The Avenger and Justice, Inc.: Pulp’s Pale-Faced Phantom of Vengeance

When we think of classic pulp heroes, names like The Shadow and Doc Savage immediately come to mind. But tucked within the golden age of the 1930s and 40s was another creation who burned brightly, if only for a short time. The Avenger, with his pale, corpse-like face and relentless pursuit of justice, embodied the fusion of crime-fighting pulp action and eerie, horror-tinged atmosphere. His exploits, though brief in pulp magazines, carried him into radio and eventually comic books, where he remains a haunting reminder of pulp’s obsession with justice at any cost.

Birth of a New Pulp Hero

The Avenger was born in 1939, at the height of pulp’s popularity. Street & Smith, the publishing giant behind The Shadow and Doc Savage, was on the hunt for another hit character to rival their heavyweights. They turned to Paul Ernst, a seasoned pulp writer, who was tasked with creating a new crime-fighter.

Ernst’s creation was Richard Henry Benson, a wealthy adventurer whose life was shattered in a single moment. On a family vacation, his wife Alicia and daughter Alice mysteriously vanished mid-flight, the victims of a sinister plot. The shock of their loss had a bizarre physical effect on Benson: his once-handsome face froze into a ghastly, corpse-like mask, his skin turning snow-white, his features rigid. His eyes, once warm, became icy steel-gray.

But there was more, Benson’s face wasn’t just deathly and placid. The trauma rendered it malleable, almost like clay. With effort, he could reshape his features to resemble others, turning himself into a master of disguise. This eerie talent gave him an edge against his enemies, letting him slip into roles and infiltrate places no ordinary detective could.

Transformed in body and soul, Benson became The Avenger; a pale phantom of vengeance who would devote his life to bringing justice to the corrupt and the cruel. To aid him, he carried two trusted weapons: Mike and Ike. Mike was his custom knife, sleek and deadly in close quarters; Ike was his trusty pistol, his last resort in desperate situations. Together, they were an extension of his will, silent partners in his crusade against crime.

The Look of Horror in Pulp

Benson’s appearance alone set him apart from other pulp heroes. Where Doc Savage was bronzed and perfect, and The Shadow was mysterious and cloaked, The Avenger looked like a walking ghost. His hair turned stark white, his face a frozen mask of death. Ernst played up this uncanny effect; Benson’s expressionless visage unnerved criminals before he even struck.

This horror aesthetic gave The Avenger a unique niche in pulp history. He wasn’t supernatural, but he looked like something otherworldly. Much like later horror-inflected characters such as The Spectre or The Phantom Stranger, The Avenger blurred the line between mortal crimefighter and spectral avenger.

Justice, Inc.: The Team Behind the Mask

Like Doc Savage’s “Fabulous Five,” The Avenger didn’t fight alone. He assembled Justice, Inc., a team of allies who represented brains, brawn, and loyalty. Among them were:

• Fergus “Mac” MacMurdie – A Scottish chemist and inventor.

• Algernon “Smitty” Smith – A giant of a man, Smitty provided muscle but also mechanical expertise.

• Josh and Rosabel Newton – A married African-American couple, unusual for pulp stories at the time, who added intelligence, heart, and progressive representation.

• Nellie Gray – A fearless young woman skilled in martial arts, one of pulp’s early female action heroines.

Together, they operated under Benson’s leadership, taking down criminal organizations, corrupt magnates, and sinister villains. The group dynamic gave the stories both warmth and variety, and further distinguished The Avenger from lone vigilantes like The Shadow.

The Pulp Run: Short-Lived, But Striking

Despite his strong debut, The Avenger’s pulp run was surprisingly short. Street & Smith published 24 Avenger novels between 1939 and 1942 in The Avenger Magazine.

At first, sales were strong, but as World War II escalated and tastes shifted, the magazine was canceled. Benson and Justice, Inc. limped on with a few short stories in Clues Detective Magazine, but by 1943, The Avenger’s pulp career had ended.

Still, those early stories left a mark. Ernst’s writing gave Benson a blend of Doc Savage’s resourcefulness, The Shadow’s grimness, and his own unique gothic flair. While not as commercially successful as his contemporaries, The Avenger carved out a cult following.

The Avenger on Radio

In 1941, The Avenger leapt from the page to the airwaves with a radio series produced by WHN in New York. Running for 26 episodes, the series featured Benson fighting crime with his Justice, Inc. team.

Unlike The Shadow’s immensely popular radio run, The Avenger’s time on the air was short-lived. Critics often noted that the show lacked the distinct identity of The Shadow’s eerie laugh or the polished adventure of Doc Savage. Still, it introduced The Avenger to a wider audience, and it remains a fascinating artifact of pulp’s attempt to conquer multiple media.

Recordings of the show survive, and modern listeners note its noir atmosphere and classic pulp dialogue. But much like the pulp run itself, it faded quickly into obscurity.

Resurrection in Comics

The Avenger may have vanished from the pulps and radio, but he refused to stay dead. Beginning in the 1970s, DC Comics revived the character in various forms.

• Justice, Inc. (DC, 1975–76): Written by Denny O’Neil with art by Jack Kirby, this short series reintroduced Benson and his team to a new generation. Kirby’s bombastic style gave the stories a cosmic energy, though it sometimes clashed with the Avenger’s grim origins.

• Later Revivals: The Avenger has popped up sporadically in comics, often alongside fellow pulp heroes The Shadow and Doc Savage. Dynamite Comics’ Justice, Inc. series in the 2010s further expanded his mythos.

These revivals often leaned into the darker, horror-tinged aspects of Benson, emphasizing his ghastly visage and relentless pursuit of vengeance.

Legacy of a Pale Phantom

Though not as enduring as The Shadow or Doc Savage, The Avenger remains a striking example of pulp’s ability to blend genres. His pale face and tragic backstory gave him a horror edge that still resonates with fans of gothic crimefighters. His Justice, Inc. team foreshadowed the ensemble casts that would dominate superhero comics decades later.

In many ways, The Avenger was pulp’s experiment with hybridization; part detective, part superhero, part ghost story. He may not have reigned long, but his unique brand of vengeance left fingerprints across pulp and comic history.

Today, collectors still treasure the original Avenger Magazine issues, and reprints keep his tales alive. He may be a lesser-known figure in pulp’s pantheon, but that obscurity only adds to his spectral aura. The Avenger endures, pale-faced and relentless, a ghost of pulp’s glorious past.

Conclusion

The Avenger’s story is one of pulp ambition: a publisher’s attempt to craft another blockbuster hero, a character designed to blend the best of his predecessors while charting new, eerie territory. Though his time in the spotlight was brief, Richard Benson and Justice, Inc. remain a haunting reminder of the pulp era’s creativity.

In the end, The Avenger lived up to his name. He avenged not only his family’s loss but also the injustices of a corrupt world. And in doing so, he etched his pale, chilling mark into pulp history.

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