Christopher Chance, a.k.a. the Human Target, will be dead in a few days, but nothing will stop him from solving his own murder. His investigation into the JLI intensifies, and he sets his sights on the Martian Manhunter…but what piece does J’onn J’onzz add to the puzzle?
Yes, this is a fantastic comic book issue. But it's also a textbook example of how to communicate exposition in all the right ways. Read Full Review
The Human Target #5 is a unique issue of this series, but in a way that makes perfect sense within the terms of the story. A telepathic battle is rather tricky to convey properly in a visual medium, but Tom King and Greg Smallwood have pulled it off beautifully. If the rest of this series maintains the quality evident in the first few issues, The Human Target will surely prove to be another Tom King classic title. Read Full Review
Smallwood delivers some beautiful visuals throughout the issue. The style is so perfect for the detective style of the plot and the art serves those character moments beautifully. Read Full Review
It can be a little hard to tell just how this all dovetails into the rest of the story, but it all comes together nicely in the finish as we get a huge clue towards the identity of the culprit"except that we're less than halfway through the story. As always, it's challenging to even hazard a guess of where King is leading us. Read Full Review
What's obvious here is how quickly Chance and Ice have fallen for each other, as his few remaining days continue to slip away. However, that hasn't stopped him from pursuing one last mystery as the clues seem to be leading back to Ice's best-friend who may have used her feminine wiles on J'onn to help with her plan. Before the end we can see a reckoning for Chance and Ice adding another bittersweet layer to events. Read Full Review
The Human Target #5 is a solid issue that dives into the mind and origins of our main character to update them for the modern audience. While looking at the past, a scandal was introduced that might change your mind about the JLI and its connection to this case. Good setup for the fallout! Read Full Review
Tom King, Greg Smallwood and Clayton Cowles continue to tell and engrossing and thoroughly enjoyable story! However, it may be slightly difficult to follow on a first read, but after a second or third, all of the pieces will fit nicely together into a nice, fun and heartbreaking story. Read Full Review
How Chance can withstand a psychic assault is slowly revealed throughout the issue, with a convenient flashback. I enjoyed the jarring shifts in focus throughout the issue and how well the comic slowly reveals what's going on. The artwork remains gorgeous. Read Full Review
The Human Target #5 is a mixed bag of interesting training to defend against mind readers and salacious details about Martian Manhunter's sex life. Surprisingly, this issue makes considerable progress towards finding out the identity of Chance's killer but you may feel like you need to take a bath afterward. If nothing else, Smallwood's art is top-notch. Read Full Review
This issue could be the turning point in a bad way for whats been with one exception, a series that has been a pleasant surprise. If this is the direction going forward, my interest in staying on The Human Target will be waning. Read Full Review
Loved it.
Just fantastic. Bummed about the long delay at the halfway mark but in a way it reminds me of having to wait for a second season of a TV show I love to air.
I find this series so satisfying in so many ways.
Like masterworks Mister Miracle and The Vision before it, this series represents everything I want out of comics.
Another nearly perfect issue gets yet another 10. It will have you questioning yourself and in a state of confusion up until the very end. When you get there it all comes together beautifully. Smallwoods are plays both a narrative and visual role in this aspect of the story, in the best way.
This series has no right being as good as it is. This has continued to exceed my expectations even for Tom King.
Holy shit!
This is how you do it! This how you deliver exposition while progressing the story in a meaningful way. The way the issue unravels itself is brilliant. It might be a bit confusing at the start but by the end when you start to understand what is going on, it’s so satisfying. What a banger!
You have to read it twice, but maybe be the best issue so far.
Wow! I had to read this one over and over to get the full spectrum of what's happening and who's using who and how the future mimics the past so kudos to Tom King for that setup. Greg Smallwood's art and his coloring is beyond phenomenal! The guy is insanely locked in.
It's just so good, the artwork, the pace, the reveals.
I never thought I'd care about these characters in this way, it is fantastic.
This book has been great, but for some reason, people just don’t seem to realize it’s a Black Label book, which means this shit just isn’t in continuity. This has loose connections to JLI, but that’s it, and it’s not like you have to even read JLI to enjoy this. And no, King did not "ruin" Martian Manhunter this issue. Human Target is an-out-of continuity Noir detective story. Characters are going to be framed in certain roles when you do a story like this, and these roles are to get the story where it needs to be. Human Target is the Hard-Boiled Detective, Ice is the femme fatale, and Guy Gardner is the jealous ex-lover, etc.
Whether you are fine with these character reworks is 100% up to you, but it shouldn't make you more
This was a confusing one, but was a very intersting structure. I loved how we slowly came to understand that Chris is having his mind read and he's trying to simultaneously hold on to his thoughts and let J'onn's in. I didn't like how they portrayed J'onn and Fire, but it's Black Label so I won't harp on it. I also didn't quite understand the parts with the girl from Titan, but I appreciated the experimentation in this issue, even if I think it might be the "worst" issue so far.
I'm torn between criticizing the fact that King really only has one trick that he uses over and over again and acknowledging that the non-linear pileup is well used here and serves an actual narrative function for once. Given how strong this series has been so far, I suppose I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and go with the latter
Really solid entry. Cool idea of how to play out the issue. Love the art.
for me, while this series seems very interesting I think your mileage may vary given your feelings for Tom King. It's not bad, but I am less intrigued right now
This one didn't work for me. The reveal at the end doesn't make up for a read that isn't enjoyable in and of itself. There are some cases where a confusing narrative works like a puzzle, and you as the audience derives joy from figuring it out at the end, or maybe even before the end. This is not one of those cases. It felt repetitive and annoying. Literally the only reason the score is as high as it is, is because the first four issues are really good, and the reveal is interesting and may lead to a better issue six.
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