Bios

Creator Bios

Frank Dirscherl - Publisher/Writer/Creator

Frank Dirscherl is a scion of a family that dates back to at least 1634. He is a Library Technician and IT support technician by trade, and has worked in those fields since 1992. He has long been an avid reader of novels, non-fiction and comic books, and actually cannot remember a time when he wasn't reading something.

Frank has written several film scripts, having received personal writing training from Hollywood screenwriter Alex Ford, and is currently the Publisher and Editor-In-Chief of Trinity Comics. Along with his team, he is working on the continuing adventures of The Wraith in both comic book and novel formats.

His writing inspirations are Steve Englehart, Mike W. Barr, Gerry Conway, Norvell Page and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. His inspiration in life is his girlfriend Lisa. He lives in regional NSW, Australia.

Stephen J. Semones - Marketing Manager

In 1996, Stephen founded Catch 22 Productions which in 2003, became Sir Reel Films. In August of 2003, Stephen responded to an ad on a message board about some independent comic book guy wanting to make a movie based on his own character. That character was none other than The Wraith and the man was Frank Dirscherl. Frank invited Stephen to write a script based on The Wraith novel and a ton of artwork and comic scripts. Stephen accepted the challenge, knowing beforehand he knew absolutely nothing on how to make a superhero film, and wrote a script. His previous "hack" work included such attrocities that will not be mentioned, but they were however better than Battlefield Earth.

In December of 2004 The Wraith movie has yet to be completed but Majestic 7 Media (www.majestic7media.com), a parent company to Sir Reel Films, was formed. Majestic 7 Media's goal is to provide an umbrella support system to all up and coming artists in all forms of independent entertainment. Seeing that Trinity Comics is based in Australia and needs to get The Wraith to the US market, this is where Stephen and his Majestic 7 Media come in. Stephen will be working with Frank to get The Wraith into comic shops across the US. Seeing as he's directing the film, getting The Wraith into a comic shop should be childsplay. Sir Reel Films and Majestic 7 Media will be turning out several projects in 2005 starting with the highly anticipated film, The Wraith: Eyes of Judgment. Trinity Comics and Majestic 7 Media plan to lead the way in independent entertainment.

Shannon Gallant - Artistic Director

Bio COMING SOON.

Jim Taylor - Artist

Jim Taylor busted his way into this world in December of 1963, but adamantly denies he was the inspiration for that silly song. He is a self taught artist living in the hidden regions of New England. Even his family doesn't know where he resides, most say it's a Witness Protection thing. He's produced art for several small independent companies, and some trading card artwork. Jim is an avid Batman fan, and collects most anything he can that pertains to the character. Even going so far as to design his own Batman tattoo. Jim can produce a page of finished art on four pots of coffee, and is currently going for the record of most nights without sleep to get his artwork out there. In his spare time, Jim performs stand-up comedy. So please, take better than half of this bio with the tongue in cheek it was intended with!

Jim is a college graduate whose foray into comic artwork has made his parents very, very... worried about his financial future, but he's doing what he loves, which is ultimately what counts.

Jim's artistic influences are Frank Frazetta, Neal Adams, John Buscema, Alex Ross, Dick Giordano, Stuart Immomen and John Byrne.

Rusty Gilligan - Inker

Rusty started out in comics when he started doing advertising art for Comics Buyers Guide (art was of Mark Evanier/Will Mineout's 'DNAgents'). In 1978, he was recommended for hire by Stan Lee personally to do art pin-ups of Capt. America (based on Jack Kirby images) for Marvel's British tabloid reprint line, and later one was made into a Capt. America cover. Soon after, he started working in the underground comic genre with such popular stars like Gilbert Shelton and Robert Crumb, on semi-adult and highly controversial comics and comic strips. This was the start of his work in the adult comics line.

During the next few years, Rusty opened Shooting Star Enterprises (an entertainment advertising firm), and worked as a pin-up and poster artist. When comic work seemed to be at a slow period, he turned to writing for many comic and trading card magazines, writing fiction for both adult and non-adult publications, and ran the Valley Comic Con (the largest west coast comic convention at the time) hiring such stars as Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, John Byrne, and others. Soon after, he travelled all over the country as a professional wrestler, even claiming world heavyweight champion status for 1 year. His credits picked up with sequence pencilling for "Heavy Metal" the movie (search Rusty Gilligan at www.imdb.com), an art print for Hallmark Cards, and starting publicity and advertising work for many comic and card publishers. He began working on "The Symbol" with Jim Shooter at Marvel, who planned on developing it into a series as part of a new Marvel reality... but the project was shelved when Shooter left Marvel. Later, Rusty did publicity work and design for The River Group (the trading card behind Shooter's "Plasm" comic line).

When he moved his company to Las Vegas, he renamed it MAIN Publishing and began publishing trading card sets like "Wanted Women" (Capital's highest selling card set, and Diamond award-winner), comics like "Test Drive" and "Sex Drive" (the 1st non-adult/adult pro/am comic crossover in history), gaming cards like "Dark Angels" (the 1st adult gaming card set), as well as videos, posters, and print sets. MAIN's highest accomplishment was "M.A.I.N. Magazine" which broke down the barriers between adult, non-adult, and underground comics/collectibles. "M.A.I.N. Magazine" featured original works from some stars as: Stan Lee, Steven King, Rob Liefeld, Jim Lee, Rich Buckler, John Romita, Todd McFarlane, introduced the TV show "Xena" to the world, and published previously unpublished works from Jack Kirby and Bill Ward. Currently, Rusty and MAIN Publishing have moved to NY and run a variety of websites. Rusty is once again creating, writing, and drawing small projects for publication both in print and online.

Dave Rothe - Inker/Letterer

Bio COMING SOON.

Doug Stevens - Cover Colourist

Bio COMING SOON.

Character Bios

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.
First Appearance: The Wraith #1.
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.
First Appearance: The Wraith #0.
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 shock of almost shoulder length red hair.
Occupation: Chauffeur/bodyguard/
mechanic to Paul Sanderson.
First Appearance: The Wraith #0.
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.
First Appearance: The Wraith #1.
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.
First Appearance: The Wraith #0.
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.
First Appearance: The Wraith #0.
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 judgement.'

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.
First Appearance: The Wraith: City of Fear #1 (full).
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 wishes him dead 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 Detectives Bob Sloan & Rosa Perez! PLUS MORE!!

The Wraith Dread Avenger of the Underworld is © copyright and ® trademark Frank Dirscherl, 2005. All Rights Reserved. The Wraith Online and Trinity Comics are © copyright and ™ trademarks Frank Dirscherl, 2005. All Rights Reserved. The Wraith Dread Avenger of the Underworld and all related characters featured on this website, and in The Wraith comics & novels, and the distinctive names and likenesses thereof, and all related indicia are ® trademarks of Frank Dirscherl. No similarity between any of the names, characters, persons and/or institutions on this website, and in The Wraith comics & novels, with those of any characters, or any living or dead person or institution is intended, and any such similarity which may exist is purely coincidental.
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