TITLE: Justice Machine vol. 2, Issue #1
YEAR: January 1987
COMPANY: Comico Comics
ARTIST, PLOTTERS, WRITER: Mike Gustovich and Tony Isabella
Created by Mike Gustovich
“The Justice Machine” was a superhero title that people who discovered it, wanted to read but its obscurity of finding it and it bouncing from different comic companies made it even more difficult to follow.
Created by writer-penciler Michael Gustovich, the first volume was released by Noble in magazine format.
Only five issues were released between 1981-1983 and the annual would then be published by Texas Comics. This annual would feature the first appearance of Bill Willingham’s “The Elementals” and would lead into a “Justice Machine featuring the Elementals” mini-series in 1986 for Comico Comics.
In 1987, “Justice Machine” would find a home for several years (1987-1989) with Comico Comics for 29 issues plus an annual before moving on to Innovation Comics and then Millenium Publications.
The setting of the Justice Machine is in the future on the planet Georwell, a parallel world which has advanced technology but also a planet without freedom as the leaders of Georwell have a tight grip on society.
Keeping the peace is an elite law enforcement agency known as the Justice Machine which consists of their leader, the strategists and technical savvy Challenger (Jaiime Conrad); the thermal powered Blazer (Mitrian Flynn); the man who can turn to a giant, Titan (Jemin Osk), the highly-trained martial artist known as Demon (Gabel Nevin), the independent/paranormal Diviner and the karma powered mysterious individual known as Talisman.
The Justice Machine are in pursuit of a criminal/terrorist known as Maxinor.
The Talisman is able to track Maxinor on the alternate world of Georwell known as Earth which noone from the team knows anything about.
The team phases to Earth, New York City to find Maxinor. Not knowing that because of what they have done, without checking their transport clearance, they committed treason on their home planet. And now Prosecutor Zarren sentences the team to death.
What will happen to the members of the elite law enforcement team, now that they are considered criminals on their home planet?
In the first issue of the Comico Comics run, Maxinor and his son have captured the Justice Machine leader, Challenger and will release him if they allow him and his son to go free.
Needless to say, Maxinor has his Megabots sent to destroy the Justice Machine, while they make their escape.
As the Justice Machine confronts Maxinor and his son, his son tries to fight back. Talisman ends up making a rock pop out of the ground slamming Maxinor’s son in the head, knocking him out.
While Maxinor escapes with his knocked out son, he issues a threat, for what injury they caused his son, he will return it back to them a thousand-fold and if he should, die, he wil let loose a blood bath on Georwell.
When the Justice Machine returns to the Citadel of Justice, their mission to capture Maxinor wasn’t a total failure but they are issued a new mission by Prosecutor Zarren to go to the Planet Earth to capture Maxinor.
Meanwhile, we see what is happening behind-the-scenes between the fractured marriage of Challenger and Diviner after the death of their oldest son. Titan goes to visit his family before leaving to Earth, Blazer visits her elderly mother and more.
As Prosecutor Zarren is at Council Central, the Council feels the Justice Machine are showing signs of contamination and that they are harbor growing suspicions about the state and their role. They are to be terminated.
But instead, Prosecutor Zarren sends the six out to Earth to go after Maxinor.
As the group go to apprehend Maxinor, they receive a message from Georwell, that charges of treason were brought upon the six members of the Justice Machine by the Security Department and that they have collaborated with terrorist leader, Maxinor in his escape in an unauthorized use of an experimental teleportation device.
And that Prosecutor Zarren has reluctantly issued a “terminate-on-sight” order on the Justice Machine.
Overall, the first issue went very quick but we got to see the different, more human side to the group. But now that they have become the enemy of Georwell, it will be interesting to see how things go from here! Looking forward to issue #2!