Post by Susan Hillwig on Jun 12, 2008 18:29:06 GMT -5
Name: Crimson Avenger
Secret Identity: Lee Travis
Status: Hero
Base of Operations: New York City
Group Affiliation: Law’s Legionnaires AKA The Seven Soldiers of Victory
Occupation: Newspaper publisher
Known Relatives: None
Height: 6 ft. Weight: 189 lbs.
Eyes: Brown Hair: Brown
Powers and Abilities: A self-trained Olympic-level athlete and skilled hand-to-hand combatant, the Crimson Avenger can hold his own against almost any foe. His weapons of choice are a pair of 1911 Colt automatic pistols, though he has on occasion used a special gas gun, the contents of which can render an opponent unconscious within seconds, as well as create a crimson mist that he would use to cover his entrances and exits for dramatic effect.
History: Born and raised in Chicago, Lee Travis inherited his father’s publishing business while still a young man. Though his apparent inexperience caused some worry amongst the stockholders at first, Lee’s skillful and pragmatic -- some might say ruthless -- command of the business soon laid all fears to rest. He expanded the company’s interests to other newspapers throughout the mid-1930s, with The Daily Globe-Leader remaining the flagship of the Travis publishing empire. Lee eventually moved to New York, intending to challenge the Hearst Papers on their own turf by buying a news publisher there. Not long after, Lee was contacted by King Faraday and Speed Saunders (see related entries), who needed his help on a particular case. That experience, along with a few others in the months following, led him to reconsider some of his views on crime, and he started to look at the world beyond the headlines his papers cranked out on a daily basis. The final, tragic change to his perception came in 1938, as he found himself framed for a series of murders, the victims being his ex-girlfriends. With no one believing his innocence and himself fearing for the life of his current flame Claudia Barker, Lee took a cue from the pulp magazines his own company published and created a masked identity for himself called “The Crimson”. Under this guise, he infiltrated the criminal underground as one of their own, playing the part of the villain as he tried to ferret out the real murderer. He eventually proved successful and cleared his name -- as both Lee Travis and the Crimson -- but not without personal cost to himself and his relationship with Claudia. Despite that, he made the decision to continue his war on crime, both in his newspapers and in his re-dubbed identity of the Crimson Avenger.
With the Golden Age of heroes just beginning, Crimson Avenger worked alone for many years, with Lee’s valet Wing How occasionally lending a hand. Crimson later helped out Faraday and Speed Saunders on a few more cases, and even worked with Speed’s cousin Greg (see Vigilante I) on another occasion. Then in late 1941, while following a lead on a murder case, the Crimson Avenger joined up with six other heroes to take down a secret organization called the Iron Hand. With the shadow of World War II looming over the United States, they later decided they could serve their country best as a team instead of individually, and formally banded together as the Law’s Legionnaires (see The Seven Soldiers of Victory), defending their home soil as many of the more powerful heroes went overseas to fight the Axis powers.
As the years passed, Crimson Avenger fought many battles across the country alongside his fellow Soldiers, but when on his own, he tended to keep his attention centered around New York and his native Chicago -- it is known that he spent a period of time in Gotham City as well, but the details of that adventure have not yet been revealed. After the War, Lee began to devote more time to his company than to crimefighting, though he would still put on the mask when he felt the situation warranted his presence. Sadly, the last time he did so was in 1948, when the Crimson Avenger disappeared while on a mission with the Law’s Legionnaires. The circumstances of his disappearance, as well as the fates of the rest of the Soldiers, remains a mystery to this day.
Secret Identity: Lee Travis
Status: Hero
Base of Operations: New York City
Group Affiliation: Law’s Legionnaires AKA The Seven Soldiers of Victory
Occupation: Newspaper publisher
Known Relatives: None
Height: 6 ft. Weight: 189 lbs.
Eyes: Brown Hair: Brown
Powers and Abilities: A self-trained Olympic-level athlete and skilled hand-to-hand combatant, the Crimson Avenger can hold his own against almost any foe. His weapons of choice are a pair of 1911 Colt automatic pistols, though he has on occasion used a special gas gun, the contents of which can render an opponent unconscious within seconds, as well as create a crimson mist that he would use to cover his entrances and exits for dramatic effect.
History: Born and raised in Chicago, Lee Travis inherited his father’s publishing business while still a young man. Though his apparent inexperience caused some worry amongst the stockholders at first, Lee’s skillful and pragmatic -- some might say ruthless -- command of the business soon laid all fears to rest. He expanded the company’s interests to other newspapers throughout the mid-1930s, with The Daily Globe-Leader remaining the flagship of the Travis publishing empire. Lee eventually moved to New York, intending to challenge the Hearst Papers on their own turf by buying a news publisher there. Not long after, Lee was contacted by King Faraday and Speed Saunders (see related entries), who needed his help on a particular case. That experience, along with a few others in the months following, led him to reconsider some of his views on crime, and he started to look at the world beyond the headlines his papers cranked out on a daily basis. The final, tragic change to his perception came in 1938, as he found himself framed for a series of murders, the victims being his ex-girlfriends. With no one believing his innocence and himself fearing for the life of his current flame Claudia Barker, Lee took a cue from the pulp magazines his own company published and created a masked identity for himself called “The Crimson”. Under this guise, he infiltrated the criminal underground as one of their own, playing the part of the villain as he tried to ferret out the real murderer. He eventually proved successful and cleared his name -- as both Lee Travis and the Crimson -- but not without personal cost to himself and his relationship with Claudia. Despite that, he made the decision to continue his war on crime, both in his newspapers and in his re-dubbed identity of the Crimson Avenger.
With the Golden Age of heroes just beginning, Crimson Avenger worked alone for many years, with Lee’s valet Wing How occasionally lending a hand. Crimson later helped out Faraday and Speed Saunders on a few more cases, and even worked with Speed’s cousin Greg (see Vigilante I) on another occasion. Then in late 1941, while following a lead on a murder case, the Crimson Avenger joined up with six other heroes to take down a secret organization called the Iron Hand. With the shadow of World War II looming over the United States, they later decided they could serve their country best as a team instead of individually, and formally banded together as the Law’s Legionnaires (see The Seven Soldiers of Victory), defending their home soil as many of the more powerful heroes went overseas to fight the Axis powers.
As the years passed, Crimson Avenger fought many battles across the country alongside his fellow Soldiers, but when on his own, he tended to keep his attention centered around New York and his native Chicago -- it is known that he spent a period of time in Gotham City as well, but the details of that adventure have not yet been revealed. After the War, Lee began to devote more time to his company than to crimefighting, though he would still put on the mask when he felt the situation warranted his presence. Sadly, the last time he did so was in 1948, when the Crimson Avenger disappeared while on a mission with the Law’s Legionnaires. The circumstances of his disappearance, as well as the fates of the rest of the Soldiers, remains a mystery to this day.