My first exposure to classic UK comics character The Spider was in the pages of the short-lived curiosity Vulcan (look it up – it’s an intriguing footnote in UK comics history). While the character’s exploits have seen some reprints in recent years from Titan he’s set to return in definitive reprint editions via Rebellion’s Treasury of British Comics. And if you’re unaware of this anti-hero and his world then the fact that a certain Jerry Siegel helped chronicle his adventures may just grab your attention. Press release and preview art below…
After Superman there was The Spider – Siegel’s classic ’60s super-crook to get new collection
Featuring work by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, the definitive reprint collection of The Spider will be published in Spring 2021.
The Spider’s Syndicate of Crime will be the first archival-quality reprint of the adventures of this influential and popular British comic book character from the 1960s.
Due for release on 15 April 2021, retailing at £14.99, the collection will be released in North America as Jerry Siegel’s The Syndicate of Crime on 13 April 2021, retailing at $19.99.
A special limited hardcover edition will be available exclusively from the Treasury of British Comics webshop with a cover by fan favourite artist Chris Weston (The Invisibles).
Fully remastered and collected for the first time, this 144-page paperback volume presents the super-crook’s earliest exciting adventures that appeared in the pages of Lion, and were later reprinted in Vulcan. This is the first in a planned four-volume series collecting the entire series.
Created by writer Ted Cowan and artist Reg Bunn, the bulk of The Spider’s stories were written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel.
Bunn’s astonishing art has been re-mastered by Rebellion’s dedicated reprographics team and the character’s first annual story is presented in its original colour.
Dubbed ‘The King of Crooks’, the arrogant and cunning criminal mastermind was one of the most popular British comic book villain of the ‘60s – equipped with a razor-sharp mind, superb athletic ability and a vast array of cutting-edge gadgets, The Spider set his sights on taking over the New York underworld and establishing a ‘Syndicate of Crime’! This first collection sees him recruiting other fiends into his fledging empire and seeing off competition from other villainous foes, including the master of illusion, Mirror Man!
The Spider eventually turned away from his criminal roots and became a crime-fighter, alongside reluctant allies, the criminal ‘Prof’ Pelham and safecracker Roy Ordini.
