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The Spider #100 Audiobook
Death and The Spider
by Norvell W. Page writing as Grant Stockbridge
Read by Nick Santa Maria
“When your people need you most... When Death walks the earth like a man...” spoke Mar-lar-delan, Richard Wentworth’s counsellor in the ancient mysticism of the East, “... in that hour, my son — you will die!” Had the black hour come? Surely, mass murder had the world by the throat. New York City itself listed countless slayings by innocent people! And a man called Death — whose only profit was more death — was behind it all! In such a crisis, the Spider undertakes what may be his last foray!
The Spider was the star of his own pulp magazine for a wild decade bound by 1933 and 1943. Seeing rival pulp house Street & Smith breaking sales records with The Shadow Magazine, Popular Publications president Harry Steeger decided to clone him. Legend has it that he was playing tennis and spotted a spider walking across the court. That gave him a catchy yet creepy title. He hired mystery novelist and occultist R. T. M. Scott to write The Spider Strikes! and a sequel, The Wheel of Death. Mysteriously, Scott bowed out of the picture around the time of the first issue, dated October, 1933.
Enter Norvell W. Page, a newspaperman and practitioner of the Edgar Allen Poe tradition in pulps such as Dime Mystery Magazine. Writing under the pseudonym of Grant Stockbridge, he remade the Spider into his own psychic twin, often dressing up as the Master of Men when delivering his monthly manuscripts, believing about himself and the character, “The line between us is not too distinct.”
Nick Santa Maria breathes life into the Spider in Death and The Spider. Originally published in The Spider magazine, January, 1942.
Chapter 1: The Warning
Chapter 2: The Web Is Spun
Chapter 3: Death and The Psychic
Chapter 4: Advance, Friend
Chapter 5: Living Evil
Chapter 6: Pay for Death
Chapter 7: Weird Recruits
Chapter 8: Hell’s Captives
Chapter 9: “I Must Live!”
Chapter 10: Death Pays Tribute
Chapter 11: Revenge
Chapter 12: In Bondage
Chapter 13: Gates of Hell
Chapter 14: Gates of Ruin
Chapter 15: Death’s Other Face
Nick Santa Maria Nick was born early in life in Brooklyn, NY. His theatrical background is based in Comedy Improv. He was a long standing member of the late lamented Miami based, Mental Floss, where he served as head writer/composer. From there he began his career in commercials, voice-overs, TV, Film, and theatre. He has performed in many roles on the stage including his award winning turn as Nick in Over The River And Through The Woods, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, as Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, in The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee as Mr. Panch (3-D Theatricals), Mr. Bromhead in No Sex Please, We’re British at The Norris, and as Pseudolus in, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Norris Theatre. Television: The Buffalo Bill Show, B.J. Stryker, and two Disney Christmas Specials. Off Broadway: Writer/Composer/Performer on Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know, Soundtrack on RCA Victor. Broadway: Vince Fontaine in Tommy Tune’s production of Grease. He also appeared in every domestic company of Mel Brooks’ The Producers, understudying everyone from Nathan Lane and Jason Alexander, to Tony Danza and David Hassellhoff. He was the original Genie in Disney’s Aladdin, a Musical Spectacular, soundtrack on Disney Records. Nick is a resident of Los Angeles and is currently writing a book about classic film comedians, Nick’s been a long time film historian, and has written several articles on the topic.
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