John Raymond is the Web, a member of the Mighty Crusaders.
History
A socialite son of a wealthy family, John Raymond spent his adolescence avoiding work in favour of sports and enjoyment, despite his high intelligence. A serial womanizer, he clashed often with his more humanitarian brother David. When their father died, John inherited the family business, with their father reasoning that John's cold calculation would make him a better businessman than David's compassion. However, John admired David, and while he maintained a lifestyle as a wealthy slacker, he secretly began a career as a costumed vigilante in a high-tech suit who would answer calls for help left at his website. He named his new identity "The Web", after the World Wide Web.
John later discovers that David has fallen in debt to loan sharks, who later murder David, who explains with his last breath that he didn't want to ask John for help because he was too proud. David's death causes John to reevaluate his activities as The Web, and decides that he will no longer aid those who have the resources to help themselves, or who have friends and family they can turn to. Instead, the Web will assist only those who have no one else to turn to. The first beneficiary of his new deal is Lieutenant Joseph Higgins, stationed in Afghanistan and looking for his missing father. However, waiting for The Web reply, Higgins is grievously wounded while in a mission, and saved by an experimental warsuit: by the time The Web reviews email, and gives him a positive reply, Higgins has become The Shield, superhero on his own and a potential ally in John's quest.
John eventually discovers that the man responsible for David's murder is a renowned scientist named Dr. Archer, who is using his knowledge of chemistry to create addictive recreational drugs which he then distributes through violent street gangs. Unable to hold off Archer and fight him actively alone, the Web resorts, like the previous Impact Comics character, to turn the Web identity into an organization of equally empowered crime fighters, a small army of Web Hosts, receiving functional copies of his suit in exchange for enacting justice in his name. After a brief period of unrests and anarchy, Oracle and Batgirl offer an upgrade to the Web Hosts, in exchange for them pledging alliance to the Justice League of America rather than acting independently and thinning their number to expel the more rabunctious and rebellious members. The Web Hosts now receive their powers from a cloud computing server in the Web Lair, making The Web able to shut their suits down remotely. Furthermore, every suit is fitted with an access to Twitterati, granting the Host a private social network to use for personal interactions and crimefighting as well, and John Raymond himself, as the current administrator, a permanent link to his Hosts and simple supporters (and a spyware implanted program to gain Oracle absolute control over the aptly named Interweb).
With the help of his new hosts and his supporters The Web finally tracks down Dr. Archer, finally handing him down to the police with enough proofs to get him put on trial. However Alice, girlfriend of the late David, warns David of another hidden instigator behind Archer's actions, the mysterious Deuces Wilde. The Web's vendetta with Deuces Wilde coincides with Wilde being offered a place in the Global Concern.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Web-Suit: John Raymond has a high-tech suit which gives him flight abilities, armor, enhances his strength, and allows him to draw information from his database, or directly from the Internet.
Notes
- The Web is based on the MLJ Comics character of the same name. He first appeared in Zip Comics #27 (July 1942).
Related
- 21 Appearances of John Raymond (New Earth)
- 16 Images featuring John Raymond (New Earth)
- 4 Quotations by or about John Raymond (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: John Raymond (New Earth)
Footnotes