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Hunter-Killer #0-12
Hunter-Killer Volume 1
What if the nuclear arms race was just a cover for a far more insidious detente? How would the world's government deal with the true fallout of the Cold War? From the minds of comic legends Mark Waid (Kingdom Come, The Flash) and Marc Silvestri (X-Men, Wolverine, The Darkness) comes this science-fiction/action-thriller that has mesmerized fans worldwide.
336 pages, Paperback
First published August 23, 2006
About the author
Mark Waid
3,238 books1,312 followersMark Waid is an American comic book writer widely known for shaping modern superhero storytelling through influential runs on major characters at both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Raised in Alabama, he developed an early fascination with comic books, particularly classic stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, whose imaginative scope and sense of legacy would later inform his own writing. He first entered the comics industry during the mid 1980s as an editor and writer for the fan magazine Amazing Heroes, before publishing his first professional comic story in Action Comics. Soon afterward he joined DC Comics as an editor, contributing to numerous titles and helping shape projects across the company. After leaving editorial work to focus on writing, Waid gained widespread recognition with his long run on The Flash, where he expanded the mythology of the character and co-created the youthful speedster Impulse. His reputation grew further with the celebrated graphic novel Kingdom Come, created with artist Alex Ross, which imagined a future DC Universe shaped by generational conflict among superheroes. Over the years he has written many prominent series, including Captain America, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Superman: Birthright, bringing a balance of optimism, character depth, and respect for comic book history to each project. Waid has also collaborated with notable artists and writers on major ensemble titles such as Justice League and Avengers, while contributing ideas that helped clarify complex continuity within shared superhero universes. Beyond mainstream superhero work, he has supported creator owned projects and experimental publishing models, including the acclaimed series Irredeemable and Incorruptible, which explored moral ambiguity within the superhero genre. He later took on editorial leadership roles at Boom Studios, guiding creative direction while continuing to write extensively. In subsequent years he expanded his involvement in publishing and digital storytelling, helping launch online comics initiatives and advocating for new distribution methods for creators. His work has earned numerous industry awards, including Eisner and Harvey honors, reflecting both critical acclaim and enduring popularity among readers. Throughout his career Waid has remained a passionate student of comic book history, drawing on decades of storytelling tradition while continually encouraging innovation within the medium. His influence extends across generations of readers and creators, and his stories continue to shape the evolving language of superhero comics around the world today through enduring characters imaginative narratives and thoughtful reinventions of familiar myths within popular culture and modern graphic storytelling traditions.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 24, 2011
THE GOOD:
1. Very cool ideas--the conspiracy theory stuff, the history of this world, all quite interesting. (So: the series had serious potential.)
2. Some great villains--actually, the young African child and the Japanese artist were both excellent; both totally creepy, but in totally different ways. Actually, the middle of this book, where they're hunting various superpeople, is pretty good. The small-town sheriff was also cool (although a little over the top.)
3. Some cool characters--I kind of liked Sam. Ellis was sort of a generic main character, but I really thought Cloaker was a promising character. Even Morningstar was sort of intriguing. (But compare this to #4 in the 'bad' section.)
4. Some nice emotional moments--Ellis' parents before their last fight; his reaction to their deaths; again, the little African girl and the small-town sheriff. Unfortunately, there's also some terrible "emotional" moments, too, like when Ellis just suddenly randomly falls in love with some girl he meets in the street. I mean, am I really supposed to buy that? Especially when he has to just come out and literally say, "Oh, I totally believe everything you're saying." I mean, it's nice to explain it, since I'm thinking "He can't be believing all of this..." but then I'm sort of at a loss.
THE BAD:
1. What the heck is the catalog? Is it a machine? How can it be hidden in someone's DNA? I don't get it. I mean, it's not a good MacGuffin because it leads to some serious plot holes.? Then it keeps recurring as being an important thing, so I'm all wondering--but what is it? I did finally figure it out--it's a cheesy, poorly-explained comic-book plot device!
