Hitman, Vol. 1: A Rage in Arkham

Hitman #1

by Garth Ennis, John McCrea (Illustrator), Steve Dillon (Introduction)

On the back streets of Gotham City, ex-military operative Tommy Monaghan has set himself up as a hired gun. Surrounded by an odd assortment of friends and allies, the Hitman with a heart must deal with personal conflicts over honor and morals as he makes a living with a gun. But even with the telepathic ability to read his targets' minds, he still finds himself well over his head when he runs into some of Gotham's most notorious citizens such as the Demon, the Joker, and the Dark Knight himself, the Batman.

Plus, a vindictive mob boss from his past puts a contract out on Tommy. With his friends caught in the crossfire, he must find a way to take out the hired assassin and exact retribution against the mafia head. But even with his extrarodinary powers, the Hitman may find that a trained killer and a mob army is just too much for one man.

Collects THE DEMON ANNUAL #2, THE BATMAN CHRONICLES #4 and HITMAN #1-3!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1996

About the author

Ennis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.

Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.

Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.

Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.

While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.

Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.

After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.

In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.

Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.

In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.

In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).

Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

#ThrowbackThursday - Back in the '90s, I used to write comic book reviews for the website of a now-defunct comic book retailer called Rockem Sockem Comics. From the December 1997 edition with a theme of "Offbeat Superheroes":

INTRODUCTION

Even though the field of comic books is dominated by superheroes, I have yet to write a column devoted entirely to the superfolk. Well, let's get down to it, bunky. Here are a few of the more interesting supertitles being published. Not the best, mind you, just interesting. For the best, pick up Kurt Busiek's ASTRO CITY (Homage/Image Comics)(Grade: A+). Meanwhile, here's the good, the bad and the ugly of comic book superheroes: STARMAN, THUNDERBOLTS, and HITMAN. STARMAN is highbrow; HITMAN is lowbrow; and THUNDERBOLTS would be right in the middle if not for its sinister twist.

KILLER LAUGHS

HITMAN #1-20 (DC Comics)

"Okay," Tommy Monaghan begins. "Now, we got Green Lantern backin' us up -- an' that sounds so freakin' hysterical I'm just gonna say it again, 'We got Green Lantern backin' us up' . . . An' that's fine for special effects, but I ain't puttin' my life in the hands of some Keanu-lookin' goof with a magic ring. What I want is you -- with this [gun] -- at that window -- ready to whack anyone takes a shot at me. You cool with that?" (Hitman#12, page 3).

Tommy "Hitman" Monaghan is a superhero in only the loosest sense of the word. He does have super powers and a rigid code of morals that keep him from hurting people he thinks are good. He teams up with other superheroes, such as Batman and Green Lantern, but they generally end up despising him and his methods. Monaghan kills people, you see. Before getting his powers, he was an assassin. Since getting super powers, well, he is still an assassin. Only now Monaghan specializes in assassinating other people with super powers -- but only bad people. Monaghan doesn't fight bad guys so much as he fights guys worse than he is himself. Monaghan is the epitome of the modern day superantihero.

Monaghan received his powers when he survived a bite from, um, a space vampire during an unsuccessful hit. Now Monaghan possesses telepathy and x-ray vision. Not being extremely imaginative, Monaghan has decided to stick with his original occupation, hoping only to score higher fees so he can one day move to Manhattan from Gotham City. Between hits he hangs out with his fellow hitmen in a neighborhood bar. The only thing worse than Monaghan's luck at gambling is his luck at picking contracts: they usually blow-up in his face, sometimes literally.

In "A Rage in Arkham" (HITMAN #1-3) Monaghan agrees to break into Arkham and snuff the Joker right inside his cell. Little does Monaghan realize (and who would?) that this is a set-up arranged by demons from hell called the Arkannone, the Lords of the Gun, who seek a replacement for their demonic assassin Mawzir. To really complicate matters, Batman shows up, and he's ticked off to find himself in the position of defending the Joker's life.

The repetitious simplicity -- simple-mindedness, even -- of the plots might make one wonder how this book could succeed.

