Crispus Allen

Crispus Allen
Crispus Allen from a panel from Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre #1 (July 2006), art by Cliff Chiang.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Detective Comics #742 (March 2000)
Created by	Greg Rucka Shawn Martinbrough
In-story information
Alter ego	Crispus Allen
Team affiliations	Gotham City Police Department Red Lantern Corps Black Lantern Corps

Crispus Allen is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe.

Greg Rucka and Shawn Martinbrough created the character in Detective Comics #742 (March 2000). Allen later went on to be one of the main characters in Gotham Central. After he was killed by a corrupt police technician named Jim Corrigan (who has no connection with the Jim Corrigan who was a host of the Spectre), Allen became the third host for the Spectre.

Originally from Metropolis, Detective Crispus Allen was a fortysomething police veteran transferred to Gotham City where he was partnered with detective Renee Montoya on the Gotham City Police Department's Major Crimes Unit. Allen had a loving wife and two teenaged sons, whom he put above his job and the safety of others when Gotham was in crisis. Allen saw Batman as a necessary evil, not wanting to deal with him but tolerating his presence. Their occasional interactions illustrated his views on Batman, notably during Brian Azzarello's "Broken City" storyline. Allen was an agnostic who doubted the existence of God in spite of his family's strong faith.

One night Allen and his partner, Renee Montoya, spotted gang members apparently preparing for some sort of violent action. Allen requested backup, but the two opted not to wait for the backup to arrive. Following the gang into a deserted building, the detectives found several murdered men as well as two large gang members. Allen tailed the suspects while Montoya scouted the rest of the building. The Black Spider suddenly appeared at the crime scene, firing upon Montoya. The first few shots hit Montoya, but she was protected by her bulletproof vest. Black Spider then aimed at her head, but Allen shot and killed the villain before he could pull the trigger.