An obscure, forgotten superhero from the 1950s, the Avenger is the alter ego of wealthy scientist Roger Wright, who fought crime in costume, with the aid of his own inventions, including his high tech, self-created STARJET aircraft.

Though it only lasted for four issues, indie publisher Lenovations Press are bringing the hero back and reimagining the Avenger for the 21st century.

In this first issue, the granddaughter of the late Martin Roberts (aka Booker), a journalist who documented many of the Avenger’s escapades (do not call him a sidekick) is given some  posthumous, important information and inspiration from her grandfather.

Through the film that’s played for Ricca Roberts, we get to experience one of the Avenger’s classic adventures, in which a commie terrorist attack turns out to be more than meets the eye.

There’s some really interesting stuff here, and a good number of curve balls that keep things really interesting. Numerous twists in the story keep it feeling fresh and far from the lazy golden age homage that it could have been, in the wrong hands. Writer Len Mihalovich has done a great job of recreating a classic feeling comic book adventure, while smartly subverting 1950s tropes, rather than relying on them.

The art, with present day scenes by Mano Ardal and flashbacks by Phil Miller, strikes a great balance between realism and fantasy too, and it’s nicely detailed in both eras.

It all builds to a really interesting and unforeseen climax and cliffhanger, with some really intriguing details that will definitely make you eager to read the second issue.

Avenger: New Blood #1 is available now; you can buy a digital or physical copy from the Lenovations Press website.

Many thanks to Len Mihalovich for providing me with a digital review copy of Avenger: New Blood #1 for review purposes.