Number 1744: The Tarantula strikes; the Fly flits

The Tarantula needs silk to operate his special web gun, and the grouchy members of the rationing board aren’t about to give him any, until he proves he can make it work. That was life during World War II, and rationing, as industries were turned to war production. Surely this must be the most uncooperative ration board of all, even turning away leggy showgirls who want silk stockings, not wool. I would say that would be a priority, but that’s just me.

According to Don Markstein’s Toonopedia, the Tarantula is John Law, who was studying the “mystery men” phenomenon. He decided to make it an inside look, so he became one. Toonopedia tells us that Tarantula’s run as a hero was brief, from issue #1 of Star Spangled Comics, to issue #19, after which he disappeared until the 1970s. The origin story was written by Superman editor, Mort Weisinger, and for most of the character’s lifespan he was drawn by Hal Sharp.

This story is from Star Spangled Comics #13 (1942):