Writer Mark Waid takes on THE AVENGER at Dynamite Comics and talks to Byron Brewer about the upcoming book and his take on it.
BYRON BREWER: Well, Mark, you are writing The Avenger for Dynamite and the All-New, All-Different Avengers for Marvel. Would you say you have pretty much saturated the market with avenging? (laughs)
MARK WAID: Ha! Singular AND plural. Now I just need to create a book simply called Avenge.
BB: So in July, Justice Inc. and our hero will be coming face to face with the Invisible Death. Tell us about this big-bad.
MW: Like most pulp-era menaces, the Invisible Death has a supernatural veneer but is grounded in technology and science – it’s a gristly form of both. The Invisible Death is a translucent man invisible in the light and appearing to be a moving network of nerve endings in the shadows. Impossible to see, impossible to catch.
BB: Not to bring up spoilers, but is it true some villains in #2 will be invading Justice Inc.’s HQ? I always compare those types of stories to the classic Avengers story by Roger Stern and John Buscema about when these very evil Masters of Evil broke into Avengers Mansion and really but the Assemblers through their paces. Are you familiar with that classic tale and how might this break-in in #2 be either similar or different?
MW: I AM familiar with that story -- and I’m a huge fan in general of “Castle Siege” stories. To me, the Justice Inc. HQ is a character in and of its own right, and it’s fascinating to explore.
BB: Word is you’ve waited a long time to write the Avenger character. How’s it going thus far?
MW: Couldn’t be happier. Being able to roll some good, solid emotional beats into Richard Benson’s life has been very rewarding.
BB: Why is the Avenger such a lesser known hero among the pulps, in your opinion?
MW: Hard to tell. Unlike Doc Savage, who saw nearly 180 adventures, and the Shadow, whose tales far outnumbered Doc’s, the Avenger appeared in only 24 issues of his own series back in the 1940s, plus a handful of short stories published elsewhere. He just never got the chance to take hold and take root.
BB: Can you tell us what we have going forward for Justice Inc.?
MW: More character stuff. A deeper look into the psyche of a manhunter who, on the surface because of his frozen skin and white hair, seems to be emotionless -- but who’s roiling on the inside with rage and passion. In upcoming issues, we’ll meet some new operatives of his -- mentors who taught him the skills he uses today.
Issue #2 of THE AVENGER hits shelves on July 1.