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55-574: The first Crimson Avenger, Lee Walter Travis , first appeared in Detective Comics #20 (October 1938). He is also known as a founding member of DC's second depicted superhero team, Seven Soldiers of Victory . The Crimson Avenger (along with his sidekick Wing) first appeared in the DC Comics anthology American comic book series Detective Comics in issue #20. The Crimson Avenger had many similarities to The Green Hornet , including

110-523: A "seven figure sum". He held onto the comic for a few years before deciding to sell it, keeping the existence of it otherwise a secret, even rejecting a $ 3 million offer to buy the comic outright. After discussions with representatives from eBay, Adams and the company arranged to donate 1% of the sale to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation , reflecting on Christopher Reeve 's role as Superman in motion pictures. The auction ended on August 24 and

165-520: A "sun" symbol which was revealed in 2003 to be a stylized bullet hole. The character continued appearing in Detective Comics until issue #89 (July 1944). According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes , "most of his opponents are ordinary, but there is the Boss and his zombies, the occasional mad scientist, and some name villains like Echo, Methuselah, and the crime genius

220-469: A Senator who he suspects is corrupt, prompting a confession by leaping around high buildings with the terrified man, which leads into the next issue. All the while, Clark tries to keep Superman out of the papers. Comics Buyer's Guide estimated in 2012 that only 50 to 100 original copies of Action Comics #1 exist. In an April 2021 Associated Press article, Vincent Zurzolo, COO of ComicConnect.com, an online auction and consignment company, said that it

275-403: A comic's age, according to Adams. The comic changed hands twice prior to the auction; first sold as part of an estate sale when the original purchaser died forty years after its publication, and then to a third person who held the comic for about thirty years. Some years prior to the auction, Adams was contacted by this third person, and seeing the pristine condition of the comic, purchased it for

330-418: A completely new fictional continuity , an initiative branded The New 52 . This included ending the original 73-year run of Action Comics with issue #904, October (on sale August 24). The first issue of Action Comics volume 2, with a cover date of November, went on sale September 7. The New 52 version of Action Comics #1 went through five printings. The fifth printing, which went on sale March 28, 2012,

385-410: A copy graded 9.0 by CGC was sold on eBay for $ 3,207,852 USD (equivalent to $ 4,128,633 in 2023); it was the first comic book to have sold for more than $ 3 million for a single original copy. Action Comics #1 was an anthology, and contained eleven features: Published on April 18, 1938 ( cover dated June 1938), by National Allied Publications , a corporate predecessor of DC Comics, it

440-641: A sidekick named Wing who was an Asian valet , and a gas gun that he used to subdue opponents. Albert Elwood made a single appearance as the Crimson Avenger, in World's Finest Comics #131 (February 1963), in a story entitled "The Mystery of the Crimson Avenger". Eccentric inventor Albert Elwood adopted the guise and attempted to help Superman, Batman and Robin thwart the robberies of the Octopus Gang. A requisite identity confusion occurs when one of

495-461: A sidekick named Wing who was an Asian valet , and a gas gun that he used to subdue opponents. In his early appearances he dressed in a red trenchcoat , a fedora , with a red mask covering his face; except for the red, he was visually similar to The Shadow . Later, when superheroes became more popular than costumed vigilantes, his costume was changed to a more standard superhero outfit, consisting of red tights, yellow boots, trunks and crest, and

550-468: Is a superhero published by DC Comics . He first appeared in Detective Comics #20 (October 1938). He is the first superhero and costume hero published in Detective Comics . He preceded Batman , and appeared in the same year after Action Comics #1 debuted characters like Superman , which led to the Golden Age of Comic Books . He is sometimes depicted as one of the first masked heroes within

605-415: Is considered the first true superhero comic. Though today Action Comics is a monthly title devoted to Superman, it began, like many early comics, as an anthology . Action Comics was started by publisher Jack Liebowitz . The first issue had a print run of 200,000 copies, which promptly sold out, although it took some time for National to realize that the "Superman" story was responsible for sales of

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660-559: Is cover-dated May in both the UPC box on the cover and the indicia , with no mention of its original November 2011 cover date. In 2016, as part of the DC Rebirth relaunch, DC restored Action Comics ' original numbering, releasing Action Comics vol. 1 #957 after Action Comics vol. 2 #52. Subsequently, a commemorative poster celebrating 1,000 issues of Action Comics was released in 2018, which retroactively listed all issues of

