Identity/Class:Human technology user (WW 2 Era, 1959)
Occupation:Crimefighter and/or Axis agent; formerly lab assistant
Group membership: Icon (Axis Annie, Baron Blood, Brain Drain, Count von Blitzkrieg, DoctOrangutan, Fräulein Fatale, Geist, Hollow Men, Fritz Krone and his robots, Leopard Woman, Madame Mauser, Penny Panzer, Planner, Dieter Skul, Geoffrey Sydenham, Vunderknight, others);
Affiliations:
(as crimefighter) Detective Mike
O'Bell; (as Axis agent) fellow members of Battle-Axis
(Doctor Death,
the Human
Meteor, Strongman, Volton,
Skyshark), the Golem,
Aarkus the Vision), Alfried Krupp, Albert Speer
Enemies:
(as
crimefighter) Curly and his fellow bank robbers,
the Noose, an unnamed corrupt police chief, unnamed racketeers;
Known Relatives:
Dr. Harry Kane (husband, deceased)
Aliases:
Sharon Kane (see Comments)
Base of Operations:
(as crimefighter) New York City; (as
Axis agent) a secret Nazi base beneath the Mojave Desert in
California
First Appearance:
(historic) Eagle#2/6 (published by Fox Features Syndicate, cover-date
September 1941); (Marvel Universe) Invaders II#1 (May
1993)
Powers/Abilities:
The Spider Queen wore two bracelet-like devices which emitted
a "web fluid" that she could use to bind and restrain others and to swing
from rooftops or hang outside windows; she was also an accomplished acrobat
and hand-to-hand combatant, and her ability to reproduce her husband's web
fluid implies that she was an above-average
chemist.
History:
(see comments)
(Eagle#2/6 / Invaders
II#3 (fb)) - In 1939 (see Comments), Shannon Kane
was working with her husband, "brilliant young government chemist" Dr. Harry
Kane, on a special assignment involving new steel
alloys. Two Russian agents (Rudy and
an unnamed second man) broke into Dr. Kane's lab, killing him before Shannon's
eyes and stealing his notes.
(Eagle#2/6 (fb)/Invaders II#1
(fb) - BTS) - While sorting through her husband's records
some months later, Shannon discovered a formula for a "spider-web fluid"
which her husband had developed but had supposedly never found practical
applications for. Reproducing
the web fluid, Shannon took on the crimefighting
identity of the Spider Queen, in part motivated by admiration of Captain
America, who had debuted in late 1940.
(Eagle#2/6) - In 1941, already active as a
crimefighter for months, the Spider Queen foiled
an attempted bank robbery, strangling one of the fleeing criminals, Curly,
with her web line. Plainclothesman
Mike O'Bell took an interest in her activities,
and the Spider Queen, hoping to gain inside police information, sought him
out as Shannon Kane to win his
friendship. Learning that a recent
series of robberies had been undertaken under the leadership of
O'Bell's corrupt chief, the Spider Queen exposed
the criminal activities, allowing O'Bell to take
credit for the capture.
(Eagle#3/5) - With
the assistance of O'Bell, the Spider Queen foiled
an attempt by racketeers to force owners of small stores to sign over their
businesses.
(Eagle#4/5) - The Spider
Queen worked with O'Bell to capture the escaped
murderer known as the Noose.
(Avengers 1959#5 (fb) - BTS) - Affairs with Krupp and Speer gave Spider Queen access to experimental technology. (post-Eagle#4/5 / pre-Invaders II#1) - At some point following the US's
entry into World War II on the side of the Allies, the Spider Queen was
approached by Doctor Death to join the team of Axis operatives known as
Battle-Axis; motivated by a hatred of the Soviet Union due to her husband's
murder, she agreed to work against the Allied
cause. It is not known if Mike
O'Bell knew of this decision nor what his reaction
was if he did. The Spider Queen
remained out of sight for months as the team prepared to undertake "Project
Mojave," an elaborate scheme whereby a device called an
oscillotron would cause a severe earthquake on
the west coast, destroying war industry plants, releasing poison gas from
underground storage, and theoretically causing the US to withdraw from the
war in order to deal with the homefront crisis;
her absence from the public eye was noted by the member of the Liberty Legion
called the Thin Man, who was keeping track of super-hero activities.
