October, 1987 (23 Pages) Cover Artists: Tom Grindberg & Tom Morgan Writers: D.G. Chichester & Margaret Clark Penciler: Tom Grindberg Inker: Rick Bryant Letterer: Agustin Mas Colorist: Petra Scotese Editor: Howard Mackie Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

Justice is now pure again thanks to Webstral’s sacrifice (see JUSTICE #11). He reads of a couple who rob fast food chains, killing everyone inside.

Agent Kurtz, the man in charge of the investigation, is spotted by Justice due to his pure and true aura and Justice decides he could learn more from this man. They have a heated discussion of the different ways to deal justice, and Agent Kurtz leaves, asking his partner Ben to keep an eye on Justice. Ben turns only to find Justice gone.

After everyone has left, Justice breaks into the fast food joint to examine the clues left behind. He reads a message the murderers left in the victim's blood:

There he runs into Agent Kurtz who tries to stop him, drawing his revolver. Justice disarms him and runs inside where Ben is getting coffee for the two of them.

Inside is the couple currently robbing the place, the man holding a pipe bomb and throwing it towards the hostages as Justice barges in, putting up a shield just in time to save the hostages and Ben. The resulting explosion throws Justice out, into the arms of the police.

Outside, Kurtz has a one-sided argument with Justice, threatening to come down on him hard if anything happens to the people inside, handcuffing Justice in the process.

Justice easily snaps the cuffs as the police try to negotiate with the couple. He steals a police van and drives it through the side of the restaurant, then he helps the hostages into the back of the police van and judges the killers, only to see there isn’t enough time and uses his shield hand instead as they throw another pipe bomb at him.

The explosion covers the killers’ tracks, and Kurtz threatens to put Justice away but releases him after having saved the hostages. Kurtz yells at him as Justice leaves, trying to explain the way things work.

The killers break into another restaurant, with only one other person there, standing behind the counter. They order him to raise his hands, which he does gladly. His sword hand flashes, disintegrating the killers.

Good art by Tom Grindberg is marred by a bad story by D.G. Chichester and Margaret Clark, and that's about as basic as I can make it.  Without the backstory of the alien trying to prevent an invasion of Earth by his brethren, this version of Justice isn't worth my time and money, and that's on display right here. It's an all-too-typical story that's been told a million times before about criminals holding hostages in a restaurant (McDonalds, yet!). Not much more to say about this one, except "Better luck next time."  Rating: 1.5 Bolts (out of 5)

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