715-502: Is now a female African American reporter, borrowing features from the original Crimson Avenger's successor, Jill Carlyle . She first appears in Earth 2 #5, but is not named until two issues later. Action Comics 1 Action Comics #1 ( cover dated June 1938) is the first issue of the original run of the comic book / magazine series Action Comics . It features the first appearance of several comic-book heroes—most notably

770-622: The Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster creation, Superman —and sold for 10 cents (equivalent to $ 2 in 2023). It is widely considered to be both the beginning of the superhero genre and the most valuable comic book in the world. Action Comics would go on to run for 904 numbered issues (plus additional out-of-sequence special issues) before it restarted its numbering in the fall of 2011. It returned to its original numbering with issue #957, published on June 8, 2016 ( cover-dated August) and reached its 1,000th issue in 2018. On August 24, 2014,

825-507: The "superman" character as a powerful hero, sent to Earth from a more advanced society. He and Shuster developed the idea into a comic strip , which they pitched unsuccessfully. National Publications was looking for a hit to accompany their success with Detective Comics , and did not have time to solicit new material. Jack Liebowitz, co-owner of National Publications, told editor Vin Sullivan to create their fourth comic book. Because of

880-460: The 1960s, the original Crimson Avenger (Lee Travis) was explained to have lived on Earth-Two; Albert Elwood's Earth has never been specified. A female Crimson Avenger first appeared in Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (April 2000), created by Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins . This version, like the original El Diablo , served as a minor Spirit of Vengeance . She was an African American woman who possessed

935-521: The Avenger's curse sends her after those who have taken an innocent life, an encounter with Wildcat and Power Girl reveals that "innocent" only has to mean that the victim was innocent of whatever circumstances led to their deaths. Crimson Avenger once targeted Wildcat for causing a man's death, but Wildcat revealed that his "victim" had already killed his own brother and the man's wife and son after they killed his fiancé; Wildcat planted evidence to frame

990-820: The Brain". In 1941, the Crimson Avenger joined the Seven Soldiers of Victory , a second superteam styled after the popular Justice Society of America appearing in All-Star Comics . The Seven Soldiers debuted in Leading Comics #1 (December 1941), and continued until #14 (March 1945). Two separate accounts of the Crimson Avenger's origins have been printed which complement each other in some areas, but contradict in others. The first origin story appeared in Secret Origins #5 (August 1986), and

1045-465: The Crimsom Avenger after taking revenge on the unknown criminal and, also as part of the curse, an ever-bleeding bullet hole appears on her chest. This version was never given a name, but is referred to by fans as Jill Carlyle, a name taken from the headstone of a victim the character was shown avenging in an early appearance. Whether the Avenger is Carlyle herself or not remains unclear. While

1100-589: The Crimson Avenger appeared in a 4-issue miniseries by Roy & Dann Thomas , Greg Brooks, and Mike Gustovich . Set shortly after the Crimson's debut in the latter days of 1938, the story revolves around the growing global hostilities, as Japan advances through China, Germany moves into eastern Europe, and the soon-to-be-Allies hesitation to act. The Crimson finds himself in the middle of a plot he doesn't quite grasp, with enigmatic foreign women, strange objects, and shadowy conspirators weaving around him. This series

1155-498: The Crimson Avenger appears as part of an order of detectives including Alfred Pennyworth and Sam Spade ; Crimson attempts to recruit Bruce Wayne . In The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier , the Crimson Avenger is briefly mentioned as having met with Allan Quatermain and Mina Murray during the two's self-exile from Britain during the years of the Ingsoc government. A photo of Allan and Murray standing in front of

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1210-601: The Crimson Avenger's second costume is shown. The Crimson Avenger makes an appearance in the Justice League of America 80-Page Giant #1 comic (November 2009) in a story titled Zatanna & Black Canary in Fishnet Femmes Fatales! , when the two heroines are tossed back in time by the supervillain Epoch . In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Lee Travis

