The Avenger: The Justice, Inc. Files Scheduled for March

The Avenger: The Justice, Inc. Files, the second volume of new short stories from Moonstone based on the 1940s pulp hero , has been given a March, 2011 release date. I have written a brand new tale, Vegeance, Inc. for this vo. as well as a series of six vignettes, each based on one of The Avenger's aides, for the special edition hardcovers and am co-edite with Moonstone's EIC, Joe Gentile. We have some great tales coming up in both this vol. and vol 3, and I present the softfcover and hardcover covers to #2. For those unfamiliar with Richard Henry Benson, read on.

In September of 1939 one of the most unique and compelling characters ever created for a pulp magazine burst onto the newsstands. Pulp fiction house Street & Smith, finding themselves eager to recapture the sales magic of their bellwether characters, Doc Savage and The Shadow, appointed Business Manager Henry W. Ralston and editor John L. Nanovic to the job of developing a new breed of crime-fighter, one who not only espoused the high moral standards of the archetypical hero, but one whom also possessed a burning motivation for embarking on a life of danger and adventure. In turn they called upon their best talent, Lester Dent (Doc Savage) and Walter B. Gibson (The Shadow), to bang around ideas for this new hero, who would combine the best qualities of their own creations.

This hero was Richard Henry Benson, The Avenger.

The Avenger did indeed merge the best traits of Doc Savage—a public figure of easy access to the oppressed, a headquarters filled with magical gadgets, quirky assistants—and The Shadow—a grim presence driven by base urges, intrigue and suspense in the dubious worlds of politics and big business, and a frightening demeanor that struck terror into the hearts of the guilty. But he was something more than an amalgam of hero parts, something that reached beyond the trappings of pulp magazine fiction. In many ways, he is the blueprint for the brooding dark heroes of today, especially the tragedy-driven types such as The Batman.

Richard Henry Benson was infused with an everyman motivational realism that Street & Smith hoped would strike a chord with readers. Unlike Doc Savage and The Shadow, Benson suffered, and suffered horribly. After his wife and daughter vanish on a plane heading to Montreal he undergoes a psychogenic shock that turns his hair white and paralyzes the muscles of his face so that he could mold them into any shape he choses. His face is like a mask from the grave, immobile, chilling. Only his gray eyes, like ice in a polar dawn, hint at the deadly desire he carries to rid the world of all criminals like the ones who took his family from him.

The first novel, Justice, Inc., establishes the grim tone for the series, and features the introduction of The Avenger's first two aides, Scots pessimist Fergus MacMurdie and giant, moon-faced engineer Algernon Heathcote Smith (Smitty). The second novel, The Yellow Hoard, adds the diminutive Nellie Gray, and the third, The Sky Walker, black members Josh and Rosabel Newton, solidifying the team until the 13th adventure, Murder on Wheels, when Cole Wilson joins the crew.

The Avenger is identified not only by his immobile face and white hair, but by the many trappings included in the series: his three-buildings-thrown-into-one-headquarters on Bleek Street, myriad gadgets, death-defying escapes and the turn-about technique he used to vanquish his adversaries; his weapons Mike & Ike (a small tubelike gun and needle-sharp knife he straps to each calf), and his constant grief and remoteness
The adventures alternate between Doc Savage-like romps to Shadow-like organized crime tales.

Although The Avenger ran under the Doc Savage Kenneth Robeson house name, the adventures were not written by Lester Dent. Veteran science fiction/horror/mystery scribe Paul Ernst (1899-1985) was tapped to write the series. Although somewhat reluctant to commit to a pulp character series, Ernst relented once Street & Smith cut him a deal he could not refuse; namely, a healthy $750-per-book paycheck and ready-made plots. He wrote the entire 24-issue run and breathed magic into the series, which unfortunately met cancellation in 1942 at the hands of the war paper shortage. After the initial 24 issues, the character was shunted to the back of Clues Magazine and The Shadow for six short stories penned by Emile Tepperman.

Despite its short lifespan, The Avenger has proved to be one of the most unique and enduring of the pulp characters, so much so that 30 years later, after reprinting in paperback, Warner Paperback Library continued the novels for another 12 adventures, written by sci-fi writer Ron Goulart. The initial novel, Justice, Inc. ranks as one of the best pulp origins ever developed, as well as one of the most progressive, introducing the first black couple to fight as equals alongside the hero.