What makes HITMAN special are the creators, of course. Writer Garth Ennis and illustrator John McCrea have pulled out the stops to make HITMAN a black comedy thrill ride. To build momentum, they had Monaghan appear for a short time in their previous collaboration, THE DEMON (DC Comics). When THE DEMON wrapped up, HITMAN was ready to rumble. Ennis is infamous for his ultra-violent tales of hitmen in such series as PREACHER (Vertigo/DC Comics, grade: A+), SHADOWMAN (Acclaim Comics, grade: C+), THE DARKNESS (Top Cow/Image Comics), and UNKNOWN SOLDIER (Vertigo/DC Comics). He mixes drama, humor and violence into a volatile chili that burns the roof of your skull. The inevitable comparison: Ennis is the Quentin Tarantino of comic books. McCrea, meanwhile, has a distinctive, outrageous style that suits Ennis' scripts perfectly. With HITMAN, Ennis and McCrea have achieved a level of violence so excessive it is almost cartoonish -- if you can overlook the gore and viscera splashed across every page that is.. That this bloodfest is set smack dab in the DC Universe is the ultimate twist.

The humor in HITMAN deserves special attention. Ennis loves to throw in sick visual gags: a Siamese twin lugging around his dead twin's decaying body, a dead cat thrown on a spotlight to create a "Cat-Signal" for Catwoman, a man bashing zombie baby seals with a bat. Ennis is not afraid to tweak the other heroes in the DC Universe. One issue has bar patrons signing a petition to have Superman cut his long hair. Monaghan pukes on Batman's boots and publicly humiliates Green Lantern. Finally, Ennis loads the books up with rowdy 'n' randy guy talk, focusing frequently on Monaghan and his friends hanging out over poker or pool. These scenes allow Ennis to segue into touching, guy-bonding comedy, such as the buddies talking about coping with death during the "Final Night" crisis in issue #8.

Introduced in DEMON ANNUAL #2, Monaghan is the only successful new character to come from DC Comics' big "Bloodlines" crossover event of 1993. The theory was that DC would introduce a dozen or two new superheroes -- the New Blood -- in their comics' annuals and all would become instant sensations making DC the number one publisher again. (That might be the ultra-optimistic theory, actually.) What they got was HITMAN -- a single on-going title featuring a single member of the New Blood. Considering how unsuccessful most crossover event spinoffs are, I suppose DC is probably quite happy with the results.

I know I am.

Grade: B+

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

After a freaky encounter with a space alien god thing, Tommy Monaghan aka Hitman, is left with super powers including telepathy and x-ray vision. Rather than help out or become a superhero like everyone else, Tommy decides to keep going as a Hitman choosing superhero targets and putting him in a different class of Hitman.

Sound familiar? This seems like DC’s weak attempt at getting a “Punisher” type character together. Ironically, this 90s effort from Garth Ennis would be a warm up for Ennis’ legendary run on the Punisher who would go on to make that series the definitive version of that character.

Ok, so the Punisher didn’t have stupid powers like x-ray vision but I think that made him a better character. But that series where the Punisher storylines got all supernatural were the worst and Hitman has a strong supernatural undercurrent to the stories where Hitman’s biggest foes are from Hell or some weird alternate reality, snooze…

Besides the sub-par Punisher knockoff and the even weaker storylines featuring gods and monsters, the origin story of how he got these powers has got to be one of the most pointless and poorly thought out storylines Ennis has ever written. I’m willing to let this pass as this was early on in his career, pre-Preacher/Punisher/The Boys, eg. everything great, but that doesn’t make this a better comic book. Nor does the inclusion of Batman and Joker improve it.

Overall if you’re a diehard Garth Ennis fan and have to read everything he’s written, this review won’t dissuade you, but if you’re thinking maybe Ennis struck gold again with this series, think again. Crap character, crap stories, crap comic book.

[Mohammed Abdikhader Firdhiye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read the first 3 issues of Hitman collected in this volume before but not The Demon Annual special where Tommy made his debut and the Batman Chronicles issue. I'm reading this series now because i have waited 5,6 years for DC to start reprinting volumes of the series.