1265-531: The Gang members assumed the Crimson Avenger's identity. Elwood helped the heroes capture the gang and retired right afterward. He had many sophisticated gadgets, but his efforts often proved counterproductive, more a hindrance than a help. Elwood did mention that he had "taken the name of a former lawman", meaning the by-then long defunct original Crimson Avenger. After the introduction of the DC Comics multiverse in

1320-575: The Superman stamp from the U.S. Postal Service 's "Celebrate the Century" commemorative stamp series along with a "First Day of Issue" cancellation. It was sold by the U.S. Postal Service, shrinkwrapped, for $ 7.95. The complete issue, save for the inside front, inside back, and outside back cover, was reprinted in 2000 as part of DC Comics' Millennium Edition series of reprints of famous DC comics. The 1988, 1998 and 2000 reprints were published to

1375-605: The Worlds in the story was inspired by the fact that the Crimson Avenger's first comic book appearance was dated Oct 1938, the same month as the radio broadcast. The second, extended origin appeared in Golden Age Secret Files & Origins #1 (2001). In this tale Lee Travis was a war-weary man of the world trying to forget the horrors of the Wars and seek some inner peace of mind. To this end he briefly settled in

1430-401: The city, although his name is remembered by a young Hispanic woman whose child he saved from a fall on his way to investigate the tanker. The legend of the Crimson Avenger does not die, however, due to an early good deed that night. On his way to the tanker, he saves a young boy who has fallen out of an apartment window and returns the child to his mother. The woman promises to tell her son of

1485-507: The comic fetched $ 436,000 at auction, saving the family's home. One copy was stolen from American actor Nicolas Cage , an avid comic book collector, in 2000. In March 2011, it was found in a storage locker in the San Fernando Valley and was verified by ComicConnect.com to be the copy sold to Cage previously. Cage had previously received an insurance payment for the item. A copy which was sold for $ 2.16 million on November 30

1540-472: The cover to Hercules and the Hydra by Antonio del Pollaiuolo . In January 1933, Jerry Siegel wrote a short prose story titled " The Reign of the Superman ", which was illustrated by his friend Joe Shuster and self-published in a science fiction magazine. It told the story of a bald villain with telepathic powers. Trying to create a character they could sell to newspaper syndicates, Siegel re-conceived

1595-543: The dead man for his fiancé's murder as he couldn't prove the man's real crime, and it was up to the legal system if the dead man was executed afterwards. In the pages of " The New Golden Age ", Crimson Avenger assembles the Seven Soldiers of Victory and takes them on a mission that involved Clock King using Per Degaton 's time machine on the ship where Lee Travis sacrificed his life on. Crimson Avenger (Lee Travis) Crimson Avenger ( Lee Walter Travis )

1650-433: The fictional DC Universe . He is also known as a founding member of DC's second depicted superhero team, Seven Soldiers of Victory . After his death, his legacy name lives on other characters . Crimson Avenger (along with his sidekick Wing) first appeared in the DC Comics anthology American comic book series Detective Comics in issue #20. The Crimson Avenger had many similarities to The Green Hornet , including

1705-406: The first page of Action Comics #1: Two new panels offering a "scientific explanation of Clark Kent's amazing strength" were added. The panels do not identify Superman's home planet by name or explain how he was named Clark Kent. The next twelve pages showed Superman attempting to save an innocent woman about to be executed while delivering the real murderess, bound and gagged, and leaving her on

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1760-448: The issue was sold for $ 3.25 million in a private sale. The seller of the copy had purchased it in 2018 for slightly over $ 2 million. A new record for the highest amount paid for a copy was set at $ 6 million US on April 4, 2024, when Heritage Auctions brokered the sale of a specimen graded 8.5 by CGC. The first reprint of Action Comics #1 was published in 1974 as part of the "Famous First Editions" series. Beginning in

1815-446: The lawn of the state Governor's mansion after breaking through the door into his house with a signed confession; coming to the aid of a woman being beaten up by her husband, who faints when his knife shatters on Superman's skin; rescuing Lois Lane (who also debuts in this issue) from a gangster who abducted her after she rebuffed him at a nightclub, which leads to the cover scene with the car; and going to Washington, D.C. to investigate

