NEIL CRAWFORD

Real Name: Neil Crawford

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Editor of Alternative newspaper

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Chamber, Minnie Floyd, Sally Floyd, Former Order of Mutants (FOOM), Bev Hynds, Detective Izzo, Jerry, Oprah, Detective Patterson, Ned Ralston, Violet Sanchez, Eugene Sykes

Enemies: Ghoul

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: New York City, New York

First Appearance: Generation M#1 (January, 2006)

Powers/Abilities: None

History:

(Civil War Files#1) - Neil Crawford, the editor of the left-wing Alternative newspaper, hired talented writer Sally Floyd to write for him.

(Generation M#5 (fb)) - Neil stood by Sally's side as she received the news that her daughter, Minnie, had died. He grew concerned about Sally, who stopped writing and began drinking heavily.

(Generation M#1) - On an unassuming day at work, Neil and the others were shocked by a bright light in the sky and a small explosion. Neil helped Sally up, her face cut from her fall, and she denied that she'd been drinking. They rushed outside to see a large mutant dragon that had collapsed, dead. They later learned it was Ned Ralston who'd died, and gathered reports on the worldwide event that left most mutants without their powers. When he heard that she'd called Congressman Eugene Sykes a "bigoted jackass", Neil told Sally off. Despite his reservations, Neil agreed to let Sally try out a new column called the Ex-Mutant Diaries if she promised to go to an AA meeting. In time, Sally published her first column on the mutant Chamber and the anti-mutant Sykes. The night before it appeared in print, he called her and encouraged her to go to AA again. After it proved to be incredibly successful, he called and told her. Over the following weeks, the story got picked up by several magazines and sales increased by ten per cent. Sally's old column was collected as a book by Oprah and Sally appeared in national debates against Sykes. Neil argued with her about her statements on TV even while promoting her success. Sally later found pictures left on her door of murdered ex-mutants.

(Generation M#2) - Neil went to the police station with Sally when she found pictures of dead former mutants on her door. He defended her against Detective Patterson's accusing questioning, and helped Sally realize the deaths weren't her fault. The police theorized that the killer wanted Sally to make him famous. Neil continued commending Sally's work, and asked her to try and get an interview with the X-Men. He chided her for not going to AA yet. He called her that night to remind her about AA.

(Generation M#3) - Neil learned that the killer had called Sally and identified himself as the Ghoul, that the call was traced to a missing ex-mutant named Violet Sanchez, and that Sally had turned down Detective Izzo's offer for police protection. He chided Sally for this, checked up on her progress on the X-Men interview, ignored her request for information on the Bev Hynds' book deal being arranged, and told her about an ex-mutant support group, the Former Order of Mutants (FOOM). Neil later called in a favor from the mayor to get Sally a pass into the Ravencroft Asylum for the Criminally Insane.

(Generation M#5) - Neil reluctantly agreed to let Sally write about the death of her mutant daughter, Minnie, in the Diaries. Ghoul was later apprehended.

(Civil War: Front Line#1/1 - BTS) - Neil left Sally a message asking for her article on Havok.

(Civil War: Front Line#5/1) - Neil approved Sally's first article on the Superhuman Registration Act, and sent it with Jerry to get it into copy. They were shocked when SHIELD agent Eric Marshall entered with armed flunkies demanding information on Sally's sources. When they refused to cooperate, both Sally and Neil were arrested.

(Civil War: Front Line#7/1 - BTS) - Eugene Sykes bailed Sally out, and presumably Neil.

(Civil War: Front Line#11/1 - BTS) - Sally quit the Alternative.

(World War Hulk: Front Line#1 (fb) - BTS) - The Alternative was purchased by a mysterious benefactor (secretly J. Jonah Jameson of the Daily Bugle) and turned into the Front Line newspaper. Sally Floyd and Ben Urich were made publishers. Circulation slowly improved throughout the states.

Comments: Created by Paul Jenkins, Ramon Bachs, and John Lucas.

Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Neil Crawford has no known connections to

• Ashley Crawford, Spider-Man foe @ Spectacular Spider-Man II#103
• Ashley Crawford, Big Bertha's real name @ West Coast Avengers II#46
• Buddy "Black Cat" Crawford, Elektra ally @ Elektra: Glimpse and Echo#1
• Lyle Crawford, Elektra foe @ Elektra: Glimpse and Echo#1
• or any other "Neil" or "Crawford" characters

Jerry

(Civil War: Front Line#5) - Jerry, an employee at the Alternative, was sent by Neil Crawford to run copy on Sally Floyd's article.

--Civil War: Front Line#5

images: (without ads)
Generation M#3, p4, pan1 (main)