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Agent 47 #1
Agent 47: Birth Of The Hitman Vol. 1
47 and his handler, Diana Burnwood, are a team responsible for some of the most ruthless, efficient and untraceable assassinations across the globe. But before they were operatives of the shadowy International Contracts Association, 47 and Burnwood were on their own separate paths in life - streets lined with blood, bullets and revenge. As 14-year-old Diana begins a mission to track down the people who killed her parents, 47 is struggling to free himself and his friend, 6, from the mysterious Institute which has bred them as killers since they were kids. With a story that stretches from the heartland of America to the Berlin Wall, Lone Wolves will trace the birth of the legendary Hitman and the secret past of the woman behind him who pulls the string and knows just how hard taking a life truly is.
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 26, 2018
62 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 26, 2018
Sad, sad, sad.
Huge fan of the video game series. One of my all time favourite games getting treated like shit.
Artwork is meh... but artwork is not the problem here. The story is... so bad. So fucking terribly bad. This has bad 90s action b-movie script written all over it.
I know. You're a fan like me. Hell, I even pre-ordered the variants with the video game cover for all the issues, I bought issue #1 with 3 different covers. THat's how much I love the series.. but I should have known better, should have read at least the first 2. I was hoping it will get better. But no.
This is not Hitman, the character in it has nothing to do with Agent 47. They even went the "origin" route, like THAT'S what the fans wanna read... pff.. and we're getting a story about the most lone-wolf type of assassin running around doing nothing with HIS BROTHER.. one of the other clones. Fuck outta here.
Not only that, they're trying to bring the "bad guys" down. Oh shit. clap clap clap. That's something no one expected to read. We fucking PLAYED THAT SHIT. Don't give us crap like that.
..and we're getting a story about his handler, Diana or whatever-the-fuck-her-name-is that who gives a shit?! We bought AGENT 47 - HITMAN to actually hello?> YES! TO READ ABOUT HITMAN. Not the woman who gives him his missions in the future and how she came to be, which was boring at best. Not even mediocre.
Do NOT read. Do NOT buy it. I regret all the issues I purchased. It's boring as fuck. You're better off reading fucking Archie comics.
Only thing I liked was the covers. And that's how they get you! So yeah! Congrats on making me pay for every single cover.
No wonder when I asked Dynamite on twitter if we're getting another series or a 2nd volume of Hitman I got no response whatsoever. They're ashamed of themselves. Gonna be a long time till I buy Dynamite comics again for sure.
Huge fan of the video game series. One of my all time favourite games getting treated like shit.
Artwork is meh... but artwork is not the problem here. The story is... so bad. So fucking terribly bad. This has bad 90s action b-movie script written all over it.
I know. You're a fan like me. Hell, I even pre-ordered the variants with the video game cover for all the issues, I bought issue #1 with 3 different covers. THat's how much I love the series.. but I should have known better, should have read at least the first 2. I was hoping it will get better. But no.
This is not Hitman, the character in it has nothing to do with Agent 47. They even went the "origin" route, like THAT'S what the fans wanna read... pff.. and we're getting a story about the most lone-wolf type of assassin running around doing nothing with HIS BROTHER.. one of the other clones. Fuck outta here.
Not only that, they're trying to bring the "bad guys" down. Oh shit. clap clap clap. That's something no one expected to read. We fucking PLAYED THAT SHIT. Don't give us crap like that.
..and we're getting a story about his handler, Diana or whatever-the-fuck-her-name-is that who gives a shit?! We bought AGENT 47 - HITMAN to actually hello?> YES! TO READ ABOUT HITMAN. Not the woman who gives him his missions in the future and how she came to be, which was boring at best. Not even mediocre.
Do NOT read. Do NOT buy it. I regret all the issues I purchased. It's boring as fuck. You're better off reading fucking Archie comics.
Only thing I liked was the covers. And that's how they get you! So yeah! Congrats on making me pay for every single cover.
No wonder when I asked Dynamite on twitter if we're getting another series or a 2nd volume of Hitman I got no response whatsoever. They're ashamed of themselves. Gonna be a long time till I buy Dynamite comics again for sure.