1870-597: The man who saved him once he is old enough to remember. Grant Morrison has established that in various Justice League stories, the original mask, hat and cloak of the Crimson Avenger are used in a special ritual whenever a new member joins the JLA, in honor of him being, in the Martian Manhunter 's words, "the first of our kind". In the pages of " The New Golden Age ", Crimson Avenger's sacrifice remains intact. Clock King used Per Degaton 's time machine to bring

1925-538: The mid-1970s, DC reissued several of its most popular Golden Age comics as "Famous First Editions" . These reprints were oversized, roughly double the size of the original editions, and had a cardboard-like cover. The interior was an exact reprint of the original comic, including the advertisements. As a result, the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide has, since the 1970s, published a warning advising that attempts have been made to pass off

1980-491: The most expensive and most valuable comic book of all time. The copy sold is the third highest-graded copy from the CGC, which stands at 8.5 VF+ grade, which Zurzolo said was among the best-kept copies. As of 2011, there were six known Comic Guaranty LLC (CGC)-graded copies with a grade above VG (CGC 4.0), with only one issue having the grade of VF/NM (CGC 9.0) at that time. EC and Mad publisher William Gaines , whose father

2035-423: The mystical far-East city of Nanda Parbat . There, he was shown the future career of Superman by the goddess Rama Kushna. Superman's deeds and selflessness inspired Lee to rededicate his own talents, and Superman's death at the hands of Doomsday galvanized Lee to spend his life honoring Superman's memory, years before he was even born. When Lee returned to civilization, he found that nearly ten years had gone by for

2090-449: The page-size standard of the 1988–2000 period, and not the larger page size utilized by Action Comics in 1938. DC Comics published a Facsimile Edition reprint of Action Comics #1, reprinting the complete book in its entirety (including the inside front, inside back, and outside back covers), in 2022. It had a cover price of $ 6.99. In September 2011, DC Comics canceled all of its monthly books, and relaunched 52 new ongoing titles, with

2145-500: The powers of teleportation and intangibility. In a flashback sequence, it was revealed that Carlyle studied law but apparently lost a case in which the defendant was clearly guilty. She obtained a pair of Colt pistols originally owned by the first Crimson Avenger and used them to exact vengeance upon the unknown criminal. These guns are cursed such that, if the possessor uses them out of revenge, he or she will be cursed to track and kill those who have taken an innocent life. Carlyle becomes

2200-406: The radio show — a group of criminals dressed in alien-like costumes take advantage of the ensuing panic to rob the party guests. The villains murder a young journalist and Travis is enraged, going after the costumed thieves and exchanging gunfire. Travis drives the thieves into a ditch and disappears before the police arrive, now inspired to become the Crimson Avenger. The use of Orson Welles' War of

2255-474: The reprint, stripped of its Famous First Edition cardboard cover, as an actual #1. However, the Guide does not cite any actual instances of this. DC reprinted Action Comics #1 in 1988 as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of Superman that year. This edition reprinted only the Superman story, with a 50¢ U.S.A. cover price. The complete issue was reprinted in 1998 with an additional half-cover featuring

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2310-604: The rest of the world, at which point he took to the streets as the Crimson, and later the Crimson Avenger. Superman's appearance as the first costumed hero in Action Comics #1 is credited as the beginning of the Golden Age of Comics, but this was removed from continuity during the Crisis on Infinite Earths . The Crimson's second origin re-establishes Superman as the inspiration for all costumed crime-fighters. In 1988,

2365-571: The same year through ComicConnect.com is believed to have been this same one, having been noted as stolen in 2000 and recovered in 2011. The Hollywood Reporter mentioned in its March 2012 issue that a film was in development based on the theft of Cage's copy of the comic book and would be titled Action No. 1 . The screenplay was a spec script written by Reno 911! creators Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon and sold to Lionsgate . They were attached to produce along with Peter Principato and Paul Young. A CGC 9.0-graded comic, with white pages,

2420-468: The satisfaction he is going out heroically and spectacularly (it is later revealed that the explosion was orchestrated by the Ultra Humanite ). When the crew reach the shore and are asked by the police who saved them, the captain says he never saw the face of the man. It can be assumed that nobody actually knew where Lee Travis had disappeared to or that the Crimson Avenger was responsible for saving

