What do you think?
Rate this book
Heroes for Hire (2006) (Collected Editions) #1
Civil War: Heroes for Hire
As Civil War rages throughout the Marvel Universe, an unlikely group of heroes have gathered together to hunt down and capture criminals who refuse to sign the Registration Act. In response to the overwhelming number of masked fugitives on the loose, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing use their bail-bonds skills, underworld connections and government funding to lead an all-new Heroes for Hire into battle. Action, adventure, crime, beautiful women and Kung Fu chaos come together in this explosive new saga from writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, with art by Billy Tucci! Featuring Black Cat; Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu; Paladin; Misty Knight; Colleen Wing; and the all-new Tarantula. Collects Heroes for Hire #1-5.
120 pages, Paperback
First published April 25, 2007
49 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
About the author
Justin Gray
739 books80 followersJustin currently writes Novels, Graphic Novels, Video Games, Screenplays.
He has held various jobs including, fossil hunting, microphotography of 20 million year old insects and plants trapped in amber, seminars and exhibitions on the cleaning, mining and identification of prehistoric insects for the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian. He traveled to the mountains of the Dominican Republic and mined amber.
He has also worked as a victim advocate for Victims Assistance of Westchester, a not-for-profit organization that helps victims of crime.
He has held various jobs including, fossil hunting, microphotography of 20 million year old insects and plants trapped in amber, seminars and exhibitions on the cleaning, mining and identification of prehistoric insects for the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian. He traveled to the mountains of the Dominican Republic and mined amber.
He has also worked as a victim advocate for Victims Assistance of Westchester, a not-for-profit organization that helps victims of crime.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 11, 2023
This is a collection that ties in with the Marvel Comics event Civil War. In this one, Iron Man hires a collection of B status super heroes to basically bring in people who go against the Registration Act. This includes Captain America.
I am attempting to read all of the side collections that coincide with the main event. Unfortunately some of these side collections have not been very good and that includes this one. It started off strong. The collection of these heroes might not be the most well known (that has changed now because of the movies and the television shows). I liked how we get to see how the current state of affairs affect the lesser know characters and their feelings. I also liked the artwork although it did have flaws. It was typical artwork from this age with over the top images and super sexed powerful females. The collection knew this as it pointed it out a couple of different times. After a couple of issues I could not understand why this had a low rating. Then the story shifted and we left the events of the overall arc. Instead we have a vendetta story with a character from their past and I had no idea who she was or what the past entailed. This is where it lost me and now I understand the low ratings.
I believe this is my final collection of this event and I wish it ended on a high note. This collection was a tease. It started off like it belonged with the overall arc. Instead it was like a backdoor pilot you see on a television show. It is connected but very loosely. It is used to get people interested in it and hopefully it will stand on its own. For me it did not and that is why it is receiving a two star rating.
I am attempting to read all of the side collections that coincide with the main event. Unfortunately some of these side collections have not been very good and that includes this one. It started off strong. The collection of these heroes might not be the most well known (that has changed now because of the movies and the television shows). I liked how we get to see how the current state of affairs affect the lesser know characters and their feelings. I also liked the artwork although it did have flaws. It was typical artwork from this age with over the top images and super sexed powerful females. The collection knew this as it pointed it out a couple of different times. After a couple of issues I could not understand why this had a low rating. Then the story shifted and we left the events of the overall arc. Instead we have a vendetta story with a character from their past and I had no idea who she was or what the past entailed. This is where it lost me and now I understand the low ratings.
I believe this is my final collection of this event and I wish it ended on a high note. This collection was a tease. It started off like it belonged with the overall arc. Instead it was like a backdoor pilot you see on a television show. It is connected but very loosely. It is used to get people interested in it and hopefully it will stand on its own. For me it did not and that is why it is receiving a two star rating.
February 27, 2018
I dunno who thought a Heroes for Hire comic without Luke or Danny was a good idea. But even beyond that, it's just not very good.
