Richard Henry Bensen is a cold (quite literally in fact), calculating, iron man… no that’s taken… man of steel… shoot… well he’s a man, whom, in a freak unspecified accident has become a part man, part metal, all crime-fighting private detective.

Justice Inc. Avenger #1 resembles a mash-up of Sherlock Holmes, Tales from the Crypt and maybe just a dash of Scooby-Doo.

As our brave hero uses logic and cunning to first outwit a group of Italian mafioso’s on a train, and then to track down the ghost terrifying old women in a rough part of town, we are introduced (briefly) one by one to his partners in crime-fighting. We also get a little taste of Benson’s history. A glimpse into the pain that wrought the metal-man into the grey-faced hero with eyes of ice and fire.

This series from Dynamite Entertainment is dark, gritty and told with a vocabulary not seen often in action comics. It’s a great pick for the more linguistically incline readers. it has all thee makings of an action-mystery comic with lots of room to grow. The team that surrounds Benson seem to be the tops of their fields and I hope they get their time in the spotlight in future issues.

Story: Mark Waid Art: Ronilson Freire
Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7.7 Recommendation: Read

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review