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  1. #1
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    Default DC's first superhero: Golden Age Crimson Avenger (Lee Travis) Appreciation 2019

    NOTE: This thread is to serve as continuation of the previous Crimson Avenger Appreciation Thread, which can be found at https://community.cbr.com/showthread...r-Appreciation

    from the previous version (originally created by Timothy Hunter):
    1) No negative comments about the honoree of this thread. It's an appreciation thread, not a non-appreciation one.

    2) No negative discussion about any competitors of the honoree of this thread (i.e. Barry Allen in the Wally West thread). No ifs, ands, or buts. Find another non-appreciation thread to do that, just not here.

    3) No negative comments about other versions of the character. For example, if you like the Post Crisis version of Bepo the Supermonkey , but hate the New Fifty Two version (or visa versa), just appreciate the earlier version and keep your comments about the latter to yourself.

    And, from a different version (later merged into the previous one):
    He was DC's first masked "mystery man", making his initial appearance in Detective Comics #20 (October 1938), seven issues before "The Bat-Man" debuted in that title. (NOTE: Superman's first appearance pre-dated The Crimson Avenger by a few months, but Superman wasn't a masked hero.)


    While the character eventually traded in his cloak/coat and hat outfit for a more spandex/superhero-looking costume, it was back in the mid-1980s that Roy Thomas put more focus back on his original attire.

  2. #2
    Boisterously Confused
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    Does DC attempt this anymore? The hero disguising himself as a criminal to strike criminals from.within? thanks

  3. #3
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    By the way, back in the 1980s when Roy Thomas was writing all of the origin stories for various Golden Age heroes in Secret Origins, Roy chose to include Lee Travis / The Crimson Avenger as part of the Golden Age Sandman (Wes Dodds) origin story (as you can see in the Golden Age Sandman (Wesley Dodds) Appreciation (2019) thread).

  4. #4
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    A few pages from DC Universe: Legacies #1 (July 2010):





  5. #5
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    By the way, it appears that appearance by Crimson Avenger could have been inspired in part by Detective Comics #38 (April 1940):



  6. #6
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    In the previous version(s) of this thread I had posted this:
    Quote Originally Posted by MajorHoy
    . . . Lee wore the red cloak-and-hat outfit from Detective Comics #20 (October1938) through issue #43 (September 1940).
    Here are a few more pages of that story.
    (NOTE: Some interpretations of non-white characters from back in the 1930s-40s may not be quite that "politically-correct" when viewed from a more modern perspective.)




  7. #7
    Fantastic Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by MajorHoy View Post
    In the previous version(s) of this thread I had posted this:Here are a few more pages of that story.
    (NOTE: Some interpretations of non-white characters from back in the 1930s-40s may not be quite that "politically-correct" when viewed from a more modern perspective.)



    Too bad we will not be getting that Before Batman Detective Comics Omnibus which would have reprinted some of the earliest adventures of the Crimson Avenger.

  8. #8
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MajorHoy View Post
    By the way, it appears that appearance by Crimson Avenger could have been inspired in part by Detective Comics #38 (April 1940)
    For the record, here are the first two pages of that story:


  9. #9
    Incredible Member The Odd Man's Avatar
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    I'm really torn, because I love the Crimson's original costume, but I also really dig his later one:


  10. #10
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Odd Man View Post
    I'm really torn, because I love the Crimson's original costume, but I also really dig his later one:

    I don't mind that costume, but it just makes Crimson Avenger seem like one of those dime-a-dozen non-descript crime-fighters published by a lot of other comic book companies, too.
    The first, original version of Crimson Avenger may have been a copy of the Green Hornet, but at least it didn't seem there were already a few dozen other heroes like that all over the comic book racks back in the day.

  11. #11
    Black Belt in Bad Ideas Robanker's Avatar
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    I gotta say, I never realized that he looked a lot like The Spirit in a red mask and cape in that mini until right now.

    I really got introduced into the concept with his successor in Geoff Johns' JSA run, but I've always been interested in reading a bit about original iteration. What would you guys recommend? The Thomas mini sounds like a fine place to start.

  12. #12
    Obsessed & Compelled Bored at 3:00AM's Avatar
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    I really dug John Ostrander's more Shadow-esque origin he gave the Crimson Avenger in which he travelled to Nada Parbat and saw the vision of Superman's death. The character always felt like a cross between the Shadow and the Green Hornet, so making that more explicit worked really well for me.

  13. #13
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bored at 3:00AM View Post
    I really dug John Ostrander's more Shadow-esque origin he gave the Crimson Avenger in which he travelled to Nada Parbat and saw the vision of Superman's death. The character always felt like a cross between the Shadow and the Green Hornet, so making that more explicit worked really well for me.
    That seemed more like an unnecessary change to Crimson Avenger than anything else.

    It also seemed like it was DC yet again taking a dump on Roy Thomas' previous work to define a character.



    The new version seemed to erase the story in Secret Origins #5 from continuity.

  14. #14
    Obsessed & Compelled Bored at 3:00AM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MajorHoy View Post
    That seemed more like an unnecessary change to Crimson Avenger than anything else.

    It also seemed like it was DC yet again taking a dump on Roy Thomas' previous work to define a character.



    The new version seemed to erase the story in Secret Origins #5 from continuity.
    Well, the joys of DC’s current history is that now both can be in continuity

  15. #15
    Uncanny Member MajorHoy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bored at 3:00AM View Post
    Well, the joys of DC’s current history is that now both can be in continuity
    No, not really.

    Roy Thomas' story wouldn't make any sense if it is preceded by the Golden Age Secret Files & Origins story that put Lee Travis as a soldier during World War I.

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