Johnny LaMonica (New Earth)

Black Spider
Mainstream Universe‎, 1986‎-2011‎
Gallery
Real Name	Johnny LaMonica
Main Alias	Black Spider
Other Aliases	Matinee
Affiliation	Frankie Setzer Manny Terraro The Turk Black Mask False Face Society
Base Of Operations	Gotham City
Status
Alignment	Bad
Identity	Secret Identity
Citizenship	American
Marital Status	Single
Occupation	Professional criminal
Characteristics
Gender	Male
Eyes	Brown
Hair	Black
Origin
Universe	New Earth
Creators	Doug Moench · Kelley Jones
First Appearance	Batman #518 (May, 1995)
Appearance of Death	Gotham Central #23 (November, 2004)

Johnny "Matinee" LaMonica was the second person to take on the Black Spider mantle.

History

LaMonica was a good-looking petty crook who committed three robberies with a childhood friend named Frankie Setzer, and was consequently arrested. He became an enforcer of drug lord Manny Terraro's gang before the latter was killed by a predator. After that, he began working for another underworld figure known as the Turk, who ordered him to infiltrate the False Face Society and kill its boss, Black Mask, so that the Turk could replace him as a gang leader. To this end, LaMonica adopted the mantle of the presumed dead Eric Needham, the first Black Spider. As a means to show Sionis his loyalty, LaMonica accepted to crash a masquerade ball at Wayne Manor on his orders, but was confronted by Batman and forced to retreat. Later, LaMonica stormed Black Mask's hideout and attempted to shoot him, but was again thwarted by the caped crusader. Left with a "web of scars" after crashing his face into a mirror during the confrontation, he was imprisoned at Blackgate Penitentiary.

LaMonica without his mask.

LaMonica, his face completely restored, was one of the many inmates who broke out of their cells when Blackgate was struck by Gotham's earthquake and flooded by a tidal wave. However, he was recaptured, since he was later still imprisoned with a web-shaped tattoo on his right arm. Eventually, LaMonica left Blackgate and the Penguin arranged for him to do some work on behalf of Gotham's Five Families. When his activities were interrupted by members of the Burnley Town Massive, a shootout ensued and GCPD detectives Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen stumbled upon the scene. LaMonica was shot down by Allen as he was on his way to liquidate Montoya with a pair of submachine guns. One of the bullets that killed LaMonica was sold by crime scene technician Jim Corrigan to an elderly supervillain aficionado named Jennifer Gordon-Hewitt, but was later recovered by detective Montoya and IA inspector Manny Esperanza as a means to prove that Allen acted in self-defense.

Powers and Abilities

Abilities

• Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic)
• Firearms
  

Paraphernalia

Equipment

• Firearms: He was shown to employ a gun and a pair of Ingram MAC-11s.
• Knife

Related

• 8 Appearances of Johnny LaMonica (New Earth)
• 6 Images featuring Johnny LaMonica (New Earth)
• Quotations by or about Johnny LaMonica (New Earth)
• Character Gallery: Johnny LaMonica (New Earth)

Footnotes

Batman Villain(s) This character, team or organization, has been primarily an enemy of the Batman, or the Batman Family as a whole. This template will categorize articles that include it into the category "Batman Villains."