Hitman Vol. 5: Who Dares Wins [Paperback]

Garth Ennis (Author), John McCrea (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001

When Tommy and Natt roll an 800-pound dead guyacross a burger joint for cover under the blazing guns of SAS agents out for vengeance, you know you're experiencing another hilariously and sometimes disgustingly weird collection of Garth Ennis and John McCrea's Hitman. Who Dares Wins, the compilation of issues 23 through 28 of the series, can be a bit hard to swallow at first. After all, the unflappable Monaghan just dealt with a ridiculously well-armed demon from hell (among other things) in Ace of Killers, so why's he so afraid of some crummy British commandos anyway? But the killer team of Ennis and McCrea still manage a credible drop in tempo here, heavy on the brogue and honor with a team of Her Majesty's finest out to collect on an old debt. Throw in Mafia don Men's Room Louie (also out to kill Monaghan--who isn't these days?), and you have another well-paced, bullet-to-the-head adventure. --Paul Hughes

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When Tommy and Natt roll an 800-pound dead guy across a burger joint for cover under the blazing guns of SAS agents out for vengeance, you know you're experiencing another hilariously and sometimes disgustingly weird collection of Garth Ennis and John McCrea's Hitman. Who Dares Wins, the compilation of issues 23 through 28 of the series, can be a bit hard to swallow at first. After all, the unflappable Monaghan just dealt with a ridiculously well-armed demon from hell (among other things) in Ace of Killers, so why's he so afraid of some crummy British commandos anyway? But the killer team of Ennis and McCrea still manage a credible drop in tempo here, heavy on the brogue and honor with a team of Her Majesty's finest out to collect on an old debt. Throw in Mafia don Men's Room Louie (also out to kill Monaghan--who isn't these days?), and you have another well-paced, bullet-to-the-head adventure. --Paul Hughes

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563897180
• ISBN-13: 978-1563897184
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 0.2 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,296,799 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHO DARES to read HITMAN...WINS!, February 8, 2006

By 

Marcel (M.L.) Walker (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hitman Vol. 5: Who Dares Wins (Paperback)

HITMAN was such an unusual book during the course of its 60-issue run (chiefly because writer Garth Ennis' creative pendulum could swing from gallows humor to mischeivous character banter to literally drop-dead mean action with the turn of a page) that it was easy to overlook the moments of serious drama. With the WHO DARES WINS story arc, Ennis and McCrea turn in a deftly delivered tale of retribution and humility.

One of the running themes of the series, and specifically this story arc, is how seemingly trivial events can lead to huge trevails despite our best efforts to put them behind us. "Forced atonement" seems about as apt a description for what befalls the protagonists thoughout the story as anything.

Prior to this tale, the main characters Tommy Monaghan and Natt the Hat had come through a series of episodes relatively unscathed. One of these episodes - which had previously been related in a somewhat comical flashback - now comes back to haunt them in the form of a group of frighteningly efficient SAS soldiers. Also, a local godfather decides to exact a similar revenge on our main character at the exact same time, with wave after wave of hired guns, finally pressing Monaghan and Natt to play both ends against the middle.

Ennis' sharp characterization shows Monaghan and Natt realizing these are threats they can't shrug off as they have so smugly with others, and there's nothing comical at all about the grim determination with which the SAS soldiers seek out our duo.

Ennis allows the reader to read minds like Tommy Monaghan by clearly presenting the points-of-view of every character, from minor player to major cast member. By doing so, the antagonists gain a humanity one often doesn't find in "comic books"; you know why each character sets upon their course of action, and you can't fully blame them.

HITMAN was also one of the few mainstream books I've ever read where there was a genuine danger for the main characters in almost every story. There was no guarantee of a return to the status quo (if one even existed) at any point, and the characters' mortality was always on the line.

McCrea's artwork was perfectly supple enough throughout this book's run to embrace the elastic nature of Ennis' writing. By turns brooding and naturalistic and exaggerated and comical, this was the arc where McCrea's artwork became noticeably darker, setting a somber stage for what was to come. And as bloody as some confrontations turn, McCrea keeps the artwork comparatively gore-free -- no small feat for these stories.

This story is a major departure from others which more clearly demonstrate the grounding HITMAN has in the DC Universe - there are no superpeople, monsters (of the supernatural kind anyway) or such to be found - which may be why it isn't as embraced as others. However, for those who prefer seeing Monaghan in a more believeable narrative, behaving in a surprisingly less-than-typical but still believeable fashion...you can't lose with WHO DARES WINS.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not as bad as it's made out to be., December 26, 2002

By 

"daredevilx61" (Land of Cheese, Rivers of Miller) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hitman Vol. 5: Who Dares Wins (Paperback)

All of this is but opinion, but this installment of the Hitman series is not worth ignoring. Garth Ennis' writing is great on an emotional level, if you just take it as it comes. It causes Tommy and Natt to examine themselves, which is interesting. It's also interesting to see the lengths the SAS guys go to to get their hands on Tommy and Natt. The ending is good in execution. Although you can easily see it coming, it doesn't matter. The intensity of it is great, if you think about it as a movie (Visualize, man!). The only reason I give this 4 stars is that it isn't as good as Ace of Killers (Which I feel is the best in the Hitman series.), and the Irish slang is a bit hard to get around at times. Quick commentary: It would seem that DC has ceased to print the further adventures of Hitman in TPB format. It's a pity that it had to be so early in the series. Hitman fans should get together and tell DC we want the rest, just like how they published all of Preacher.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story...but a bit confusing., May 22, 2001

By 

Michael L. Naugle "[e-mail]" (Streamwood, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hitman Vol. 5: Who Dares Wins (Paperback)

To be honest...I love Hitman. LOVE IT. I have gone so far as to purchase art from the series I love it that much. But this was the only story line I thought was just a little to convaluted. I was confused half the time reading this trying to figure out who is who, and what was going on. I have a feeling Garth was writing this from the heart because some of the language that the charecters use is hard to read (he uses alot of Irish Slang)...other than that...if you are a Fan...pick it up!