HitmanVol 1: A Rage In Arkham
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by John McCrea
1997
Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/
HitmanVol 2: 10,000 Bullets
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by John McCrea
1998
Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/
HitmanVol 3: Local Heroes
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by John McCrea
1999
Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/
HitmanVol 4: Ace of Killers
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by John McCrea
2000
Available now from Islington Libraries
You can reserve this item for free here:
http://www.library.islington.gov.uk/TalisPrism/
Garth Ennis doesn't normally dip his toes into the DC/Marvel Mainstream: even if his most devoted fans tend to be those who are still teenage boys at heart - Ennis himself kinda tends to shy away from brightly coloured men dressed in spandex focusing more on stories of camaraderie, big guns and anything to do with Clint Eastwood. Normally preferring to sit outside tossing stones in (yeah Preacher was published by DC but it under the Vertigo imprint which meant it sat outside it's long-running superhero continuity) when he does do even do superheroes (as most notably in The Boys) it's with a sneer affixed across his face and scowl written across his heart. Which brings us to Hitman.
First appearing in The Demon (a comic series starring a yellow-skinned rhyming monster that some of you may recognise from Swamp Thing) Hitman is known to his buddies as Tommy Monaghan (and as one character notes he kinda looks like an "Irish Terminator.") Blessed/cursed/whatever with some low-grade superpowers after an unfortunate run-in with a parasite demon alien vampire thing Tommy is one of the hardy few who decides not to use his powers to fight for truth and justice etc etc but rather to better himself in his chosen line of work: killing people for money. But: because this is all happening within the confines of the DC Universe (namely Gotham City) things aren't going to be that easy...
With loads of Ennis' trademark low down and dirty humour ("We the undersigned respectfully request that Superman get a proper haircut like he used to have.") and a sense of purpose that makes things - well if not quite realistic - at least grounded in small scale human feelings (mainly friendship related) even if they're fighting for space between demons from hell, freakish gangster types and a zombie octopus.
The art by John McCrea (who has done stuff with Ennis including the Preacher Special Tall in the Saddle and The Boys: Herogasm) is a bit messy and cheap-looking (sorry John): but it's bendy, fleshy nature suits the ever-so-slightly ramshackle plots.
With a novel approach to 1996's big cross-over event "The Final Night" - where just has Tommy holed up in his favourite bar drinking with his mates and always ready to pop the pomposity of any nearby big-shot - Hitman is as relaxed and careful as it's title character and always ready with a winning line or ingenious characters (Sixpack - take a bow). It's an early work - so it's not as ground-breaking (or as sweary) as Preacher - although there are plenty of places where you can see the early traces of Jesse Custer and Cassidy winning blend of bromance and Ennis' film fandom. All in all then: the ideal read for anyone wanting to get away from superheroes - but still looking for a healthy shot of tough tough boys: Bueno Excellente!
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Links: Alternate Cover Review of Vol 1, Page 45 Review of Vol 1, The Tearoom of Despair: Hitman Good.
Further reading: Preacher, The Boys, Gotham Central, Incognito, Hellblazer, The Punisher MAX, Swamp Thing.
Profile: Garth Ennis.
All comments welcome.
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