This weekend’s superhero post from Balladeer’s Blog looks at the Black Spider, a neglected Ace Periodicals character from the 40s. FOR MANY MORE ACE CHARACTERS CLICK HERE.
THE BLACK SPIDER
Secret Identity: Ralph Nelson
First Appearance: Super Mystery Comics Vol 1 #3 (Oct 1940)
Origin: District Attorney Ralph Nelson grew disgusted with seeing criminals escape justice through loopholes, so he donned a costume, called himself the Black Spider and set out to take down those malefactors who seemed untouchable by the law.
Powers: The Black Spider was in peak physical condition and exceled at unarmed combat. He was also a skilled investigator and handy with a gun. Luckily, Ralph’s lifelong hobby was the study of spiders, so he used trained tarantulas and black widows from a package on his belt against his foes.
Comment: Nelson’s secretary Peggy Dodge was aware of his dual identity and often aided him on his adventures while wearing a mask herself. I feel she should have gotten her own alias, like Arachne or something. “The Black Spider and Arachne” has a Green Hornet and Kato feel to it.
SUPER MYSTERY COMICS Vol 1 #3 (Oct 1940)
Title: The Black Spider
Villains: Gangster Sol Risko and his men
Synopsis: We learn that the Black Spider has been active for some time already and is hated by the city’s organized crime chiefs. Peggy Dodge, the D.A.’s secretary, has a crush on him, not yet realizing he is her boss Ralph Nelson.
Peggy is disgusted at Ralph’s seeming lack of gumption when Sol Risko’s men manage a spectacular theft of evidence in the court case against him, jeopardizing any conviction. She dons a mask and trails Harrigan, a politician in Risko’s pocket.
Meanwhile, D.A. Nelson goes to his secret lair – a cave in the woods called the Web, where he keeps his spiders and other items. He becomes the Black Spider and trails Harrigan like Peggy is doing. Our hero arrives in time to save her from Harrigan and a Risko gunman, but she tears off his mask and learns the Black Spider is really Ralph.
She vows to keep his secret and slips away. The Black Spider takes Harrigan to the Web and gets information out of him by threatening to have his spiders bite him. Then, he recovers the stolen evidence from thugs at the Green Moon Cafe and Risko is found guilty.
SUPER MYSTERY COMICS Vol 1 #4 (Nov 1940)
Title: Arrested for Murder
Villain: Mike Ganns
Synopsis: Lawyer John Garrick, an old friend of Ralph Nelson, is arrested for murdering a man named Farrel. Our hero is convinced he was framed by his partner Mike Ganns and by a second lying “witness” named Keegan.
Ralph becomes the Black Spider and Peggy dons her mask (from now on I’m calling her Arachne). They learn that Garrick’s partner Ganns is a dirty lawyer who funnels bribes to jurors to get his clients off. The murdered Farrel wanted more money, so Ganns killed him and framed Garrick.
Ganns loses the trailing Black Spider and Arachne, then kills off Keegan, too. Next, he plots to trap our hero and his gal pal in his vault until they suffocate to death. Naturally, they turn the tables, get evidence to clear John Garrick, and Ganns gets arrested after Peggy wears a wire to get him to confess.
SUPER MYSTERY COMICS Vol 1 #5 (Dec 1940)
Title: Murder Ring
Villains: A four-man ring who are killing victims to collect on their insurance policies is at large. Once again, the Black Spider and Arachne risk their lives to get to the bottom of it all while evading Inspector Stern’s men, since he still wants our heroes arrested for their vigilante activities.
First, the crime-fighting duo find and free a blonde witness to the ring’s latest murder. As usual, the Black Spider’s trained arachnids prove vital to the case, this time during a raid on the tommy-gun wielding murder ring at their hideout. The good guys win. P.S. The only names given for the villains are Spike Bolger and Benny.
SUPER MYSTERY COMICS Vol 1 #6 (Feb 1941)
Title: Execution at Midnight
Villains: Gimp Gollub, Niles Rommo and their men
Synopsis: Organized crime leader Gimp Gollub is set to be executed at midnight, but Gollub’s 2nd in command – Niles Rommo – threatens the governor to give Gollub a pardon or he’ll kill the governor’s wife.
Ralph and Peggy go into action, saving Inspector Stern from being blown up in a train car, forcibly protecting the governor’s wife from harm and outfighting Rommo and several of his men in a final battle at the Governor’s Mansion.
Arachne saves the Black Spider’s life during the fighting, Rommo and his men are captured, and Gollub gets executed on schedule.
