Spider Widow
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Spider Widow was a superhero published by Quality Comics during the Golden Age of Comic Books. The character was created by Frank Borth in Feature Comics #57, published in June, 1942. Borth continued to write and draw the Spider Widow feature until the end of its run in Feature Comics #72 (June, 1943).
Spider Widow was really the blond and beautiful "Dianne Grayton," a bored and wealthy athlete who decided to fight crime and foreign saboteurs after discovering she had the ability to control deadly black widow spiders. She disguised herself in a costume very similar to a stereotypical Hallowe'en witch, wearing a green-faced old crone mask, a floppy black hat, and a long black dress.
In Feature Comics #60, Nazi agents set a trap for Spider Widow by posting an advertisement in the newspaper that requested her assistance and then knocking her out when she showed up. She was rescued from a boat bound for Germany by the bird-costumed Raven on his first heroic outing, and the two revealed a hidden U-boat to the U.S. Navy. She became romantically involved with the Raven (who was later revealed to be "Tony Grey"); however, neither initially knew what the other looked like without their mask on because they shared their first kiss in the dark. The two later teamed up with Phantom Lady in a multi-part crossover that spanned between Feature Comics #69-71 and Police Comics #20-22. Though Spider Widow initially worried that she was a potential rival for the Raven's affections, they nevertheless became allies.
DC Comics is believed to have acquired the copyright to Spider Widow when it purchased Quality Comics holdings, though that claim may be in doubt do to the fact that most Quality properties lapsed into public domain prior to the purchase. Either way, DC Comics is yet to use the character. However, many fans believe that obscure Quality and Fawcett Comics superheroes were used as inspiration for the new characters in the Elseworlds limited series JLA: Destiny, and that the "Widow" may have been derived from Spider Widow.
