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The Spider (comics)
Encyclopedia
The Spider is a British comic book
character who began as a supervillain before becoming a superhero. He appeared in Lion
between 26 June 1965 and 26 April 1969 and was reprinted in Vulcan. He was created by writer Ted Cowan
and artist Reg Bunn
. Superman
co-creator Jerry Siegel
took over the writing of the character with his third adventure, and would write the bulk of his adventures.
from 26 June 1965 to 26 April 1969, as well as in Lion Annuals from 1967 to 1971. He would later be reprinted in Vulcan from 1975 to 1976. New material was also included in Fleetway's Super Stupendous Library series from 1967 to 1968.
His adventures were also reprinted in other countries, such as Germany (in Kobra), Spain, Italy, France, and others.
2000AD published an "Action Special" featuring The Spider (as well as other characters from the same era) in 1992, but this version (written by Mark Millar
at the start of his career) is ill-thought of by most fans, turning The Spider into a cannibal, and tends to be ignored.
An older, retired, more benevolent version of The Spider has appeared in UK writer/artist Paul Grist's Image comic book Jack Staff
. Grist has created a name for the character, Alfred Chinard, and the majority of fans consider this version a true, faithful revival of The Spider. The elderly Spider continues to appear in Jack Staff, although at IPC Media's request, he is identified merely as Alfred Chinard (as "The Spider" name is IPC Media copyright).
The Spider, along with other IPC
characters, appeared in the Albion
mini-series from the Wildstorm
imprint of DC Comics
. This incarnation of the character, while different to the version appearing in Jack Staff
, is also named Alfred Chinard.
He reappeared after a long time on Facebook during June 2011, in a short comic story titled "Are They Alive?!?!" created by his fan Rajesh Pazhani from India who decided to publish his work on facebook.
The Spider appeared in the 1960s in the United States with the aim to become King of Crooks. He broke out several other criminals to become members of his army of crime, and would clash with both the police and with other criminal masterminds. Among these were Mirror Man
(who specialised in illusions), Doctor Mysterioso (a multi-talented scientist) and The Android Emperor (who could create a wide variety of robots). He also clashed with a number of criminal gangs, and one organisation, Crime Incorporated, hired the assassin The Exterminator to kill him. For once, the Spider seemed defeated, but struck an alliance with his would-be killer, and the pair took down Crime Incorporated. The Spider drained the Exterminator, aging him decades with a booby-trapped handshake, when the latter tried to double-cross him.
The Spider found fighting criminals to be exhilarating, and decided to pit his wits against threats to mankind from now on. For a brief time he was associated with the "Society of Heroes" (Captain Whiz; Mr Gizmo; Rex Robot.; Tigro the Wild Man; Rockman; Snowman (Professor Fred Storm)). All except The Spider died fighting the Sinister Seven. Other foes he faced included The Crime Genie, Spider-Boy, The Snake, The Death-Master, the Ant, the Red Baron, The Fly, The Molecule Man, The Chessman and Mr. Stonehart.
An elder, now retired, version of The Spider has appeared in Jack Staff
. This version does not seem to have become a hero, and instead was active as an undefeated thief from the 1960s through the 80s in the UK. It's unclear if this Spider ever put together an army of crime, or only worked alone.
The character featured strongly in Albion, having been hired by the Thatcher government to hunt down all of the other British superheroes and adventurers, a job which appealed to his ego. He was promised a pardon, but was double-crossed and locked up with those he captured. He escaped with the other inmates at the end of the series, taking the giant robot ape Mytek the Mighty with him.
The Spider wears a black form-fitting outfit (this costume was often coloured yellow on the covers of Lion and Stupendous Super Library), along with a strange backpack/harness. The harness serves as a jetpack and webshoters, as well as the sources for his web gun and gas gun. He has a large number of gadgets of his own invention at his disposal.
His reluctant allies are a pair of freed criminals, the genius 'Prof' Pelham and the safecracker Roy Ordini. They were the only members of his 'army of crime' to stay on after The Spider renounced his criminal ways. He treated them very badly and they often tried to harm, even kill him in return. Their failures often brought humiliating punishments from their master.
In his appearances in Jack Staff, the Spider states that his outfit serves as an exoskeleton, which increases his strength and agility.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character who began as a supervillain before becoming a superhero. He appeared in Lion
Lion (comic)
Lion was a weekly comic published by Fleetway from 23 February 1952 to 18 May 1974. It lasted for 1,156 issues.-Publishing history:...
between 26 June 1965 and 26 April 1969 and was reprinted in Vulcan. He was created by writer Ted Cowan
Ted Cowan
Ted Cowan, being the best known familiar name of Edward George Cowan, is a British comic book writer.His early career included working as a laboratory assistant prior to World War II when he enlisted firstly in the Royal Air Force and subsequently in the British Army where he was a dispatch rider...
and artist Reg Bunn
Reg Bunn
Reg Bunn was a British comic book artist, best known for his work on The Spider and other British comics during the 1960s....
. Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
co-creator Jerry Siegel
Jerry Siegel
Jerome "Jerry" Siegel , who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S...
took over the writing of the character with his third adventure, and would write the bulk of his adventures.
Publication history
The Spider first appeared in The LionLion (comic)
Lion was a weekly comic published by Fleetway from 23 February 1952 to 18 May 1974. It lasted for 1,156 issues.-Publishing history:...
from 26 June 1965 to 26 April 1969, as well as in Lion Annuals from 1967 to 1971. He would later be reprinted in Vulcan from 1975 to 1976. New material was also included in Fleetway's Super Stupendous Library series from 1967 to 1968.
His adventures were also reprinted in other countries, such as Germany (in Kobra), Spain, Italy, France, and others.
2000AD published an "Action Special" featuring The Spider (as well as other characters from the same era) in 1992, but this version (written by Mark Millar
Mark Millar
Mark Millar is a Scottish comic book writer, known for his work on books such as The Authority, The Ultimates, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Civil War, Wanted, and Kick-Ass, the latter two of which have been adapted into feature films...
at the start of his career) is ill-thought of by most fans, turning The Spider into a cannibal, and tends to be ignored.
An older, retired, more benevolent version of The Spider has appeared in UK writer/artist Paul Grist's Image comic book Jack Staff
Jack Staff
Jack Staff is a British superhero created by comic book writer/artist Paul Grist. Billed as "Britain's Greatest Hero", it is known for being in the style of an anthology title and for its multi-linear plotlines....
. Grist has created a name for the character, Alfred Chinard, and the majority of fans consider this version a true, faithful revival of The Spider. The elderly Spider continues to appear in Jack Staff, although at IPC Media's request, he is identified merely as Alfred Chinard (as "The Spider" name is IPC Media copyright).
The Spider, along with other IPC
IPC Media
IPC Media , a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.- Origins :...
characters, appeared in the Albion
Albion (comics)
Albion is a six-issue comic book limited series plotted by Alan Moore, written by his daughter Leah Moore and her husband John Reppion, with covers by Dave Gibbons and art by Shane Oakley and George Freeman. As a result of a deal forged by Vice President Bob Wayne of DC Comics and Publishing...
mini-series from the Wildstorm
Wildstorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
imprint of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. This incarnation of the character, while different to the version appearing in Jack Staff
Jack Staff
Jack Staff is a British superhero created by comic book writer/artist Paul Grist. Billed as "Britain's Greatest Hero", it is known for being in the style of an anthology title and for its multi-linear plotlines....
, is also named Alfred Chinard.
He reappeared after a long time on Facebook during June 2011, in a short comic story titled "Are They Alive?!?!" created by his fan Rajesh Pazhani from India who decided to publish his work on facebook.
Fictional character biography
No origin was ever given for the Spider, nor any explanation for his appearance: pointed ears and teeth, and upswept eyebrows. His base of operations was a Scottish castle he brought over to the U.S.The Spider appeared in the 1960s in the United States with the aim to become King of Crooks. He broke out several other criminals to become members of his army of crime, and would clash with both the police and with other criminal masterminds. Among these were Mirror Man
Mirror Man
Mirror Man is the fifth studio album by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band. It contains material which was recorded in 1967 for Buddah Records, and which was originally intended for release as part of an abandoned project entitled It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper...
(who specialised in illusions), Doctor Mysterioso (a multi-talented scientist) and The Android Emperor (who could create a wide variety of robots). He also clashed with a number of criminal gangs, and one organisation, Crime Incorporated, hired the assassin The Exterminator to kill him. For once, the Spider seemed defeated, but struck an alliance with his would-be killer, and the pair took down Crime Incorporated. The Spider drained the Exterminator, aging him decades with a booby-trapped handshake, when the latter tried to double-cross him.
The Spider found fighting criminals to be exhilarating, and decided to pit his wits against threats to mankind from now on. For a brief time he was associated with the "Society of Heroes" (Captain Whiz; Mr Gizmo; Rex Robot.; Tigro the Wild Man; Rockman; Snowman (Professor Fred Storm)). All except The Spider died fighting the Sinister Seven. Other foes he faced included The Crime Genie, Spider-Boy, The Snake, The Death-Master, the Ant, the Red Baron, The Fly, The Molecule Man, The Chessman and Mr. Stonehart.
An elder, now retired, version of The Spider has appeared in Jack Staff
Jack Staff
Jack Staff is a British superhero created by comic book writer/artist Paul Grist. Billed as "Britain's Greatest Hero", it is known for being in the style of an anthology title and for its multi-linear plotlines....
. This version does not seem to have become a hero, and instead was active as an undefeated thief from the 1960s through the 80s in the UK. It's unclear if this Spider ever put together an army of crime, or only worked alone.
