Purple Claw Mysteries #1
In "The Woman in the Web!", Dr. Weir journeys to the Valley of Horror at the behest of his friend Dr. Schiasi—only to find him dead, slain by a monstrous spider. Trapped in a web and barely escaping, he’s saved by the enigmatic Countess Arachni, who finds him intriguing but steals the legendary Purple Claw. Taken to her castle, he’s ensnared once more, only to witness her dispatch Baron Latro in his spider form before being cast out a window—where he recovers the Claw and turns the tide. Ben Brown’s art and David Gantz’s inks bring the eerie tension to life, while Bill Black’s cover captures the haunting allure of the Countess and her webbed domain.
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Dr. Weir travels to the Valley of Horror by request of his friend Dr. Schiasi. But Dr. Schiasi is already dead at the hands of a giant spider. Dr. Weir is also caught in a web but escapes using the Purple Claw. The Countess Arachni stops Baron Latro from stabbing Dr. Weir because she finds him attractive, but steals the Purple Claw. Dr. Weir is caught in a web at her castle and passes out. The Countess rescues him by killing Baron Latro in his spider form. She throws the Purple Claw into the moat and spins a web around him, but he falls out a window and recovers the Purple Claw, defeating her.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).