What happens when a hero has had enough? What would prompt a hero to put it all behind and attempt to lead a normal life? What happens to those these retirees leave behind? Their sidekicks who are stalwartl at their sides? The city who relies on these do-gooders as their bedrocks? What difference does one man or woman make, and what holes do they create in their absence?

These questions and more are explored in the comic series Whatever Happened to the Crimson Justice?, debuting next month from Mad Cave Studios. Written by Frank Tieri, with art by Inaki Miranda, colors by Eva De La Cruz, and letters by Dave Sharpe, Crimson Justice focuses on the disappearance of the titular hero, his sidekick, and his greatest enemy following a hospital fire years before. Did the Crimson Justice perish? Did he hang up his cape? Was the fire the catalyst for a possible retirement? What makes a hero walk away? Those questions and more will be examined in the new series.

I spoke with Frank Tieri recently about the idea behind Whatever Happened to the Crimson Justice?, the inspiration for the series, working with the creative team, and how this is very much a Frank Tieri comic.

I’ve read issue #1 of Whatever Happened to the Crimson Justice? and it feels distinctly modern and a throwback to comics of yesteryear—in the best ways possible. While this book gets DARK—seeing disillusioned former heroes, some of whom have hit the hardest of times—Tieri and the rest of the creative team have woven in an undercurrent of hope, despite and maybe even in spite of the sometimes-dour tone. Even when we meet characters whose current situation made me wince, I still had hope for a happy-ish end on the other side. Regardless of the ultimate outcome, I’m hooked from issue #1 and I’m rooting for all of our heroes.

 

 

FreakSugar: Before we get into the first issue itself, I love the mix of classic noir comics with a modern sensibility. What was your inspiration for the series?

Frank Tieri: Look, I’m not even attempting to pretend there’s not an influence from a certain Dark Knight, ya know? (Hell, somebody who read the first two issues called it the Tales of a DARKER Knight lol) But really, we take a deep dive into the superhero/sidekick dynamic in general — Green Arrow and Speedy, Captain America and Bucky… all of it. How it would’ve been seen back 40 years ago… and how it would be seen right now.

We’re also clearly playing with the ol’ “the old hero returns” trope but we definitely make a lot of different choices, as fans will see. A friend of mine said Whatever Happened to Crimson Justice? has Unforgiven for superheroes vibes and that’s as good a take on this as any I’ve seen.

FS: For folks considering picking up the comic, is the conceit of Whatever Happened to the Crimson Justice?

FT: I’ve been saying this that if I can boil Whatever Happened to the Crimson Justice? to one main thing that it’s about is it really deals with the consequences of a superhero life. These people slap on a cape, go fight the bad guy du jour and often we don’t think about how that truly affects people. I mean, TRULY affects them. Them, their families, their friends, the community at large… fuck, even the villains.

We’ll see how the Crimson Justice, his actions and inactions, play into the lives of everyone… in the past of 40 years ago and in the here and now. Especially when Dr. Mayhem shows up after all this time and the shit really hits all the fan and bodies start to pile up.

 

 

FS: I know a part of the mystery is why he hung it up, decided not to be the superhero anymore, but can you tell us what you think John is thinking day-to-day? We see his city tinged with crime in the first issue and the press release talks about that as well. Does he ever have the impulse to act, despite his protests that he’s leaving that life alone?

FT: Oh, he definitely still has the impulse. He’s not blind… he’s well aware of how the city has gone to shit over the last 40 years in his absence. But something has kept him away and as you say, something is holding him back, and that’s the big mystery that drives the series. Whatever it is, him ignoring things and not wanting to return become a whole lot harder when not only Dr Mayhem pops back up after and starts whacking people but also when he sees Scarlet Girl and what has happened to her after all this time…

FS: Following up on that, how is John different from other characters you’ve written? Does this give you anything other projects haven’t? Other creative muscles to flex?

FT: I’ve written characters that were “broken” before, but John is definitely unique among them. Something happened to John… something that made him hang up his Crimson Mist gun for good. But it’s not just him, it’s Sally the Scarlet Girl, it’s the city itself. Whatever happened to John that night– the night of the Great Hospital fire ruined not just John’s life but the lives of everyone in Empire City. The question is… after all this time, can things get fixed? Will they get fixed? Or are things already too far gone?

