While in Spider Woman form, Lucretia Tate looks a bit like a vampire with spider arms but can also turn into a giant spider. All these femme fatales were probably suggested by the Basil Rathbone Sherlock film, The Spider Woman (1943).
“Web of Doom” (Beware #16, July 1953) was written by Martin Smith. A sailor fled from the sea runs to the hospital, crying of giant red spiders. Everyone except one nurse thinks he’s off his nut. The sailor tells her how his ship came to a remote island inhabited by the spiders. They fled but the spiders have followed. Later the nurse sees a giant spider shadow in the hall when the man disappears, then another out the window. No one believes her either.
“The Precious Poison” (Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan #50, November 1953) was written by Gaylord DuBois. Tarzan and Kumar go in search of an Araknid, to gather its poison. The young man gets wrapped up in a web. Tarzan saves him. Later they kill the giant spider and take the poison back to the hospital to save a man who needs the venom. There is no mention of Arrack from the previous issues.
“Vampire Spider” (Adventures Into the Unknown #50, December 1953) has scientist, Karl Grutz, turn himself into a spider with an injection of serum. He kills, drinking a woman’s blood. A posse of men chase him but the spider only dies once free in nature. An eagle swoops down and makes dinner out of him.
“Lair of the Black Widow” (The Beyond #24, January 1954) has Dr. Lucas Vilnar and his lab partner, Marc Ronson, fight over a formula that can cure all poisons. When Vilnar’s secret is stolen, he goes berserk, accusing Ronson and getting bit by a black widow. The serum turns him into a spider-man. Vilnar becomes a were-spider and kills Marc and a cop before Joyce, Marc’s girl, tries to intervene. When she does a giant black widow gets free and chases Vilnar to his death. In a King Kong style last comment, Joyce figures the female was the deadlier of the species.
“The Lost Kingdom” (Lorna the Jungle Queen #5, February 1954) was written by Don Rico. Lorna goes to a lost world where cavemen, dinosaurs, giant squids and, of course, giant spiders live. She escapes the cavemen by using her friend’s lighter. The Werner Roth art in this one is by far the best.
“Plastic Man Meets the Spider” (Plastic Man #46, May 1954) was written by Dick Wood. The spider monster on the cover by Dick Dillon and Chuck Cuidera is boss! Too bad the story doesn’t really feature him. It’s a guy in a suit and we know that from the beginning. The mask has palps. Something Peter Parker never thought to do.
“The Haunted Forest” (Web of Evil #15, June 1954) has Yates and Manning, famous debunkers of the supernatural, out of business. As a last ditch effort, they decide to take on the legendary Haunted Forest. Once they arrive, Manning gets eaten by a tree. Yates sees a giant spider but ends up in an asylum. Turns out the gas from the swamp will drive you mad.
“Lair of Silken Doom” (Web of Mystery #25, July 1954) Stan Raffel is a greedy silk merchant who takes advantage as his competitors disappear one-by-one. The reason for this is a giant spider is killing them. Later a mysterious woman, Lycia, offers Stan a rare silk if he will go into business with her. When Lycia raises her prices, Stanley plans on killing her. Only who will get the upper hand? The man or the monster that makes the silk? Lycia is yet another giant were-spider creature. We saw this plot before.
“Web of the Widow” (Haunted Thrills #16, July-August 1954) begins when archaeologist, Matt Taylor, is bitten by a lethal spider. His life is saved by a mystery woman, Suthina. She agrees to return to America with him to help translate old scrolls. At home, she slaps Taylor’s wife, Molly, when she tries to kill a spider. Molly is angry but not for long. Suthina sends a squad of spiders to kill her. Then she turns into her true spider self and devours Matt too. Happy ending! Well, for the spiders anyway.
“The Spider Man!” (Uncanny Tales #26, November 1954) has Professor Kravadka, the local teacher, make the children bring spiders to school. The parents are irate. The prof is secretly engineering giant spiders to destroy the world. But the whole plan fails when he tries to breed an army with two male spiders.
“The Head-Hunters!” (Jungle Tales #2, November 1964) was written by Don Rico. Cliff Mason comes to Jaffa Island for the government to locate a giant spider. The head-hunters try to drive him off but have to release the spider to do the job. In the end, a poison spear meant for Cliff, ends the brute.
Conclusion
The formulas are pretty obvious here. The top one is the who scientist creates the spider monster and is destroyed for his hubris. It’s straight from the Pulps, especially Weird Tales. And even earlier. It is Frankenstein played out over and over. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Spider-Man will turn this scenario on its head to create a hero instead of a villain. Although the super-villains are all scientists who turn themselves into lizards, octopuses, vultures, etc. so it’s still there.
Peter Parker’s first appearance will be in Amazing Fantasy #15, August 1962. Things will change for spiders a little after this. Sure, mad scientists will go on making strange forbidden science but at least the spiders are on the right side for a change. Marvel will milk that spider well with Amazing Spider-Man, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, etc. along with other spidey characters like Peter Porker, Spider-Ham, Spider-Woman, Spider-Gwen and on and on. Marvel Comics was built on radioactive spider blood.
