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The Debut of The Web in MLJ's Zip Comics #27, Up for Auction

MLJ's the Web used his criminology skills to show that a criminal can always be caught up in the web of the details of his own crimes.

Published Mon, 23 May 2022 14:47:09 -0500

by Mark Seifert

Last updated Tue, 02 May 2023 07:45:56 -0500

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A well-remembered MLJ superhero due to his spider web-themed costume, the Web debuted in Zip Comics #27, cover-dated July 1942. The character was created by artist John Cassone and an unknown writer, possibly Zip Comics series editor Harry Shorten. The Web was a criminologist who used the principle that a criminal can always be caught up in the web of the details of his own crimes to investigate and capture his opponents. The character had a brief run in the Golden Age, but is one of the most memorable of MLJ's Golden Age heroes due to the spider-related iconography. There's a Zip Comics #27 featuring the debut of the Web and several other issues of Zip Comics up for auction at 2022 May 22-23 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122221 at Heritage Auctions.

The Web's real name was John Raymond, a criminologist and college professor. His interest in criminology was sparked by his brother's career as a small-time crook, and he quickly learned he had a knack for it. He had no particular fighting skill or training that was ever explained, and while there's plenty of physical action in his adventures, the stories center around his ability to be one step ahead of the bad guys. The character's Golden Age career was brief, appearing only in Zip Comics #27-38, but he's been brought back periodically ever since.

Co-creator John Cassone's comic book career seems to have been brief. He has a handful of known comic book credits including work on Fiction House's Wings Comics, Fight Comics and Jumbo Comics, Quality Comics' National Comics, Feature Comics, and Doll Man and Hillman's Air Fighter Comics among a few others. Cassone was attending UCLA by the late 1940s, where he served at least one year as cartoonist on the staff of the school's literary-humor magazine SCOP. He subsequently received an art degree from UCLA and a masters degree in design from USC. Upon becoming an instructor at Los Angeles Harbor College in 1958, his brief bio blurb stated that he had "worked as a technical illustrator in many industrial, medical and military fields." Cassone served as Associate Professor of Art at Los Angeles Harbor College until 1994.

Zip Comics #27 introduced one of MLJ's most memorable superhero characters, and it's one reason that makes the entire Zip Comics run so fascinating. There's a Zip Comics #27 featuring the debut of the Web and several other issues of Zip Comics up for auction at 2022 May 22-23 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122221 at Heritage Auctions. For those new to bidding at Heritage Auctions, it's advisable to consult the auction house's FAQ section to familiarize yourself with the bidding process and auction event details.