SUPER MYSTERY COMICS Vol 2 #1 (Apr 1941)
Title: The Car Theft Ring
Villains: A ring of car thieves and chop shop workers
Synopsis: When an innocent man is convicted as the fall guy for an extensive car theft and chop shop network, Ralph Nelson and Peggy Dodge decide some extra-legal intervention is needed.
With Inspector Stern and the police breathing down their necks, the Black Spider and his vigilante gal pal clear the innocent man and bring down the many, many operatives of the car theft ring.
SUPER MYSTERY COMICS Vol 2 #2 (Jun 1941)
Title: A Day at the City Speedway
Villains: Gartz and Niles
Synopsis: Racketeers named Gartz and Niles are muscling their way into fixing the outcomes of car races. When a driver who refuses to give in to them is killed on the track as a warning to others, our two crimefighters become involved.
The Black Spider investigates Gartz while Arachne investigates his henchman Niles. Naturally, when all the dust settles, our heroes shut down Gartz and Niles’ racket and save the life of their next intended victim.
SUPER MYSTERY COMICS Vol 2 #3 (Aug 1941)
Title: Masked Trio
Villains: A masked trio of jewel thieves
Synopsis: Frank DeQuincey, son of the wealthy DeQuincey Family, is spoiled rotten so he and two of his college friends thrill-seek by donning masks and raiding upper crust social affairs to steal jewels and other valuables from the guests.
Frank’s father – called only “Mr. DeQuincey” in the story – is outraged that Inspector Stern and D.A. Nelson keep failing to catch the three bandits. He threatens to use his influence to get both of them fired if they don’t catch the trio soon.
The Black Spider intervenes, with Arachne working as his daring driver this time around. Our main character finds and corrals the two accomplices, but Frank DeQuincey frees them before the cops arrive to take them away.
In the end, our costumed heroes outfight all three villains, defeat them and Mr. DeQuincey suffers a scandal when his son is unmasked as the ringleader.
SUPER MYSTERY COMICS Vol 2 #4 (Oct 1941)
Title: “Lens” Lansing
Villains: Trigger Terrone and his men
Synopsis: Convicted hit man Trigger Terrone escapes from prison and, at a photojournalist awards banquet shoots “Lens” Lansing, the press photographer whose picture helped convict Terrone.
With Peggy backing him up, the Black Spider sneaks into Lansing’s room at the hospital, where he is recovering from his gunshot wounds. After getting info from Lens, our hero must fight his way out past Inspector Stern and his men and gets away.
The Black Spider defeats Trigger and one of his thugs before they can finish off Lansing at the hospital. The other three henchmen of Terrone raid the area and free their boss. Our main character chases them in a commandeered ambulance and takes them all down.
SUPER MYSTERY COMICS Vol 2 #5 (Dec 1941)
Title: Framed on a Murder Charge
Villains: Scarface Scarmucci and his gang
Synopsis: Protection racketeer Scarface Scarmucci and his men frame District Attorney Ralph Nelson for murder. Ralph covertly works out a plan with Peggy, then escapes jail that night.
He becomes the Black Spider and with Arachne as his driver sets out to clear D.A. Nelson’s name. Several of Scarmucci’s gunmen are defeated, but the boss plans to flee the country with stolen money and the books on his protection racket.
Scarface traps our hero in a trap-door prison cell at his mansion and gets away. Arachne rescues the Black Spider and they race to Scarmucci’s plane as he flies off. Our hero climbs onto the plane and beats Scarface while high in the air.
SUPER MYSTERY COMICS Vol 2 #6 (Feb 1942)
Title: The Morrini Yacht
Villains: The Morrini Gang
Synopsis: This final Black Spider story begins with Walter Thompson, lawyer for the Morrini Gang leader, being murdered on board Morrini’s yacht by unknown parties. As the Black Spider, Ralph Nelson sneaks aboard the now-confiscated yacht looking for clues.
He survives a booby trap only to then have to escape the yacht as it sinks. He trails and defeats the Morrini Gang member who sank it, and as the tale unfolds it turns out Thompson was killed by friends of his who wanted a jewel from the safe on Morrini’s yacht.
Amid much fighting and killing and use of his spiders – including the villains following the Black Spider to his hideout and blowing it up – our hero survives the battle over the jewel. Thompson’s murderers were Max and Sandra Chandler, who killed him for the jewel on the yacht.
*** And so ended the obscure Black Spider series.
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