Sometimes, I experience the weirdest coincidences. I was recently ruffling through my box o’ stuff and came across a few classic WEREWOLF BY NIGHT ISSUES written by Marv Wolfman. Marv was on of my favorite comic book writers and, in addition to all the cool issues he wrote that you remember, he had a great (and forgotten) run on The Amazing Spiderman. He also wrote an INCREDIBLY underrated DC series entitled VIGILANTE in the 1980’s.

I was wondering whatever happened to Marv and if DC would ever bring back the Vigilante. (Yes, Bruce Jones had a run with a Vigilante mini-series but it was average at best) And, lo and behold, Marv turns up with a NEW Vigilante series within a couple days of my musing. I read the first issue and enjoyed it a lot.  After I read a few more issues, I will talk about it a little more. But, how about we turn back the clock 20 years to the original Vigilante?

VIGILANTE was a phenomenal series that was, in essence, DC’s version of the Punisher although the writing in Vigilante was LIGHT YEARS ahead of its time. The series centered on Adrian Chase, a demented man seeking to avenge his family’s death at the hands of organized crime. Chase donned a spandex Ninja suit and used his .44 magnum to good use. Yes, this does sound like a weak punisher rip-off but it was MUCH more than that.

The series ran 50 issues and the beginning was rocky but it quickly moved into a storyline centering on the Electrocutioner (DC’s rip-off of Marvel’s The Shocker) and a second Vigilante that wa thoroughly insane. This was tremendous storyline since it featured the original Vigilante battling two other Vigilantes that embodied a recklessness Chase did not. (Yes, these storylines were way ahead of their time)  Then, there was a dull period of time when a wimpier Vigilante took over for Chase, and a truly demented series new direction where Chase became mentally unstable due to the stress of being the Vigilante. These issues were stunning as Chase battled rapists, child pornographers, and The Homeless Avenger, a fellow vigilante who killed those who abused the homeless.

Ultimately, Chase could not handle life anymore and shockingly killed himself in the final issue. To say this was a stunning end would be a supreme understatement.

Now, that there is a new series with yet another new Vigilante. Hopefully, it will live up to the classic work of the earlier Vigilante comics.

More on Vigilante in future installments…