ASHLEY CRANE
Real Name: Ashley Crane
Identity/Class: Normal human (1950s era)
(presumably citizen of Mythavia, formerly/dual US citizen)
Occupation: Prisoner;
formerly ruler of Mythavia;
formerly artist
Group Membership: Unrevealed Mythavian
prison;
formerly Government of Mythavia
Affiliations: None;
former Government of Mythavia
Enemies: Patriots of Mythavia
Known Relatives: Deceased ruler of Mythavia (name and exact connection unrevealed)
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mythavia;
formerly New York City, USA
First Appearance: Tales to Astonish I#4/3
(July, 1959)
Powers/Abilities: Ashley Crane was a slim-built
man but was magically transformed to a fit handsome man. He has
excellent artistic skills as a real-life painter. He was generally rude
to people who he didn't consider important. Crane briefly held a magic
paintbrush that altered reality to reflect what he painted.
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 155 lbs.
Eyes: Unrevealed, possibly brown
Hair: Brown
History:
(Tales to Astonish I#4/3 (fb) - BTS) - Ashley Crane
grew up in orphanages. As an adult, he was a struggling artist in New
York City, yet rude and abrasive to people.
(Tales to Astonish I#4/3) - Crane was behind on rent
and went to Central Park to do a landscape painting, but a forlorn man
in ruined clothes sat on a bench, ruining the scene for Crane. The
artist was at first rude, then tried to give the man money to move him
along, but the man refused. Instead, he offered to sell Crane a magic
paintbrush, but warned it was cursed to grant the painter what was
depicted in the first three paintings, but that the artist would regret
it. Keen to get rid of the mysterious man, Crane bought it for a
dollar. Just for a laugh, Crane used the magic paintbrush that night
for a full self-portrait, depicting himself as handsome, and he slowly
transformed to reflect the painting, compelled to complete it. His new
good looks became a source of personal pride and happiness. Crane next
painted a
scene of him winning an international art award as he desired fame. His
paintings improved, one in particular titled "Freedom" showing a
standing man on a bleak battlefield caught a critic's eye, who
encouraged Crane to enter it in the international art show. The
painting was considered inspiring and he won. Now relishing fame, he
thought the paintbrush's apparent curse ludicrous. For the third
artwork, he painted a big beautiful piece of himself enjoying wealth
and power as dictator. Upon completion, Crane wondered if he'd
pushed for too much, but a sudden door knock saw officials from the
Kingdom of Mythavia declare that he was the sole heir to rule. Soon
installed as leader with servants, Crane raised taxes, which affected
the working class most of all. Meanwhile, his "Freedom" painting
inspired many around the world struggling for freedom, none more so
than
in Mythavia. Armed insurgency saw a brief civil war where the Mythavian
government was overthrown.
(Tales to Astonish I#4/3 (fb) - BTS) - Crane was arrested, put on trial and sentenced to five years in prison for unspecified crime(s).
(Tales to Astonish I#4/3) - In his prison cell, Crane reflected on his experiences since gaining the magic paintbrush and realized his vainglorious wishes were meaningless, but that he had learned a lesson and desired to be a better man.
Comments: Created by uncredited writer & Don Heck.
So who was the mysterious stranger who sold the magic
paintbrush to Crane? Probably the previous "victim" of the paintbrush's
curse. Was selling the paintbrush part of divesting
yourself of the curse? Seems like it. And what became of the
paintbrush? Is it down at your local second-hand thrift store?
Profile by Grendel Prime.
CLARIFICATIONS
:
Ashley Crane has no known connections to:
The Kingdom of Mythavia was initially an autocracy
with power passed on to heirs. At one point in the modern era, the
ruler died with the sole heir identified as New York-based painter
Ashley Crane, who readily accepted the role as new ruler. Once
installed, he enjoyed the fancy uniforms and servants, and chose to
raise taxes for personal wealth. But a painting he had done earlier
inspired the poor to rise up for freedom against oppression,
particularly in Mythavia, and an armed revolution saw the government
quickly overthrown. Crane was tried and locked away in prison.
It's difficult to place where Mythavia is supposed to
be located. Given the European dress and architecture, I'd slot
it somewhere in Europe, probably around the Mediterranean. As far as I
know, the
(presumably small) country hasn't appeared again, so it's most likely
been
swallowed by a neighboring nation.
--Tales to Astonish I#4/3
images:
(without ads)
Tales to Astonish I#4/3, p3, pan1 (main image)
p2, pan2 (headshot, pre-transformation)
p5, pan5 (prisoner)
p5, pan4 (Mythavia)
Appearances:
Tales to Astonish I#4/3 (July, 1959) - uncredited writer, Don Heck
(pencils & inks), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 07/06/2025
Last updated:
07/06/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel Copyright info
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