King, Smallwood and Cowles are wearing their influences on their sleeves. They're harkening back to old noir movies, seamlessly adding little nods to these classics into a story that feels destined to become a classic, too. King's script is engrossing, Smallwood's art is hypnotically beautiful, and Cowles' lettering sets the pace perfectly. Read Full Review

Solving your own murder in the twelve days you have to live makes for a great comic. King and Smallwood's style stands out from the pack with a brooding, darkly humoured noir story perfect for DC Black Label. Read Full Review

This book is tense, effective, beautifully drawn and utterly unexpected, making it both a shock and a major success. Read Full Review

Smallwood brilliantly captures the noir quality of the story with art that is beautiful in its style and design. I love the classic feel to the panels and every page has some beautiful details to admire. Read Full Review

A fantastic, gorgeous noir inspired first issue of an exciting new miniseries. Read Full Review

Here is a great comic that can lure you outside of the superhero feats with a mystery. DC Comics will get a chance to showcase its detectives with Christopher Chance in this maxi-series by King and Smallwood. The art is stunning; not overtly gritty, but still very noir. It reminds you of a timeless world that has superheroes but isn't drowning in them. Read Full Review

The unpredictability of King's Black Label books is what makes them so compelling. Read Full Review

The Human Target #1 shows why the creation of DC's Black Label has not been quite the cluster that it sometimes seems to be. Seeing Christopher Chance having the opportunity to interact with characters as diverse as Lex Luthor and the Justice League International is definitely something to be excited about. This series has started with an excellent first issue. I can't wait to see where King and Smallwood take us in The Human Target #2 as they slowly pull the curtain on the mystery of what has happened to Christopher Chance. Read Full Review

The real story is the poisoning of Chance (playing Luther) earlier that morning. Was the poison meant for Luther? And, if so, who (of the villain's many, many enemies) wants him dead? That's the mystery he has only 12 days to solve before his death from a poison so exotic even the Justice League can't save him from. However, Dr. Mid-Nite does give him a lead on where the poison came from, a very interesting lead indeed. Read Full Review

It's a shame the characterization inHuman Target falls as flat as it does, because as its heart is a solid mystery, master craftsmanship, and some of the best, most stand-out unique art on the shelves today. It's not that it's entirely missable, but rather that it doesn't give readers a reason to care about Christopher Chance's ultimate fate. Read Full Review

The Human Target #1 kicks off a detective noir mystery that feels authentic to the 1950s in both writing and art, partly because it's almost a direct lift of a film from that time period. The narration has a hard, gumshoe edge, the dialog is snappy, and the book is visually engaging. Read Full Review

All in all, this comic feels more like Rorschach-esque King instead of Mister Miracle-esque King and that's not a good thing. Read Full Review

Really can't fault this for anything.

I start plenty of series and give them 1 2 or even 3 issues and see how it goes before dropping. But this? I'm in. This issue 1 was good enough to justify it.

This is gonna be a winner me thinks. At least this first issue is.

Damn, this was a fantastic read. Before I finished the third page I knew I was going to love this. I know this may seem like I was too quick to judgement, but have you ever gotten the feeling that something you’re reading is just right? That the moment your eyes catch the artwork you know there’s no way it’s going to turn out wrong? The Human Target is exactly that. I have been very critical of Tom King as a writer over the last few years because of his time on Batman. I think I’ve been unfairly critical as his Batman run is only one aspect of his writing career and what he’s capable of. His Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow has been a perfect comic, one of the most beautiful books I’ve had the pleasure of reading. It’s his Supergirl comic that made me realize I had unfairly written off Tom King. Well, it’s The Human Target that has cemented that realization. How could I forget the work he did on Vision, Mister Miracle, and The Omega Men?

Of course, the stunning artwork by Greg Smallwood is the other piece that makes this debut issue a must read. Smallwood’s pop art style and colors immediately provide a movie like experience. His colors bring life to the story. He gives Christopher Chance a convincing Noir Detective with 80s cool vibe. What I am most impressed by are the facial expressions and the emotions that Smallwood is able to convey through them.

So what is this issue all about? It’s about Christopher Chance trying to solve his own murder after being poisoned during a protection job he took from Lex Luthor. He has 12 days until the poison finally does the job that countless others have failed to do. Accepting his fate with the kind of resolve and cool that we would expect from Christopher Chance, he puts on his suit and tie to do one last job.

Lastly, I must say the interactions and dialogue between Chance and Luthor were the absolute highlight for me. Even though short, this is probably my favorite interpretation of Lex Luthor that I’ve read in years! more

Perfect.

