| During the sixties and early seventies, there was a
lull in superhero activity. To fill this void, a new breed of adventurer
rose on the East Coast, heroes and villains strictly interested in the
thrill and excitement of super-adventuring.
One team of these heroes was the Justice Experience, operating
in New York City. Their arch enemies were a team of villains named the House of
Pain. They fought battles that were no more than mere games, fantastic
diversions from their everyday lives. The weapons and 'deathtraps' they used in
these adventures were only silly toys. No one ever got hurt, until a battle
started at the Washington Square subway station. A woman named Caroline Anders,
while fleeing to safety, was electrocuted on the third rail.
Caroline was the girlfriend of eccentric and deformed
inventor Larry Trapp. He blamed her death on the community of superheroes and
villains, vowing revenge. He created genuine deathtraps and found out the civilan identities, professions, patrols, and addresses of a large number of the
heroes and villains.
Over the next two years, Larry Trapp hunted down all of the
Justice Experience, House of Pain, and other heroes and villains, killing them.
The murders totaled over 35 in the New York, Gotham, and Metropolis areas. He
became known as "Doctor Trap" because his lairs were always extensively
booby-trapped.
Eventually Trapp was caught by the JSA, and sentenced to
23 life terms. But it was the end of an era, and heroes wouldn't make a comeback
for 10 years afterwards. [Chase
#6] |