2.SERIOUS PLOT HOLES!!! Here's the first example that left me scratching my head: the catalog is apparently hidden in Ellis' DNA, and also will apparently self-destruct if he's killed. (I can't figure out how that makes any sense at all; does he just melt if he dies? How exactly can all your DNA just self-destruct? But OK, let's skip that.) So the hunter/killer squad can't kill him, and must instead hire him. But wait! Why don't they just take some of his blood? It's got his DNA in it, then they can kill him all they want. A vial of his blood can't possibly know whether or not he's dead can it? Maybe if I knew more about the catalog this would make more sense, but all I get is gibberish explanations. [Note: It's also pointed out in the special features that the writer had to kind of say "oh crap--why don't they just kill him?" at this point in the plotting. I would say that this is better than no explanation at all, but it's totally not.]
3. Also, for a guy who's lived his entire life alone on a farm, he's seriously worried about not being a "freak." How can he possibly care what people think of him? He surely can't have a sense of peer pressure, because he's never been around anyone, right? And lest ye think he learned this from television--he doesn't watch enough TV to know there are 7 days in a week. So he's not exactly addicted to Saved by the Bell or something. Overall, the "out of touch with culture" thing happened when the author wanted to use it, but otherwise was completely forgotten. Way too inconsistent and distracting.
4. Wolf, who we're apparently supposed to be so in awe of, never distinguishes himself from Wolverine, despite the fact that the special features in the back specifically point out trying to distinguish him from some Wolverine/Clint Eastwood hybrid. Other than the fact that he can turn invisible, he's exactly a Wolverine/Clint Eastwood hybrid, and that doesn't really distinguish him. Terrible.
5. Silvestri's art....yuck. I mean, if you like it, that's cool--move this to the plus category. But I didn't like it when I was 13, and I like it less 15 years later. The last artist, Rocafort, was a little better, but still nothing above average.
---------------------------------
Overall, some interesting premises get bogged down in sloppy writing, generic characters, art that was sort-of-o.k. in 1993, and a terribly sudden, unsatisfying ending. Having said that, I read the whole thing hoping that the plot would sort of come together in some sort of clever way at the last minute. It has nice minutes, and is fairly engaging (although, like a cheesy sci-fi movie, the plot holes keeps distracting you from the plot.) But the ending didn't do something salvific. It ended in an unexplained, unsatisfying, and straight-up out-of-character way.
The series would have worked better at a period piece set in the '50s. All of the cool ideas would have been better explored like that.
1. Very cool ideas--the conspiracy theory stuff, the history of this world, all quite interesting. (So: the series had serious potential.)
2. Some great villains--actually, the young African child and the Japanese artist were both excellent; both totally creepy, but in totally different ways. Actually, the middle of this book, where they're hunting various superpeople, is pretty good. The small-town sheriff was also cool (although a little over the top.)
3. Some cool characters--I kind of liked Sam. Ellis was sort of a generic main character, but I really thought Cloaker was a promising character. Even Morningstar was sort of intriguing. (But compare this to #4 in the 'bad' section.)
4. Some nice emotional moments--Ellis' parents before their last fight; his reaction to their deaths; again, the little African girl and the small-town sheriff. Unfortunately, there's also some terrible "emotional" moments, too, like when Ellis just suddenly randomly falls in love with some girl he meets in the street. I mean, am I really supposed to buy that? Especially when he has to just come out and literally say, "Oh, I totally believe everything you're saying." I mean, it's nice to explain it, since I'm thinking "He can't be believing all of this..." but then I'm sort of at a loss.
THE BAD:
1. What the heck is the catalog? Is it a machine? How can it be hidden in someone's DNA? I don't get it. I mean, it's not a good MacGuffin because it leads to some serious plot holes.? Then it keeps recurring as being an important thing, so I'm all wondering--but what is it? I did finally figure it out--it's a cheesy, poorly-explained comic-book plot device!
