Writer – Dennis O’Neil
Artist – Al McWilliams

The first issue of Justice Inc. is about the man known as The Avenger, more specifically how Dick Benson, husband and father, became The Avenger. Dennis O’Neil and Al McWilliams waste no time at all before getting into the thick of it, starting it all off with Benson and his family getting onto a plane they were not meant to get on. As Benson heads to the washroom for but a minute, he returns to find his wife and child gone and from there, that is when things take a turn in the lives of everyone involved. There is a bit of a time-jump as Benson is knocked out and wakes up in a hospital some weeks later, his skin turned bone white and his resolve as icy as the blue of his eyes. He means to find his wife and child, whether dead or alive and he means to punish the men who took them from him no matter what it takes. During his investigation, he meets up with a man named Algernon Heathcote Smith, better known as Smitty and the two partner up as they have much in common, though not before a bit of a tussle. Tackling the issue on two fronts, the men soon come face to face with those responsible and while it looks like Benson might be outnumbered and on the losing side, things are not always what they seem and while he pulls out a win, he discovers the tragedy of the truth he already knew. For a first issue, this was a solid outing, the story adapted from the earliest tale of the Avenger and as stated, written by O’Neil and brought to life by McWilliams. As an origin story it works well, grief all but transforming this somewhat normal man into an engine of destruction when the need arises. The malleability of his face is an interesting ‘power’ to have and for those that have read the novels, they will find that he uses it a lot in order to complete his investigations. With this story out of the way now, it does make the reader wonder just where it might lead. Will O’Neil adapt various tales from the books or will he go and do something original, forge his own path away from the novels to make the title distinct in its own way? As for the artwork, it was good and worked quite well and it would not be a bad thing to see McWilliams stay on the book for the duration of the series. As it is, the book does leave a reader wanting a bit more which is exactly how it should be.

3 out of 5