"DC's first superhero" Crimson Avenger Appreciation

[CaptCleghorn]

Their next chronologically-published adventure would be in Justice League of America #100-102 from 1972 during the annual meeting of the JLA and JSA, but an unpublished story from the 1940s would be published (with new artwork) as a serialized feature in Adventure Comics #438-443 for 1975.

The lack of a collected version of this serialized 7SV story disappoints me.

[MajorHoy]

The lack of a collected version of this serialized 7SV story disappoints me.

I bought those issues of Adventure Comics when they originally were published.
I guess they didn't want to squeeze it in to Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives Vol. 3?

[CaptCleghorn]

I bought those issues of Adventure Comics when they originally were published.
I guess they didn't want to squeeze it in to Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives Vol. 3?

I bought the originals as well, but they've long since been traded or sold. I only recently bought the archives and now I'm back to needed to be a completist. In DC's defense, vol 3 was already bigger than the other two and they knew it, teasing me with the script of these stories. But darn it, I wanted the art! #fanboywhining

[MajorHoy]

NOTE: I've started a separate "Law's Legionnaires / Golden Age Seven Soldiers of Victory Appreciation thread" to discuss that group and its appearances so that this thread can get back to discussing the Golden Age Crimson Avenger specifically.

[PyroTwilight]

I do think one cool but ultimately harmful story beat was that one story that wrote Lee Travis somehow viewed a vision of Superman fighting Doomsday and dying IE scenes from Death of Superman and that inspired his crusade as the Crimson Avengers to some extent.

If he's going to be the hero everyone looks up to (even if he himself wasn't aware he would be one day) we don't need HIM somehow being inspired by Superman of all things.

[MajorHoy]

I do think one cool but ultimately harmful story beat was that one story that wrote Lee Travis somehow viewed a vision of Superman fighting Doomsday and dying IE scenes from Death of Superman and that inspired his crusade as the Crimson Avengers to some extent.

If he's going to be the hero everyone looks up to (even if he himself wasn't aware he would be one day) we don't need HIM somehow being inspired by Superman of all things.

That would have been in 2001 when that was published.



(And while it was an interesting story, I never understood the reason for the changes to his backstory.)

[PyroTwilight]

Yep that it is.

I guess it was seen as a fair way of balancing Superman as actually being the original superhero (publication wise, more or less) and Crimson Avenger's role as it afterwards due to the ever sliding time scale. Silly to me but eh.

[MajorHoy]

From Golden Age Secret Files and Origins #1:

[MajorHoy]

Unfortunately, The Crimson Avenger didn't often rate the main cover feature on Detective Comics, even before "The Bat-Man" came on the scene.

He did make the cover of issue #22 (December 1938):



and I've seen some people claim the man with the red mask on the cover of issue #34 (December 1939) is "The Crimson",



but the latter claim seems a bit of a stretch to me.

[MajorHoy]

from the Crimson Avenger's origin story in Secret Origins #5 (August 1986):

In this story, his "costumed identity" was more of an accident than anything else.

[MajorHoy]

By the way, while DC had the Crimson Avenger, I saw on one website where they point out that for Zip Comics #1 (cover-dated February 1940), MLJ (which would later become better known as Archie Comics) came out with "The Scarlet Avenger".



And I guess it's worth mentioning that in the Winter 1940-41 issue of Wow Comics #1 (published by Fawcett) we saw the first appearance of... Mr. Scarlet.



(Three issues later, Mr. Scarlet would be joined by... "Pinky the Whiz Kid"!)

[MajorHoy]

from The Crimson Avenger #1 - June 1988

[Timber Wolf-By-Night]

I dimly recall reading something almost thirty years ago about Greg Brooks, the artist of that 80's Crimson Avenger mini, later being charged with murder. Does anybody know any more about this?

[Starman]

I dimly recall reading something almost thirty years ago about Greg Brooks, the artist of that 80's Crimson Avenger mini, later being charged with murder. Does anybody know any more about this?

He murdered his wife, Elizabeth Kessler, who was also a comic artist, with a hammer in front of their child. He was convicted of the murder in 1988 and was released a few years ago.

An odd side note - apparently Elizabeth Kessler wasn't her real name. She stole her college roommate's identity when she moved to NYC.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

He murdered his wife, Elizabeth Kessler, who was also a comic artist, with a hammer in front of their child. He was convicted of the murder in 1988 and was released a few years ago.

An odd side note - apparently Elizabeth Kessler wasn't her real name. She stole her college roommate's identity when she moved to NYC.

Whoa.

That's a lot crazier than I was expecting...