2.SERIOUS PLOT HOLES!!! Here's the first example that left me scratching my head: the catalog is apparently hidden in Ellis' DNA, and also will apparently self-destruct if he's killed. (I can't figure out how that makes any sense at all; does he just melt if he dies? How exactly can all your DNA just self-destruct? But OK, let's skip that.) So the hunter/killer squad can't kill him, and must instead hire him. But wait! Why don't they just take some of his blood? It's got his DNA in it, then they can kill him all they want. A vial of his blood can't possibly know whether or not he's dead can it? Maybe if I knew more about the catalog this would make more sense, but all I get is gibberish explanations. [Note: It's also pointed out in the special features that the writer had to kind of say "oh crap--why don't they just kill him?" at this point in the plotting. I would say that this is better than no explanation at all, but it's totally not.]
3. Also, for a guy who's lived his entire life alone on a farm, he's seriously worried about not being a "freak." How can he possibly care what people think of him? He surely can't have a sense of peer pressure, because he's never been around anyone, right? And lest ye think he learned this from television--he doesn't watch enough TV to know there are 7 days in a week. So he's not exactly addicted to Saved by the Bell or something. Overall, the "out of touch with culture" thing happened when the author wanted to use it, but otherwise was completely forgotten. Way too inconsistent and distracting.
4. Wolf, who we're apparently supposed to be so in awe of, never distinguishes himself from Wolverine, despite the fact that the special features in the back specifically point out trying to distinguish him from some Wolverine/Clint Eastwood hybrid. Other than the fact that he can turn invisible, he's exactly a Wolverine/Clint Eastwood hybrid, and that doesn't really distinguish him. Terrible.
5. Silvestri's art....yuck. I mean, if you like it, that's cool--move this to the plus category. But I didn't like it when I was 13, and I like it less 15 years later. The last artist, Rocafort, was a little better, but still nothing above average.
---------------------------------
Overall, some interesting premises get bogged down in sloppy writing, generic characters, art that was sort-of-o.k. in 1993, and a terribly sudden, unsatisfying ending. Having said that, I read the whole thing hoping that the plot would sort of come together in some sort of clever way at the last minute. It has nice minutes, and is fairly engaging (although, like a cheesy sci-fi movie, the plot holes keeps distracting you from the plot.) But the ending didn't do something salvific. It ended in an unexplained, unsatisfying, and straight-up out-of-character way.
The series would have worked better at a period piece set in the '50s. All of the cool ideas would have been better explored like that.
June 27, 2017
Call me old-fashioned, but I love the art. It's visceral and exaggerated in all the right places. You don't see 90s-style, 400-pound, muscle-bound males and unnaturally slim, long-limbed females too often today. The powers are some of the coolest I've seen in comics, with the bonus that their owners are sometimes unable to control them, causing such wonderfully gruesome destruction. The story gets pretty complex by the end. The whole thing revolves around a character from the future who brings news about the destruction of the world.
Project: USA, a project created decades ago, created hundreds of superhumans and eventually it all went belly up. Some remained faithful to the project owners, some worked for other nations, while most tried to hide among the normal humans. The Hunter-Killers, led by the extremely hot field agent Samantha Argent and the mysterious Morningstar, want to control the rogues by whatever means, but finding them is difficult without a Catalog which was stolen when the project was destroyed. A rogue superhuman called Wolf is often one step ahead of them, killing superhumans that have info on the catalog to prevent it from being found, thus keeping the rogue superhumans safe, but this might mean the end of the world.
Project: USA, a project created decades ago, created hundreds of superhumans and eventually it all went belly up. Some remained faithful to the project owners, some worked for other nations, while most tried to hide among the normal humans. The Hunter-Killers, led by the extremely hot field agent Samantha Argent and the mysterious Morningstar, want to control the rogues by whatever means, but finding them is difficult without a Catalog which was stolen when the project was destroyed. A rogue superhuman called Wolf is often one step ahead of them, killing superhumans that have info on the catalog to prevent it from being found, thus keeping the rogue superhumans safe, but this might mean the end of the world.
September 6, 2025
one of the most sophisticated plots in comic book series, paired with exquisite artwork. Better in the paperback format, as recalling the wrinkles of storyline from one issue to the next was rather difficult in monthly installments.
Outstanding. Possibly the best of the Top Cow titles. Three thumbs up.
Outstanding. Possibly the best of the Top Cow titles. Three thumbs up.