December 22, 2020
So I know a lot of reviews say the story is unoriginal and generally contains things people who played Hitman 1-2 (not to mention all the other previous games) already knew. For the most part, those reviews are correct. This comic isn’t trying to shed light on some new aspect of Agent 47’s life that we never about. If anything, it’s just trying to add a little bit more detail to it and I can appreciate that. Do I think it was super interesting? No, not really. Do I think it did anything exciting with the characters? Nope, not at all. From page one, it was obvious where the comic was going to go and there weren’t really any surprises along the way. It is one of those comics where after you read it, you will forget most of it in a week; it’s that mediocre. Also, the art style sometimes made it difficult to tell exactly what was happening at some points. There were a quite a number of times where I couldn’t tell who was supposed to be talking/having some sort of inner dialogue. Overall, I wouldn’t say it was bad, it just wasn’t good either.
July 3, 2020
I have to admit I approached this comic rather cautiously. I truly enjoy Hitman games but it is rather difficult to make comic about a professional hitman who during all of the games maybe uttered full 4 pages of text.
But I have to admit it thry truly managed to write the origin story for both 47 and his to-be handler Diana. We follow them from their teens to the time where their paths cross and they start to work for notorious ICA.
We follow them as they fight their inner daemons and tragedies and finally emerge as a cold-blooded assassin (47) and highly manipulative controller (Diana). They are both people that suffered a lot at hands of others and finally found freedom of sorts.
Art is good, sometimes proportions seem to be slightly off but in general art is very clear with both wide-shots and action scenes.
Recommended to fans of thriller and espionage stories.
But I have to admit it thry truly managed to write the origin story for both 47 and his to-be handler Diana. We follow them from their teens to the time where their paths cross and they start to work for notorious ICA.
We follow them as they fight their inner daemons and tragedies and finally emerge as a cold-blooded assassin (47) and highly manipulative controller (Diana). They are both people that suffered a lot at hands of others and finally found freedom of sorts.
Art is good, sometimes proportions seem to be slightly off but in general art is very clear with both wide-shots and action scenes.
Recommended to fans of thriller and espionage stories.
January 1, 2021
Long-time fan of the franchise. I was initially wary of this graphic novel, because it seemed to be retconning things, but the writers managed to do a fairly decent job tying the new HITMAN trilogy of games to the now-twenty-year-old original game, HITMAN: CODENAME 47. A clever way of setting things before the first game, and filling in bits of backstory where needed.
April 20, 2024
Fun read.
Always been a fan of the video games. It provided much fun for a long time. I liked this comic a lot. It was nice to revisit the Hitman universe again, since I no longer have time for games. Would love to see more of Agent 47 in the near future. Please make more!
Always been a fan of the video games. It provided much fun for a long time. I liked this comic a lot. It was nice to revisit the Hitman universe again, since I no longer have time for games. Would love to see more of Agent 47 in the near future. Please make more!
July 20, 2023
Enjoyable story
I enjoyed the story and thought the art work was nice too. If you're a fan of hitman it's a nice back story for 47.
I enjoyed the story and thought the art work was nice too. If you're a fan of hitman it's a nice back story for 47.
January 27, 2024
Agent 47: Birth of the Hitman does a good job fleshing out Hitman's origins, as well as those of handler Diana Burnwood, and tying in to the story of the World of Assassination game trilogy.
Hitman is not the most interesting character, in my opinion. He's a bland, emotionless blank slate for the most part. Fortunately, Birth of the Hitman shows us how he became this way and what he was like back when there was a little more going on in his head -- so you get a little bit deeper sense of the character, how he grew up, people he related to, things like that. These elements all work wonderfully with what is revealed in the World of Assassination trilogy and give me a deeper appreciation for the story of the series.
I've only played the latter half of the Hitman series (starting with Absolution) -- but my understanding is that this origin goes against what was established in some of the earlier games and books. Judging by other reviews, this is somewhat controversial. But rather than being a straight retcon, it also creates room for the old origin in a way that seems reasonably respectful. Since it ties in to the World of Assassination story it was always going to clash with the older games a bit anyway, so I think this is the best of both worlds -- a tie-in that acknowledges the past and allows it to exist, while embracing the present.
The other story in these six issues is focused on the origins of Diana Burnwood, Hitman's handler, and it's even more interesting. Diana's origin becomes more and more important throughout the World of Assassination trilogy and -- while you get a small sense of it from the games -- there's a lot of new content here bridging the gap between her childhood and joining forces with Hitman. I definitely have a greater appreciation for her as a result of this series.
Unfortunately, this otherwise-great series is marred by two significant visual issues (the difference between a 3 and 4-star review). First, Hitman and a friend he interacts with for much of his story look almost the same. It was very difficult for me to tell them apart, especially at a distance, which made for some confusing conversations where I didn't know who was saying or doing what. Second, some of the panels are incredibly dark and hard to make out. I get that it should be dark when things are happening at night, but there's a reason movies and TV shows and games often add some ambient light so the viewer can tell what's going on. An overall increase in brightness on some of the panels -- especially in Diana's story -- would have been very welcome.
