As often as it came to be used in stories, it still took some time before the name of the miniaturized belt-light which announced the presence of Spider-Man at a crime scene would be settled on, or even if it would have a name. In its debut, even Spider-Man didn't bother calling it anything:
Which isn't really noteworthy, since it likely never occurs to anyone who carries a flashlight to name it. "Rats, the power's out! Where did I leave George? Honey, have you seen George?" But as the fledgling Amazing Spider-Man title progressed, the mask insignia used by the light, which appeared to take its cue from the emblem used by artist Steve Ditko to accompany each story title, began to gain recognition by those who saw it--and it seemed like different handles for it were being tried out by writer Stan Lee as well as the character himself.
(Did any of you spot the calling card that Spidey left in the early days? They seemed to be fleeting, didn't they?)
But shortly after the device appeared in the first Spider-Man Annual from 1964, where it didn't even rate a description, it looks like we have a winner--thanks to a random, off-panel audience member.
Hmm--a "spider-signal"... a "utility belt"... Now where have I...? (Let's just call the similarities a coincidence and leave it at that, shall we?)
From that point, the Spider-Signal begins to gather steam, as Ditko would use it frequently depending on the circumstances.
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