Review: The Crimson Avenger: The Dark Cross Conspiracy by Roy & Dann Thomas, Greg Brooks, and Mike Gustovich

I think I already had this on my planned reading list before reading Secret Origins (I have been curious about the Crimson Avenger ever since he crossed paths with the Sandman in The Mist and The Phantom of the Fair), but even if I hadn't, reading the Crimson Avenger's Secret Origin would have sealed the deal; it was an atmosphere, period-driven slice of distinctive comics, and critical response to it directly lead to this story, still the Crimson Avenger's only ever self-titled comic in the eighty-plus years since his debut... even though he was DC's first masked hero!

Like his Secret Origins story, this is set in 1938; Lee Travis is a former playboy, now a hardworking newspaper publisher, and one of the only people in America pushing for war with Germany. At night, he and his chauffeur Wing How battle crime as the Crimson Avengers and, er, Wing. In this story, they uncover a complicated plot involving Russian dancers, Chinese lady fighter pilots, corpses, and washed up Hollywood actors, and I'll be honest, I did not understand it all terribly well. But I am always pretty bad at these noir-type things... and I enjoy them nonetheless, because to me the point isn't the specifics of the mystery, but a hero muddling his way through a world of darkness.

from The Crimson Avenger #2

As far as that goes, Roy & Dann Thomas deliver beautifully. (This is one of those stories where, like Jonni Thunder and Infinity, Inc., I believe I detect a stronger hand from Dann. But I always say that when I like a Roy Thomas story!) Greg Brooks, joined by Mike Gustovich on later issues, does a great job on art, too; you can see that just from his covers. He exactly captures the vibe the writing is going for. I did feel, however, that his use of blacks would have been more successful if this had been printed on high-quality paper like Infinity, Inc. and some other contemporary DC titles.

I doubt there is a market for it, but Secret Origins #5 and these four issues would make a great trade paperback. Maybe if the Crimson makes it big on one of DC's eight million tv shows. (Wikipedia tells me he appeared in a photo in Stargirl, so he is clearly well on his way to becoming a breakout character.)

from DC Comics Presents #38

If that did happen, DC could do worse than to chuck the final Crimson Avenger story from DC Comics Presents #38 in the back. It's a short eight-page story established how the Crimson died, decades after he stopped being a regular feature. Nothing groundbreaking, but nice to have, and I was happy I hunted it down and read it as a coda to The Dark Cross Conspiracy.

The Dark Cross Conspiracy originally appeared in issues #1-4 of The Crimson Avenger (June-Sept. 1988). The story was written by Roy & Dann Thomas; illustrated by Greg Brooks (#1-4) and Mike Gustovich (#3-4); colored by Bill Wray (#1, 3-4) and Carl Gafford (#2); and lettered by Helen Vesik (#1-3), Jean Simek (#2), and David Cody Weiss (#4).

"Whatever Happened to... the Crimson Avenger?" originally appeared in issue #38 of DC Comics Presents (Oct. 1981). The story was written by Len Wein, illustrated by Alex Saviuk & Dennis Jensen, lettered by John Costanza, colored by Gene D'Angelo, and edited by Julius Schwartz.

 

This post is eighteenth in a series about the Justice Society and Earth-Two. The next installment covers The Immortal Doctor Fate. Previous installments are listed below:

1. All Star Comics: Only Legends Live Forever (1976-79)
2. The Huntress: Origins (1977-82)
3. All-Star Squadron (1981-87)
4. Infinity, Inc.: The Generations Saga, Volume One (1983-84)
5. Infinity, Inc.: The Generations Saga, Volume Two (1984-85)
6. Showcase Presents... Power Girl (1978)
7. America vs. the Justice Society (1985)
8. Jonni Thunder, a.k.a. Thunderbolt (1985)
9. Crisis on Multiple Earths, Volume 7 (1983-85)
10. Infinity, Inc. #11-53 (1985-88) [reading order]
11. Last Days of the Justice Society of America (1986-88)
12. All-Star Comics 80-Page Giant (1999)
13. Steel, the Indestructible Man (1978)
14. Superman vs. Wonder Woman: An Untold Epic of World War Two (1977)
• Wonder Woman: Earth-Two (1977-78)
15. Secret Origins of the Golden Age (1986-89)
16. The Young All-Stars (1987-89)
17. Gladiator (1930)