Overall, Birth of the Hitman is far more interesting than I anticipated and does a better job getting me invested in the story than the games themselves. Visual issues aside, and if you can handle the reframing of Hitman's origin, I definitely recommend this series to Hitman fans looking for some backstory for the World of Assassination games.
Hitman is not the most interesting character, in my opinion. He's a bland, emotionless blank slate for the most part. Fortunately, Birth of the Hitman shows us how he became this way and what he was like back when there was a little more going on in his head -- so you get a little bit deeper sense of the character, how he grew up, people he related to, things like that. These elements all work wonderfully with what is revealed in the World of Assassination trilogy and give me a deeper appreciation for the story of the series.
I've only played the latter half of the Hitman series (starting with Absolution) -- but my understanding is that this origin goes against what was established in some of the earlier games and books. Judging by other reviews, this is somewhat controversial. But rather than being a straight retcon, it also creates room for the old origin in a way that seems reasonably respectful. Since it ties in to the World of Assassination story it was always going to clash with the older games a bit anyway, so I think this is the best of both worlds -- a tie-in that acknowledges the past and allows it to exist, while embracing the present.
The other story in these six issues is focused on the origins of Diana Burnwood, Hitman's handler, and it's even more interesting. Diana's origin becomes more and more important throughout the World of Assassination trilogy and -- while you get a small sense of it from the games -- there's a lot of new content here bridging the gap between her childhood and joining forces with Hitman. I definitely have a greater appreciation for her as a result of this series.
Unfortunately, this otherwise-great series is marred by two significant visual issues (the difference between a 3 and 4-star review). First, Hitman and a friend he interacts with for much of his story look almost the same. It was very difficult for me to tell them apart, especially at a distance, which made for some confusing conversations where I didn't know who was saying or doing what. Second, some of the panels are incredibly dark and hard to make out. I get that it should be dark when things are happening at night, but there's a reason movies and TV shows and games often add some ambient light so the viewer can tell what's going on. An overall increase in brightness on some of the panels -- especially in Diana's story -- would have been very welcome.
Overall, Birth of the Hitman is far more interesting than I anticipated and does a better job getting me invested in the story than the games themselves. Visual issues aside, and if you can handle the reframing of Hitman's origin, I definitely recommend this series to Hitman fans looking for some backstory for the World of Assassination games.
July 17, 2019
Diana Burnwood's family was killed by agents 6 and 47 when she was a young girl. She is looking into punishing Blue Seed who hired the assassins. She begins training under a mysterious woman named Savi. The two assassins have been trained by dr. Ort-Meyer's institute and treated like slaves for years. Now they want out.
And now, the rant. Agent 47 never had a companion in the games. He was always a loner, so this pairing up with Agent 6 doesn't make much sense. They barely work together as it is, so they don't feel half as deadly as the true 47 is in any of the games. One thing they got right is how easily 47 is manipulated into doing other people's bidding. 47 and 6 cause the Berlin wall to fall. Yeah, sure thing! The story is told so blandly it hurts. And 47 is raising a rabbit... A goddamn rabbit, for crying out loud! It's such a failed attempt at making him seem human for no reason... Surprise, writer! 47 is a machine designed for killing. Veterinarian is not one of his secret vocations.
Diana's story is also less fun than it's trying to be. It almost feels like she is a Hitman forty-something in training, though she is 14-years-old. She chickens out when faced with her first kill. Then she proceeds to narrate just how skilled she is at manipulating people. I didn't see it.
The title is misleading since the hitman is already born and trained. It's just that he lives in a parallel world to the games. There are the usual named characters present, but not the atmosphere of even the crappiest mission in the games. This comic is worse than the mediocre Image comics of the 90's. I should know, I read some of them and remember being a lot less bored.
Guess who isn't reading anything by Sebela ever again! The fail in Welcome Back should have tipped me off...
And now, the rant. Agent 47 never had a companion in the games. He was always a loner, so this pairing up with Agent 6 doesn't make much sense. They barely work together as it is, so they don't feel half as deadly as the true 47 is in any of the games. One thing they got right is how easily 47 is manipulated into doing other people's bidding. 47 and 6 cause the Berlin wall to fall. Yeah, sure thing! The story is told so blandly it hurts. And 47 is raising a rabbit... A goddamn rabbit, for crying out loud! It's such a failed attempt at making him seem human for no reason... Surprise, writer! 47 is a machine designed for killing. Veterinarian is not one of his secret vocations.
