Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Chesler, golden age, spider-woman

The Golden Age Spider-Woman and Major Victory Comics, at Auction

Chesler's Major Victory Comics series from 1944-1945 is largely composed of reprints, with a notable exception: the debut of Spider-Woman.

Published Sat, 13 May 2023 22:28:10 -0500

by Mark Seifert

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The short-lived Major Victory Comics series contains a range of great examples of the Chesler line. Even the superheroes and adventure characters are off-beat and weird, and tend to be viewed through a horror-tinged lens at times. Patriotic character Major Victory's origin moment is sparked by a character called Father Patriot, "a spirit born in 1776" who brings a soldier back to life after he died in a heroic moment. Like much of the material in this series, that origin story from issue #1 is a reprint from earlier Chesler titles (in the case of Major Victory, his origin moment first appeared in his debut in Dynamic Comics #1). But one of the notable exceptions to those reprints is the debut and only appearance of a Golden Age character named Spider-Woman in the debut issue. You can get affordable copies of the complete Major Victory Comics series, including Major Victory Comics #1 (Harry 'A' Chesler, 1944) Condition: VG- with the first and only appearance of the Golden Age Spider-Woman up for auction in the 2023 May 14-16 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122320 at Heritage Auctions.

Spider-Woman in Major Victory Comics #1 (Chesler, 1944).

A caption blurb explains the character: "A web of mystery shrouds the weird figure who dwells in the Ozark wilds. Is she the beautiful daughter of the late Doctor Goddard, eccentric collector of insects? No one knows, for the Spider-Woman's victims are too terrified to talk!"

Essentially, the character had a costume she could convert to look like something much scarier — a giant spider. That and her father's reputation were enough. That's a classic Chesler-style take on a superhero origin. An important Chesler series that includes the debut of an obscure but fascinating character, affordable copies of the complete Major Victory Comics series, including Major Victory Comics #1 (Harry 'A' Chesler, 1944) Condition: VG- with the first and only appearance of the Golden Age Spider-Woman up for auction in the 2023 May 14-16 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122320 at Heritage Auctions.