The team is a combination of second-stringers and I-never-heard-of-them-ers. The worst is Orka, who seems to randomly appear and disappear, and who has no reason to be here. Or maybe the worst is Humbug, who is laughably horrible. Or maybe the worst is the rest of them, who get almost no characterization over five long issues (except in the couple of pages where assassination attempts are made on several of them).
The decision to start off with a Civil War crossover seems to have severely weakened the comic, because that means it spent three issues feeding the crossover rather than telling us who the people are. But the two issues that follow are almost worse, because they focus on revenge from ... someone I've never heard of.
A complete waste of the concept.
The team is a combination of second-stringers and I-never-heard-of-them-ers. The worst is Orka, who seems to randomly appear and disappear, and who has no reason to be here. Or maybe the worst is Humbug, who is laughably horrible. Or maybe the worst is the rest of them, who get almost no characterization over five long issues (except in the couple of pages where assassination attempts are made on several of them).
The decision to start off with a Civil War crossover seems to have severely weakened the comic, because that means it spent three issues feeding the crossover rather than telling us who the people are. But the two issues that follow are almost worse, because they focus on revenge from ... someone I've never heard of.
A complete waste of the concept.
February 7, 2018
Definitely not the greatest but certainly not the worst. I’d give this a pass if you’re not familiar with Misty Knight.
September 7, 2013
Heroes for Hire, Volume 1: Civil War
The Marvel Graphic Novel “Heroes for Hire, Volume 1: Civil War”, by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Billy Tucci and assorted inkers and support staff, is a great example of why I used to enjoy collecting comics – and also of why I broke away from the hobby.
This graphic novel fits into Marvel's “Civil War” story arc from around 7 years ago – in which the government required all super-powered entities to register. Some saw it their civic duty to comply, while others believed it to be a violation of their civil rights and declined. These rebels had to go into hiding to avoid the government crackdown, while their former friends and allies were tasked with tracking them down. In general, the legal/constitutional, moral, social, and ethical issues this arc brings to the forefront raises several echoes of both the proudest and worst moments of our history.
In addition, the Marvel hallmark of taking an existing part of the Marvel Universe and giving it a new spin, or looking at it from a different angle, is certainly in play in this book. My personal favorite was a new look at the alien Skrull biology – very inventive in my opinion. Then, take a look at actions and reactions when former allies meet. Friendly? Strained? Hostile? (The answer is “yes”, depending on the individuals.)
On the other hand, there are some aspects that made me wonder what the heck was going on. How DID this unusual group get together? I can see Colleen Wing & Misty Knight, of course – they've been in business together for a long time. BUT … the Black Cat? Paladin? Shang Chi? Some new incarnation of Tarantula. And, strangest of all Orka, the Atlantean formerly known as “The Human Killer Whale” - how in the does HE fit in here?
And fight scenes. Superhero comics have featured action and fight scenes since they began back in the late 30s. Which means it's awfully difficult to find a new way to present them – we're talking about over 75 years of history here! (Aside: Shang Chi began his career complaining about how adversaries used to talk too much in battle – when did HE become such a chatterbox while sparring?)
Overall, a good read – well illustrated. A very good example of storytelling. BUT not one that is going to stick with me for months to come, let alone years.
Rating: 3 ½ stars … rounded down to 3 since most apps don't take ½ stars.
The Marvel Graphic Novel “Heroes for Hire, Volume 1: Civil War”, by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Billy Tucci and assorted inkers and support staff, is a great example of why I used to enjoy collecting comics – and also of why I broke away from the hobby.
This graphic novel fits into Marvel's “Civil War” story arc from around 7 years ago – in which the government required all super-powered entities to register. Some saw it their civic duty to comply, while others believed it to be a violation of their civil rights and declined. These rebels had to go into hiding to avoid the government crackdown, while their former friends and allies were tasked with tracking them down. In general, the legal/constitutional, moral, social, and ethical issues this arc brings to the forefront raises several echoes of both the proudest and worst moments of our history.
