Review: Jack Kirby 100 – Manhunter Special

by Shean Mohammed
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[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Dan Didio, Keith Griffen, Sam Humphries

Artists: Nicholas Bradshaw

Summary

Big-game hunter and private detective Paul Kirk has marshaled his skills to fight crime as the masked vigilante known as Manhunter. But now crime has reached epidemic proportions that may push him to the limits—and draw the attention of the Golden Age heroes Sandman and Sandy! Plus: a short story featuring Etrigan the Demon by writer Sam Humphries and artist Klaus Janson and a Golden Age reprint.

Positives

Jack Kirby has created some of the most memorable characters the comics universe has ever laid their eyes on, as well as some of the most obscure. Manhunter, I feel, falls somewhere in between, as he is known by die hard Kirby fans but outside of that, most comics readers have never heard of this character. My first impression of the character is that he is an even darker figure than Batman. In “Manhunter and Bring Me a Dream”, he gets ambushed and fights his way out, while Sandman and his sidekick, Sandy, seem to be ready to stage an intervention to quell his methods, as they seem to put innocents at risk, which leads to a fight between the two and ultimately no victor, as both are equals.

In “Etrigan The Demon”, a demon attempts to escape a cathedral to which he has been cursed. In “The Face Behind The Mask”, a woman who has been alive for 300 years, struggles with her decision to reveal to the world how she really looks like. 

Negatives

Kirby is master, and the writers attached have made this an enjoyable read, as the only negative I can find is outdated dialogue and circumstances.

 

Verdict

Worth buying as the reader is transported to a character who has been underserved at DC and should see more in the light of day based on this issue alone.

 

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