This volume collect the start of my favorite dark humor series. Its a violent story about Tommy Monaghan a Hitman in Gotham, a different POV on Gotham. Tommy isnt a superhero or supervillain despite he has two superpowers. Naturally being set in Gotham, the stories make fun of superhero, supervillians. The dark humor i rate highly and respect Ennis & McCrea for alot is one thats funny because its hard to see the jokes coming.

Its funny that the best humor comic stories i have read are both brutal dark humor stories about Hitman. The other series i'm thinking are the Spanish classic series Torpedo by Bernet and Abuli.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tale of a hitman who picks up super powers that let him x-ray everything and read the thoughts of others. He starts by dealing with the fallout from the mob but the real focus is when an alien race employs him indirectly to assassinate the Joker in Arkham Asylum but Batman tries to stop him. This is mostly a lighthearted action piece that doesn't take itself too seriously. You should not either.

ARTWORK: C plus; STORY/PLOTTING: B minus; DIALOGUE/CHARACTERS: B minus; OVERALL GRADE: B minus; WHEN READ: end of December 2011.

[Tom Ewing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had fun revisiting this, one of the quintessential 90s DC books (and one of the last times you could really take the piss out of Batman in-Universe). It’s the kid brother of more famous Ennis books but there’s heart to it, and it’s impressive how well Ennis and McCrea hit a groove from the beginning of the ongoing series. (The opening issue here, from the lengthy Bloodlines crossover, provides a snapshot of how much better both creators got in the 2 years or so between the titles: McCrea’s art looks crude rather than dementedly and delightfully wonky; Ennis script devolves into fat jokes as the plot runs out). By the ongoing the pair of them have a look for the book, a quickly and effectively drawn cast, and a distinctive black-comedy vibe. When you think how much worse “Tarantino in the DCU” could have been done, the quality here feels like a blessing.

[Ill D · Rating 2 out of 5]

With a title as worldly as Hitman, I was quite surprised to discover a yarn thoroughly saturated with the other dimensions bordering our own. Decidedly otherworldy (at least initially) finding itself replete with fallen angels and demons, this largely forgotten Ennis 90’s era tome unabashedly forged its own unique world. Tethering known-knowns and fresh fabrications there's some some successes here. Yet, there's alot that doesn’t gel in the least. But needless to say, it cannot be faulted, no matter how dated it appears now, for a lack of attempted innovation.

With that said, the wear and tear of time has left its mark on this strange tale akin to a comic-book styled Frankenstein or homunuclus of sorts. Bursting at its evident seams, seamless this work is not. The author’s darning needle of words and references forges a product so warped and odd that its very creation seems as bizarre as the impetus that made Hitman made flesh. Compounded with a highly choppy approach to storytelling, which is compounded by a curious lack of effective transitions (which are more absent than not) the narrative itself proves a jarring experience. Far from an experimental approach, all its flaws can be chalked up as just that, flaws.

With naked faults of narrative built in, an equally flawed main character across all areas shouldn’t surprise any of us. Curiously, granting our titular Hitman powers of telepathy and x-ray vision seemed an odd choice at best and bad disconnect at worst. Additionally curious is his code of honor which forbids the murder of do-gooders makes for another strange disconnect for a contract killer. All sorts of flaws of internalized character finds a fetid cheery on the top by way of a lack of anything even remotely approaching a backstory.

Anyways, for its numerous flaws, its not a total wash here. There’s a few chuckles throughout. And there's certainly some charm (no matter how minimal). But overall Hitman is an exceedingly mediocre product. With its value purely historical in nature, at its best it merely paved the way for Ennis’ future seminal works, for example, Preacher and his run on Punisher. Most notably the latter given the clear lineage that tethers them both. AS such Hitman is merely a landmark that can only point you in the right direction.

[Alex E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tommy Monaghan is an assassin. But what puts him on top of other members of his particular field of expertise are two things: his code - which prevents him from killing anyone he considers "good" (cops, superheroes, generally nice civilians) and his powers.