In addition, the Marvel hallmark of taking an existing part of the Marvel Universe and giving it a new spin, or looking at it from a different angle, is certainly in play in this book. My personal favorite was a new look at the alien Skrull biology – very inventive in my opinion. Then, take a look at actions and reactions when former allies meet. Friendly? Strained? Hostile? (The answer is “yes”, depending on the individuals.)
On the other hand, there are some aspects that made me wonder what the heck was going on. How DID this unusual group get together? I can see Colleen Wing & Misty Knight, of course – they've been in business together for a long time. BUT … the Black Cat? Paladin? Shang Chi? Some new incarnation of Tarantula. And, strangest of all Orka, the Atlantean formerly known as “The Human Killer Whale” - how in the does HE fit in here?
And fight scenes. Superhero comics have featured action and fight scenes since they began back in the late 30s. Which means it's awfully difficult to find a new way to present them – we're talking about over 75 years of history here! (Aside: Shang Chi began his career complaining about how adversaries used to talk too much in battle – when did HE become such a chatterbox while sparring?)
Overall, a good read – well illustrated. A very good example of storytelling. BUT not one that is going to stick with me for months to come, let alone years.
Rating: 3 ½ stars … rounded down to 3 since most apps don't take ½ stars.
September 24, 2016
me gusto
September 27, 2024
This volume from 2007 collects the first 5 issues with a crossover with Marvel's big event at that time as a launchpad for this new series.
Civil War. The registration act. Iron Man is pro-reg & working with the federal government. Captain America leads those heroes protecting their right to total freedom and secret identities.
💥
Enter the new incarnation of H4H on Iron Man's payroll. Misty Knight & Colleen Wing, the martial artists & detective adventurers form a diverse team. Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. Black Cat, renowned thief (strange choice)! The revolting Humbug (he controls bugs🤮). Orka. A huge & strong Atlantean?(Part man, part whale or something 🤷🏻♂️). A new female Tarantula (completely unknown) and Paladin (boring mercenary).
⚡
First 3 issues tie in with Civil War and introduce the characters. Could have been a disaster but better than expected with guest appearances galore.
Misty is a kick-ass black woman with a bionic arm. She'll use her feminine curves to distract you so you don't see the fist coming. It's all part of her female empowerment & not gratuitous at all 😉. In some scenes the artist has added arrows on her chest to make sure the distraction works 😂.
💥
Issues 4 & 5 have a revenge story. Assassination attempts & the villain has a power-up. It's explained but would be more exciting if I'd heard of her.🤦🏻♂️
By this time the artist has decided the male characters don't matter & we get covers of the skin-tight costumed ladies.
There's a knowing wink as a villain says 'Well, look who's in my part of the crib. The overtly sexual, scantily-clad, adolescent-male fantasy team of Misty Knight and Colleen Wing.'
Damn, their super feminist distraction techniques are working so well. No one stands a chance 😂. Uh-oh the villain is female. Now there will be trouble 🙈.
Civil War. The registration act. Iron Man is pro-reg & working with the federal government. Captain America leads those heroes protecting their right to total freedom and secret identities.
💥
Enter the new incarnation of H4H on Iron Man's payroll. Misty Knight & Colleen Wing, the martial artists & detective adventurers form a diverse team. Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu. Black Cat, renowned thief (strange choice)! The revolting Humbug (he controls bugs🤮). Orka. A huge & strong Atlantean?(Part man, part whale or something 🤷🏻♂️). A new female Tarantula (completely unknown) and Paladin (boring mercenary).
⚡
First 3 issues tie in with Civil War and introduce the characters. Could have been a disaster but better than expected with guest appearances galore.
