Justice Inc. #1

Writer – Michael Uslan
Artist – Giovanni Timpano
Colours – Marco Lesko

After all too long without one, Justice Inc. finally gets a title of its own courtesy of Dynamite, starring Doc Savage, The Avenger and the Shadow.  The story takes place in two different time periods, the now and 1939.  Currently Doc Savage and his team are in the Himalayas and are working on a project using their very own supercollider that will let them prove H.G. Wells’ theory of time.  Meanwhile in the past, Doc Savage and his friends, Wells and Einstein, are discussing the splitting of the atom.  On the same front, Richard Henry Benson, who is not quite yet The Avenger, is taking the reins of his company and getting rid of the corruption within it.  Back in the present, Doc’s experiment takes a strange turn by opening a wormhole into 1939 and puts a plane in peril.  So what can Doc Savage do, but go out and help however he might, no matter the consequences.  The first issue finds writer Michael Uslan, aided by Giovanni Timpano on art, introducing us to our characters, though not a lot happens with Benson as of yet, with the Shadow only showing up near the end of the book.  While the issue was decent, this might have been more a case of writing for the trade, as it seemed a little sparse in its events.  There is some good stuff to be found, such as Uslan’s familiarity with the characters, also expressed through interviews he has given, as well as the inclusion of time travel and other big science ideas.  So even though the book is a little slow to start, the premise is intriguing and possibly seeing all of these characters interact together is enough to warrant coming back for the second chapter.

3 out of 5

Elektra #5

Writer – W. Haden Blackman
Artist – Michael Del Mundo
Colours – Michael Del Mundo, Marco D’Alfonso

After a lot of pain and little gain, Elektra finally faces off against the man she was originally sent to kill, Cape Crow.  It is not an easy task she finds, for as a man who has been in the business for so long, he moves fast and has the skills to back up the legend.  Also not making things any better is Bloody Lips, who shows up once more after having just feasted on a polar bear.  Eventually, things sort themselves out, but not before everyone gets a good beating.  Blackman and Del Mundo deliver another solid issue, this one a little lighter on script more so than previous issues as it contains some solid action from cover to cover.  As such, Del Mundo really shines as the heroes(?) battle in the snow covered wastes with Cape Crow looking quite menacing as he puts the hurt on Elektra.  Del Mundo switches up his art styles about midway through for a beautiful two-page spread showing chaotic imagery of Elektra’s past after Bloody Lips ingests some of her blood.  It really adds to the dynamism of the issue and shows just what a true talent the artist is.  The book is left on an interesting cliff-hanger that sets up not only the next issue, but the next arc as well.  With the end of the Bloodlines story coming to a close, it is great to see Elektra reinvigorated and that W. Haden Blackman has given Elektra the fresh start that she has needed for quite some time.  This is definitely a book to catch up on if you have not been reading it.

4 out of 5