The Creators – Frank Tieri – Writer, Inaki Miranda – Artist, Eva de la Cruz – Colours, Dave Sharpe – Letters

The Players – John Redding (The Crimson Justice), Dr. Mayhem

The Story – Many years ago, The Crimson Justice disappeared.  It is time for him to come back.

The Take – There is something inherently fun about this book despite it not being all sunshine and roses. It is in fact, quite the opposite. While author Frank Tieri never goes completely grim and gritty, the book is quite morose in tone and that is by design. If one had not guessed, the story concerns a hero, and his villain, who have disappeared from the public view for many, many years. By posing the question, said hero is going to eventually return, it only remains to show the journey and provide the reason for that comeback. This first issue by Tieri and artist Inaki Miranda does just that and while it is an original work, one can see shades of other things within. Inklings of possible inspiration from Batman, Black Hammer and even that Stallone movie Samaritan come to mind when reading this. Even so, no matter how familiar some of it might seem, Tieri crafts his own tale and not only does he introduce us to the players who will be taking part, he also gives readers a sense of history by diving into the past of The Crimson Justice, of his sidekick Reddy and of those who would come afterward to try and live up to the name of the fallen hero. There was Miss Conduct, Black Knight, Urban Avenger and Scarlet Girl and they too, would not last long, the city eating them up just as it had the hero they emulated. There is an interesting subplot involving a gangster and a young drug-addicted woman who Tieri infers may or may not be the once-upon-a-time Scarlet Girl. It does seem as if John Redding recognizes her, though it could be from anywhere. Readers simply have to wait and find out what Tieri and company reveal in coming issues. As it is, events conspire within the city to cause Redding to reconsider his life choices. When he is first introduced, the audience immediately knows that he is the missing hero. That is largely thanks to his physique and Miranda whose artwork is quite good. Though the guesswork might be taken out of the initial question, at least regarding the identity of the Crimson Justice, the ‘what’ still remains. Standing as it does, this first issue has everything it needs to be successful and it is. The cast of characters is quite interesting, there is a solid mystery, a cold-blooded villain, a murder, a possible redemption story and some sharp writing. Solid stuff.


Worth It? – Yes.