 

From What Happened to the Crimson Justice? #1

 

FS: What can you tell us about the other characters that populate the comic’s world?

FT: Well, in addition to our main baddie, the psychopathic Dr Mayhem, there’s his old partner, the Mad Bomber, ex-commissioner Ted Burke whose murder by Mayhem kicks everything off, Willie who is John’s best friend and is writing a book about the Crimson Justice and of course Reddy, John’s presumed dead sidekick who… well, you’ll just have to see what happens with Reddy.

And then of course there’s Sally who is secretly the former Scarlet Girl, a hero that was inspired by the Crimson Justice, also plays a major role in the book. Like so many, she was greatly affected by the Justice’s disappearance. She hung up her cape, fell on bad times, got addicted to drugs. Worst of all she fell in with an abusive scumbag gangster by the name of Frankie the Beak and it’s a situation that looks like she can’t get out of. John sees this and it restirs some memories and feelings– but will it be enough to have him don the Crimson cowl once more?

FS: As dark as the first issue gets, it still feels hopeful. How do you approach the tone you want for the series?

FT: Oh, yeah… the series is dark to say the least. But what I’ll say is there is hope to be had in this series. It may only peek its head out once in a while and you might have to wait for it… but it’s there lol

FS: I know this is Mad Cave’s foray into superhero comics. How did you pitch the comic?

FT: I had been talking with Mark Irwin– who I worked previously with at IDW and Insight– about doing something with Mad Cave when he got in there and gave them a couple of pitches… and this is the one they went with. Like you said, this is really Mad Cave’s first foray into superheroes so I guess that’s how much they liked the pitch. (Thankfully lol) I think the fact that it’s very much not your typical superhero story has a lot to do with that.

 

From What Happened to the Crimson Justice? #1

 

FS: You’re working with Inaki Miranda again. What’s that collaboration like?

FT: Between Harley Quinn, Catwoman, and Godzilla, me and Inaki are like an old married couple at this point. Lol

The beauty is we know each other so well by now– our strengths, our preferences, etc. There’s def a comfort level there and I know Inaki’s going to give me what I’m looking for on the page… and maybe something even better than I thought. Needless to say, you will see us working together on something together again beyond this.

FS: Do you have any other projects in the works you would like to discuss? 

FT: Hell yeah… a lot going on, thankfully. Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk, my “Sabretooth meets the Gangs of New York” mini just finished up. I’ve got the grand finale to my Eisner nommed Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons saga entitled Godzilla: Here There Be Aliens hitting in May. And they just announced a Doom 2099 one shot I’m doing that ties into the One World Under Doom event come July. Throw in another secret project for Marvel, another for DC, more Conan for Titan, a licensed thing for Mad Cave, a cool project for a big franchise I’ve never written in the works and an upcoming comic related video game in production and yeah, all my Frankoholics will have a lot to look forward to this year

FS: Is there anything you can tease about what we can expect in the miniseries? 

FT: It might be a bit of a cliche but fuck it… expect the unexpected. Not everything is as it seems and the big reveals are very big. The heroes are broken and flawed, the villain is really fucking villainy and you’re going to be wondering what the fuck is the deal with the sidekick.

FS: If you had one final pitch for the comic, what would it be? 

FT: If you’re a fan of me and my work– the grim and gritty of it all with some dark humor sprinkled throughout– you WON’T be disappointed.  Good, bad or ugly this is VERY MUCH a Frank Tieri comic.

Whatever Happened to the Crimson Justice? #1 goes on sale Wednesday, May 21, 2025, from Mad Cave Studios. Final order cutoff for issue #1 is today, Monday, April 28, 2025.

From the official issue description:

There was a time that when the Red Alert shone in the sky, Empire City’s greatest hero, the Crimson Justice, would answer the call. But now it’s been years and neither he– nor his sidekick Reddy, nor their psychotic arch foe, Dr. Mayhem– have been seen since the Great Empire City Hospital Fire decades ago. What happened that fateful night? Did they all die? But if that’s the case, who or what is this Dr. Mayhem who’s reappeared in the modern day, brutally murdering Commissioner Thomas Kent and challenging the Justice to return? Is that possible? Does the Crimson Justice still live? And if so, what could have made him disappear and abandon his crimson hood in the first place?