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    Major Spoilers
    Review

    The Human Target #1 Review

    Matthew PetersonBy Matthew PetersonNovember 8, 20214 Mins Read

    Christopher Chance is used to unraveling murders… just not his own.  Your Major Spoilers review of The Human Target #1 from DC Comics awaits!

    You can purchase this issue via the comiXology/Amazon affiliate link

    THE HUMAN TARGET #1

    Writer: Tom King
    Artist: Greg Smallwood
    Colorist: Greg Smallwood
    Letterer: Clayton Cowles
    Editor: Ben Abernathy
    Publisher: DC Comics
    Cover Price: $3.99
    Release Date: November 2, 2021

    Previously in The Human Target:  Christopher Chance has made a living out of being a human target-a man hired to disguise himself as his client to invite would-be assassins to attempt his murder.  He’s had a remarkable career until his latest case protecting Lex Luthor when things go sideways.  An assassination attempt Chance didn’t see coming leaves him vulnerable and left trying to solve his own murder… as he has 12 days to discover just who in the DCU hated Luthor enough to want him dead.

    CHRISTOPHER CHANCE: D.O.A.

    Human Target #1 opens in a hotel room, where Christopher Chance is going about his last moments on Earth.  He puts on his best suit (remarking that it still smells like “her”), writes his last words, and lies down… to die.  We rewind 12 days, each represented by a single-panel vignette in pastel hyper color, all the way back to Day 1, where we find The Human Target wearing the bald cap and false nose that make him a perfect double for Lex Luthor.  He gives Lex’s latest presser, but before he can reveal whatever the billionaire jerkass has in store, a bullet cuts him short.  Chance is actually taken off-guard by the impact, but still manages to gather his wits long enough to take down the murderer, but during his debrief with Luthor, he loses consciousness.  Awakening in his car, he once again passes out, crashing into a tree, awakening to find that Luthor has called the Justice League to help him, but Doctor Midnight has bad news for him:

    He has been poisoned, and there doesn’t seem to be a cure.

    THERE’S ONLY SO MANY FIGHTS YOU CAN WIN

    There a couple of true joys that get me in The Human Target #1: The first is the dialogue, a first-person noir “voiceover” reminiscent of Sunset Boulevard and especially 1950’s D.O.A., with Edmund O’Brien.  When Chris (who is a bit older than when I last saw him) complains about the bad coffee or his ill-fitting bald cap or having to take a job from a corrupt schmuck like Luthor, it’s like a Dashiell Hammett story.  His refusal to be marked as “one of those super people” is important, but his terse and bitter response to Midnight asking about his friends is note-perfect.  Combine that aesthetic with Greg Smallwood’s incredible art, with it’s retro soft edges like a chiaroscuro drawing and the exquisite ’60s color palette, and you’ve got a perfect mesh of words and pictures.  Nearly every panel is wonderful, but the full-page shot of Chance’s silver MG crashed into a tree is nearly worth the price of admission by itself.

    BOTTOM LINE: RUSH OUT IN A BUYING FRENZY

    There are also some surprises to be had here, like the unexpected list of suspects and the filthy Luthor fingerprints on everything, making The Human Target #1 a truly amazing, enjoyable, fully immersive comic book experience, marrying excellent art with a compelling story for 5 out of 5 stars overall.  Based on this debut issue, I’m going to come back for the remainder of Human Target’s remaining eleven days on Earth.


    Dear Spoilerite,

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    THE HUMAN TARGET #1

    100%
    100%
    INCREDIBLE Visuals

    This book is tense, effective, beautifully drawn and utterly unexpected, making it both a shock and a major success.

    • Writing
      10
    • Art
      10
    • Coloring
      10
    • User Ratings (0 Votes)
      0
    Ben Abernathy Clayton Cowles dc comics Greg Smallwood human target Lex Luthor Review The Human Target Tom King
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    Matthew Peterson
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    Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.

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