Yep, X-ray vision and mind reading powers to be exact. Which very much comes in handy in Tom's line of work. With Hitman, Garth Ennis gives us a Punisher like character, that couldn't be farther from Frank Castle. Instead of serious and morose, Tommy jokes and weasels. Instead of an engine of vengeance, Tommy is just trying to collect a paycheck. The idea of Tom is a lot more palatable than Frank. You kind of want to have a beer with Tom. Frank? Not so much. And it's a testament to Garth Ennis' writing that he is able to write both types of characters who have similarities, but are very different, and write them well.

I also appreciated the world around Hitman. The fact that he's very much a part of the DC universe. His debut is with him and Etrigan the Demon. He then shows up in a Batman tale, and even in his own series, which this volume collects the aforementioned two stories as well as the three of his own, he deals with Batman as he infiltrates Arkham to kill the Joker. It was refreshing to see a character like this not shy away from the more outlandish parts of their universe as writers usually tend to write more "regular" street level heroes (well Tom's not a hero but you get the idea).

Overall, this was fun and a good way to start off. It's very much setup and introducing us to Tommy and his world. I look forward to seeing where Ennis takes us from here.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

DC trying their hand at Punisher, bringing over one of the big punisher writers and...it's okay.

Hitman can read minds and he also kills bad guys. One day someone willing to pay him a million to kill Joker. But batman don't like killing.

It's a short and fun little story. I might give volume 2 a try. Didn't draw me in completely but was a quick read.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this series years ago but thought it was due for a re-read.

Tommy Monaghan has X-ray vision and can read minds, quite a talent when you're a hitman. The first volume features Batman, The Joker and Arkham Asylum and I remember it being one of my favorite arcs. The John McCrea artwork is very stylized but fits this series well. There's plenty of Ennis humor mixed in with the action.

This is a great series and I'm looking forward to future volumes.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next volume in my 2015 comics reread list.

This one is interesting for me because I read the individual comics and this volume collects Hitman 1-3, a single story from Batman Chronicles #4, and The Demon Annual #2. The latter of which I do not have access to and am not sure that I have actually ever read.

The Batman Chronicles story is a good intro the the character. Hitman 1-3 also include Batman, and are entertaining as Tommy gets hired to kill the Joker. The alien gunslinger is pretty weird, but it provides a good action sequence, and it was the late 90s, so it gets a pass.

In all honesty, the most annoying thing about this comic was the font-face used for the aliens. I've read much worse, but that was annoying to read. I may have skimmed bits of them talking due to the font.

Almost 20 years later, I'm still digging DCs version of the Punisher, though not quite as much as I used to. Sit this between 3.5-4 stars.

[Brenda Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and quick 3 issue story. Hitman is contracted to hit the Joker, but it's not him, it is a demon from hell. 2 demons send their multi armed goon after Tommy Monaghan (Hitman) to bring him to hell and join their army, or something like that, it never really gave the super detailed reason why they want him, just that they think he is a true evil person, but Tommy even tells Batman that he could use his x-ray vision to find out who he is, but won't because he is a good guy, a good guy killer? Is that for real, well I guess so because Tommy has his honor and a code.
Of course the side cast of characters is a Garth Ennis regular, I notice he likes to write sad and pathetic people and give the story humor with them, I am a real fan of Garth, ready to read more.

[Tanya Renolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

So it's Batman vs Hitman vs Mawzir, when Tommy is paid a million clams to whack the Joker. The 1st issue is just you getting to know Tommy Monaghan and what he's about, a Hitman with a heart. He comes to find out the job was a ploy to get him to Mawzir and he can deliever him to his demon bosses, but Tommy being the hero don't anna kill for the demons and ends up winning the day by the end of the 3rd issue. Quick and on to the next.

[Nate]

Hitman is the last of Ennis’ major (i.e. long) series that I’m reading*. It’s taken me a while to get to this largely because the trades are rare and expensive. But I was lucky to track down a mixture of trades and single issues for cheap, and here I am ready to read it in one go. I know the issues are available digitally, but I much prefer reading physical comics. Plus, as a big Ennis fan, I wanted to have the full series.