April 14, 2018
Not included in the Top Cow Humble Bundle was the reading order for the Aphrodite Protocol / Cyberforce / IXth Generation universe. I should have read this book before Cyberforce Hunter-Killer.
August 6, 2019
Overall: 3-stars
Story: 2-stars
Art: 3.5-stars; some generally nice work by Silvestri, but I wish he had done all 12 issues.
Story: 2-stars
Art: 3.5-stars; some generally nice work by Silvestri, but I wish he had done all 12 issues.
September 29, 2021
Yeah
Yeah I recommend this comic even though at times I was confused of the story progressing to its end and the art was excellent
Yeah I recommend this comic even though at times I was confused of the story progressing to its end and the art was excellent
March 20, 2024
Enjoyed the art and story was pretty straightforward. A governmental oversight of the X Men seemingly.
January 3, 2014
Hunter-Killer is the (mostly) self-contained story of a universe of superhumans. It's a different origin than many others, and the basic conceit of the plot is engaging, though you don't catch it for a while.
When it does reveal itself, it's a bit interestingly delivered. While a great many books force feed you the knowing wink along the way, Hunter-Killer does a pretty good job of assuming you'll figure out why things seem wrong once their reasons are revealed.
When we are let in on Morningstar's agenda, the driver quickly seems unnecessarily obtuse, but we learn later why. When Ellis falls for a strange girl he meets and they become instant soul-mates, again the cause is shown later and suddenly the bizarre turn of events is less bizarre and even believable.
Sam is one of my favorite characters in superhero comics. She's not particularly mind-blowing conceptually, but the execution was well-done and I enjoyed the details about her pistols a lot. It's something I'd have done.
I would have loved to see more concerning the history of the world as presented, but it was a limited run so we didn't get enough space for us to understand how such flashy and over the top elements could realistically remain 'hidden.'
The art is fantastic. I have long been a fan of Silvestri, Basaldua and Rocafort. Luckily Basaldua is on his best behavior here, too. So the art is a big booster for this production.
Ultimately what broke the book for me was the end. The final decision made by Ellis made no sense to me. Only on later reflection does it make any at all, but even then, it seems a bit of a stretch. Then again, given that the book thinks we're smart enough to figure things out, maybe this is a failing on my part and not the book. I still have a hard time really understanding *why* he made the decision he did. I have my guesses, but that's really all they are.
Then it's also a cliffhanger. The only other place I know if where HK shows up is in a Hunter-Killer/Cyberforce crossover. Their universes are very different, though, so I can't recall how they come into contact.
But it gives a little bit of insight to the ending of this book, as I recall, and shows a bit of the fallout from Ellis' decision. I remember it ending on an okay note as well, but seemed to exist mostly to kill a few tertiary characters and once again not resolve anything. I don't know if that's because they were trying to spin it off into an ongoing or not, but if it was intended as self-contained (like this book) then it was a big mistake.
When it does reveal itself, it's a bit interestingly delivered. While a great many books force feed you the knowing wink along the way, Hunter-Killer does a pretty good job of assuming you'll figure out why things seem wrong once their reasons are revealed.
When we are let in on Morningstar's agenda, the driver quickly seems unnecessarily obtuse, but we learn later why. When Ellis falls for a strange girl he meets and they become instant soul-mates, again the cause is shown later and suddenly the bizarre turn of events is less bizarre and even believable.
Sam is one of my favorite characters in superhero comics. She's not particularly mind-blowing conceptually, but the execution was well-done and I enjoyed the details about her pistols a lot. It's something I'd have done.
I would have loved to see more concerning the history of the world as presented, but it was a limited run so we didn't get enough space for us to understand how such flashy and over the top elements could realistically remain 'hidden.'
The art is fantastic. I have long been a fan of Silvestri, Basaldua and Rocafort. Luckily Basaldua is on his best behavior here, too. So the art is a big booster for this production.
Ultimately what broke the book for me was the end. The final decision made by Ellis made no sense to me. Only on later reflection does it make any at all, but even then, it seems a bit of a stretch. Then again, given that the book thinks we're smart enough to figure things out, maybe this is a failing on my part and not the book. I still have a hard time really understanding *why* he made the decision he did. I have my guesses, but that's really all they are.