(Invaders II#1) - On June 22, 1942, at New York Harbor, after the
Invaders attacked a Nazi u-boat, Battle-Axis counterattacked, with the Spider
Queen fighting Captain America during the struggle before Battle-Axis
departed. Battle-Axis next abducted
the Whizzer, although Miss America evaded
capture.
(Invaders II#2) - The members of Battle-Axis traveled
to Hollywood, CA via the airship of the Nazi
Skyshark, and the Spider Queen and others stood
by as Volton electrocuted two police officers who
witnessed their arrival. The
Spider Queen accompanied the Human Meteor and Strongman to UCLA, where, after
questioning the oscillatron's creator, Professor
Carson, they killed both Carson and private detective Dan Hurley before clashing
with Captain America, Miss America, and the Silver Scorpion, then subsequently
fled the scene.
(Invaders II#3) - In Battle-Axis's secret base beneath
the Mojave Desert, Doctor Death and the other members of Battle-Axis elaborated
on their background and plans to a captive Torch and
Whizzer.
When the Invaders invaded the base, they were fought to a standstill
by Battle-Axis (with the Spider Queen fighting the Silver Scorpion), until
Doctor Death, using the "dimension smasher" created
by Professor Enoch Mason (a scientist forced into his employ), summoned the
extradimensional Aarkus
(a.k.a. the Vision) and forced him to defeat the Invaders.
(Invaders II#4) - When Doctor Death explained his plans
to the captive Invaders, Spider Queen expressed surprise upon hearing that
poison gas would be released upon western California; when the Invaders escaped
and attacked Battle-Axis, she was drawn into battle with Miss America, but
the fight ended when the Sub-Mariner destroyed the
oscillotron.
Spider Queen and the other members of Battle-Axis (except for Doctor
Death, who was left for dead) surrendered to the Invaders and were presumably
taken into custody.
The Spider Queen's subsequent wartime activities and her fate following
the war are unrevealed (see Comments).
(Avengers 1959#5 (fb) - BTS) - Spider Queen joined Geoffrey Sydenham's secret US intelligence organization Icon around 1959. (Avengers 1959#5) - Spider Queen joined Sydenham in Washington DC alongside Baron Blood, Brain Drain, Geist and some Hollow Men. They fought the Avengers, who attempted to take down Icon. Blonde Phantom knocked her out during the fight. Comments: Created by Elsa Lesau (believed to be a pseudonym for Louis and Arturo Cazeneuve) & Pierce Rice (artist)
for Fox Features Syndicate; adapted for the Marvel Universe by Roy Thomas,
Dave Hoover, and Brian Garvey.
Roy Thomas had originally intended Battle-Axis to consist of minor
wartime heroes of Timely Comics (predecessor of Marvel), but Mark
Gruenwald nixed that idea, and super-heroes from
now-defunct wartime publishers were used instead; the Spider Queen's position
in Battle-Axis was probably originally intended for the Silver Scorpion.
This wasn't the first time Golden Age characters jumped companies
to enter the Marvel Comics universe. Some examples (by no means all of them):
The name Spirit of '76 was first used by a Harvey Comics character, something
Roy Thomas probably knew when he created his version; the western Ghost Rider
(later renamed the Phantom Rider) started out with Magazine Enterprises and
was brought to Marvel by Dick Ayers, his original artist. American Ace, a
minor Timely/Marvel character who hasn't resurfaced since the end of the
Golden Age, debuted months before the first "Marvel" Comic, in "Motion Pictures
Funnies Weekly", a free give-away produced by Funnies, Incorporated, the
studio which provided many early Timely Comics stories. But perhaps the most
significant Marvel character who began elsewhere was another individual who
started in that same give-away...Namor the Sub-Mariner! -
Loki
In Invaders II#3, while recounting her origin to the Human Torch,
the Spider Queen claimed that her real name was Sharon Kane, that her husband
was killed on June 20, 1941, and that her husband's web fluid was developed
as a weapon to be turned over to the government, all allegations which contradict
her original golden age origin; it may be that she deliberately chose to
provide the Torch with false details to confuse any subsequent
investigation.
