Mr. and Mrs. Menace - The Original and the Second Editions

In 1947, two separate heroes that first appeared in the early 1940s, met a pair of their most enduring foes. Green Lantern and Wildcat, himself inspired by the emerald crusader, were both affiliated with the Justice Society. And very shortly, these two felons would attach themselves with the team's opposite number.

Crusher Crock was an all-star athlete skilled in multiple physical disciplines who became a bad sport, turning his talents towards crime. Inventing various weapons disguised as sporting goods, Crock as the Sportsmaster with Green Lantern and each time was outmatched by his emerald foe.

Meanwhile, Paula Brooks decided to pursue a criminal career like that of her alleged mother, the femme fatale known only as Tigress. Herself adept at cunning snares, Tigress was a perpetual pest of Earth-Two's Zatara, who battled her on several occasions. Although there was affection between the two, it never culminated into anything romantic as the two were on diametrically opposite sides of the law.

Back to Paula, who assumed the identity of the Huntress and developed various traps in order to trap prized game. Foremost among these, in her eyes, was that of Wildcat. While she caused him much grief, he always came out on top. However, both rogues joined the Wizard's second incarnation of the Injustice Society, and nearly defeated their assembled adversaries.

Another Green Lantern foe, this one on Earth-One named the Tattooed Man, played a similar role as had Sportsmaster, being the gimmick goon for his world's Injustice Gang. Both tyrannical teams were opposite numbers to the Justice League and Justice Society time and time again.

Decades later Brooks and Crock returned in a big way, as a married couple aka Mr. and Mrs. Menace. They would continue their vendetta against Earth-Two's combined heroes. On on occasion, the pair faced off against Wildcat, Starman and Black Canary while trying to ignite a crime wave in the guise of competitive events. This would mirror something that their counterparts would themselves take part in that involved several superhumans.

On Earth-One, two former sidekicks of Batman’s in Robin and Batgirl teamed up to take down a new crop of criminals. Among these was the Huntress and Sportsmaster, the exact cosmic twins to the Crocks of old. But this version of Crusher and Paula had different adversaries to face before than Gotham City’s Dynamite Duo.

This problematic power pair started their criminal careers as the Huntress and Typhoon as agents of a criminal organization known as O.G.R.E., opposed by Aquaman and his wife Mera,. After two encounters with the Curry's, they revealed that they had been implanted with explosives, with failure at defeating the Aquatic Avengers leading to an untimely demise. Once these devices were removed, the devious duo aided Aquaric Avengers in exposing their former employer, the Supreme One. Although they were then placed in custody, Huntress and Typhoon were promised good testimony for their assistance from the married heroes.

Some years later, with Typhoon now adopting the alter ego of Sportmaster alongside his now wife the Huntress, the pair challenged a different couple in Robin and Batgirl to various contests. The Crocks failed, yet eluded capture as they resurfaced shortly thereafter this caper.

This contest between Huntress and Batgirl had a parallel encounter on Earth-Two between the golden age Huntress and the updated version, who was Batman's daughter. Brooks found herself outplayed by her younger namesake Huntress, and seemingly retired.

Back on Earth-One, in order to settle the dispute between that version of Mr. and Mrs. Crook, various heroes and villains were abducted by them and forced to play in a baseball game. The heroes, led by the Huntress, beat her husband Sportsmaster's team.

And still later, another rogue in the tradition of the Crocks debuted… only with a far different motivation... instead of greed, revenge! Martin Mantle Junior had been genetically altered by his father into the perfect physical specimen... until the younger Martin learned that these treatments were killing him. Using weaponry masked as sports gear, Martin as the Sportsman embarked on a brief life of crime until he faced Earth-One's Batman, who "let" him win so the troubled man could die in peace. His counterpart was one of Crusher's similarly clad henchmen who aided him during his debut on Earth-Two.