The Spider is a 2012 comic series by Dynamite Entertainment based on the 1930s pulp hero of the same name, written by David Liss and art by Ivan Rodriguez. The comic is a Setting Update that places the character and his allies in the present day, focusing on Richard Wentworth's battles against several new villains.
The comic ended after 18 issues and one annual. Masks would feature a version of the Spider with the same costume as this, but in the original 1930s era making it unconnected to this series.
Tropes:
- Accidental Adultery: Richard and Nita sleep together after Kirk is seemingly killed, only for it to be discovered that he was only seemingly dead because of a poison. He's not happy when he finds out about the affair and decides to go after the Spider.
- Adaptational Costume Change: The Spider's costume is based on the version from the 1940s film serials instead of what he wore in the books.
- Adaptational Dye-Job: The Spider's costume is based on the one worn in the 1940s film serials, buy the white spider lines are now red.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Richard is a lot less polite in this version, with the comic playing up his more violent traits and emotional issues.
- Adaptational Job Change: Ram Singh is a lawyer instead of Richard's manservant, while Richard and Nita are given new jobs as a police consultant and newspaper editor respectively.
- Adaptational Wimp: Nita in the original books, while not exactly up to the same standard as modern female leads, is a rather feminist character who is brave, genuinely helps Richard in his investigations, and can on occasion take on the identity of the Spider to help hide the truth. This version is a far more typical Damsel in Distress and whose love triangle with Richard and Kirk only serves to cause issues between the friends.
- Arc Villain: Anput is the first major villain of the series, playing the role in the first five issues.
- Canon Foreigner: New villains are created for this series, but a notable example is with detective Joe Hilt.
- Corrupted Character Copy: Hilt is one for Harvey Bullock from Batman. He's a more corrupt cop than his Commissioner Gordon and dislikes costumed vigilantes, but Hilt lacks any of Bullock's redeeming qualities and is more obsessed with arresting Richard for being the Spider than he is protecting the innocent while also being a racist.
- Evil Redhead: A redhead secretary called Norma is hired by The Fly, a Wall Street mogul, to take over Wentworth Industries. After The Fly dies by The Spider's hands, Norma becomes the sole president of Wentworth Industries and plots with the Mayor and villain Gas Mask to kill The Spider.
- Experienced Protagonist: Richard has been the Spider for a couple of years already and fought many of his enemies from the books.
- Laser-Guided Karma: When The Spider deals with Lazarus, he poisons him with tetrahidroxine, locks him up in a previous victim's coffin, and buries him under his own apartment's floor.
- Momma's Boy: Gangster Red Hand, an old man with a beard, is very close to his mother, mentions what his Mama used to say in certain situations (whenever he is committing some crime) and moves to defend his mother after The Spider breaks into their mansion.
- Never Mess with Granny: The Spider breaks into Red Hand's mansion and fights his mother, who draws out two large knives from a nearby potted plant.
- Promoted to Love Interest: Nita and Kirk are married in this version, providing a different reason for why she doesn't marry Richard.
- Setting Update: The original books were set in 1930s New York, while the comic moves it to the modern day of 2012. It attempts to modernise the characters to justify many tropes, as explained by Liss, such as making Singh a lawyer and Richard a consultant to justify them being allowed on crime scenes or Richard "blowing off steam" through smoking and drinking instead of playing the violin like in the books.