Review: Justice Inc: The Avenger – Faces of Justice #1 (of 4)
Repercussions and ramifications are on the slate for The Avenger as the FBI have evidence that incriminates his alter ego, Richard Benson, of a brutal murder. Still with friends like the Justice Inc, there is no doubt that he will be cleared, unless of course he actually did it!
Kyle Higgins has been around the block a few times with the Bat-family, so vigilantes aren’t a new concept for him. However, what is slightly different is that the good guys have caught up with the vigilante. Theses are problems that Batman very rarely has to deal with. Higgins is joined by Joe Gentile, whose work on characters such as Sherlock Holmes should set him up in good stead. Between the pair, the story moves along at a brisk pace, with the police interrogation scenes probably the best parts of the book. A larger part of the story is of course, Benson’s gang. The vibe of the book is somewhat pulpy, so it makes sense that the dialogue between the group is somewhat anachronistic in both execution and in action. I would have hoped that between Higgins and Gentile, we could have escaped the almost clichéd manner of their interactions.
The art is provided by Alexandre Shibao who matches the pulp style well with simple clean lines. However, as with a number of indie artists the camera angles chosen, chosen with all the best intentions, serve to clutter panels with as many character shown head to foot. It seems that some of the bigger artists manage to  pick better angle and know how to use the framework of part bodies to give the sense that the characters are bigger than their environment. Sometimes, Dynamite artists tend to give the impression of the characters being swallowed by their environment. I must stress this isn’t just a Dynamite problem. Colors are provided by Natalia Marques, building on the old school style with a bold four-color scheme.
You have to hand it to Dynamite, they don’t rest on their laurels; with the success of a large portion of their books it would be easy for them to just sit back and enjoy the accolades. But, oh no, they continue to publish books that cater to a wider range of the comic book reading populace.
Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors -3.5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by: Kyle Higgins & Joe Gentile
Artist: Alexandre Shibao
Colorist: Natalia Maques
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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