PAGE, Norvell W.

(1904-1961)

   US writer who specialized during the 1930s in hero/villain PULP MAGAZINES, much of his production being novel-length stories for The SPIDER , featuring the eponymous SUPERHERO. The Spider sequence was created in competition with the somewhat more successful Shadow tales, mostly written for The Shadow magazine by Walter B. GIBSON. Under the house name Grant STOCKBRIDGE NWP wrote more than 100 Spider tales, many of whose plots verged into the supernatural and sf; those eventually published in book form include Wings of the Black Death (1933; 1969), City of Flaming Shadows 1934; 1970), Builders of the Black Empire (1934; 1980), City Destroyer (1935; 1975), Hordes of the Red Butcher (1935; 1975),Master of the Death Madness (1935; 1980), Overlord of the Damned (1935; 1980), Death Reign of the Vampire King (1935; 1975) and Death and the Spider (1942; 1975). A final Spider title, left unpublished when the magazine folded, was reworked with new characters as Blue Steel (1979) as by Spider Page. As Randolph Craig, NWP created two spin-offs from The Spider, The OCTOPUS and The SCORPION , neither of which extended past asingle story; these were subsequently published as The Octopus (1939 as "The City Condemned to Hell"; 1976 chap) and The Scorpion (1939 as"Satan's Incubator"; 1975 chap).Under his own name NWP contributed 3 long stories to UNKNOWN in its first year: "But without Horns" (1940) concerns a MUTANT who uses his PSI POWERS to induce religious worship in those who come into contact with him; Flame Winds (1939; 1969) and Sons of the Bear-God (1939; 1969) are SWORD-AND-SORCERY novels whose hero is based onPrester John. During WWII NWP took a post writing government reports; afterwards he worked for the Atomic Energy Commission.

   MJE/JC

   See also: GODS AND DEMONS.