Len Lawson

Len Lawson was born on 16 August 1927 in Australia and died on 29 November 2003 while serving a life sentence for rape and murder. Before his crimes overshadowed his career, he was a bestselling comic book creator, commercial artist, and photographer. He first gained attention as the creator of *The Lone Avenger*, a Western-inspired masked hero that debuted in the second issue of *Action Comics* in 1946. The series ran for thirteen years, eventually taking over the entire comic and selling up to 70,000 copies. Lawson also created *The Hooded Rider*, another masked vigilante, as well as *Diana, Queen of the Apes* and *Peter Fury*. His work appeared in titles such as *Action Comic*, *The Lone Avenger Special*, and *Jeremy Blade*. In 1954, Lawson was convicted of raping two young models and assaulting a third; he served seven years of a 14-year sentence. After his release, he murdered 16-year-old Jane Bower in 1962. The notoriety of his case led to increased scrutiny and self-censorship within the Australian comics industry. Lawson’s legacy remains deeply tainted by his violent criminal history.