DC's first superhero: Golden Age Crimson Avenger (Lee Travis) Appreciation 2019

[Bored at 3:00AM]

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.

I think you're misunderstanding me. DCU continuity is now a giant buffet that creators and fans can pick and choose from to make any history you'd like. If you prefer the Roy Thomas origin, you can use that, whereas as I have stitched elements of both together.

Continuity is no longer some religious text in which some parts are excised and considered apocryphal. What the repeated attacks of The Anti-Monitor, The Time Trapper, Extant, Parallax, Superboy-Prime, Alexander Luthor, the Dark Multiverse, and Dr. Manhattan have accomplished is making DCU history so fluid that the promise of Hypertime is now real and the official policy of the main architects of the DCU.



Everything happened. It's all canon.

[MajorHoy]

I think you're misunderstanding me. DCU continuity is now a giant buffet that creators and fans can pick and choose from to make any history you'd like. If you prefer the Roy Thomas origin, you can use that, whereas as I have stitched elements of both together.

Continuity is no longer some religious text in which some parts are excised and considered apocryphal. What the repeated attacks of The Anti-Monitor, The Time Trapper, Extant, Parallax, Superboy-Prime, Alexander Luthor, the Dark Multiverse, and Dr. Manhattan have accomplished is making DCU history so fluid that the promise of Hypertime is now real and the official policy of the main architects of the DCU.



Everything happened. It's all canon.

No.

If a character dies and is buried in one story, but is then still alive in the following story which takes place at a later time, they can't both be "canon" without a specific explanation as to why the character is no longer six feet under (no matter how lame or silly the reason(s) may be).

[signalman112]

Travis and Tracy team up to take out the trash.
Cool cover idea although I rather see Travis in his original costume.

Travis&Tracy.jpg

[MajorHoy]

Travis and Tracy team up to take out the trash.
Cool cover idea although I rather see Travis in his original costume.

The person whom created that made-up cover probably didn't have a lot of good-sized images of Crimson Avenger in his original outfit to work with.

[MajorHoy]

It looks like the Crimson Avenger's last Golden Age appearance in Detective Comics was in issue #89 (July 1944).



The stereotypical way they depicted Wing back then can be quite jarring . . .

After that, the Crimson Avenger appeared in four more issues of Leading Comics with the other members of the Seven Soldiers of Victory before disappearing completely from new stories until Justice League of America #100-102 in 1972.

[MajorHoy]

. . . After that, the Crimson Avenger appeared in four more issues of Leading Comics with the other members of the Seven Soldiers of Victory before disappearing completely from new stories . . .

And from that final Seven Soldiers of Victory Golden Age appearance in Leading Comics #14 (Spring 1945):

[MajorHoy]

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.)

A few more pages from that first appearance:

[MajorHoy]

From Detective Comics #39 (May 1940):

[Vampire Savior]

He looks like Darkwing Duck.

And I have to wonder why his other look has a mohawk.

[DrNewGod]

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.

Agreed, MajorHoy. The Sandman, and CA are examples of the creators getting it right the first time, and being ill-served by a later talent (even if one of them was Jack Kirby).

[MajorHoy]

Agreed, MajorHoy. The Sandman, and CA are examples of the creators getting it right the first time, and being ill-served by a later talent (even if one of them was Jack Kirby).

In all fairness to Kirby when it comes to Sandman's costume, I'm not sure if he came up with that gold-and-purple one or not. Wes had already made the costume switch in Adventure Comics #69, but Simon & Kirby's first story was in issue #72.

[MajorHoy]

From Detective Comics #40 (June 1940):

[MajorHoy]

Might as well present the remaining pages for a couple of stories I already started showing.

* From Detective Comics #39 (May 1940):


* and from Detective Comics #40 (June 1940):

[Electricmastro]

And notably managed to get a cover appearance before Batman did.

[Gaastra]

Don't forget his cameos in the jlu cartoon.