Manhunter Vol. 1: Street Justice (DC Comics) [Paperback]

Marc Andreyko (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401207286
• ISBN-13: 978-1401207281
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 0.3 x 10.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #316,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Original And Good Take On The 'Violent Vigilante Superhero' Style Of Book, June 27, 2006

By 

Stephen B. O'Blenis (Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Manhunter Vol. 1: Street Justice (DC Comics) (Paperback)

Kate Spencer is a California prosecutor who, after losing another case against a killer metahuman, takes it upon herself to beginning meting out her own brand of lethal street justice. Arming and outfitting herself with various paraphenelia from the evidence store rooms (obtained from various villains) she takes on the identity of Manhunter (a popular moniker for DC characters, as someone in the book points out) and begins her vigilante career. That's "Manhunter" on the surface, sounding like an attempt to give the DC Universe its own Punisher-type character, or even like an attempt to amp up the aggressiveness-level of DC's own Green Arrow from his 80s/early 90s modus operandi. But rather than try to just copy the success of Punisher or Green Arrow, or other violent, on-the-edge, vigilante characters, there's some different factors at play here to give the "Manhunter" title its own identity.

There's considerable doubt about Kate's motivations. A hostile, cynical person to begin with, it's quite effective the way that, after her first kill, she's not only surprised by her total lack of remorse and by the strange satisfaction she feels, but the way she goes about things next. We see her going through the justice department (not to be confused with the Justice League) files looking for potential next targets, in an almost leisurely browse. One is left with the feeling that it's possible that she may not be entirely driven by a need for revenge and defending the innocent, but may be starting already to edge toward the path of using revenge and justice as her excuse, with killing itself being the real motivation.

Equally plausible is another scenario: Kate is socially dysfunctional, has a tenuous-at-best rellationship with her young son, an openly warring one with her ex-husband and is not the most personable or friendly towards much of anyone. There's a possibility that her whole career as a prosecutor has been an attempt to - what's the best way to phrase this? - to be a part of a society that she wants to be more integrated with, and to contribute, partly as a substitute for what she feels are lackings in her outward life. In this scenario, we have an outwardly hostile, mean-hearted character who's very different on the inside. And now that she has the mask and the identity, she's going much further than she ever has before. In this scenario, she's driven by noble motivations, but doesn't seem to realize how she's already dangerously close to losing control. She even seems to be developing a strange fixation on her first kill.

Those are two very different takes, but the opening issues of the "Manhunter" series are raising a lot of questions. There's the usual, subjective question of 'are her methods justified?' because it's clear from Issue 1 that Kate's not just setting out to take these characters down and sometimes being left with no choice but to kill - killing is the objective, and apparantly not just against certain extreme cases but as a general modus operandi in her new crimefighting career. We're left wondering just how far she's going to go in this, we're left wondering about her true motivation, we're left wondering if the path she's taken is going to take her a Lot further than she actually wants to go, we're left wondering a lot. And that's good. There are a lot of different ways they can go with this. Another aspect of the whole 'split possibilities' thing is that the new Manhunter finds herself - to her own surprise - dreaming about being accepted into the DCU's hero community, and at the same time increasingly afraid that they're going to be hunting her down because of her very bloody methods.

Kate Spencer isn't as immediately likable as DCU heroines as Zatanna or Wonder Woman, but she is interesting, and starts growing on one before too long. The thing is, whether she emerges as a champion or journeys all the way not just to, but crosses, the line between good and bad, it's going to be a very interesting ride, and leave us with a good addition to the DCU's cast of characters.

This collection reprints Numbers 1 - 5 of the Manhunter series, with No. 5 tying into DC's grand "Identity Crisis" crossover.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic read cover to cover..., November 17, 2005

By 

Alex Violette (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Manhunter Vol. 1: Street Justice (DC Comics) (Paperback)

I got into this series a while ago largely because the writer had implored people to give his book a shot, and I am so glad I did. Manhunter is a smart witty book that has a real woman as its lead.

She isn't a pin up girl fighting in a thong, she is a hero who is every bit as tough and as hard as the men of the DC universe. In this trade we see her take up the cause of justice, and fight the good fight in a way that few heroes have

This is one of the most human characters I have read in a long time, Kate Spencer isn't a flawless supermodel she is someone who isnt the perfect mother, is trying to quit smoking, and is dealing with a very tough job.

Reading this book delves into the feelings that I think we all feel when the justice system fails, Kate Spencer becomes manhunter because the world as much as it needs the pure superheroes as ideals, it needs someone who can deal with the hard reality that when a super villain kills and isn't punished by our system of justice someone has to step in, and fight the fight that the others cant.

It's important to note though She isn't Punisher, she isn't about the body count, or killing for the sake of killing, what she is, is a fighter who is walking a dangerous line. She is someone who wants to give justice a chance but is there when it fails.

Ever wonder why Batman just doesn't kill the Joker after all the horrible stuff he has done? After all the prison escapes why he doesn't simply throw him off a building?

If you have ever thought along those lines, and want ot read a great story with solid art about a very human character, manhunter is the book for you.


Also I would like to note that if you already have theses issues 1-5 it is still worth picking up. First off the experience is really enhanced by reading this straight through without the ads. And secondly, Marc Andreyko's introduction is really smart and fun, it adds a lot because it sets the mood for the story that follows.

I am giving a copy of this trade and issue 15 away as a gift for the holidays and I would encourage others to do likewise, this is a great stocking stuffer if you have a friend or family member who would like is into comics or who you would like to get into comics. Its the DCU with the grandure of its history without being so into that history that it is confusing. A great primer for an outsider or someone looking for something mainstream but different enough where it matters.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Collection Greater than the Sum of its Parts, November 12, 2005

By 

Jack E. Holt, III (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Manhunter Vol. 1: Street Justice (DC Comics) (Paperback)

Well, this collection proves why some books NEED to be collected.

As a comics fan, I suffer from having too many good titles to choose from. I admit that I passed up the individual issues of Manhunter as each one came out. No single issue seemed to grab my attention enough to have me pull out my billfold and buy it.

What's worse, the title "Manhunter" has been used before for two of DC Comics most innovative and affecting series-- one with the team of Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson and the other written by John Ostrander with Kim Yale. Tough competition.

So I missed out when the issues collected here came out. My mistake.

The first five issues set out to introduce a new Manhunter and succeed. The new Manhunter is not a super-hero or adventurer primarily, but a "real" person who inhabits a world somewhat like the real one -- except for all those pesky super-heroes and super-villains. When she takes up the mantle of an older DC hero, there's a certain regret built into the familiarity of the "origin story".

Overall, this was a nice introduction to a more subtle type of comic character. If a character who busts people over the head with sticks can be called subtle.

Art-wise, the work is strong enough to tell the tale. There are those who think of art-teams as super-stars. This is not the point of the professional, effective job in this Trade Paperback. The art in Manhunter isn't designed to shock. It's designed to tell the story. . . and it does.

This is a very inexpensive way to try out a new/old comics concept.