Misty is a kick-ass black woman with a bionic arm. She'll use her feminine curves to distract you so you don't see the fist coming. It's all part of her female empowerment & not gratuitous at all 😉. In some scenes the artist has added arrows on her chest to make sure the distraction works 😂.
💥
Issues 4 & 5 have a revenge story. Assassination attempts & the villain has a power-up. It's explained but would be more exciting if I'd heard of her.🤦🏻♂️
By this time the artist has decided the male characters don't matter & we get covers of the skin-tight costumed ladies.
There's a knowing wink as a villain says 'Well, look who's in my part of the crib. The overtly sexual, scantily-clad, adolescent-male fantasy team of Misty Knight and Colleen Wing.'
Damn, their super feminist distraction techniques are working so well. No one stands a chance 😂. Uh-oh the villain is female. Now there will be trouble 🙈.
October 24, 2020
I'm not sure what to make of this. It's a lot of characters I don't know. And no Iron Fist and only a little Like Cage.
CIVIL War also suffers from the problems of a lot of Marvel events where the principles spend a lot of time in side books that can't be reconciled with the main story.
It's definitely good enough on its own, but the only character with their own story is the Deathstrike character.
CIVIL War also suffers from the problems of a lot of Marvel events where the principles spend a lot of time in side books that can't be reconciled with the main story.
It's definitely good enough on its own, but the only character with their own story is the Deathstrike character.
December 24, 2020
Solid enough, but the only character to really shine is Shang-Chi (and how he ended up in the series is never fully explained). A reasonable off-shoot of Marvel’s now infamous Civil Wars saga told from the point of view of non-superhero crime fighters ( minus Orka The Killer Whale and other also-rans with powers ). I enjoyed it, and looking forward to finishing Volume 2 over the holiday break.
January 8, 2018
It's okay. I don't think this will run for long. But it's okay.
May 2, 2018
Fun civil war tie in
March 7, 2021
I quit reading after the first three Civil War tie-in issues. Just terrible, top to bottom.
January 21, 2022
Not for me, I guess. Feels like a vast departure from the main story in every sense of the word and I’ll leave it at that.
September 23, 2023
I found this hard to get into.
October 5, 2025
2,5 - 09.2025
November 5, 2010
For the Civil War series, it wasn't that bad, it was actually entertaining. And I was expecting it to be quite bad considering how disappointing the Civil War series is in general. If you're not familiar with what the Civil War is in the Marvel Universe, check out the Wikipedia page.
The book follows a group of "heroes" who have taken the side of the US Government but are not necessarily committed to their cause. The introduction of the group is well narrated, you get a sense of who each of the characters are early on even if you have never heard of most of them (which was in my case).
Probably going to check out volume 2 because this turned out pretty decent.
For those of you easily insulted by artwork that portrays women protagonists with an increased sense of sexuality, be warned.
The book follows a group of "heroes" who have taken the side of the US Government but are not necessarily committed to their cause. The introduction of the group is well narrated, you get a sense of who each of the characters are early on even if you have never heard of most of them (which was in my case).
Probably going to check out volume 2 because this turned out pretty decent.
For those of you easily insulted by artwork that portrays women protagonists with an increased sense of sexuality, be warned.
October 23, 2012
Set during the train wreck that was marvel's 'Civil War' story, the lady detective team of Misty Knight and Colleen Wing get a job as freelance operatives, picking up jobs for the new government agency that monitors and polices the super hero community.
Basically, they are bounty hunters for Tony Stark's little neo-fascist agency.
They recruit a rag tag team including a lady thief, a master of kung-fu, an ex-government killer and a guy that can talk to bugs.
Despite my hatred for 'Civil war', this series tells some good stories that mix questions morality, politics and straight out super hero adventure.
The writers make good use of obscure marvel characters and it's a pleasant change to have a hero team where guys are the minority.
Yes, the women are all babes in skin tight outfits, but they are all portrayed as being competent and in most cases smarter then the men they are dealing with.
