Who is The Wraith?

The Wraith is a mix of classic 1970s/early 1980s comic book storytelling (think the runs on Batman by the likes of Dennis O'Neil, Neal Adams, Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, Gerry Conway, Don Newton, Irv Novick, Gene Colan et al) and such pulp magazines as The Shadow and, particularly, The Spider. The art, superbly crafted by the likes of Jim Taylor, Jeff Welborn, Roland Bird and others, is influenced by those eras of comics, and we're proud to be presenting comics that some consider "retro", but what we here at Trinity consider simply quality stories. The writing is, again, a mix of that era of comic book and the exciting melodrama of the pulps. The Spider fought villains that were a mix of the mundane (ie. regular, like crimelords, robbers, murderers etc.) and the fantastic (eg. creatures, invaders, conquerers, mad scientists etc.), and we're following that path with The Wraith, albeit in a modern setting. Combined with a healthy dollop of intrigue, mystery, romance and, at times, current events, we feel The Wraith has something for everyone.

The Wraith was first created back in 1998 by writer Frank Dirscherl as his homage to those classic pulp novel characters the Shadow and the Spider. Originally intended to feature in a novel, the character bounced around in Frank's head until 2001 when his original look was fully realised by an artist friend. Then, in 2002, the character's second look was readied, and The Wraith series was born in April 2004 with the publication The Wraith #0 comic book. The Wraith's final look was revealed on this website in 2004, in The Wraith: Eyes of Judgment film in 2005, on book covers and posters, and in The Wraith #1,which premiered in April 2007. The Wraith #2 followed in April 2008.

Below you will find brief bio listings for each of the main characters appearing in The Wraith series of comics and novels, to give you an added insight into who and why they are.

The Wraith/Paul Sanderson

Name: Paul Sanderson (formerly Michael Reeve).
Age: 29.
Height: 6'2"
Appearance: Tall, broad, short brown hair, blue eyes.
Occupation: Entrepreneur, philanthropist.
History: a former Metro City Police detective, Michael Reeve was honest, loyal, and idealistic. Ridiculed by colleagues for his belief and support of the mysterious avenger known as The Wraith, Reeve was managing to eek out a fairly good life for himself. Involved with librarian Leena Patterson, his life was changed forever when, through circumstances out of his control, he becomes the new Wraith. Now living as Paul Sanderson, he continues the fight against evil.
Abilities: The Wraith is an Olympic level athlete, with the strength of a weightlifter, and a superb hand-to-hand combatant. He is a master of several forms of martial arts, boxing and weaponry, though he eschews the use of the latter. When confronting an evildoer, he has the capability to compel them to feel the pain and anguish of all their victims combined, when they are forced to stare into the 'eyes of judgement,' what appear to be eyes on The Wraith's chest, in reality an energy emanation coming from deep within The Wraith. Depending on what evil the person has committed throughout their lives, the mental anguish can range from simply unpleasent to excruciating. However, only one man has thus far been able to withstand The Wraith's judgement - Robert Latham. The precise origins of The Wraith's amazing power is unknown.
The Wraith is highly intelligent, a master strategist, and a decent detective and scientist, though his assistant Max Horton is the true brains of the outfit.
The background of the original Wraith/Paul Sanderson is, for the most part, shrouded in mystery, known only to the current bearer of that name and, in part, by Jonathan Simpson and Max Horton.

Leena Patterson

Name: Leena Patterson.
Age: 25.
Height: 5'4"
Appearance: Just short of shoulder length brown hair with maroon tinges, oval shaped glasses, usually professionally, but attractively dressed.
Occupation: Librarian.
History: Reference Librarian at the Metro City Library, she and Michael Reeve were in a steady, but slow moving relationship. Now, with Michael presumed dead, she stumbles into his new life as The Wraith/Paul Sanderson, and decides to come along for the ride.
Abilities: Fully trained by The Wraith, Leena is almost his equal in physical prowess, if not in strength. She is skilled in various forms of hand-to-hand combat, and can double as The Wraith (in a specially formed costume) when required. Leena is intelligent, sexy and spunky, and always eager to fight by her love's side whenever she's needed. She is perhaps most useful in undercover situations.

