Don't think I dislike Mr. A or these stories. I actually finding them immensely fascinating and highly recommend them. In fact I wish there were more characters like Mr. A in mainstream comics. Not necessarily the same views but views and methods that are unconventional after all we live in a world where people believe all sorts of different things. Not only is it possible that a man in tights (or white dress suit) might hold unconventional beliefs it's probably more than likely. The tough part about that would be that Mr. A would most effectively be brought to life only by a true believer like Steve Ditko. Even though I heartily disagree with his beliefs I respect Ditko for putting his unvarnished beliefs into Mr. A.

Story two 'When is a Man to be Judged" continues the theme of Justice. A man named Ike Kolb is sentenced to 15 years in prison thanks to the damning testimony of Rex (Mr. A) Graine. Kolb carries a teeth gritting, fist clenching hatred for Graine throughout his sentence vowing revenge. After seven years Kolb is paroled but his hatred continues to boil over. Even outside prison Kolb still sees himself a prisoner unable to release himself from the hate. As he walks through the prison gates who should be waiting for him but Rex Graine to remind him why he was sent to prison in the first place.

Kolb had been a mob boss who had "sewn up" the town. The one thorn in his side was that nosy reporter Rex Graine. Kolb laughs at the idea of one man threatening his operation but discovers that Graine is too clean to be framed and cannot be intimidated so he decides to take matters into his own hands. Running into Graine on the street he tosses him a bullet casing and tells him he'll give him the lead part if he talks. Unafraid Graine gives a testimony that sinks Kolb and he's sentenced to prison. Back to the present Graine tells Kolb that his slate is now clean and the choice to remain clean is his own.

That evening an assassin tries to kill Graine but falls for the old dummy at the desk trick. Graine, dressed as Mr. A, follows the killer back to Kolb's apartment but it turns out Kolb had no involvement. The killer tells Kolb that an armed dope dealer is following him so Kolb hides behind a door and attacks the man as he enters his apartment. He kicks him in the stomach and knocks him out with a hammer blow to the back of the head before recoiling when he discovers it's Mr. A. The killer pulls a knife to finish off Mr. A telling Kolb, "good or evil -- that's his code! You'll get no breaks from him! Mr. A dies and you live free!" Kolb tries to convince the killer to stop but gets batted away. The killer leaps at Mr. A with murderous intent but is knocked out by a kick to the face from Mr. A.

Kolb panics telling Mr. A that he knows A considers him black and evil but Mr. A corrects him telling him he remains white. Despite getting attacked, Mr. A recognized that Kolb was tricked and didn't deliberately commit evil. Mr. A tells Kolb that he is not only free from prison he is free from guilt. In the last frame Rex Graine opens a letter from Kolb with a bullet in it symbolizing that his account with Graine is settled, essentially thanking Graine.

Alright, so here we go. A man committed a crime, paid the price and Mr. A helped him to find the path to good. This was actually a pretty good story with a fairly positive message. This is the only Mr. A story I've read where the topic of redemption comes up and I had wondered if in Ditko's black/white world if redemption even existed. This story is sort of the lull before the storm. From here on out the stories get more extreme with the tempo really picking up in book 2.

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