Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Charles Sultan, Chesler
The 1st Appearance of Spider-Woman, Major Victory Comics #1 at Auction
Chesler’s Major Victory Comics #1 reprints his origin from Dynamic Comics #1, but includes the all-new debut of the Golden Age Spider-Woman
Published Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:57:09 -0500
by Mark Seifert
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Article Summary
- Golden Age Spider-Woman debuts in Major Victory Comics #1, her only appearance and one of Chesler’s strangest heroes.
- Helen Goddard is Spider-Woman, a non-superpowered avenger who uses fear, traps, and disguise to stop killers.
- Major Victory Comics #1 mixes reprinted Chesler material with new content, including Spider-Woman’s eerie Ozark tale.
- Charles Sultan’s Chesler work gives the issue a horror-tinged superhero flavor, while just 50 Universal copies are listed.
The short-lived Major Victory Comics series contains a range of great examples of the flavor of the Chesler line. Even the publisher’s superheroes and adventure characters are off-beat and weird, and tend to be rendered through a horror-tinged lens. 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 dies during an act of heroism.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 a Major Victory Comics #1 (H. Clay Glover Co., 1944) CGC VF 8.0 copy up for auction in the July 9 – 11 Comic Books Signature Auction #7467 at Heritage Auctions.
Created by Charles Sultan, Major Victory presents an interesting balance between supernatural mystique and superheroic themes. The character’s origin story in Dynamic Comics #1 traces back to the appearance of Father Patriot, a celestial spirit from 1776, who transforms a seemingly ordinary soldier into Major Victory, a champion who defends America against looming threats. Starting at the Eisner-Iger Studio in 1939, Charles Sultan ascended to the role of art director at Chesler between 1940 and 1953. He worked on material for a number of other publishers during this time as well, including Fawcett, Quality, and DC Comics. His work at Fawcett included classics like Spy Smasher, Minuteman, and Bulletman. Quality Comics saw Sultan lending his skills to projects like The Black Condor and The Whip, while his 1948-1949 ten-issue run on Johnny Quick for Adventure Comics was his most noteworthy DC Comics work.
As for Spider-Woman, 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!” As it turns out, Spider-Woman is in fact Doctor Goddard’s daughter, Helen Goddard. When a gang of bank robbers kills a cashier and takes a young boy hostage, they flee to the woods and attempt to use Goddard’s secluded cabin as a hideout. Helen, witnessing the crime, dons a terrifying costume with a grotesque mask and oversized claw-like gloves designed to make her look like a monstrous spider. She has no superpowers. Instead, she uses her frightening appearance, her late father’s reputation, and a series of clever traps to prey on the criminals’ superstitions and fear, ultimately capturing them and saving the hostage.
There are only 50 Universal copies of Major Victory Comics #1 on the CGC census, with only two copies graded higher than this CGC 8.0. The debut of an important Chesler series that includes the only appearance of an obscure but fascinating character, there’s a Major Victory Comics #1 (H. Clay Glover Co., 1944) CGC VF 8.0 copy up for auction in the July 9 – 11 Comic Books Signature Auction #7467 at Heritage Auctions
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