Max Horton

Name: Maxwell Horton.
Age: 41.
Height: 6'1"
Appearance: Tall, stocky, muscular build, with a bushy head of red hair and sideburns.
Occupation: Chauffeur/bodyguard/mechanic to Paul Sanderson.
History: Sanderson's chauffeur, mechanic, bodyguard, but also The Wraith's inventor and chief assistant in the fight against evil. Horton has been Sanderson's right-hand man since he was saved by the original Sanderson in London. He continues in the same role with the new Sanderson/The Wraith, acting forever more, as everyone else does, that they are one and the same man.
Abilities: A genius in the field of electronics and general science, Max is responsible for maintaining The Wraith's equipment, costumes and headquarters in the top condition it always needs to be, as well as inventing new, better crime fighting aids. Max also accompanies The Wraith on missions as required, and acts as chauffeur to both The Wraith and Sanderson.

Commissioner George Harrison

Name: George Samuel Harrison.
Age: 53.
Height: 5'8"
Appearance: short, rotund, but strong, with a bushy moustache.
Occupation: Metro City Police Commissioner.
History: a policeman of long standing, Harrison is a man both respected by his peers and feared by the underworld. However, he heads a department filled with corruption and vice. Tolerates The Wraith's existence, he knows The Wraith is doing good in the city, but keeps his belief of the hero a secret, until such time as he cannot hide it any longer. He however recognises that, if it ever came to it, he would arrest The Wraith, as the law requires.
Abilities: Harrison has the strength and agility of a man 10 years younger than he, and is surprisingly athletic despite his pudgy appearance. A man of inviolate morals, strong, clever, quick thinking, and a will of iron. The best possible man to have in charge of the city's police force.

Jonathan Simpson

Name: Jonathan Arthur Simpson.
Age: 70.
Height: 6'3"
Appearance: Tall, silver haired, rather gruff looking facially.
Occupation: Sanderson family butler.
History: Paul Sanderson's butler helps as required in both of Sanderson's lives, but usually plays little or no part in The Wraith's activities, serving almost entirely as the Sanderson butler.
Simpson has been the Sanderson family butler for decades, and served in the Foreign Legion during the Indo-China war as a very young man, a fact he rarely ever speaks of.

Robert Latham

Name: Robert Latham.
Age: 55.
Height: 5'6"
Appearance: a short, smartly and expensively dressed portly man.
Occupation: Head of conglomerate Latham Industries.
History: Robert Latham grew up the hard way... poor and mistreated. Coming from a broken home, wafting through foster home after foster home, the young Latham vowed to never again be on the bottom... and he made sure he was true to his word. Latham is now the head of a highly successful legitimate business - Latham Industries, which manufactures a variety of electrical equipment, has some fossil fuel concerns, and maintains a well renowned cancer foundation, raising money to fight this deadly disease. Latham is also the head of the largest crime cartel on the Eastern seaboard, and it is this aspect of his empire that Latham truly relishes - the power, the control.
Clever, resourceful, devious, Latham has never been able to be taken down by the police or The Wraith. He is also the only man thus far known to have been able to withstand The Wraith's Eyes of Judgment.

The Cobra

Name: Unknown.
Age: Unknown.
Height: 6'10"
Appearance: Very tall, muscular, powerful, with longish, jet-black hair, a black goatee beard, and a cobra scar over his right, marled eye.
Occupation: Conqueror.
History: Almost nothing is known about the Cobra or his origins. He is exotic in appearance and regal by comportment, perhaps indicative of his background. He was once a dictator of a small North African country at a time when the original Paul Sanderson visited several years ago. He is known by Robert Latham (how and why is unknown at this point) and knows of the original Wraith, though the current one strangely doesn't know of the Cobra prior to their meeting in Metro City.
The Cobra's mission is as simple as it is deadly - to kill and conquer, and he will do whatever it takes to achieve his goal. He perceives only one man on Earth to be his equal - The Wraith, and both respects and despises him at the same time.
Abilities: The Cobra has the ability to bend people to his will. He somehow emits a force, an energy of unknown qualities, from his marled right eye, which, when people gaze into it, causes them to lose the ability of free will, of free choice. People of incredibly strong will and character, such as The Wraith and Commissioner George Harrison, may be able to withstand the power for a short time, but prolonged exposure would see them too fall under the Cobra's thrall.
There are thus far only two known ways of breaking the Cobra's control once you have become entangled in it - by the Cobra willing you free, or by loud noise, which can cause the inner ear to vibrate to such an extent that the control is weakened, though not entirely severed.
The origins of the Cobra's powers are, as yet, unknown.
The Cobra also possesses uncanny physical strength, several times that of a normal man, though its exact specifications are unknown.

COMING SOON: Bios of Natalya Blackova, Magnus Khan & Aztekoth! PLUS MORE!!