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The Spider #32 Audiobook
Slaves of the Dragon
by Norvell W. Page writing as Grant Stockbridge
Read by Nick Santa Maria
White slavery, the loathsome traffic in women’s bodies — and souls — was stripping America of wives, sisters and sweethearts. Richard Wentworth, valiant champion of human rights, knew that an Oriental master criminal was captaining the slavery syndicate, guessed the unspeakable purpose behind those wholesale abductions. But with Nita hopelessly lost, with G-men harrying him relentlessly, can the Spider outwit his most formidable foeman and save America’s doomed womanhood?
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 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, Norvell W. Page remade the Spider into his own psychic twin, often dressing up as the Master of Men when delivering his monthly manuscripts. In a letter to a Spider fan, Page wrote, “Think of me as Wentworth, if you will. The line between us is not too distinct.”
Nick Santa Maria breathes life into the Spider in Slaves of the Dragon. Originally published in The Spider magazine, May, 1936.
Chapter 1: Seal of Doom
Chapter 2: Double in Death
Chapter 3: The Dragon’s Claw
Chapter 4: The Dragon’s Lair
Chapter 5: “The Dragon Calls —”
Chapter 6: “Your Masters, Spider!”
Chapter 7: Two Thousand White Women
Chapter 8: The Dragon Strikes!
Chapter 9: Death Rides High
Chapter 10: In the Dragon’s Power
Chapter 11: The Spider is Trapped!
Chapter 12: The Dragon’s Claws
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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