The Human Target: Volume 1

"Yesterday I was dead. Today I'm in trouble."

I had no idea who the Human Target was until my husband put this graphic novel into my hands at the bookstore and said “you should read this, you'll probably like it”. My husband knows I like artsy things, maybe not so out there as to be incomprehensible, but writers and artists out there who push the boundaries of what comics are. People who tell stories differently. He was correct, I loved this graphic novel.

Chance is Lex Luthor's bodyguard and body double. See, Chance is the Human Target, master of disguise and combat training. At a public function where Lex Luthor was supposed to give a speech, Chance took his place on stage. Sometime during the course of the speech (or even beforehand), Chance ingested a poison meant for Lex, and now suddenly he has 12 days to solve the case or he dies. Fortunately he's able to narrow down the suspect list from “everybody in the known world” to “members of the Justice League International” thanks to an extremely rare component isolated from the poison. With a drastically reduced suspect list, Chance starts making connections (and...“connections” winkwink) within the JLI to figure out motives and solve his own potential death before the clock runs out.

So this read very much like a James Bond mystery, set in the DC Universe. I'm all about that, make more of this please. The art was just fan-fucking-tastic, with all sorts of flourishes and embellishments that really gave it an incredible modern/vintage look. More of this also, please. It's also a DC Black Label series, and I guess that's contentious with some people here, but I had no problems with the incredibly gritty nature of this story (except maybe (story spoiler:) Martian Manhunter in bed.... I didn't know I didn't want that until I was presented with it, and now I can confidently say I don't want to see Martian Manhunter in bed). Chance is a bit of a drinker (understatement), there's some sexual situations (but nothing depicted), and there's a bit of violence, but I was overall satisfied with the feel of things. It was appropriate for the story being told and the period it was being told in, I guess I'd say.

I'm frothing at the mouth for volume two, which I guess comes out in July? Can't wait, I was delighted with this volume.

IloveitIoveIloveit! Got this whole swinging sixties detective story vibe (the art 😍, the narrative style!).  It contains a lot of super powered people but you're not seeing them in quite the same light as mainstream comics. The colour palette makes it hard to think of it as noir, but a slightly dimmer view of human/superhero behaviour is on offer. So glad my library has the second volume so I can keep reading, find out the mystery!