The character featured strongly in Albion, having been hired by the Thatcher government to hunt down all of the other British superheroes and adventurers, a job which appealed to his ego. He was promised a pardon, but was double-crossed and locked up with those he captured. He escaped with the other inmates at the end of the series, taking the giant robot ape Mytek the Mighty with him.
Powers and abilities
It is unclear what powers, if any, The Spider has. He is physically fit, but probably not any more than most humans. He is supremely arrogant and self confident. He is also cunning and intelligent, and a superb hypnotist. He has trained himself to be immune to his own knockout/poison gas.The Spider wears a black form-fitting outfit (this costume was often coloured yellow on the covers of Lion and Stupendous Super Library), along with a strange backpack/harness. The harness serves as a jetpack and webshoters, as well as the sources for his web gun and gas gun. He has a large number of gadgets of his own invention at his disposal.
His reluctant allies are a pair of freed criminals, the genius 'Prof' Pelham and the safecracker Roy Ordini. They were the only members of his 'army of crime' to stay on after The Spider renounced his criminal ways. He treated them very badly and they often tried to harm, even kill him in return. Their failures often brought humiliating punishments from their master.
In his appearances in Jack Staff, the Spider states that his outfit serves as an exoskeleton, which increases his strength and agility.
Other versions
As well as appearing in his own series he has appeared in a number of other British comics as himself in figures crafted as an homage:- In Alan MooreAlan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
's run on Captain BritainCaptain BritainCaptain Britain , briefly known as Britannic, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly, #1...
a superhero called The Arachnid was killed by the FuryFury (Marvel Comics)The Fury is a fictional character created by writer Alan Moore and illustrator Alan Davis as an antagonist for the Marvel Comics hero Captain Britain...
on Captain UK's world. Seen (on the 15th page of the reprinted graphic novel) only as a gravestone amongst a number of others all also referencing versions of famous superheroes. - In the Nikolai DanteNikolai DanteNikolai Dante is a comics series starring a hero of the same name and published in the weekly British science fiction anthology 2000 AD. Created by writer Robbie Morrison and artist Simon Fraser, Dante first appeared in 1997 in Prog 1035...
series The Romanov Job as "Abel Ganz. The Tarantula. Anarchist. Assassin and all-round master criminal" (first appearance 2000AD #1282, 13 March 2002) alongside other similar characters based on Janus StarkJanus StarkJanus Stark were an experimental punk rock band from Peterborough, England. Their album "Great Adventure Cigar" was highly rated by The Foo Fighters and Die Toten Hosen and was a fusion of Punk, Hard rock, Heavy Metal and Alternative with influences from Helmet to Radiohead to The Beatles to...
("Janos Starak. Escapologist Extraordinaire"), CatwomanCatwomanCatwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
("Selina Solaris. The Panther.") and Crusher CreelAbsorbing ManThe Absorbing Man is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery #114 The Absorbing Man (Carl "Crusher" Creel) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first...
("Grushko Kreel"). - Jack Staff as an aging figure and former adversary of the eponymous hero. He gives his name as "Alfred Chinard", but this may be an alias, as "A. Chinard" is an anagram for "Arachnid". So as not to infringe IPC Media copyright, he can now only be referred to as Alfred Chinard in further Jack Staff appearances.
- AlbionAlbion (comics)Albion is a six-issue comic book limited series plotted by Alan Moore, written by his daughter Leah Moore and her husband John Reppion, with covers by Dave Gibbons and art by Shane Oakley and George Freeman. As a result of a deal forged by Vice President Bob Wayne of DC Comics and Publishing...
which saw Alan MooreAlan MooreAlan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
bring him back again, but this time as himself, along with the various other British superheroes of that era. The Spider is again referred to as "Alfred Chinard" in homage to Paul Grist's Jack Staff. When pointed out that his name is an anagram of Arachnid, he then gives the name Arthur O'Pod (ArthropodArthropodAn arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
). - In the novel Sherlock Holmes y los zombis de Camford (Sherlock Holmes and the Camford Zombies, Ediciones Dolmen, 2010; ISBN 13: 978-84-938143-4-2) by Spanish author Alberto López Aroca, The Spider appears under the name "Seth Pride" (an anagram for "The Spider"), and his criminal-heroic career is set back to the beginning of the XX century (the novel takes place in 1903). "Seth Pride" appears in this novel alongside a number of other IPC-Fleetway characters (Timothy Jekyll aka Tim Kelly; Lewis Crandle aka Louis "Steel ClawSteel ClawThe Steel Claw was one of the most popular comic book heroes of British weekly adventure comics of the 1960s and 1970s. The character was revived in 2005 for Albion, a six issue mini-series published by the Wildstorm imprint of DC Comics....
"Crandell; Mightech aka Mytek; among others.)