Wraith

Origin

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.

Creation

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.

Powers And 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.

When confronting a villain, 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 is 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.

Other Media

Novels

The Wraith

In a world not far removed from our own, a city lies ravaged. Crime overruns its streets; its citizens are helpless. Crimelord Robert Latham, to the world-at-large a legitimate businessman, holds the city in his sway. Fear and intimidation rule throughout. One man stands above the rest, willing to fight for freedom. That man is The Wraith. The Wraith, the city’s bogeyman, is known to exist only by a very few, and seen by even fewer. Those that do know of him, especially Latham, know to fear him, for his fury at those who commit evil has no bounds. By day, the Wraith is the reclusive billionaire Paul Sanderson, a man more mysterious and less seen than his night-time counterpart. Sensing the desperation of Latham and that his own time may be limited, Sanderson readies a replacement, a man deemed worthy to continue in his stead, whether that man likes it or not. That man is Michael Reeve, an honest cop, someone similarly fighting for justice in a city where very little justice remains. It’s a struggle for Reeve to come to terms with his new identity and the destiny handed to him by someone he has only heard of but never seen. Those around him are pulled, unwittingly and seeringly, into his nightmare. In desperation, Latham calls in someone to finish the job, to ensure Metro City finally becomes his, completely and utterly. Enter the Cobra, a creature whose origins have been lost in the mists of time. A creature whose sole purpose in life is to destroy-and conquer. Can the new Wraith save his city even while he struggles to save his own soul?

Written by: Frank Dirscherl

Publisher: Coscom Entertainment (November 1, 2005)

ISBN-10: 1897217285

ISBN-13: 978-1897217283

Valley of Evil

After the horror the Cobra unleashed upon Metro City, Paul Sanderson has recuperated, regained his strength and focus, and the city has been rebuilt. Metro’s citizens have slowly started to regroup and move forward. Into this relative calm marches Ma Tzi, the Hong Kong drug lord, who senses a weakness in resident crime lord Robert Latham’s hold on the city, and intends to exploit that, in any way necessary. And at any cost.

In the midst of their vicious gang war, a new terror envelopes the city-a virulent plague wipes out thousands, a plague that The Wraith soon discovers to be man-made. With no end in sight, and his assistant Max Horton missing, can The Wraith stop Latham and Tzi from executing further carnage, save countless lives and find those responsible for the heinous slaughter of untold innocents?

Written by: Frank Dirscherl

Publisher: Coscom Entertainment (December 29, 2006)

ISBN-10: 1897217536

ISBN-13: 978-1897217536

Cult of the Damned

The Wraith returns in this amazing tale of heroism, deadly evil and horror. With the city back firmly in his grasp, crime lord and entrepreneur Robert Latham is celebrating by bankrolling Metro City’s 200th anniversary gala year, which includes the unveiling of a never-before-seen ancient Aztec stone carving-the Cortes Stone-at the City Gallery, a carving that has thrilled the scientific and artistic communities, but infuriated the monstrous Aztekoth. Now, Aztekoth has formed his own cult of primeval, revenge-minded Aztec warriors who are capable of any atrocity. Their aim: to retrieve the carving, seek retribution upon its desecrators, and recreate their long-dead empire with the flesh of the population of Metro City!

Written by: Frank Dirscherl

Publisher: Coscom Entertainment (June 5, 2009)

ISBN-10: 1897217994

ISBN-13: 978-1897217993

Cry of the Werewolf

Having gone through ordeal after ordeal, Paul Sanderson (aka The Wraith Dread Avenger of the Underworld) and his love Leena Patterson, decide to take a long overdue vacation. Choosing the mountain village of Bidbury as their destination, the two happily leave the crime and filth of Metro City far behind them, at least for a time. Once they reach the picturesque surrounds of the Little England area, their idyll is shattered by an attack by a creature nobody thought could possibly exist—a werewolf. Soon, Paul discovers a village wracked by fear and deceit, and an evil so pronounced, so monstrous, that only The Wraith could possibly defeat it.

Written by: Frank Dirscherl

Publisher: Trinity Comics (May 2, 2012)

ISBN-10: 1105716454

ISBN-13: 978-1105716454

Movies

The Wraith: Eyes of Judgment