It should be remembered that all the non-Marvel adventures
listed in the history above, along with details of affiliations, enemies
and relations, are unconfirmed. They happened to the original Golden Age
character from Fox Features Syndicate. Similar adventures and details are
ASSumed to apply to the Marvel Universe version, but these are not confirmed.
This might also explain the discrepancies between her Golden Age
appearances and the story she told the Torch.
It's
interesting to note that her deceased husband was named Harry Kane, which
was also the secret identity of Hurricane, an identity used by the Eternal
Makkari during the war. The Marvel Universe series showed that Makkari sometimes
used the identities of dead humans
(Adam Clayton),
so perhaps this was the source of his "Harry Kane" identity. Ron, who wrote
this entry, isn't fond of this theory, and as he points out, Makkari could
also have taken the name from the
Western
gunslinger of the same name - Loki
The Spider Queen was the only member of Battle-Axis whose costume
colors in her original appearances were unknown; it may be that her golden
age adventures depicted her in colors other than red and yellow (which give
her an unnecessary resemblance to Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew)).
Here's Spider Queen in her first appearance. On the editorial page of Invaders II#4, Roy Thomas wrote that they only had black-and-white copies of her exploits, so they had to guess at her costume's coloring. But the coloring discrepency could be explained easily enough--Maybe she remade her costume with new colors when she joined Battle Axis (Do I get a No-Prize?).
The Spider Queen's costume was seen on display alongside the costumes
of other wartime heroes in the mansion of Thomas
Halloway, a.k.a. the Angel (the earliest known
hero of Earth-616's golden age, already active as of Marvel Comics#1), in
Captain America I#442; whether or not this indicates that the Spider Queen
eventually abandoned the Axis cause to return to
crimefighting is as yet unrevealed, although this
would be consistent with the doubts she expressed about some of Battle-Axis's
activities during the Invaders storyline.
Profile by Ronald Byrd.
The Spider Queen's deceased husband, Dr. Harry Kane, should
not be confused with:
Appearances: Marvel:
First Posted: 04/29/2004
Any Additions/Corrections? please
let me know.
Non-Marvel
Copyright info Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!
formerly Battle-Axis
(as Axis
agent) the Invaders (Captain America, the android Human Torch,
Namor the Sub-Mariner, Miss America, the
Whizzer, the Blazing Skull, the Silver Scorpion),
the Golem (after he turned against Battle-Axis),
Aarkus the Vision (after he turned against
Battle-Axis);
(as ICON agent) Avengers Initiative (Blonde Phantom/Louise Mason, Dominic Fortune, Nick Fury, Kraven/Sergei Kravinoff, Powell McTeague, Namora, Sabretooth/Victor Creed)
--Ron Fredricks
Clarifications:
The Spider Queen should not be confused with:
Images:
Invaders II#1, p10, pan2 (main image)
Eagle#2/6, p4, pan3 (web shooters)
Invaders II#3, p6, pan1 (upper body)
Invaders II#1, p24, pan6 (kicking Ms. America)
Eagle#2/6, p3, pan3 (original costume)
Fox Features Syndicate:
Eagle#2/6 (September, 1941) - Elsa Lesau (writer), Pierce Rice (artist), Victor Fox (editor)
Eagle#3/5 (November, 1941) - Elsa Lesau (writer), Pierce Rice (artist), Victor Fox (editor)
Eagle#4/5 (January, 1942) - Elsa Lesau (writer), Pierce Rice (artist), Victor Fox (editor)
Invaders II#1-2 (May-June, 1993) - Roy Thomas (writer), Dave Hooker (pencils), Brian Garvey (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Invaders II#3 (July, 1993) - Roy Thomas (writer), Dave Hooker (pencils), Brian Garvey & Brian Akin (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Invaders II#4 (August, 1993) - Roy Thomas (writer), Dave Hooker (pencils), Brian Garvey (inks), Mike Rockwitz (editor)
Avengers 1959#5 (March, 2012) - Howard Chaykin (writer/artist), Lauren Sankovitch (editor)
Last
updated: 10/23/2016
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