Diana's story is also less fun than it's trying to be. It almost feels like she is a Hitman forty-something in training, though she is 14-years-old. She chickens out when faced with her first kill. Then she proceeds to narrate just how skilled she is at manipulating people. I didn't see it.
The title is misleading since the hitman is already born and trained. It's just that he lives in a parallel world to the games. There are the usual named characters present, but not the atmosphere of even the crappiest mission in the games. This comic is worse than the mediocre Image comics of the 90's. I should know, I read some of them and remember being a lot less bored.
Guess who isn't reading anything by Sebela ever again! The fail in Welcome Back should have tipped me off...
February 1, 2023
What a great read! Agent 47: Birth of the Hitman is a prequel to the video game series ‘Hitman’, and eventually sets up for 47 joining the ICA. The story switches back and forth between 47’s story and his eventual handler, Diana Burnwood’s. It takes place over ten years from 1989-1999.
The story is really well done and both manages to pull together story elements that are introduced or mentioned in several of the games, but also expands on things that we hadn’t known before, like Diana’s backstory (there’s an interesting little connection between her and 47 all those years previously). My favorite parts were during 47’s, showing how all the assassinations he does are made to look like accidents, just like in the game.
The artwork is pretty good, it kept me engrossed in the story. I particularly loved the covers of each issue. The only real gripe I had with it was after Issue #1 the barcodes on the back of 47, 6, and the other subjects’ heads disappear, even though there are numerous panels where the back of the head is shown, which should have been noticed by editors.
I would definitely recommend this comic to any Hitman fan.
The story is really well done and both manages to pull together story elements that are introduced or mentioned in several of the games, but also expands on things that we hadn’t known before, like Diana’s backstory (there’s an interesting little connection between her and 47 all those years previously). My favorite parts were during 47’s, showing how all the assassinations he does are made to look like accidents, just like in the game.
The artwork is pretty good, it kept me engrossed in the story. I particularly loved the covers of each issue. The only real gripe I had with it was after Issue #1 the barcodes on the back of 47, 6, and the other subjects’ heads disappear, even though there are numerous panels where the back of the head is shown, which should have been noticed by editors.
I would definitely recommend this comic to any Hitman fan.
May 5, 2019
I just couldn't get into this. The purpose was supposed to be an origin of the Hitman, and while it did tell the story of his early years it didn't really come across as a definitive origin. It did tell some backstory on Agent 47 and his handler, but from what I understand much of it contradicted the storylines established in video game canon. It really was all most confusing than anything else. The art wasn't bad but wasn't that good either. I either missed the point of this entirely or it was just that lackluster.
August 29, 2019
I tried to like it, I really tried. Hitman is a franchise close to my heart. I grew up with Agent 47 and the Hitman games, but this, like the movies, is another example of writers focusing too much on action scenes than substance of story. The Hitman franchise has always been about subtly, not having everything explode in your face. The two Hitman novels are great examples of how these games should be represented in different media. Hopefully the new Netflix TV show from the creators of John Wick will give it the care and substance the franchise deserves.
January 28, 2021
The art is bad in this comic but at least it’s not as bad as the awful writing. That is the closest I can come to praising this ridiculous mess: an incoherent sloppily told origin story for a character that doesn’t need one, and the most boring 6 issues about a murderous Hitman having adventures all over the world I have ever read. Weirdly the actual games are much, much better written: I wish Michael Vogt had done the comics series.
December 29, 2019
As a huge fan of the Hitman series, this was really unsatisfying. The characters are constantly saying mantras, and somehow uninteresting.
Only if you are totally unfamiliar with the franchise would I, wait...nevermind. Just pass on this.
Only if you are totally unfamiliar with the franchise would I, wait...nevermind. Just pass on this.
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December 1, 2022Another one I didn’t finish reading after the first issue, and this is an origin story of agent 47 and Diana Burnwood, and to be honest I don’t care about their backstory. I like them as characters but it’s not something I’m heavily invested in so I dropped it after the first issue.
October 3, 2018
Destroys the existing lore set up in the previous games but a decent read.
February 27, 2019
This graphic novel was boring. Seemed like the characters were echoing the same thoughts over and over. It took me forever to read because I lost interest.
January 14, 2022
A well illustrated extension of Hitman lore, although feeling a little lost with pacing at times.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews