TARANTULA
Real Name: Clay Riley (or Rider)
Identity/Class: Human (Old West Era), Owlhoot
Occupation: Unlawful Copper miner; criminal, racketeer, Owlhoot, Ranny, Polecat
Group Membership: Owner of Riley Mining and Manufacturing Company
Affiliations: Nightriders (employees); Kid Cassidy (employee); Natalie Brooks (former fiancé), Ben Brooks, Jamie Jacobs, Carter Slade (former friends)
Enemies: sheriff Ben Brooks, Ghost Rider (John Blaze/Zarathos), Gunhawk, Caleb Hammer, Kid Colt, Mountain Man, Outlaw Kid, Phantom Rider (Carter Slade), Phantom Rider (Reno Jones), Rawhide Kid, Red Wolf, Sting-Ray, Two-Gun Kid; citizens of the towns of Wonderment, Montana and Bison Bend.
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Clay Riley; Clay Rider
Base of Operations: Wonderment, Montana
Anaconda, Montana;
formerly Bison Bend, Colorado
Old West era
First Appearance: Ghost Rider I#2 ( April, 1967)
Powers: None. The Tarantula carried a
cat-o-nine-tails type whip, with which he was extremely
proficient. Aside from a painful lash of the whip (the
Tarantula's sting, naturally), he could ensnare small
objects, and bind others. He was quick enough with his whip that
in almost every case, he could disarm an opponent before they
could get a single shot off. He was aware that his skill was only
useful at a close distance and made every effort to stay near his
foes while struggling. He was also a proficient horseman and
gunslinger.
Initially, Riley suffered from some sort of multiple personality
disorder (or whatever the proper term is). He had no memory of
his actions as the Tarantula once his mission was complete. He
took on a completely different persona, and even changed his
speech. Clay Riley was the perfect gentleman, while the Tarantula
was one ornery cuss. Later, he either merged the personalities or
otherwise resolved this problem, but ended up as the nastier
version--minus the Mexican accent.
History: The exact origins of the Tarantula are unknown. Based on some of the events from his stories, it may be inferred that his subconscious need for funds, perhaps combined with some traumatic event, caused him to develop a second personality--one willing to steal to get the money he needed. A desire to pay for a fancy wedding for his fiancé, Natalie Brooks, may have been involved, and the town doctor thought a blow to the head was likely. In this identity, as the Tarantula, he became highly proficient with the use of a whip.
(Ghost Rider I#2) - The Tarantula recruited a
group of criminals (who had just fled from the Phantom
Rider/Carter Slade) to become his gang. The next day, in the
evening, the Tarantula and his gang headed into the town of Bison
Bend, where they demanded protection money for its residents.
Anyone who refused soon met with the Tarantula's sting. Pretty
soon everyone had caved in to him, except one man, Ben Brooks,
who stood up to them. Brooks was easily defeated by the Tarantula
and his men, and everyone else agreed to pay the money rather
than take the punishment that Brooks had.
As they began to ride out of Bison Bend, they were confronted by
the Phantom Rider. After narrowly dodging several whippings, the
Phantom Rider successfully shot the Tarantula's whip from its
handle. In response, the Tarantula took Natalie Brooks hostage,
but the Phantom Rider managed to lasso her and pull her to
safety. Unnerved by the Phantom Rider's spook show, the Tarantula
and his gang fled, vowing vengeance.
As a result of his bravery against the Tarantula, Ben Brooks was
elected sheriff of Bison Bend.
(Ghost Rider II#50) - The Native American god
Manitou brought John Blaze/Ghost Rider back through time to the
Old West era. Blaze was injured by a band of Commanche Indians,
but rescued by the Phantom Rider and taken to Bison Bend to
recover. The Tarantula and his gang again assaulted the town,
setting fire to buildings and harassing the residents before
taking off into the night. Ghost Rider and Phantom Rider went
after the Tarantula and were making short work of he and his
gang, until the Tarantula threw a batch of dynamite at that.
Ghost Rider shielded Phantom Rider from the blast, but the
Tarantula and his men escaped while Blaze made sure the Phantom
Rider was alright.
Meanwhile, Flaming Star's daughter, Spotted Doe, had a vision of
Ghost Rider/Blaze, and mistook his intent to be evil. Under the
guidance of Flaming Star, she summoned Manitou to battle Ghost
Rider/Blaze. Manitou had defeated him, but the Tarantula and his
men saw Spotted Doe and attempted to kidnap her to ransom money
or materials from Flaming Star. By grabbing Spotted Doe, they
disrupted the spell, dispelled Manitou, and allowed Ghost
Rider/Blaze to recover. The Ghost Rider attacked the criminals,
giving them a taste of hellfire before they surrendered to him.
(Ghost Rider I#3) - Clay attended a circus performance with Natalie, Carter, and Jamie Jacobs.
(Ghost Rider I#4-5) - Clay took Natalie to a
barn dance, where all present were threatened by Sting-Ray. Clay
attempted to resist, and was immobilized by one of his
Sting-Ray's pellets. Clay recovered several minutes later, but by
then the Sting-Ray was gone. Later, the Phantom Rider defeated
the Sting-Ray. However, Ben Brooks attempted to bring in the
Phantom Rider, believing him to be a criminal. Suddenly, the
Tarantula whipped the gun from Brooks' hand, claiming to be the
Phantom Rider's ally (and further cementing the belief that the
Phantom Rider was an outlaw).
The Tarantula renewed his series of crimes in Bison Bend, and the
Phantom Rider was incorrectly implicated in these crimes as well.
With the law unable to stop them, the townspeople put in a
collection to bring in a bounty hunter--Lance Sterling. The
Phantom Rider appeared to Ben Brooks to attempt to argue his
innocence, but Brooks fired on the Phantom Rider. Natalie Brooks
attempted to prevent Ben from shooting by stepping between he and
the Phantom Rider, but was too late, and took the bullet herself.