I just loved this issue. Is King becoming again the great writter we all know he really is. And I loved Smallwood's art, some beautiful drawns - and the colors make all some special. It's very, very cool to see Dr. Midnight and JLI back, when DC is already ignoring those characters. I feel that King will honor them.

Amazing, really amazing first Issue.

Super intriguing premise, classic Tom King script, and outstanding art. Not sure what more you could ask for (unless you're one of those folks who just hates Tom King with every fiber of their being).

I for one am hooked and looking forward to this mystery unraveling slowly over the next 11 issues.

The Human Target, by Tom King and Greg Smallwood (DC)

I had been waiting to read this run as a collection but had to gobble them up after it received a 2022 Eisner nomination for “Best New Series”. Greg Smallwood’s artwork is absolutely amazing (so clean). It was a shame he wasn’t nominated as well. Tom Smith can be kind of “hit or miss” with me. I didn’t particularly care for his Batman stuff or Omega Men. Strange Adventures was OK. On the other hand, I’ll stand by Mister Miracle as one of the best projects I’ve ever read (definitely worthy of its nine Eisner nominations). So where does that leave The Human Target? It’s a deep, character-driven, slow burn that we’re only halfway through. The first six issues were excellently conceived and executed. I have high hopes they Smith and Smallwood stick the landing with the second half of this series. more

Given King's record I'm not getting my hopes up for 12 great issues, but we've got one at least. Smallwood's art is magnificent in a Darwyn Cooke way (which is exactly right for Human Target), King keeps the non-linear storytelling to an effective minimum, and his Chris Chance is an instantly compelling bastard. I know I'm only setting myself up for disappointment, but I'm unexpectedly excited about this comic.

A trully excelent start, fantastic writing and art

Wonderful narrative, pace and amazing art. Yes king can be predictable in some places but other points are fresh and unpredictable. Greg Smallwood deserves every cent he makes and needs even more because he combines many art types here and spins them with his own style to make it fit this story to the T.

For someone with no connection to this character, this was a wonderful start. Smallwood is one of my favourite artists and King showcases how good writer he can be.

Excellent #1 as usual from Tom King. The why? It presents the character, its personality, its objectives and its problems. He also get a classic King thrope of time induced drama, which worked extremely well for me here. The set is staged, the questions are asked, now wait as the mistery unfolds. Oh and Greg Smallwood? He nails every page, cause ya'know he's the man for this exciting murder mistery.

This was very good. I love Greg Smallwood's art, and this story is not just a repeat of the Tom King tropes, thankfully. It's something new.

Greg Smallwood really nails it.
And how does King come up with these scenarios. Tick tock.
We've got quite the mystery in our hands.

A very intriguing first issue.

I picked up the issue. I read the issue. I put down the issue. Smallwood kills, King is predictable.

If you don't like Tom King 12-issue stories, this probably won't be the one to change your mind. As someone who's a fan of King's work and his approach to storytelling, this has all the makings of another winner as we try to unravel a mystery that features the Lex Luthor and the JLI at the center. I'm a big fan of the DeMatteis/Giffen JLI run, which Smallwood and King are clearly harkening back to, so this is right up my alley. Smallwood's art absolutely shines and the vibrant, 60s pop deco colors made this one of the best looking books of the year.

I'm very intrigued for what comes out of this series. I got it for the Smallwood art but, it felt like a good read about a character I know nothing about. Will it be Heroes in Crisis or Vision, King that finishes this out.

Beautiful

Tom King appears at his best flourishing with mysteries driven by characters who haven't been used in a "title character(s)" position for decades. Omega Men, Mr Miracle, Strange Adventures & Rorshach (though I haven't read those two books,) are all examples of this. Even with superman & Batman, a lot of his work with them are all mystery thrillers with a combination of other genres like sci-fi or horror thrown into them...Superman Up In the Sky & Heroes in Crisis. Sheriff of Babylon is another good example but you get the point. This time around he takes another swing with THE HUMAN TARGET that is seeped in the hard-boiled detective, film noir, style/premise. Similar to your Maltese Falcon's, Chinatown, etc. The only difference is that our main character, Chris Chance, not only becomes our detective, but is also the subject/attempted murder victim of the story. Is this something new? no. But King & Greg Smallwood's art does enough leg work with this issue to get me invested. For instance, ur protagonist has all the traditional characteristics & traits of a hard-boiled detective from loving to drink, obsessed with his car, relatively old or at least in his late 40s? No signs of family or loves ones. Not even a love interest(s) but...this is where the story gets interesting for me. One page of this issue teases us into glimpses of the next 11 issues. We see what it will entailt but more importantly the characters he'll run into. From Ted Kord, martian manhunter, a supposed love interest, the murderer being revealed by day 11, & more. This isn't usually done with these type of stories because we're treated like the main character...we don't get much info. But King sets you up for the future & implants questions & ideas in your mind about where this can go. A rather solid first issue. I'll check out part 2.

