The Spider

Character History

History & Public Domain Status

The Spider, AKA Richard Wentworth, debuted in The Spider pulp magazine in 1933, created by Harry Steeger of Popular Publications. Known as “the Master of Men,” he was a ruthless vigilante who disguised himself with fangs and a cape, mowing down gangsters and grotesque villains with dual .45s.

The character's popularity saw him star in not one, but two serials, The Spider's Web (1938) and The Spider Returns (1941). It's interesting to note that the caped, cowled and rope climibing crime fighter and his millionaire socialite alter ego were on movie screens everywhere before Bob Kane and Bill Finger created Batman in 1939.

Under the Copyright Act of 1909, which was in effect at the time, works were granted an initial copyright term of 28 years. To secure the full protection, the copyright had to be renewed during the last (28th) year of that first term, 1961. No such renewal was filed as far as we have been able to determine. This places the character in the public domain.

Later comic adaptations, film rights, and certain character-specific trademarks remain active.

While the pulp novels of The Spider are in the public domain, the name The Spider is currently protected by trademark for comics, prose, and entertainment media. To avoid infringement while still drawing on the public domain source material, we publish under the title The Sizzling Spider™, clearly distinct from the trademarked term while honoring the pulp tradition.

The Sizzling Spider™, AKA Patricia "Rikki" Wentworth, keeps the pulp noir edge but dials up the spectacle — a fearless criminologist and masked vigilante who wields style as sharply as her twin elecrtic pistols

She stalks the underworld in 1948 Silk City, weaving webs of deception, glamour, and gunfire. This Spider isn’t just pulp grit; she’s sizzling, flamboyant, and unapologetically dangerous.