Gregory Sanders was the traveling Prairie Troubadour and lawman Vigilante, a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory and All-Star Squadron
History
Origin
Greg Sanders was born in Wyoming, near the end of World War I, the son of a noted lawman. Choosing to become a singer and songwriter rather than follow in his father's footsteps, Greg nevertheless learned to handle a gun and a lasso as well as Sheriff Sanders ever had, and when his father was killed by some bandits that he'd been trying to apprehend, Greg took up his guns and avenged him. He swore a vow on his father's grave to dedicate himself to the path of justice, and donned a mask, and put his skills to active use battling other criminals in a similar manner, adopting the Western-themed identity of "the Vigilante." He battled such criminals as Killer Kelly, the Rainbow Man, the Rattler, and the Dummy, and eventually became involved in forming the Seven Soldiers of Victory, and still later was briefly a member of the All Star Squadron.
On one such adventure, Vigilante was taken to New York City where he became entangled in a Chinatown gang war. Vigilante learned that the gang, the Head, framed the White Lotus Tong's leader Lin Chou for wrongdoing. Seeking to clear his grandfather's name, Lin Chou's grandson Stuff assisted Vigilante in stopping the gang war. Thereafter, Stuff the Chinatown Kid became Vigilante's sidekick.
Gang War
Greg put his crime fighting career on the back burner to pursue life as a Hollywood actor. He was forced to once again don the red bandanna when real-life gangster Ben "Bugsy" Siegel came to town and brutally murdered Vigilante's sidekick, Stuff. The Vigilante swung back into action, in a back-and-forth war with the mob that spanned over two years.
A Soldier of Victory
In the early 1940s, he became a member of both the All-Star Squadron and the Seven Soldiers of Victory but in October 1948, all that came to an end. The Seven Soldiers faced the monstrous Nebula Man, and were transported through time to various periods in history (in Greg's case, the American West in the 1870s). He and the other Soldiers were eventually rescued by the time-travelling Justice Society of America and their colleagues, the Justice League of America, and brought to "the future," only to find that while very little time had passed for them, they had been brought 'back' to the 1970s, a period decades into their own future. Having to adjust to life in the present day, Sanders retired from crime fighting for the most part, and seldom donned his mask again, though he did appear in costume at the memorial service held for his former teammate the Crimson Avenger.
Sanders married, and opened a chain of restaurants, though he did don his fighting togs again to assist the vigilante El Diablo on one occasion. Recently he assembled a new group of soldiers but was thought to have died. It later was revealed that he had survived, and is was living as the sheriff of Warpath, a town on the Mexican border formerly known for super villain activity.
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
Paraphernalia
Transportation
Weapons
- Vigilante's Six Shooters
- Vigilante's Lasso
Notes
- The period that Vigilante spent on Wild West varies according the source. In the original story, Justice League of America Vol 1 #100-102, this time spent is unknown; Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Vol 1 9 establishes 20 years; finally, Vigilante admits 5 years in Seven Soldiers of Victory Vol 1 0.
Trivia
- Nicknames for Gregory Sanders include the Prairie Troubadour.
Related
- 38 Appearances of Gregory Sanders (New Earth)
- 18 Images featuring Gregory Sanders (New Earth)
- Quotations by or about Gregory Sanders (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: Gregory Sanders (New Earth)
Footnotes
Seven Soldiers of Victory member This character is or was a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, or the Seven Soldiers in any of its various incarnations, created during World War II and later, it returned to battle time-traveling, dimension-spanning mysteries and monsters. |
All-Star Squadron member This character is or was a member of the All-Star Squadron in any of its various incarnations. This template will categorize articles that include it into the "All-Star Squadron members" category. |