Freedom's Most Wanted Design Journal #3

The Crime League (Golden Age) (from left to right): Dr. Zero, Tom Cyprus, August Roman, King Cole, Marionette, Magnifico the Magician, the Maestro, Opal

The original Crime League was founded in 1942, when several American super-criminals banded together for mutual protection and assistance in the wake of the founding of the Liberty League, forming the first modern-day supervillain team. Doctor Zero, Marionette, Magnifico the Magician, Opal, and Tom Cyprus were the League’s charter members, joined later by August Roman, the Maestro, the original King Cole, among others.

All Crime League members had previous clashes with various Freedom City “mystery men,” and realized America’s entry into World War II greatly increased their chances of winding up in prison (or dead, for that matter). The newly formed Liberty League, the police, FBI, and ordinary civilians across the country were all on the lookout for suspicious activity, like the sort supervillains generate naturally. Making matters worse, these vigilant people were likely to shoot costumed criminals before they could explain they’re just out to line their own pockets, not help spread fascism.

The Crime League’s operations ranged from simple theft (bank heists and such) to complex schemes such as counterfeit ration coupons or blackmailing the government with stolen super-weapons. When the opportunity presented itself, the League also tried to eliminate its rivals in the Liberty League. The Crime League proudly never cooperated with the Axis powers, but still cared little that its misdeeds frequently jeopardized the American war effort.

Crime League Caper — Follow the Yellow Brick Road: Following a brilliant plan devised by August Roman, the Crime League pulls off every crook’s dream heist and knocks over Fort Knox. Desperately needing its gold reserves to fund the war, the U.S. government contacts the heroes for help. They arrive as the League makes its getaway... just in time to get turned into various denizens of the Wonderful World of Oz by King Cole’s Polymorph Potion.

The League members each grab their share of the loot and split up, leaving the heroes to pick up their trails. That’s not an easy task, and for the transmogrified heroes it’s an even tougher row to hoe. The good guys are left to face Tom Cyprus as cowardly lions, Dr. Zero as tin woodsmen, Magnifico as flammable scarecrows, Marionette as cairn terriers, and the Maestro as Kansas farm girls or munchkins (and not the gamer kind, either). If the heroes survive these clashes, their saga concludes with a showdown with the one man who can reverse the potion's effects and restore them to their former selves: the mad King Cole himself.