Written by: Mark Waid
Art by: Ronilson Freire
Publisher: Dynamite
All too often, comics are set in in modern or futuristic times while ignoring the past. While these time periods can be entertaining, they just don’t feel as consistently entertaining as historical fiction. There is something unique and intriguing about the older time periods, specifically pre-World War II and the Old West. Of course, these time periods are made even more interesting when the authors include supernatural elements to add that little bit of flair. Dynamite Entertainment’s new book, Justice Inc: The Avenger #1 takes that interesting historical setting and adds a very specialized hero in Richard Henry Benson. More importantly, the book’s author, Mark Waid, creates a unique team to pair with Benson as he battles villains around the world.
Justice Inc: The Avenger #1 is a unique take on 1940 in that everything and everyone has a special quality. For example, some villains possess musical instruments that can destroy human bones while others are somehow missing skin. Of course, Benson is the most unique character of all given his unusual pallor and lack of expressions. An inhuman crime ring did something terrible to Benson that changed his skin color, made him look like a corpse, and gave him a new mission—stopping the underworld.
In order to better serve the world as a hero, Benson works out of a rough neighborhood with a crack team of sidekicks. This team includes a chemist, an electrical wizard, an investor, and two other partners who don’t have listed jobs as of yet. All that’s known is that Josh and Rosabelle Newton are two people who can hold their own during a big fight. Hopefully, more will be revealed about the couple in future issues.
Justice Inc: The Avenger #1 had the goal of setting up a unique world with a continuing story, and Mark Waid did a great job accomplishing that goal. The opening battle and quieter middle portion of the issue are both strong introductions to Benson and his team, and the third portion draws readers in with a very strange antagonist. While the shortened middle portion of the issue was a slight letdown, the length was still fairly understandable given the unique nature of the issue’s ending. The Avenger #1 would have benefited from being longer because Waid could have provided more information about the team and the various jobs.
Currently, Justice Inc: The Avenger #1 has a strong base to build on with interesting characters, a great historical setting, and interesting enemies. Plus Waid adds in little details like the fact that Benson’s signature pistol and knife are named Mike and Ike. Of course, Ronilson Freire’s art just makes the comic that much better. Freire’s art style does a perfect job conveying character expressions while providing little details that make the world feel alive.
The entire run of Justice Inc: The Avenger should be a great read, as long as Waid keeps pairing Benson’s team with enjoyable stories and Freire’s art. Now, we just need more information about the team’s history.
