I first became aware of The Crimson Avenger when he appeared as a member of The Seven Soldiers of Victory when they were brought back in the pages of Justice League of America. I enjoyed him well enough, he struck me as a traditional Batman-type spandex hero. It wasn't until the back-up feature in DC Comics Presents, "Whatever Happened To... The Crimson Avenger?", that I really became a fan. That story of self-sacrifice made me want to seek out other adventures of his, of which there were precious few. When Crisis on Infinite Earths took Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman out of DC's golden age continuity, The Crimson Avenger suddenly became recognized as their first costumed hero, and they began to print some stories featuring him in his early, suit-and domino mask days. DC doesn't do many period pieces these day, but I'd love if they would print some new tales starring Lee Travis in his heydey.
Whatever Happened To The Crimson Avenger was the first I'd seen of Lee Travis...other than his being a footnote as the character that The Batman blew away following Detective Comics 27.
ReplyDeleteThere was a Secret Origins issue devoted to him and a four-issue mini-series, too. Maybe a couple of four-issue mini-series.
There were a couple of odd issues of All-Star Squadron in there, too. I never liked Travis' spandex look. His or Wes Dodds...
Unfortunately, Lee seems awfully similar to Britt Reid. They both run newspapers, they both have Asian chauffers and they both stand up for the little guy. They're even based on a color scheme - The Crimson Avenger and The Green Hornet.
I have the oversized Detective #27, seems Lee was usually referred to simply as The Crimson.
I wonder what would the world be like if Lee Travis and not Bruce Wayne had partnered with Clark Kent as The World's Be- er, Finest...
Would that be "Elseworlds"?
:)