The Human Target – DC Comics – Series Review

I’m going to start this review with a confession. I’m not a huge fan of DC Comics and I’ve actually read way less of their publications than Marvel, Image, or Dark Horse. There really isn’t a reason why I never gravitated towards DC, especially their superhero books, but it obviously didn’t happen. With that said, when I hear something is good, I’ll certainly check it out, especially when it is a one-off story like The Human Target is.

The Human Target is a Black Label book which means it isn’t tied to the main continuity of DC’s superhero titles. Its also written by Tom King who I think has a bit of a mixed reputation amongst comic book fans. Not unlike Alan Moore, he comes to comics with a background in writing novels and literature. Of course, Moore proved this can work very well but there are some drawbacks to it. In my experience, King’s books can have great ideas in them but they can also be a bit tedious to read. Its not uncommon for a Tom King book to be wordier than your typical comic book. Not quite as bad as Alan Moore but still wordier than much of what is out there. The other thing that Tom King does is that he isn’t afraid to tweak characters to fit the stories he wants to tell. He also likes to write about very flawed people which I think goes against what some superhero fans want. Obviously, if you like continuity and want writers to follow it, this probably won’t ingratiate him to you.

Having said that, The Human Target came out in 2021 and 2022 to wide acclaim. It has over 4 stars on Goodreads which is generally a sign of something pretty good. Across the twelve issues, the main character Christopher Chance, a.k.a. The Human Target, is poisoned and has twelve days to live. Essentially each issue is a day in his life. While he could mope or live large and enjoy his last days, he instead tries to figure out who poisoned him and why. This is the main mystery of the book and for me anyway, that’s what kept me reading until the end.

The Human Target mixes your typical investigation tropes with an “on the road” story. He isn’t actually on the road but he bumps into a lot of DC superheroes during the investigation. I only have a passing knowledge of these characters and some of them I know nothing about. So I can’t talk about how the characters are portrayed or speculate how DC fans might feel about this story, what I can say is that twelves issues is quite a lot and essentially The Human Target does a lot of talking, a fair bit of fornication (most of it is barely depicted so this book is not particularly salacious), and a small amount of fighting. That probably isn’t the right mix for your typical superhero fan and I have to admit that like every Tom King book I’ve read, The Human Target has its ups and downs. At times it felt like the series could have been fewer issues and that some characters are more impactful to the story than others.

However, what kept me reading is Tom King’s good ideas. For example, Christopher Chance’s origin story is somewhat familiar but excellent, especially in light of his imminent mortality. As any good origin story should, you will like the character more after seeing his past. The overall mystery of who poisoned The Human Target is also good enough to see you through until the end which is important considering the lack of action.

The art is excellent as well and let’s be frank, you need some great art if its mostly people talking. I’ve seen some artists who are great at breathing life into historical settings. Wilfredo Torres is probably the best example. He draws the past extremely well and stylishly. This book interestingly mixes the present day with retro looks and coloring. For example, the car Chance drives is clearly from the 1960’s but at other times, you see modern cars on the road and a strip mall in the picture above. Along similar lines, the characters are incredibly hip and stylish looking but in a retro way. The bold coloring also helps bring the world to life nicely as well.

Since the Human Target is essentially a mystery/thriller, the ending needs to be discussed in some detail. I want to be careful here not to spoil anything for anybody so I’ll talk as vaguely as possible. The ending does a great job of tying up the loose ends and the book is an interesting character study without a doubt. However, what actually happens is a bit too predictable. The reason I say this is that the book does at times make you think it could become a noir story but in my opinion, it doesn’t quite ever work that way. You never get that feeling in your stomach when you realize the protagonist is screwed. I think part of it is because you know from the beginning that he’s poisoned and its extremely likely that he’s going to die. Having said this, I still think the ending goes in a direction that is somewhat predictable for a noir yarn to the point of leaning into noir cliche. That was a minor disappointment to me and kept the ending from being as great as it might have been.

Like everything Tom King I’ve read, I feel like he does good work and will make you think or feel something. I still haven’t read a book by him that I loved or made me feel strong emotions, but I do respect what he does. Tom King is definitely a little different than any other contemporary writers and I think we’re better for it. The Human Target is one of his better books, right up there with Vision in my eyes. If you don’t mind a fair bit of dialogue and want to read something with a bit of suspense to it, this certainly will scratch that itch.