So far Hitman is much what I expected: a fun, violent romp with a mixture of wackiness and heart. Ennis and McCrea introduced Gotham City resident Tommy Monaghan in an annual of The Demon, itself a “Bloodlines” crossover, where he gets x-ray vision and telepathy powers. Tommy takes any job he can get, even those with superpowered targets. Of course, Hitman isn’t really a superhero book though. In its own warped way it might be, but superhero stuff is backgrounded to a story about this regular guy who happens to be a superpowered hitman (and we all know how Ennis feels about superheroes). Tommy has a group of friends who hang out at Noonan’s Bar, and if there’s one thing Ennis writes well, aside from war, it’s friends swapping stories in bars. But there’s also Siamese twin mob bosses and demon lords of violence, so rest assured Hitman won’t be all serious. I don’t have much else to say. These first few issues are entertaining, don’t take themselves too seriously, and pure Ennis. I’m on board.

I like John McCrea’s art a lot. It’s sort of cartoony, but a good fit for the series. His action scenes are dynamic and his wacky characters sure do look wacky. The art is consistent throughout.

*The others being, in chronological order, Hellblazer, Preacher, The Punisher (Marvel Knights and MAX), and The Boys. You could conceivably include The Demon and Crossed on this list, as Ennis wrote 20+ issues of each. Compared to the above series however, these are minor books. His Judge Dredd work is also lengthy, but I haven’t read it and Ennis himself is dismissive of his Dredd stories. And finally, his war comics are essentially one giant anthology, and while I consider these among his best work, for the sake of logistics I wouldn’t include them all together.

[Kristin Boldon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first collection of a series I read in the 1990s. A hitman gets superpowers then decides to kill only bad superheroes. It's trying to be a funny Punisher, yet what it reminds me of is two guys getting drunk and saying, hey wouldn't this be funny and cool? But, they're drunk and kind of stupid. If you like Garth Ennis's sense of humor, you might enjoy. I'll keep reading to see if it improves or if I just didn't know better when I read it back then.

[John Wright · Rating 1 out of 5]

Childish edgy trash. The 90s was a bad decade for media outside of your teens.

[David Cordero · Rating 4 out of 5]

He’s got x-ray vision and he can read your mind. And for beer and poker money he’ll wack any villain out there.

[Mark Desrosiers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hitman (Tommy Monaghan) is really just a Punisher with x-ray vision and mind-reading abilities, plus some normal human drives (thirst and lust). In other words, mildly interesting but also a potential snoozefest. And yeah, this first trade compilation doesn't quite flesh out a personality for Tommy, other than the occasional quip. What really made this click was not writer Garth Ennis -- who seems a bit constrained by Gotham City here -- but some truly garish and hideous adversaries created by artist John McCrea. The double-corpse that comprises the Arkannone is one of the most horrid and fascinating villains in DC history: their appearance gives the stories here an almost Miltonian sense of epic proportion and strangeness.

And the one-pager of the Batman with a gun in his mouth remains unsurpassed.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems like Tommy Monaghan is a DC version of Frank Castle, but with less back story. That being said, having him start his adventures in Gotham with Jason Blood and Batman, along with Arkham residents is a good place to start and build the interest in the character. I would definitely consider reading the next Volume in the series. Hopefully a little less OTT in the storylines this time.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I love Ennis though.

[Michael Emond · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this I'll say what other collectors have said "This needs to get a reprinting ASAP". I got this at a second hand store and boy am I glad I did. Nothing thrills me more than discovering a new hidden gem I didn't know about in comics. Now admittedly Ennis is no longer a hidden gem having gone on to write The Boys, Preacher and (my fav) Punisher Max. But this was him in his infancy and while it isn't as polished as his later works are, I love it all the more to see this amazing talent starting to find his way. And make no mistake - even at this early stage he still has the goods.

The art by John McCrea is typical 90's. A bit too cartoony and loose for my tastes but still solid. It works well for this story and this character. Hitman is supposed to be a bit of fun that is over the top.