Lastly, shoutout to Justice League International being mentioned & potentially popping up in this story. This lineup hasn't been used in decades. I wonder if one of them is the killer? I bet it was the one member that accidentally looks like Brie Larson lol. more

not a really big fan of Tom King, but this looks like to be an interesting murder mystery. Cant wait to see how it goes

Again, I have to reiterate what I said on the Dark Knights of Steel review: why are some people so defensive of the writers they like? And why does that ALWAYS, always happen just with the Two Toms: King and Taylor? Bendis is getting all types of awful reactions (and deservedly so!), people don't jump to his defense though I'm pretty sure Bendis also has a lot of fans from his better days. I don't jump to the defense of Hickman even though I think he's probably the best writer in the industry. But whenever someone dares to not like something King or Taylor, people are screeching like hell. My theory is twitter plays a big part on that, the way these two radicalize their fans there is insane.

Anyway, back to the issue at hand, I can say that I liked the art, though I think this type of story doesn't suit Smallwood very much, it's the same as with the Rorschach book and Fornes. I feel like this type of story isn't playing to Smallwood's best attributes. And I liked the story, too, up until that penultimate page. If there was ONE team that didn't deserve the classic Tom King treatment, it was Justice League International. At this point I'm starting to think King does this on purpose, he deliberately tries to stain all the bright spots of the DCU to turn it into the Depresoverse. I hope it's a false lead, though, and it turns out one of the JLI didn't try to kill Luthor.

So overall for a first issue it's good. Problem is, with King the first issue is good a lot of the times. It's what comes after that it's horrifying. I have no doubt it's going to happen here, too, but for now I liked this. more

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Mingthemerciless - Nov 2, 2021

Seems to be the new prog reaction here * I wanted to review this early because some people upset me".

Dave - Nov 2, 2021

There are those that defend Bendis all over the place North American Michael Bendis literary apologist are all over the place.

Merlyn - Nov 2, 2021

I haven't seen them here very much, Bendis is getting trashed here and there isn't this kind of visceral reaction I see from the Two Toms apologists, where they go out of their way to insult people who don't like their idols' writings. Why is the message "I don't like it and I want to say it" so difficult for these people to grasp?

Merlyn - Nov 2, 2021

Even when I rate their comics highly and I just have the audacity to add a bit of critique in my reviews, they always screech like maniacs. It's not happening with any other writer besides these two.

Mingthemerciless - Nov 3, 2021

Bendis has almost buried JL as he did Superman. I've tried reading his current output and it's almost painful to read. The dialogue the poor characterization the utterly forgettable villains. His sole purpose on JL seems to to push Naomi as a property and that's it. As much as I detest the writing of king Ridley Tynion and Taylor Bendis is almost unreadable.

Merlyn - Nov 3, 2021

Oh Bendis is unreadable, I'm not saying otherwise. I'm just saying that his fans aren't that rabid, at least not here. His run on Superman was awful, his Young Justice was awful, his Legion was terrible and he made me drop Justice League. His career at DC is a shipwreck.

Æther - Nov 22, 2021

The only comic Ive ever hated was Rob Liefields, Hawk and Dove from new 52, and it wasnt because of his art. Only trade paperback Ive ever ripped up, couldnt stand to keep it in my collection. This was when I first started reading comics, I hadnt even known he was famous in the 90s.

Æther - Nov 22, 2021

Even Bendis is a God compared to that idiot.

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Tom King is the only writer I will continue to give more chances for redemption. My opinion on his stuff is 10x more bipolar than Bendis or Taylor combined.

I liked it but didn't love it(yet). Both Tom King and Greg Smallwood craft a beautiful while intriguing introduction for a murder mystery comic.I'm a big JLI fan so that also gives it an anticipation point. I know plenty of people will hate it out of some kind of Tom King spite but for everyone else I'd recommend you pick up the first issue and decide from there.

I tried to read it, but gave up about half way through , the art is pretty, but the story is unreadable

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Batman Jones - Nov 3, 2021

To quote Bob Dylan, "I don't believe you--you're a liar."

Dave - Nov 28, 2021

I did try to read it

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