The Tarantula

The Tarantula

Creator: Steve Mitchell

Characters

Paul Tremaine

Laura Devon

Batu Khan

Robert Fizwaren

Mike O’Bannion

Jeff Devon

Epperson

Charlotte Pearce

            Modeled slightly after The Spider, The Tarantula wears a hooded robe, long and black, with flexible black gloves. Upon his head is a ghastly midnight-hued face and cap – the arachnidan mask. A ripple of mirth escaped his lips. A pair of automatic pistols blazed their leaden death as he challenged the underworld.

            Paul Tremaine is tall, strongly built, fair-haired, late thirties. He was a hero in the Great War, once a member of the Secret Seven. He is rich and powerful, and among the influential of the city.

            Laura Devon is a nurse, and the fiancé of Tremaine. She resides with her brother, a doctor in the tenement area.

            Batu Khan is a fierce Mongol warrior. Tremaine had assisted him in defending against bandits in the mountains of Kulun Shen, and the warrior lived to fight at his side.

            Robert Fizwaren is the commissioner of police, and a friend of Tremaine. Though he suspects his friend is The Tarantula, he does not pursue the matter.

            Jeff Devon, brother of Laura, he and his sister had once saved The Tarantula when he staggered wounded into their tenement. They became his allies, rendering medical assistance when needed.

            Epperson is Tremaine’s house servant. He is 60 years old.

            Mike O’Bannion is six feet tall, husky build, with red hair and blue eyes. He fought in the Great War, and his courage was unquestionable. He became a aide to The Tarantula in the only story published.

            Charlotte Pearce was looking for the judge that sent her sister to prison, where she committed suicide. She planned to kill him for the deed. She finds Tremaine instead, as he is disguised as the judge. She also becomes an aide in this story.

            Full throttle action as bodies pile up, and the city crumbles as the mastermind plans its destruction along with all its citizens. Only the blazing guns of The Tarantula and his fierce companions can hold back the tide as the city cringes in fear. Everything The Spider brought to the readers, except the emotion that Page brought to the persona.

            There has only been one story to-date:

Monarch of Madness DOUBLE DANGER TALES #14 & 15*

(*Reprinted in TALES OF MASKS & MAYHEM #1