The character is well done. Ennis is a master at getting a concept and just running with it while not skimping on building the character. In the 5 issues we get in this volume, we build the character (in a Demon annual - the Demon is another Ennis comic in dire need of a reprint) - we see his world and start to flesh out his friends. You know where the character stands. Now Hitman never became a household name - mainly because he was part of the 90's and comic book fans try to pretend the 90's didn't exist for comics because of all the dreck that was churned out (I am only half serious...but not completely joking). I can speak for myself - it was a decade I gave up comic collecting - so even though this ran for 60 issues I had never heard of Hitman until recently. He also suffers from being a bit too close to the Punisher (for the DC universe) but that is selling him short. Giving him telepathy and x-ray vision and a sense of humour and a down on his luck way about him, make him a more fun Punisher. The original concept seemed to be "A super powered Punisher that kills super villains not the common criminals". Hints of The Boys now that I think about it.

And you have the genius that is Ennis writing it. Yes, Ennis' writing is a little too violent for my tastes but I can't deny he does it well. And this was a lot of fun to read.

So while I still want to forget the 90's in terms of most comics I am very much hoping someone from DC wakes up and realizes "hey, we have an Ennis property we can reprint and make a lot of money off of". Unfortunately - with the DC reprint department in the shambles that it is, I am probably hoping for too much. But if you can get your hands on a used copy of this series - do it.

[Wes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series was hitting the shelves right when I was in high school. I was working at a grocery store, and would walk down to the comic shop every week to scoop up new issues. I really wanted to read this series at the time. I had head lots of good things about it kept hearing how funny it was. As much as I wanted to check it out, it was made by DC (a huge downside for me at the time), my money was spread too thin (I was buying a lot of Marvel and all the superstar Image titles) and the back issue for the series were beyond my price range. So, I quickly forgot about it and the creators involved.

Then I come across this little TPB in the used section of my local comic shop and thought "For 5 bucks? Why not? Now I can see what all the hype was about." Well, I get it. Doesn't mean I loved it, but I get it.

Comics were very different at the time and this style of humor, especially involving iconic characters was pretty new. Deadpool being the real precursor for all this. Ennis is not at his peak here, but it is fairly amusing and interesting from the perspective of seeing Ennis sharpen his tools for an epic run on the Punisher.

If you think McCrea's artwork "sucks" then it is merely a matter him not being a style match for you. Not everyone draws like Jim Lee, J Scott Campbell or whatever artist it is you worship and they are not the standard on what comic art "should" look like. If you don't understand that, then you don't understand the medium that is comics and I suggest you stick with a flagship titles.

All in all, 5 bucks was the right price to me for this collection for me. I got a few laughs, learned a few things from a history of comics viewpoint and satisfied some childhood curiosity. I am sure that the series gets better as it goes on, especially as the chemistry of McCrea and Ennis gel over time. I have a couple more trades I found for 5 bucks and based on the general entertainment of this one, I'll give them a read too. But if you've come here expecting the Ennis of today, you're going to be sorely disappointed. Maybe try some later story arcs, and if you find yourself getting obsessed with the character, then come back and read the rest.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dusted off this TBP to read for the first time in over a decade. I'm happy to report that it's still tons of fun.

I was a huge Garth Ennis (Preacher, The Boys) fan back in the '90s, when his star really rose as a comic book writer. While he was far better known for Preacher at the time, he was also writing Hitman, which was a much more PG-13 story set in DC's mainstream universe of costumed heroes. It was great then, and a lot of the humor still rings true today, even if Ennis did go way further (and grosser) with some of the concepts with his later writing.

The collection is fairly short, including Hitman's first appearance in The Demon Annual #2 in 1993 (Ennis had a long and hilarious arc on that book in the early '90s), a slightly shorter story in the anthology issues Batman Chronicles #4, and the first three issues of Hitman. The Demon story feels a little goofier than the tone that Hitman would eventually evolve. The Batman Chronicles tale is a great one, featuring the Caped Crusader coming across Monaghan for the first of a few very memorable and hilarious times.

Then we get to the initial three-issue arc of the Hitman series itself. Reading these now, nearly thirty years later, it's very easy to see the seeds of the irreverence that would become a signature of Ennis' superhero writing. While he would take this to much darker, grosser, and more satirical places in later works (mostly with The Boys), Hitman was arguably his first pass at such themes. This first arc has a great setup premise, with Monaghan - a crack marksman also armed with X-ray vision and the ability to read minds - accepting a contract to kill the Joker in Arkham. Beyond this fun premise is the hilarious writing of Ennis, and plenty of the gags are just as funny now as they were back in the mid-1990s.