2475-520: The series that would soon approach 1,000,000 a month. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were paid $ 10 per page, for a total of $ 130 (equivalent to $ 2,814 in 2023) for their work on this issue. Liebowitz would later say that selecting Superman to run in Action Comics #1 was "pure accident" based on deadline pressure and that he selected a "thrilling" cover, depicting Superman lifting a car over his head. Christopher Knowles , author of Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes , compared

2530-528: The ship that Crimson Avenger was on to the present. Before Stargirl destroyed the time machine to send the ship back to its own time, Crimson Avenger told Stargirl to find Wing. Once the ship was back in its own time, Crimson Avenger's body was found and there was a memorial held by the Justice League and the Justice Society of America. Though possessing no super-powers, the Crimson Avenger

2585-420: The ship was taken over by criminals seeking to steal its cargo of explosively unstable chemical waste and the captain was trying to summon help. Travis engages the criminals but is unable to prevent a grenade from starting a fire that threatens to cause a massive explosion. Knowing he is dying anyway, the Avenger makes the crew abandon ship while he pilots the ship to a safe distance and is presumably killed, with

2640-441: The tight deadline, Sullivan was forced to make it out of inventory and stockpile pages. He found a number of adventurer stories, but needed a lead feature. Sullivan asked former coworker Sheldon Mayer if he could help. Mayer found the rejected Superman comic strips, and Sullivan told Siegel and Shuster that if they could paste them into 13 comic book pages, he would buy them. The original panels were rewritten and redrawn to create

2695-545: Was a 50th anniversary celebration of the character's debut and of all mystery-men in general. In a one shot story named "Whatever Happened to the Crimson Avenger?" featured in DC Comics Presents #38 (October 1981), Lee Travis finds out that he is suffering from an incurable terminal disease. In his hospital room brooding on his situation, Travis spots a ship blinking SOS with its lights. Travis dons his suit one last time and heads out to investigate. He discovers

2750-538: Was also a comic book publisher and had business dealings with DC Comics at the time Action Comics #1 was published, claimed in a Comics Journal interview that he at one point had dozens of copies of the issue around his house, but they were probably all thrown out. Another copy, rated CGC 5 ("Very Good/Fine"), was discovered in July 2010 by a family facing foreclosure on their home while packing their possessions. Estimated by ComicConnect.com to sell as high as $ 250,000,

2805-422: Was an Olympic-level athlete and highly skilled hand-to-hand combatant able to hold his own against almost any foe. In the early days of his career, the Avenger used a gas gun of his own design, capable of rendering his opponents unconscious. The Crimson Avenger's calling card was a cloud of crimson smoke through which he made a most dramatic entrance. In Michael Uslan's Elseworlds title Batman: Detective No. 27 ,

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2860-613: Was auctioned for sale on eBay in August 2014. The seller, Darren Adams, a comic-book store owner in Federal Way, Washington , had purchased the issue from the estate of a man who had originally bought the issue from a newsstand on its release in 1938. The original buyer lived in high altitudes in West Virginia and stored the comic in a stack with others, which provided the optimal "cool, dry and dark" conditions that lent well to

2915-474: Was estimated that about 100 copies of the issue were still in existence. Action Comics #1 has set several sales records for comic books. On February 22, 2010, a copy of Action Comics #1 CGC Grade 8.0 sold at auction for US$ 1 million, becoming the first million-dollar comic book. The sale, by an anonymous seller to an anonymous buyer, was through ComicConnect.com. Also that year, on March 29, ComicConnect.com sold another copy for US$ 1.5 million, making it

2970-448: Was sold for over $ 3.2 million. At the time, it was the highest value ever paid for a single issue of a comic book. The purchasers were Vincent Zurzolo and Stephen Fishler, the owners of Metropolis Collectibles ; Zurzolo expected the value of the near-mint comic to continue to increase in time. The record for the highest amount paid for a copy was narrowly broken again on April 6, 2021, when ComicConnect.com announced that another copy of

3025-460: Was written by Roy Thomas , with art by Gene Colan . Taking place in late October 1938, it depicts Lee Walter Travis, the young publisher of the Globe-Leader , a paper devoted to progressive causes. At a costume ball on Halloween, Travis appears in a "highway robber" costume. This is the night of Orson Welles ' famous broadcast of The War of the Worlds and — having gotten advance notice of

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