The Eagle #2 (1941)
by Louis and Arturo Cazeneuve
One last Golden Age super-heroine debuts before Wonder Woman, on the pages of The Eagle by Fox Features. Not only that, but it’s the first web-slinger hero.
That would be Spider Queen, who between her costume and the constant panty shots clearly pre-dates the Comics Code.
We begin with Spider Queen killing a couple of criminals.
Only one guy seems to notice the murder, something that she appreciates.
She didn’t shoot the guy with a gun: she just trapped him with her web. So I’m not sure if he’s dead or if just tripped.
The chief of police is corrupt and was actually working with the criminals, but Spider Queen is right around the corner watching with her underskirt.
We get a nice full shot of Spider Queen along with the question on everyone’s mind: where does she buy those clothes who is she?
She was the wife and assistant to a scientist, who judging by his looks was twice her age.
Which is how he contracted the fatal Love Interest Disease.
However her dead husband left behind quite a surprise: spider-web fluid!
Yep. This is basically Spider-Man’s web.
And she even invented Web-Shooters twenty-one years before Spider-Man (!!!) to fight “gay fellows”.
I guess she must’ve been a science major.
Back to the story… wait, if she was listening to the Chief, why didn’t she follow him?
Instead she literally bumps into the detective from earlier.
Is this a romantic comedy now?
Well not exactly: she used the occasion to talk to the detective, changing into Spider Queen the second he’s not watching.
I would question how he can be fooled this quickly by that tiny mask… but do you really think that a guy in 1941 is looking at her in the face, with THAT costume?
He’s completely fooled, by the way.
During all this, the Chief meets with the criminals.
The detective shows up, but don’t expect him to be useful.
Spider Queen, Spider Queen, does whatever a detective can’t
The detective gets all the glory, which is fine for Spider Queen.
Historical significance: 0/10
Surprisingly forgotten.
Silver Age-ness: 0/10
Not really.
Does it stand the test of time? 4/10
It’s not a bad framing device, but the story is incredibly short and very light on substance. It would’ve been better than the competition a couple of years earlier, but by 1941 standards most superhero comics were way ahead of this.
How close is this to the modern character? What modern character?
Another case of weird publishing history!
Spider Queen appears on The Eagle #3 and #4, where she uses her webs more often than in her first appearance. I’ve seen references to her appearing in “The Eagle #5 and 6”, but as far as I can tell those issues don’t exist.
At some point after her last 1942 story, she passed into the public domain.
So we have a Golden Age heroine with a revealing costume that slipped into the public domain.
When she next appears in 1993, can you guess where?
If you guessed Femforce… NOPE!!!
For some reason, AC Comics didn’t even try using her: instead she shows up in Invaders Volume 2 by none other than Roy Thomas.
Although considering the look that penciler Dave Hoover gives her, you would think this is Femforce.
Forget the Web-Shooters, she clearly invented double sided tape.
I don’t mind some fanservice, but it’s REALLY distracting when:
A) she doesn’t have powers but still goes into battle dressed like that
B) the same series also re-introduces Silver Scorpion who gets a full set of armor
C) some of the shots are so gratuitous I’m not even sure if I should censor them
She’s actually one of the bad guys here: her husband was murdered by Russian agents in this continuity, so she works against the Allies.
She ends up surrendering to the Invaders like the other bad guys.
Her only other apperance is in 2012 on “Avengers 1959 #5”, where she’s a villain again for TWO panels.
You would think Marvel would do more with her.
Come on, you have the fact that Web-Shooters were invented by a criminal in the 40s and you don’t use it in a Spider-Man story???
The Eagle gets the cover, but he’s incredibly generic. He also feels like he’s drawn by a twelve year old.
The Eagle gets FOUR stories in issue 2. But besides Spider Queen, we have a third serial with pencils that completely blow the others out of the water.
How did THIS lose the cover to The Eagle???