I'm not sure just how far into a reread of the entire 60-plus issue run of Hitman I'll go, but I enjoyed reading this first collection enough that I'm eager to dive into the next couple of TPBs.

[David Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say, this was my first time driving into Hitman and it did not disappoint. I knew the writing would be superb but the art was fantastic, has a real Dick Tracy style to it without being corny. I sure do miss when comics were this good. A product of its time. Uncut and not afraid to get graphic. Loved every gore and blood soaked scene.

In 1993 DC had an event running through their annuals called Bloodlines, where parasitic aliens attacked Earth, consumed people's spinal fluid, and ended up giving a subset of their victims superpowers. In this way each annual intruded a new superhero or super-villain.

There was one success story in the bunch - the Demon Annual introduced Tommy Monaghan, a street level assassin with some morals caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tommy's resulting powers (telepathy and x-ray vision) are cliche, but given to a hitman they become fresh and intriguing. His battle with the alien parasite and interactions with Jason Blood are well done and Ennis already seemed to be planting seeds for a larger story.

Tommy is based in Gotham, so naturally a big part of his early adventures featured run-ins with the caped crusader. The included story here from Batman Chronicles is their first encounter, and is perfect as such. It's a skirmish, just a taste of what a bigger conflict would be like between the two, and further establishes Tommy's approach and character traits, both positive and negative.

Finishing this collection is the first three issues of Hitman's ongoing series, comprising a single storyline called A Rage in Arkham. Ennis clearly starts settling in for the long haul by introducing a supporting cast, illustrating Tommy's devotion to only killing those who "deserve it," and establishing the tone and atmosphere for the book. Hitman is not a normal DCU title , edging more towards the themes, style and body count one would find in a Vertigo title.

Highly recommended to all who like violence, fun, and violence.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tommy Monaghan is an ex-Marine who served in the Gulf War and now lives as a contract killer in Gotham City. First introduced in The Demon Annual #2, Monaghan runs afoul a parasitic entity known as Glonth who kills Monaghan's target before he can. Monaghan isn't killed in his encounter with Glonth though, but instead gains mild superpowers in the form of X-ray vision and a limited form of telepathy which cause a latent side effect of his corneas and irises turning a deep black and become indistinguishable from his pupils. Spinning out of Ennis' The Demon series, DC grants the character his own title which then goes on for 61 issues.

Covered in this first arc is Monaghan's increased presence in Gotham as a hired gun where he takes on a job that requires killing the Joker. Naturally, Batman stands in his way and serves as a somewhat adversarial force in this first volume. Though Monaghan and Batman exist on different nodes of the morality scale, it's clear that Monaghan operates on a code that prevents him from full on gunning for Batman in his quest to complete his hits. It's an interesting blend of the crime noir stylings of a Batman comic with the supernatural elements of the wider DC universe, but Ennis handles this fairly well.

I really like John McCrea's artwork, particularly in the earliest stretch. The "Bloodlines" crossover issues were a real treat since McCrea draws the Demon with an almost manic energy that makes for one of the more unique looking DC comics I've seen in a long time. Unfortunately, the later issues of this volume shift from the flat colors that do McCrea's frenetic linework justice to a more digital gradients and I really found the final product to look quite ugly. I'm hoping future issues figure out the coloring since I vastly prefer the flat coloring (even if it does look like a more dated aesthetic). But overall, I really had a good time with this first volume and look forward to reading on.

