Hitman

Here we go, Hitman!  One of my favorite comics ever, I haven’t read this in quite some time.  I hope it’s as good as I remember.

Demon Annual 2

Tommy Monaghan’s first appearance, famously coming out of the wretched Bloodlines annual gimmick that no one remembers.  (Each annual introduced a new hero, almost none of whom caught on.)  There’s really no way Hitman should have merited a second glance either; He’s completely two-dimensional in this, with only a glimmer of the sense of humor that’ll be such an important part of the series.  Pat and Sean also make cameos, proto-versions that give no hint of the emotional weight they’ll carry further down the line.  Garth Ennis is frankly a genius for getting what he did out of this initial effort.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine

Batman Chronicles 4

I originally reviewed this as part of the Batman “Contagion” arc, but the trade reprint didn’t have the Hitman part of this issue.  (Understandably.)  That part upgrades the rating up a tick.  

He doesn't get the quote exactly right, but the sentiment is spot on.

Tommy’s irreverence starts to show itself, and this directly sets up the beginning of the series w/ the hit on the Joker.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Nice

Hitman Annual 1

Ennis loves to shoehorn his favorite genres into whatever work he does; I’m sure he was thrilled when he found out this annual had to be a western as part of that year’s “Pulp Heroes” theme.

He doesn’t disappoint with this tale set south of the border in a little stereotypical town complete with Mexican drug lord, corrupt sheriff, a coffin full of buried cash, and a traditional gunslinging showdown.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Hitman 1-12

On the one hand, these are still as entertaining and easy to read as I remember.  On the other, I’m not experiencing the visceral glee that I was somehow expecting.  But all the moments I loved before still play just as well.  Ennis is a master of taking well-worn genre tropes and playing them straight with no irony, and then juxtaposing them with his “refuse to take anything seriously” brand of humor to maximum effect.  

Character establishment done to a tee.

Hee.

Only in Hitman.

I love little touches like this scene.

Typical "sword to a gunfight."

Best tagline ever.

Straight out of a John Woo film.

Love Tiegel's Nazi grandfather.

And her well-intentioned mother.

Ennis really has no use for superheroes.

Heh, Tiegel.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Good

Hitman 13-14

“Zombie Night at the Gotham Aquarium.”  One of the most ridiculous, insane, fucking awesome comic book stories in the history of man.  Just thinking about perfect art by John McCrea is enough to make me crack up.

Best cover ever?

Yesssssssss.

Ah, Hacken...

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pure joy

Batman: Cataclysm, New comics

New comics!

Alice in Leatherland.1

Got this on the recommendation of the amazing Stjepan Sejic, as something that’s similar to his stellar Sunstone.  Alas, even accounting for the high bar Sejic sets, it’s not quite good enough for me to try the second issue.  Iolanda Zanfardino and Elisa Romboli have created a decent first issue about a young lady who’s moved to San Francisco and finds herself far out of her comfort zone in just about every aspect of her life.  In a story like this, everything relies on the characters and how much I want to keep reading about them.  It’s close, but I couldn’t get myself to care enough for this fish out of water.  

Sunstone: Mercy vol 7

Speaking of Sejic, here he is with the continuation of Sunstone.  My god, he is a phenomenal writer/artist.  Talk about caring for the characters.  He writes flawed but sympathetic men and women in this series, and I care immensely about their well-being and happiness.  I can’t wait to find out what happens next, even though as a flashback, I already know the broad strokes of the outcome.  There’s no doubt this is going to Pure Joy on the re-read.

Nightwing 80

Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo.  What an amazing team.  

I love their relationship, whatever it is.

Great troll.

Nightwing 19-20

Catwoman 56

Batman 553-554

Detective Comics 719-721

Batman: Shadow of the Bat 73-74

Robin 53

Batman Chronicles 12

Blackgate: Isle of Men 1

Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma 1

The Cataclysm arc, which will lead to the very long, very epic No Man’s Land.  The writers do a better job here than they did in Contagion in terms of portraying how a conceivable natural disaster would affect Gotham.  It feels more realistic, once you get past the people in costumes, because even they’re pretty useless in a situation like this, outside of search and rescue.  There’s a bit with the Quakemaster at the end, and it’s predictably the weakest part.  

But there’s some really strong stuff at the beginning, as we see how Nightwing, Oracle, and Catwoman react to the crisis.  Their instant responses, “How can I help,” feel like true heroism, not comic book superheroism.  It’s neat to read.

I like the inner monologue and very human reactions from Selina.

A very 'basic' bystander rescue...

...but Dixon and McDaniel really sell the tension and heroism.

Bruce and Jim have a great bromance.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: Yes (No for Blackgate and Blunt Trauma)

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Pretty good for Nightwing and Catwoman.  Fine for Blackgate and Blunt Trauma.  Nice for the rest.

Batman: Contagion, New comics

New comics!

Suicide Squad 1-11

Another Tom Taylor title!  Picked up the hardcover collection after hearing some good stuff about this.  Super fun, with a mostly-original (Harley Quinn and Deadshot also show up) cast of characters that I hope Taylor is able to revisit someday.  

Azrael 15-16

Batman 529

Batman: Shadow of the Bat 48-49

Batman Chronicles 4

Catwoman 31-32

Detective Comics 695-696

Robin 27-28

The Contagion event.  Ebola is set loose in Gotham, and the race is on to find a cure.  Turns out the search was a MacGuffin the whole time and none of it matters, while the actual antidote is discovered and distributed in the span of one issue when Azrael’s team discovers that they had the formula in one of their books (and one of the few people in the world who can translate it) all along.  

Here Chuck Dixon falls in one of all time my biggest fiction pet peeves: The magical cure that brings a victim back from the brink of death to perfect health in absolutely no time at all.  You can’t get cured from Ebola when your body’s that far gone!  Tim Drake’s jumping around performing heroics literally hours after experiencing these symptoms:

I.  Don't.  Buy.  It.

The first couple of issues are pretty well done.  Especially with COVID going on IRL, watching the spread of another virus from Patient Zero is unsettling.  There’s a feeling of dread and inevitability that permeates the story that’s all too real before the more comic book-y aspects kick in.

Overall, better in concept than execution.

Regret buying: No

Would buy again: No

Would read again: Yes

Rating: Fine