The Avenger
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The Avenger is a fictional character whose original adventures appeared from 1939 to 1942 in The Avenger magazine, published by Street and Smith Publications. Five additional short stories were published in Clues Detective magazine from 1942 to 1943, and a sixth novelette in The Shadow magazine in 1943. Newly-written adventures were commissioned and published by Warner Brother's Paperback Library from 1973 to 1974. The Avenger was a pulp hero who combined elements of Doc Savage and The Shadow though he was never as popular as either of these characters.
The authorship of the pulp series was credited by Street and Smith to Kenneth Robeson, the same byline that appeared on the Doc Savage stories. The "Kenneth Robeson" name was a house pseudonym used by a number of different S&S writers. Most of the original Avenger stories were written by Paul Ernst.
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[edit] History
The Avenger is actually Richard Henry Benson, a globe trotting adventurer who decided to settle down and raise a family. In his first adventure, Benson's plans for a peaceful life are shattered when his wife and young daughter are killed by a criminal conspiracy. The shock of this loss has a bizarre effect on Benson. His hair and the skin of his face turn white, and the flesh of his face became malleable, like clay. Towards the end of the original series, the author was directed to eliminate Benson's facial affliction in the hopes of keeping the dwindling audience for the magazine.
Benson vows to avenge himself on the villains, and to fight for all those who have suffered at the hands of criminals. His strange facial condition is actually an advantage for he can sculpt his face into a likeness of any person. With skin and hair dyes, and colored contact lenses, Benson becomes the world's greatest master of disguise, within limits.
Like Doc Savage, Benson relies on a variety of special gadgets to help him overcome criminals. These include knockout gas bombs, miniature radios, and his special pistol "Mike" and throwing knife "Ike".
Benson also gathers a number of assistants to help him in his adventures. These are all people who have suffered loss because of criminals, and who have specialized skills:
- Fergus MacMurdie (known as "Mac") is a stereotypical Scotsman who is also a gifted pharmacist and chemist. His family was killed by racketeers, leaving Mac embittered and vengeful.
- Algernon Heathcote Smith (known as "Smitty") is a gigantic man of incredible strength. Smitty looks slow and stupid but he is actually a genius with electronics. He was framed for a crime he did not commit.
- Nellie Gray is a beautiful, delicate-looking young woman who is actually an expert at jujutsu and other martial arts. Her archaeologist father was killed by criminals for a treasure he had found.
- Josh and Rosabel Newton are an African American couple whose employers were killed by criminals. They often go undercover as domestic servants, making use of the stereotypes of the time to hide their investigative abilities. The Avenger series is notable its presentation of minorities. Many of the pulp magazines of the time are well known for racist stereotypes, but Josh and Rosabel are always presented as brave, intelligent people of good character.
- Cole Wilson joins the group near the end of the series. He is much less distinctive than Benson's other assistants and has a light hearted manner that contrasts the Avenger's serious tone.
The original Avenger pulp novels were re-released as books by Warner Brothers Paperback Library in the 1970s. These were successful enough that new adventures were written by Ron Goulart. There have also been several attempts to revive the Avenger as a comic book character but these have not been very successful.
Both the Avenger and Nellie Gray are mentioned by author Philip José Farmer as a part of his Wold Newton family. In an essay found in Myths for the Modern Age: Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton Universe, author Chuck Loridans provides an article entitled The Daughters of Greystoke wherein he constructs a family tree linking Nellie Gray to Tarzan and Jane Porter.
[edit] Avenger Novels and Short Stories
Novels written by Paul Ernst and published in The Avenger magazine
- 001. Justice, Inc., published September 1, 1939
- 002. The Yellow Hoard, published October 1, 1939
- 003. The Sky Walker, published November 1, 1939
- 004. The Devil’s Horns, published December 1, 1939
- 005. The Frosted Death, published January 1, 1940
- 006. The Glass Mountain, published February 1, 1940
- 007. The Blood Ring, published March 1, 1940
- 008. Stockholders in Death, published April 1, 1940
- 009. Tuned for Murder, published May 1, 1940
- 010. The Smiling Dogs, published June 1, 1940
- 011. River of Ice, published July 1, 1940
- 012. The Flame Breathers, published September 1, 1940
- 013. Murder on Wheels, published November 1, 1940
- 014. Three Gold Crowns, published January 1, 1941
- 015. House of Death, published March 1, 1941
- 016. The Hate Master, published May 15, 1941
- 017. Nevlo, published July 1, 1941
- 018. Death in Slow Motion, published September 1, 1941
- 019. Pictures of Death, published November 1, 1941
- 020. The Green Killer, published January 1, 1942
- 021. The Happy Killers, published March 1, 1942
- 022. The Black Death, published May 1, 1942
- 023. The Wilder Curse, published July 1, 1942
- 024. Midnight Murder, published September 1, 1942
Short stories written by Emile C. Teppermen and published in Clues Detective magazine
- Death to the Avenger, published September 1, 1942
- A Coffin for the Avenger, published November 1, 1942
- Vengeance on the Avenger, published January 1, 1943
- Calling Justice, Inc!, published March 1, 1943
- Cargo of Doom, published May 1, 1943
Short story written by Emile C. Teppermen and published in The Shadow magazine
Novels written by Ron Goulart and published by Warner Paperback Library
- 025. The Man from Atlantis, published June 1, 1974
- 026. Red Moon, published July 1, 1974
- 027. The Purple Zombie, published August 1, 1974
- 028. Dr. Time, published September 1, 1974
- 029. The Nightwitch Devil, published October 1, 1974
- 030. Black Chariots, published November 1, 1974
- 031. The Cartoon Crimes, published December 1, 1974
- 032. The Death Machine, published January 1, 1975
- 033. The Blood Countess, published February 1, 1975
- 034. The Glass Man, published March 1, 1975
- 035. The Iron Skull, published April 1, 1975
- 036. Demon Island, published May 1, 1975
[edit] Other media
Street & Smith published stories of the Avenger in their Shadow Comics in the 1940s.
In 1975, DC Comics published a comic called Justice, Inc. which starred the Avenger. This was during the time they were also publishing The Shadow. The Avenger also appeared in issues #11 of the Shadow. The first two issues were based on stories from the pulp magazine. Issues #2-4 were drawn by Jack Kirby. The comic only lasted 4 issues.
In the 1980s, when DC Comics was again doing the "The Shadow", an 'updated' version of the Avenger showed up briefly, as well as in a 2 issue miniseries from the same period (both by Andy Helfer and Kyle Baker) titled Justice, Inc.. The mini-series revealed the 'truth' behind the Avenger's origin.
