KARNO

PERSONAL DATA 

REAL NAME: Jakob Karno 

OCCUPATION: Scientist, government agent, terrorist 

IDENTITY: Secret 

CLASS: Human technology user/Genius level intellect 

LEGAL STATUS: Citizen of Austria 

OTHER ALIASES: Dr. Karno, The Chessmaster 

PLACE OF BIRTH: Vienna, Austria 

MARITAL STATUS: Single 

KNOWN RELATIVES: Simba Karno (foster son) 

GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Chessmen (leader) 

BASE OF OPERATIONS: Vienna (Austria); Mobile; Fox City (USA) 

FIRST APPEARANCE: Wonderworld Comics #9 (May 1940) 

HEIGHT: 5' 10" 

WEIGHT: 215 lbs 

EYES: Blue 

HAIR: Brown 

HISTORY 

Jakob Karno was a very brilliant scientist, but also an unscrupulous man. After getting a baby from an orphanage, he put all his efforts into turning him into a super-man... A super-man completely under his command. Karno named the boy Simba. It was then that the Nazis came to power in Germany and the annexation of Austria occurred. Karno quickly became a prominent member of the party. By 1941, Dr. Karno and Simba had already carried out numerous missions for Hitler that included robbery, kidnapping or assassination. Eventually Simba turned against his "creator". After crippling Dr. Karno, Simba left him to fend for himself. Karno would take several decades to reappear, trapped on a wheelchair and calling himself "the Chessmaster". When the Chessmaster and his Chessmen kidnapped young heiress Irene Jonson and scientist Dr. Fung and his young assistant, american Dan Barrister, the old hero Crimson Moth came to the rescue. Unfortunately Crimson Moth was defeated by the Chessmen and killed. But thanks to the hero's sacrifice, Fung, Barrister and Irene managed to escape taking with them one of the Chessmen's combat suits. Fung modified the uniform for his assistant to wear, calling himself the Crimson Moth, after the man who had sacrificed his life for them. Barrister (with Fung's help) managed to defeat the Chessmen and turned Karno over to justice to finally pay for all of his crimes. 

POWERS & WEAPONS 

Karno was a true scientific genius with extensive resources. He also had his Chessmen, brainwashed henchmen blindly faithful to him, who wore bulletproof flying suits and carried futuristic weapons. 

MOTH

PERSONAL DATA 

REAL NAME: NA 

OCCUPATION: Adventurer 

IDENTITY: Secret 

CLASS: Magically empowered human (supposedly) 

LEGAL STATUS: DECEASED 

OTHER ALIASES: Crimson Moth 

PLACE OF BIRTH: NA 

MARITAL STATUS: NA 

KNOWN RELATIVES: NA 

GROUP AFFILIATIONS: Ultimate Super Agents (USA) 

BASE OF OPERATIONS: Mobile 

FIRST APPEARANCE: Mystery Men Comics #9 (April 1940) 

HEIGHT: 6' 0" 

WEIGHT: 189 lbs 

EYES: Black 

HAIR: Black 

 

HISTORY 

The first hero known as Crimson Moth was a true mystery man. He used to act in Fox City, but other than that, little else is known about him. The second Crimson Moth was Daniel Barrister. Barrister was Dr. Fung's assistant. Dr. Fung, Barrister, and Irene Johnson (Barrister's wealthy heiress girlfriend) were kidnapped by Dr. Karno (aka Chessmaster) and his Chessmen. Karno wanted Irene's family's money and Dr. Fung's brain. But he wasn't counting on old Crimson Moth. The hero gave his life to ensure the escape of Irene, Fung and Dan. After leaving Irene in a safe place, Dan and Dr. Fung decided to return to the Chessmaster's lair to bring the villain to justice. But Barrister would not go as himself but as the all new all different Crimson Moth. He managed to defeat the Chessmen and brought Karno to justice so that he would finally pay for all of his crimes. Dan, as the Crimson Moth, was part of The U.S.A. (The Ultimate Super Agents). 

POWERS & WEAPONS 

The first Crimson Moth possessed authentic super-powers, such as increased strength, great resistance to physical damage, and the ability to fly. He never revealed the true origin of those powers. Crimson Moth II, for his part, wore a bulletproof battle-suit (a modified Chessmen one), which allowed him to fly and wielded a gas gun as weapon.