[Corwyn Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel a little bit like a pompous prick for only clicking on Yellow Sparkle Number Four up there. Realistically, considering when this was made and in what restrictive (censorship) conditions it was created under, it definitely deserves that fifth, elusive little twinkler I'm holding out on, but I just can't give the corporate, censor-Nazis the pleasure (being those who deem it inappropriate to scribble the dreaded F word and such, not the team of creators). This (1993, I think) was right around the time I stopped collecting comics as a kid, and, ironically enough, was probably one of the first regular DCU books to start the comic industry on its path to begin writing "funny books" more for the big kids. I always tell people, comics haven't been written for kids for 20 years, and this is a clear testament to that fact. Anyway... Funny, bloody, gritty, morbid, and just a hell of a good time. Being a big fan of the series these two screwheads did together called Dicks, it was a lot of fun to find this series and get to indulge in more of their wacky mayhem. If you can stomach 90's comics (which I usually most certainly can-fucking-not) then this is one that's absolutely worth the read. Nothing deep or truly moving here; just balls-out entertainment by two of the best to swing 'em and let 'em hang.

[Dominick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Rather a dog's breakfast, partly because Hitman's first two appearances are as a guest villain in a Demon annual and an issue of Batman, both of which were parts of large crossover stories so neither of which functions terribly well as stand-alones. Tommy Monaghan gets overall a rather lame origin--bitten by some sort of entity (nature unclear, as it was part of the large crossover event), he gets telepathy and x-ray vision instead of dying. These give him the edge that will allow him to be a hitman who can take on superpowered victims, so that becomes his thing. The Joker becomes his target, in the first story in the series proper, so readers already know how that's going to end. The story also resolves itself with an overly pat and convenient instant healing from the life-threatening wounds Monaghan suffered. The art is reasonably nice. I have the next volume so will git it a bit more of a chance to find its legs, but I am not optimistic.

[Josh Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

(No Spoilers) I know Garth Ennis isn’t to everyone’s tastes, but I like him, and actually, I think this may be my favorite of his works.

It’s like this was a warm up for The Boys. A lot of the same humor and dark twist on superheroes is there, but much more restrained. A lot of The Boys is stunt writing with over the top shocks. This is a more reserved version, PG’ed up for DC Comics, and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.

The artist is one of the rare cases of the perfect artist to capture the tone of the writing. It’s dark, but absurdist. Paired with another writer with a more serious tone, I think I wouldn’t care for this artist, but here the story and art mesh very well.

Also, the way Batman is drawn cracks me up. It isn’t any specific panels that make the art funny, it’s just the general absurdity of the art style overall. I’m not sure why, but it just makes me chuckle.

It’s early yet, but I’m really enjoying this series.

4.5 stars, rounded up

[Monika Kilijańska · Rating 4 out of 5]

W tym wydaniu zbiorczym mamy kilka niepowiązanych ze sobą historii. Pierwsza część opowieści o Tommyʼm Monaghanie, płatnym zbójcy z Gotham City, który w wyniku starcia z demonem zyskał supermoce w dość dziwnej konfiguracji, bo są to rentgenowski wzrok i telepatia. Już wcześniej parał się gangsterką, lecz teraz ma idealne narzędzie, by stać się likwidatorem numer 1 w Gotham City. Z czymże musi się zmierzyć? Ot, choćby z bliźniakami syjamskimi Dubelz (czy tylko ja widzę tu wyraz “dubel”?), policją, Batmanem, Jockerem, stworem z innego wymiaru Mawzirem czy choćby super maszyną do zabijania Johnnym Navarone. Strzelania będzie więcej niż na 10 000 nabojów (nomen omen to tytuł jednego z zeszytów Hitmana).
Więcej na https://www.monime.pl/hitman-komiks/

[Russell Vitrano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Punisher does it waaaaay better. Hitman feels like a joke of a Punisher knockoff. Too many gross demons and not nearly enough story. And the first part, Birth Pains-- which, I guess, is supposed to be the Hitman origin story-- I'm sorry, but it was terrible. Half the time I couldn't even tell what the hell was going on or which character was doing what or why. It's a fkg comic book; it's not supposed to feel that complicated. The second part of it was slightly better, but that was because of what he did to the specific characters everyone knows in Gotham. Did not like this book and don't care for this character. Sorry.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a couple of problems with this series. One thing is a lot of this does not really make sense. The origin of Hitman's powers is utterly baffling. One thing is that the villains' speech is hard to
read.

Perhaps the weirdest thing is that it's about how a regular guy feels in the world of capes. But this regular guy gets by because he has more powers than anyone he encounters, right? So it's at odds with itself.