Review by Frank Plowright

Most of us who care about our surroundings will have a grumble about things not being right, but then head back to our armchairs after tea for East Enders. Not Claire. She’s not only certain of the types who in small increments make life worse for the rest of us, but in her identity as Justice Ninja she’s prepared to do something about it. Beware the person who buys rubbish birthday gifts, the bus driver who’s always late and the person on the loud motorbike, as Claire has a target on their back.

The idea of a strip serving up cold revenge has instant appeal, yet strangely subverts the British comics tradition of the mischievous kid causing mayhem. If Claire ever met Dennis the Menace she’d have Gnasher down the poodle parlour and Dennis polishing Walter’s glasses for him.

Joe Brady comes up with people who need their poor behaviour corrected, and Kate Ashwin draws a delightfully proactive Claire, always moving and extremely expressive. At first her apprentice Nigel only seems there because Claire needs to explain her plans to readers, but as the strips continue Brady becomes more imaginative, and Nigel comes into his own, not least with disguises so daft they have a page of explanations.

As creative as Claire’s solutions are, there is the moral ambivalence of her being unconcerned about committing greater offences in pursuit of avenging smaller, such as breaking into houses to retrieve stolen library books. However, on the better strips Brady conceives more ingenious solutions. The sample art shows the nice design of each malefactor identified by a faux polaroid picture detailing their offence, in this case the person littering the pavements with their discarded bubble gum. Claire plots their route and ensures they’ll often be stepping in gum, and Brady even sabotages that inventively.

Funny and public spirited, Claire is an example to us all. Except for the housebreaking.