| MINDGRABBER MAN (Lucian Crawley) | BIOGRAPHY |
| Created by Dennis O'Neil and Dick Dillin |
PERSONAL DATA
Real Name: Lucian Crawley
Aliases: Mind-Eater, Mindgrabber Kid
Occupation: Hero wannabee
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: None
Base of Operation: New York City, NY
Group Affiliation(s): Formerly The August
Gender: Male
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
First Appearance: Justice League of America #70 (March 1969): "Versus the Creeper"
Creators: Dennis O'Neil and Dick Dillin
| I have to confess... I lied. The Justice League is a force for good... I... I was jealous... I'm sorry. - Lucian Crawley Quote taken from Justice League of America #70 (March 1969) |
HISTORY
In his teens, Lucian Crawley developed astounding mental powers. Eager to make a career as a super-hero, with all the added fame and glory that would mean, he created a flashy, though juvenile, costume for himself and successfully foiled a few crimes as the Mindgrabber Kid. To his dismay however, he constantly found himself outshined by the popularity of the original Justice League of America. Jealous of the senior heroes, Crawley wished with all his heart that he could discredit them somehow.
Reaching out with the power of his mind, the Mindgrabber Kid managed to make contact with a group of alien spacemen, convincing them that the Justice League was a tyrannical super-regime, holding the planet in an iron grip. The good-hearted aliens immediately headed for Earth, determined to save the Earthlings from their super-dictatorship.
The Mindgrabber Kid manipulated the aliens and the League into fighting each other, also involving the half-lunatic hero known as the Creeper in the battle. The Kid soon watched the situation grow out of proportions, and after the League had won the fight, he explained the situation and apologized for his shameful behavior. Though disturbed, the League and the alien crew both accepted his apology.
Mindgrabber Kid made some more attempts to become a full-fledged super-hero, but in spite of his powers, never succeeded. When businesswoman Claire Montgomery attempted to re-form her corporate super-team, the Conglomerate, a few years ago, the Mindgrabber Kid applied for membership. Having gained quite a bit of weight, his costume looked even less impressive than before, and Montgomery questioned how he could still call himself a "kid" at his age. Without having the chance to demonstrate his skills, Crawley was dismissed.
A disillusioned failure, Lucian Crawley could no longer take the strain. He was institutionalized in a mental asylum where he remained until he got released by Alger and Camille, members of the supernatural organization called the August who posed as Crawley's relatives. Realizing the potential of Crawley's abilities, the August brainwashed him and amplified his powers, making him a tool in their plans to re-shape the world. Now called the Mind-Eater, the former hero wannabee was manipulated to battle the group called the Leymen (a.k.a. the Primal Force), and defeated them. The Leymen were imprisoned, but later escaped with the help of Nightmaster. The August's new world order was violently destroyed in the following battle, as was their organization. Mind-Eater survived this cataclysm and has changed his ways once again and is now calling himself the Mindgrabber Man.
POWERS AND WEAPONS
The Mindgrabber Kid used a variety of mental powers, including telepathy and telekinesis. His prime telepathic skill was to manipulate other beings to do as he wished. As the Mind-Eater, his powers had been amplified by the August making him something of a "psychic vampire" and a formidable mind-controller.
CHRONOLOGY
For a definitive list of appearances of Mindgrabber Man in chronological order click here