The bullet lodged near her spine, paralyzing her below the waist.
Meanwhile, the Tarantula set a series of fires in Bison Bend,
trying to punish the townspeople for calling in a bounty hunter.
After calling the town doctor for Natalie, the Phantom Rider
pursued the Tarantula. This time the Phantom Rider used a flaming
lariat to tear the whip from his hand. The Rider kept him off
balance with a series of his spectral tricks, but became
overconfident, and the Tarantula managed to knock him out with a
single punch. The Tarantula then thought to bring the Phantom
Rider, so he would be imprisoned, leaving the Tarantula free to
act with impunity. However, he was then swept by a wave of
dizziness, and returned to his Clay Riley personality, with no
memory of his recent actions. Wondering why he was in the strange
costume, he wandered off, eventually discarding the costume and
returning to Bison Bend.
(Ghost Rider I#6) - Clay sat by Natalie's bedside, where she was in agony from her wound.
(Ghost Rider I#7) - Clay accompanied Natalie and Ben on a wagon trip to find a doctor who could operate on her and enable her to walk again. They were struck by a powerful blizzard and had to take cover in a cave. While sleeping they were assaulted by the deranged Mountain Man, who kidnapped Natalie to replace his own dead wife. The Mountain Man knocked out Ben Brooks before leaving, and when Clay heard Natalie's scream and went after her, the Mountain Man knocked him out, too. Clay remained the Mountain Man's prisoner until the Phantom Rider, who had been following to watch over them, arrived to save them. The Mountain Man was killed when a beam collapsed, and he threw himself under it to save Natalie. Clay attempted to colecock the Phantom Rider, but the Rider kicked out his foot, and then took Natalie to Denver for the surgery himself.
(Western Gunfighters#1/6, 2) - Desperate to
find the money to pay for Natalie's surgery, Clay again became
the Tarantula. Carter Slade bumped into and tried to stop him,
but was easily overcome. Returning as the Phantom Rider, Slade
attacked the Tarantula in the darkness of his own cabin. The
Tarantula lit a lantern, countering the Phantom Rider's gimmicks,
and lashed him several times. The Rider managed to shoot out the
lantern, regained the advantage, defeated, and unmasked the
Tarantula.
Just then Ben Brooks arrived. Believing the Phantom Rider to be
framing Clay, he attacked him. The Rider knocked out Brooks and
carried the Tarantula off, but Riley woke up, broke free, and
renewed the conflict. As they fought, Riley shifted back and
forth between personalities, but ultimately slipped into a state
of amnesia, where he failed to remember anything from either
identity. Brooks caught up with them, drove off the Rider, and
took Clay back with him.
(Western Gunfighters#4) - Clay returned to Bison Bend, still suffering from complete amnesia.
(Blaze of Glory#1-BTS, 2-4) - <1885>
Riley, now retired from his Tarantula identity, headed up Riley
mining, which made a profit from copper mining in Anaconda,
Montana. Seeking to gain further wealth from similar mines in the
town of Wonderment, Riley hired Kid Cassidy and outfitted a bunch
of owlhoots as the Nightriders to drive out the residents of the
town. The Two-Gun Kid, in the guise of Clay Harder, confronted
Riley about his involvement, and Riley threatened to crush him if
he interfered.
A group of cowboy heroes gathered to help defend the town, and they in turn were assisted by some local tribes, convinced to help by Red Wolf. One of the natives of Wonderment, Reno Jones, was recruited to become the next incarnation of the Phantom Rider (Carter Slade had died years before, as had his two successors). When Riley heard of the Phantom Rider's involvement, he personally joined the conflict. However, during the final confrontation between the Nightriders and the western heroes, Riley was paralyzed with fear when the Phantom Rider appeared before him, and was quickly shot and killed.
Comments: Created by Gary Friedrich and Dick Ayers.
Ghost Rider I#2 referred to Clay by the last name Rider. It became Riley in Ghost Rider I#3, so I assume that's where the error came in, and I think it just stayed that way.
Bison Bend was named as being in Nevada in OHotMU Update '89#5 Data Corrections, but was later identified as being located in Colorado in Original Ghost Rider #13.
As the Tarantula, he used this OUTRAGEOUS ACCENTE' which made it appear as EEF he was Mexican. I'd chalk it up to part of his other personality.
While most Westerns are pretty hokey (but still
lots of fun), I really, really liked the Blaze of Glory limited
series. I'm anxiously awaiting Apache Skies.
In addition, the Blaze of Glory series suggested that all of the
western comics from the past were watered-down retellings of real
events (in the MU).
CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connections to:
Appearances:
Ghost Rider I#2-7 (April-October, 1967) - Gary Friedrich & Dick Ayers (#2-4, 6) (writers), Dick Ayers (pencils), Vince Colletta (#2-5), George Roussos (#6) & Herb Trimpe (#7) (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Western Gunfighters#1 (August, 1970) - Gary Friedrich (writer), Dick Ayers (pencils), Tom Sutton (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Western Gunfighters#2 (October, 1970) - Gary Friedrich (writer), Dick Ayers (pencils), Tom Sutton (inks), Stan Lee (editor)
Western Gunfighters#4 (February, 1971) - Gary Friedrich (writer), Dick Ayers (artist), Stan Lee (editor)
Ghost Rider II#50 (November, 1980) - Michael Fleisher (writer), Don Perlin (artist), Denny O'Neil (editor)
Blaze of Glory#1-4 (February - March, 2000) - John Ostrander (writer), Leonardo Manco (artist), Mark Bernardo & Tom Brevoorts (editor)
First Posted: 07/08/2002
Last updated: 11/28/2004
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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