Basically, they are bounty hunters for Tony Stark's little neo-fascist agency.
They recruit a rag tag team including a lady thief, a master of kung-fu, an ex-government killer and a guy that can talk to bugs.
Despite my hatred for 'Civil war', this series tells some good stories that mix questions morality, politics and straight out super hero adventure.
The writers make good use of obscure marvel characters and it's a pleasant change to have a hero team where guys are the minority.
Yes, the women are all babes in skin tight outfits, but they are all portrayed as being competent and in most cases smarter then the men they are dealing with.
September 11, 2007
In this iteration of Heroes for Hire, both Luke Cage and Iron Fist are out, and more obscure characters (Orka! Paladin! Hum Bug!) round out the superhero team that's out there to make some money. This time, they're working for the government/Iron Man, to round up villains. These first five issues don't do a great job setting up the team, and seem to mostly echo Civil War's main events (Iron Man facing off against Captain America, what happens to Bill Foster). Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are good writers, but they don't quite hit the fun 70s-action movie style they're going for.
And the cover to the book, and most of Bill Yucci's art, is so gratuitous that you don't want to display in public.
And the cover to the book, and most of Bill Yucci's art, is so gratuitous that you don't want to display in public.
April 18, 2016
The art is bad. The anatomy and poses are often so wrong that it goes beyond funny into insulting, and even the leading character’s faces change from one panel to the next. This would have been a hard to read and low rated book even if the story had been perfection… Something that it definitely is not. While it does contain some strong elements when it comes to showing how non-powered heroes are reacting to the Registration Act, the plot is a mess of elements that barely get to the point.
A villain in the book once makes a comment about Heroes For Hire being a “teenage boy’s masturbatory fantasy.” Unfortunately, the creators seem to have taken that as a guideline and forgotten the importance of art and writing.
A villain in the book once makes a comment about Heroes For Hire being a “teenage boy’s masturbatory fantasy.” Unfortunately, the creators seem to have taken that as a guideline and forgotten the importance of art and writing.
May 30, 2012
I didn't know who any of these characters were and I found their take on the Civil War and the Marvelverse in general refreshing. Although the frank discussion of race, class and gender is refreshing, the art is ... not so much. Every single character is standing en pointe on virtually every single page (including Iron Man, when he puts in an appearance). Apparently the artist uses Barbie dolls in place of more traditional artists' models.
March 23, 2015
I probably would have given this more stars because I like the characters and I thought the story was pretty good, but there were a few moments where a female character said something that I felt was borderline sexist, or at the very least not something a strong female character would say. I can't think of the specifics right now, maybe when I'm feeling less lazy I'll update this review with what specifically bothered me.
May 27, 2016
I don't like the idea of Heroes for Hire but they had a pretty cool storyline in this volume. I really didn't like the push for "Diversity" though, do I really want to hear about Misty being all ghetto on your ass? I don't think so.
September 8, 2008
I miss the days of Luke Cage and Iron Fist but this incarnation is cuter and it's good to see Black Cat and Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu still working in the Marvel Universe.
October 30, 2008
The main plot was kind of dumb, but there was enough of Misty, Colleen and Luke wise-cracking and snarking to make me happy, plus a bonus side of Captain America angst.
March 6, 2023
Great Marvel Readthrough, pt 60
Read
July 30, 2011A good to read comic book, but it's lacking excitement.
August 8, 2013
Nothing happens in a vacuum, and crossover events in comic books prove just that.
August 25, 2021
Great Story
I loved Heroes for Hire when it was Power Man and Iron Fist. This is another integration of this classic duo.
I loved Heroes for Hire when it was Power Man and Iron Fist. This is another integration of this classic duo.
November 7, 2014
It was an okay story as it didn't get my hocked,wanting the next volume,sadly
March 11, 2015
Mas o menos :/
April 12, 2015
Kinda meh really... very tenuous tie-in to Civil War
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews