Whoever at DC commissioned this wretched series needs their head examining.

As does the utter clown who, when reviewing this issue, gave it a perfect 10.

A very average comic.

I am giving this a 1, only because I can't give it a negative number. You can be a member of, advocate, and ally to the LGBTQ community without reducing gay superheroes to gay stick figures. Retcon of Green Lantern Alan Scott as a victim and of JSA as propaganda for FBI, using "Elseworlds" style story for new DC canon. Total retcon of GL Alan Scott from All-American Comics #16, intended to introduce a Soviet Green Lantern. The retcon then refers you to "DC Pride through the Years" on Alan Scott "Past Prologue" ($9 on Amazon digital) also from Tim Sheridan (June 2023), where Tim Sheridan started his retcon story.

In Green Scott Alan Scott's original origin story, All-American Comics #16 had Alan Scott as a train engineer, which was on a train that crashed off of a bridge due to a criminal engineer Albert Dekker competing for the job, who blew up the Dekker Bridge. His colleague "Jimmy," was killed. In this retcon, Alan Scott is a Navy engineer (remember when everyone didn't work for the U.S. Government?), capturing a "Crimson Flame," that results in Alan's lover "Johnny Ladd" being killed. The rest of Alan Scott's origin retcon is not yet described, but the end is Alan Scott strapped down for electric shock therapy.

Imagine Superman origin retcon not from Krypton, but bitten by radioactive dog. Imagine Batman origin retcon not from Crime Alley and murder of parents, but getting power ring from an alien. If not "Elseworlds," your natural reaction would be WTH?

But with GL Alan Scott, his character as a courageous superhero does not matter, rather than just using him today for LGBTQ advocacy. Since this is no longer about superheroes, but only about advocacy. But here is what Tim Sheridan misses (and it is MAJOR), it is not "advocacy" when you reduce Alan Scott to a gay caricature, rather than as a human being with diverse values and goals in fighting for Justice for society.

To be CLEAR and candid, I am writing this as a gay man, and YES it none of your business. But since this is an advocacy comic, not a hero comic, I want to be up front about that. And Alan Scott was more than a cardboard cut-out for his sexuality. He was a selfless hero for people of all kinds. Because Alan Scott believed in JUSTICE.

I agree with Tim Sheridan that it is good to see a gay major superhero. But Mr. Sheridan could have done that WITHOUT the total retcon of GL Alan Scott, and by also not forgetting the "superhero" part of "gay superhero." It does a disservice to the courage of those who stood against persecution and were inspired by GL Alan Scott and JSA during the days in literal war against fascism. If you don't know the 1930s/1940s era, then you should not be writing about it. The reason WHY there was growth of the "mystery man" character in 1930s was the growth of organized crime. Mr. Sheridan either does not care, or does not know this, in his focus on sci-fi comics and political advocacy. He doesn't know what he is writing about.

The idea that gay human beings are parody figures is insulting. That if you are gay you can't answer the door with clothes on. That if you are gay, all that matters is your sexuality above all other aspects of Justice and society. Whether it is 1936 or 2023, it is wrong to make gay human beings as a caricature, simply for the purpose of advocacy. Since we are no longer discussing a "superhero" comic, but an advocacy comic, let's be clear, it is insulting to be a caricature. It is degrading and disrespectful to the diversity that people really have as human beings. But political activism does not care about any of that. It is the diversity in human beings that keeps us actually fighting for JUSTICE. Because the victim of persecutors and oppression are not just one identity group; they could be ANY of our identity groups. And it is the battle and campaign for JUSTICE which is the lead in comics on heroes and heroines.

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DC just cannot get WW right.

A typical "strong women" type offering from Marvel.

It's a shame they forgot the plot, some entertainment and decent art.

Art is fabulous. Writing, eh. Robert Venditti is massaging the Sandman character to fit his plot, not his plot to fit the Sandman character. To those who love the Sandman Wesley Dodds, the overall story concept is interesting, but massaging the Sandman character to make the plot fit is jarring. The idea about using sleep gas to put masses of foreign military troops is ludicrous. It just is, and not just because the Colonel character says so. Sandman Wesley Dodds was not a pacifist by any means, but actually joined the U.S. Navy and was an expert machine gunner killing Axis forces. One of the co-creators of the Sandman Allen Bert Christman was gunned down by Axis forces, joining the U.S. Navy in 1939 (before this Venditti story takes place), and part of the Navy’s “Neutrality Patrol” in 1939, then joining the American Volunteer Group's "Flying Tigers." Both in All-Star Comics and in Adventure Comics, Sandman Wesley Dodds had no qualms about killing foreign enemy soldiers, as was well-documented, and anyone can see for themselves. But Vendetti wants to create a sloppy Wesley Dodds, willing to leave his home and secrets involving life and death, readily unguarded. Wesley Dodds may not have been Bruce Wayne, but he was a LOT more prepared and lot more thoughtful than that. I guess we will see the next issue. Venditti is riding off of fan love of Sandman Wesley Dodds for 80 years. He needs to start doing his homework. more

Set up in the final issue of his Wasp miniseries earlier this year, Al Ewing is back with Janet Van Dyne in AVENGERS INC. #1 and is joined by Leonard Kirk on art, Alex Sinclair providing colors, and Cory Petit handling lettering.

PUBLISHER’S PITCH

ACTION! MYSTERY! ADVENTURE! Her name is Janet Van Dyne. She's a hero. She's a celebrity. She's hunting a killer. His name is Victor Shade. He's a villain. He's an enigma. He just got killed. And together, they're out to solve every mystery in the Marvel Universe...starting with their own. AL EWING and LEONARD KIRK bring you a whole new style of Avenging - from a whole new style of Avengers...

REVIEW

Things open up where Wasp #4 left off with Whirlwind’s death while inside his prison cell, who ends up being just one of six villains murdered almost simultaneously within a few cells of each other. Amidst the dead bodies and flippant comments made by the prison guard supervising the situation, Janet set up the thesis for the series by asking with a name like the Avengers, just who are the avenged? It’s a question that doesn’t get explored enough when a victim or group of victims aren’t completely innocent and I’ll be very intrigued to see if it continues to get further explored in this series.

The first half or so of the book plays out like a classic crime noir from the likes of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Janet searches for answers to how six prisoners could be murdered without a clue, leading her to a meeting with Mayor Luke Cage who pushes her to take up the case in a more formal manner. However, due to the anti-masked superhero fervor still being strong, she’ll have to investigate the matter inconspicuously. Ewing’s dialogue during this scene is a great back and forth between the two characters, with Janet doubting herself and Luke giving her the motivation to do the job she knows she needs to do.

When Janet heads back to the morgue to gather further clues, the situation quickly grows dire as five of the dead villains begin to reanimate and to say they’re not happy to see Janet would be an understatement. They’re not entirely themselves and have no recollection of how they ended up on cadaver tables. Whirlwind’s body is the only one not to reanimate immediately. Though when he does we see he’s now going by Victor Shade, one of Vision’s aliases, and helps Janet subdue the others. Janet is bewildered at this development and is able to convince the prison’s warden to let her take Victor under her supervision, setting up this series’ new organization, Avengers Inc. The issue ends with a surprise reveal that I wasn’t expecting and almost wish it hadn’t been included so we could get a more classic whodunnit-style story.

Those who didn’t read Ewing’s Wasp miniseries might be a bit lost on Janet’s connection to Whirlwind and her interest in his death. I wouldn’t blame them as the issue doesn’t allude to it other than an editor’s note referencing the work. However, if it wasn’t apparent in that miniseries, it’s obvious here that Ewing has a soft spot for Janet Van Dyne. He continues his deeply introspective character writing, using what Janet views as inequitable treatment for the victims (because of their past) to highlight her unyielding commitment to justice for all — even if she needed some encouragement from Luke Cage.

I was expecting a visual style more akin to the character designs found in Daniel Acuna’s main cover art. However, Kirk utilizes heavy lines throughout the issue which didn’t match the crime noir tone of the book, but other than the tonal mismatch I thought the art was fine — nothing overly spectacular or unique. Sinclair employs a color palette that is heavily influenced by two specific hues: a blue tint permeates scenes inside the prison morgue, and a red/orange tint exists throughout scenes outside the morgue. Such consistent palettes without any real pops of color made the full book a bit of a bland visual experience.

What did stand out was Petit’s lettering work, which isn’t a shock as he’s one of the best letterers in the business. The story plays out in the past tense with Janet’s narration happening from the present day and Petit’s yellow letterbox for this text looks great and clearly stands on the page as it’s the only pop of color you’ll find.

FINAL VERDICT

The pacing can be slow, there isn’t a lot of excitement even with some action, and the issue asks more questions than it answers. I’m not going to doubt Ewing’s ability to craft a compelling story when all is said and done though I wouldn’t say this was my favorite debut. I hope he leans more into the noir genre as the story progresses as that’s something I haven’t seen him do. If you’re a fan of Ewing’s previous Wasp series or Ewing’s other Marvel work, I’d recommend giving the series a shot but I can’t totally see this type of story being for everyone.

RATING: 6/10 more

Rubbish artwork.

Good to see a comic that does not rush blindly from one action sequence to the next.

Very poor.

When the tide turns, people will remember how DC comics backed an extreme and negative ideology.