Summary
Oliver Groman, aging town boss of crime-ridden Ashton City, has a stroke and a change of heart. He asks Benson to clean out the racketeers, gangsters, and corrupt officials. Each member of Justice Inc. goes undercover, working on separate aspects of the investigation, facing separate dangers. A masked cabal, 4 evil men led by a mysterious 5th, runs the town and works against Justice Inc. They research Benson: "some wealthy sap who fancies himself an amateur crime fighter. Rich as hell." Groman has another incapacitating stroke. Moves and counter-moves: Benson is hounded by a corrupt policeman, Smitty is framed for a murder and is sprung by a disguised Benson, a carful of criminals goes over a cliff, Josh spies on a corrupt judge, Nellie and Rosabel are found out and must be rescued, etc. Benson acts as a detective, solving the puzzle of the Devil's Horns, and as a grim, frightening, no-nonsense crimefighter. A giant safe is found in Groman's house, filled with ill-gotten loot, sought by all. The masked 5 trap Justice Inc., only to have the deathtrap backfire and kill the 5 criminals.
Omertà is a Southern Italian code of honor and code of silence that places importance on silence in the face of questioning by authorities or outsiders; non-cooperation with authorities, the government, or outsiders; and willfully ignoring and generally avoiding interference with the illegal activities of others. It originated and remains common in Southern Italy, where banditry or brigandage and Mafia-type criminal organizations are strong. Similar codes are also deeply rooted in other areas of the Mediterranean, including rural Spain, Crete (Greece), and Corsica, all of which share a common or similar historic culture with Southern Italy.
The Avenger is a fictional character whose original adventures appeared between September 1939 and September 1942 in the pulp magazine The Avenger, published by Street & Smith. Five additional short stories were published in Clues Detective magazine (1942–1943), 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.
The Crimson Avenger is the name of three separate fictional characters, superheroes who exist in the DC Comics Universe. The character debuted in 1938 and is notable as the first masked hero in DC Comics.
"Justice, Inc." is the first pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the September 1, 1939 issue of "The Avenger” magazine.
"The Yellow Hoard" is the 2nd pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the October 1, 1939 issue of "The Avenger” magazine.
"The Glass Mountain" is the 8th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the April 1, 1940 issue of The Avenger magazine.
"Stockholders in Death" is the 8th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the April 1, 1940 issue of “The Avenger” magazine. The novel was republished under its original title by Paperback Library on December 1, 1972.
Tuned for Murder is the 9th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the May 1, 1940 issue of "The Avenger” magazine.
The Smiling Dogs is the 10th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the June 1, 1940 issue of The Avenger magazine.
"The River of Ice" is the 11th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the July 1, 1940 issue of "The Avenger” magazine.
"The Flame Breathers" is the 12th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the September 1, 1940 issue of "The Avenger” magazine. With this issue, The Avenger magazine switched to a bi-monthly schedule.
"Murder on Wheels" is the 13th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the November 1, 1940 issue of "The Avenger” magazine.
In criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime at some time in the future. Criminal law in some countries or for some conspiracies may require that at least one overt act be undertaken in furtherance of that agreement, to constitute an offense. There is no limit on the number participating in the conspiracy and, in most countries, no requirement that any steps have been taken to put the plan into effect. For the purposes of concurrence, the actus reus is a continuing one and parties may join the plot later and incur joint liability and conspiracy can be charged where the co-conspirators have been acquitted or cannot be traced. Finally, repentance by one or more parties does not affect liability but may reduce their sentence.
The Corruptor is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He has fought Thor and Nova. His sweat glands release a chemical that overrides the social inhibition center of the brain. He first appeared in Nova #4 in December 1976 and was created by Marv Wolfman and Sal Buscema.
The Crimson Avenger is a masked crime fighter in the DC Comics Universe and the first to use the name "Crimson Avenger." He first appears in Detective Comics #20 —thus being DC's first masked hero—and was created by Jim Chambers.
Crime comics is a genre of American comic books and format of crime fiction. The genre was originally popular in the late 1940s and early 1950s and is marked by a moralistic editorial tone and graphic depictions of violence and criminal activity. Crime comics began in 1942 with the publication of Crime Does Not Pay published by Lev Gleason Publications and edited by Charles Biro. As sales for superhero comic books declined in the years after World War II, other publishers began to emulate the popular format, content and subject matter of Crime Does Not Pay, leading to a deluge of crime-themed comics. Crime and horror comics, especially those published by EC Comics, came under official scrutiny in the late 1940s and early 1950s, leading to legislation in Canada and Great Britain, the creation in the United States of the Comics Magazine Association of America and the imposition of the Comics Code Authority in 1954. This code placed limits on the degree and kind of criminal activity that could be depicted in American comic books, effectively sounding the death knell for crime comics and their adult themes.
The Bribery Act 2010 (c.23) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that covers the criminal law relating to bribery. Introduced to Parliament in the Queen's Speech in 2009 after several decades of reports and draft bills, the Act received the Royal Assent on 8 April 2010 following cross-party support. Initially scheduled to enter into force in April 2010, this was changed to 1 July 2011. The Act repeals all previous statutory and common law provisions in relation to bribery, instead replacing them with the crimes of bribery, being bribed, the bribery of foreign public officials, and the failure of a commercial organisation to prevent bribery on its behalf.
To Serve and Protect: Privatization and Community in Criminal Justice is a 1998 book by Bruce L. Benson about private policing, private prosecution, and other market-based methods of providing criminal justice. Benson traces the history of government's escalating involvement in criminal justice over the past centuries in the United Kingdom and in the United States, and argues that it has resulted in overpriced, low-quality service that does not adequately address the needs of communities and crime victims. He argues for parole bonds, restorative justice, shifting toward a criminal justice system that resembles the civil tort system, and other reforms.
James Gordon is a fictional character that appears in the Fox TV series Gotham. He is portrayed by Ben McKenzie. He is based on the character of the same name created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, that debuted in the first panel of Detective Comics #27.
