He first appeared in Star-Spangled Comics #1 (October 1941) and was created by Mort Weisinger and designed and drawn by cartoonist Hal Sharp.

This was later explained in a retcon in the pages of All-Star Squadron as coming from Dodds' associate, Dian Belmont.

According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, the Tarantula battles "the sword-wielding Blade, the cowboy thief the Outlaw and his pyrotechnic partner the Candle, the Hindu-themed Shiva, and the crime lord Sting".

He published a best-selling book, Altered Egos: The Mystery Men of World War II, sometime in the 1970s.

In his later years, Law lived in the city of Blüdhaven, in the same building as Dick Grayson, known to some as the vigilante hero Nightwing.

She seemed to be working for the city herself when she encountered John Law, the first Tarantula, when he visited her office to get his SSI check.

Catalina first garnered Nightwing's attention while attending a self-defense class taught by him and she was able to deliver a blow to his body.

During that time, Grayson was investigating the death of Delmore Redhorn, Blüdhaven's corrupt Chief of Police, and discovered evidence indicting the new Tarantula as his killer.

Tarantula was devastated as she was unable to stop a bomb explosion in Grayson's building complex that was also the home of John Law.

Afterwards, wounded and suffering a near-mental breakdown due to Blockbuster's attacks as well as his own complicity in the villain's murder, Grayson was unable to stop Tarantula from raping him where he fell.

[6] Not long after the incident, the two left Blüdhaven, only for Tarantula to face off against Copperhead, who was responsible for killing several local gang leaders.

Her fate was unknown during Infinite Crisis when the Secret Society of Super Villains released Chemo, destroying Bludhaven.

The card is coveted by Junior, who is revealed to be Ragdoll's insane sister, who sends an army of supervillains after Tarantula.

Later, she made an appearance in Justice Society of America as part of the resistance in an alternative future dominated by Nazis.

[11] The Tarantula name was used by Franklin Lester who lost his private investigator license for unknown reasons and became a vigilante who targeted the Masher Mob.

When Lois Lane stumbled upon him, Tarantula attempted to silence her only to be stopped by Superman and the ghost of a secret agent named Simon Cross.

[13] The Catalina Flores incarnation of Tarantula makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in The Lego Batman Movie as one of several villains recruited by the Joker.