Beating our favorite webhead to the printer a full nine months before his debut in 1942, there was the Tarantula busting on the scene with the Web waiting in the wings.
An obvious comparison between the two with several points of similarity:
- Jonathan and John, as in Mr. Law and Mr. Raymond.
- A noted mystery writer and a criminologist. The former dabbled in crime fiction and the latter in chronicling his profession.
- Neither willing to mat down their blond locks, they each wore half-faced masks.
- Both had a leaning towards using webs in the modus operandi and tools.
- Each battled crime during World War II solo while at times alongside others.
- They had short published runs, with Tarantula's lasting 19 issues of Star-Spangled Comics and Web's lasting 12 issues of Zip Comics.
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5 comments:
"Neither willing to mat down their blond locks, they each wore half-faced masks."
The Tarantula's 1940s costume was basically the same as The Sandman's super-hero ensemble, yellow tights, purple cowl, shorts, gloves, boots.
http://www.comicbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/TarantulaB.jpg
The brown outfit with the half-mask was a 1980s retrofit in All-Star Squadron. John Law never wore it during the actual Golden Age.
Touche and yours truly knew that yet didn't including that factoid in the article. That said, taking in the sum total of Tarantula from Golden to Bronze age, this was a point of similarity between he and the Web, and perhaps a nod by Roy Thomas to Mr. Raymond perhaps?
"...perhaps a nod by Roy Thomas to Mr. Raymond perhaps?"
Probably.
Roy is noted for doing exactly that.
Among others, look at the origin of Marvel's Iron Fist, basically a reworking of the (Centaur Comics) Golden Age Amazing-Man's origin.
And the All-Star Squadron's Amazing Man "Will Everett" alter-ego is a tribute to writer/artist Bill Everett.
Like I said, Roy loves doing stuff like that...
PLease don't shut down this blog.I see you running out of steem. You haven't posted a new one in days. I really love this blog. we had a wonderful way to get sliver age Charlton and read them on The Charlton story then he closed down.
this and Diversions of the groovy kind are the only way I have to read silver age Charlton and Archie heroes. Pleas don't take it down.
Put up more Charlton stories. follow the outline more.
I love this blog!
Thank you for the kind comment Metacrock, sorry for the delay. We'll try to churn some more posts here a bit more regularly. Just enamored with DC Multiverse right now which takes a lot of attention.
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