Then it's also a cliffhanger. The only other place I know if where HK shows up is in a Hunter-Killer/Cyberforce crossover. Their universes are very different, though, so I can't recall how they come into contact.
But it gives a little bit of insight to the ending of this book, as I recall, and shows a bit of the fallout from Ellis' decision. I remember it ending on an okay note as well, but seemed to exist mostly to kill a few tertiary characters and once again not resolve anything. I don't know if that's because they were trying to spin it off into an ongoing or not, but if it was intended as self-contained (like this book) then it was a big mistake.
November 14, 2008
WOW!!! I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. This book was one of the best written graphic novels I have read in a while. I am Mark Waid's newest covert. The story had a great plot line. The story had me guessing throughout the whole book and even now I still do not know who the good or bad guys are. The characters are fantastically created and have real depth. I can not say enough about this book.
The book is intended for more mature audiences, so do not plan on curling up by the fire to read the kiddies a nice bedtime story.
The artwork was absolutely amazing. The artist was Marc Silvestri. Enough said, I know.
Great book. I really had fun reading this book and I am definitely looking forward to volume two in hopes that it will maintain the caliber of quality as this book did for me.
Cheers.
The book is intended for more mature audiences, so do not plan on curling up by the fire to read the kiddies a nice bedtime story.
The artwork was absolutely amazing. The artist was Marc Silvestri. Enough said, I know.
Great book. I really had fun reading this book and I am definitely looking forward to volume two in hopes that it will maintain the caliber of quality as this book did for me.
Cheers.
April 20, 2012
De la nouvelle BD de super-héros. Ici, pas de "mutants", ou en tout cas, pas "naturels", mais des ultra-sapiens aux pouvoirs souvent terrifiants, créés par un génie qui a perdu leur contrôle.
Développant avec gourmandise toutes les théories du complot du XXe siècle, le scénario rend un peu parano. Ce volume sert d'exposition, où l'héroïne en titre, Samantha Argent, découvre et enrôle le héros en titre, Ellis.
Le dessin est superbe, mais les couleurs sont un peu perturbantes. C'est l'équivalent d'un film plein d'effets spéciaux, en mettant plein la vue, mais un peu vide.
Les uniformes sont un peu trop lisses, les peaux un peu trop brillants, le coloriste a abusé des dégradés Photoshop...
Cela reste une belle BD, mais je n'ai pas super-accroché.
Développant avec gourmandise toutes les théories du complot du XXe siècle, le scénario rend un peu parano. Ce volume sert d'exposition, où l'héroïne en titre, Samantha Argent, découvre et enrôle le héros en titre, Ellis.
Le dessin est superbe, mais les couleurs sont un peu perturbantes. C'est l'équivalent d'un film plein d'effets spéciaux, en mettant plein la vue, mais un peu vide.
Les uniformes sont un peu trop lisses, les peaux un peu trop brillants, le coloriste a abusé des dégradés Photoshop...
Cela reste une belle BD, mais je n'ai pas super-accroché.
October 2, 2012
Hunter-Killer is filled with interesting ideas, characters, and plenty of plot twists. It begins extremely well, with a first half that is nothing short of stunning in both writing and art. It easily juggles character development, action, and the looming mystery of the truth behind the Hunter-Killer program.
Unfortunately the writing loses it's balance as the book speeds to an end. Plot holes and inconsistent story elements become hard to ignore. Although it is quite enjoyable once the shock wears off, a change in art style for the final chapters is also a bit jarring.
I would easily recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun afternoon of reading - as long as they're prepared to "just roll with it."
Unfortunately the writing loses it's balance as the book speeds to an end. Plot holes and inconsistent story elements become hard to ignore. Although it is quite enjoyable once the shock wears off, a change in art style for the final chapters is also a bit jarring.
I would easily recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun afternoon of reading - as long as they're prepared to "just roll with it."
October 5, 2014
Cool concept with a bit uneven execution. The artist change towards the end is disappointing, as is the actual ending itself. Overall a fun read though.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews