Manhunter, Vol. 5: Forgotten

Manhunter, Vol. 5: Forgotten by Marc Andreyko
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Manhunter defies Bones and heads south of the border to investigate a mysterious pharmaceutical company, meeting Blue Beetle and the Suicide Squad in the process. But has she bitten off more than she can chew?

Okay, this is the end of the Marc Andreyko Manhunter series. It's a shame too since it reads like it was just getting started.

First off, I just didn't enjoy this one as much. Kate left behind most of the supporting cast I've grown to know and love when she went down to Mexico. Granted, Blue Beetle, the Birds of Prey, and the Suicide Squad give Kate many opportunities to showcase her personality but it's just not the same.

The subplots involving Cammie, Dylan, and Mark Shaw were all okay but I would have liked to have seen how things turned out. Luckily, there's a Manhunter volume 6 collection the 8 page Manhunter backup stories published after the series ended.

The two-part Whatever Happened to the Manhunter story in the back of the book was actually more enjoyable than the main story for me. Ramsey gay? Kate shacking up with a man fifteen years younger than her? Obsidian mentoring a young group of legacy super heroes? Great stuff!


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Manhunter, Vol. 4: Unleashed

Manhunter, Vol. 4: Unleashed by Marc Andreyko
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As Dr. Psycho's trial ends, Kate gets a new case: Defending Wonder Woman for the murder of Maxwell Lord!

First off, Dr. Psycho got what was coming to him in spades and I was glad Kate did the dealing.

In the previous three volumes, Kate's involvement with the DC Universe has been pretty minimal. Not anymore! She meets the entire Holy Trinity of the DCU, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman! Her interactions with Superman and Batman go about as expected but I love the interactions between Kate and Wonder Woman, both in her civilian identity and as Manhunter.

Andreyko should be writing Wonder Woman now. Out of all the comics in my vast holdings, maybe five are issues of Wonder Woman. If Andreyko wrote WW, I'd buy them all. The way he portrays the Amazon is masterful. One of my favorite moments is Kate thinking "She's enchanted my son. Hell, even I get a little 'Ellen' around her."

The supporting cast continues to shine. I'm hoping the plot threads with Mark Shaw and the budding romance between Cameron and Dylan get a chance to bear fruit before the plug gets pulled on the series.

Marc Andreyko's run on Manhunter continues to meet and exceed my expectations. I'll be sad when I finish reading the series.

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Manhunter, Vol. 3: Origins

Manhunter, Vol. 3: Origins by Marc Andreyko
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kate Spencer gets a job with Mr. Bones of the DEO and one of her first clients is Dr. Psycho. Her son is kidnapped and her secretary begins dating Obsidian. Oh, and Kate's still trying to quit smoking...

While not quite as good as the previous two, this volume of Manhunter does a lot to develop Kate's supporting cast. We find out Kate's parentage, Dylan gets some, Mark Shaw starts training Kate, and Kate's ex-husband and his new wife are having a kid.

I love how Kate laments her D-List super villains. Andreyko does a great job of making Kate one of the more interesting characters in comics. Too bad it's hard to get the typical comic audience to plunk down their money on something other than two guys wearing spandex and punching each other.

The action is as good as always. I'm chomping at the bit for someone to settle Dr. Psycho's hash. The end of Kate's battle with her father is one of my favorites in recent comics.

There's a fair amount of comics nostalgia in this volume but not so much that I'd worry about new readers not getting it. Dr. Mid-nite, Phantom Lady, and the original Green Lantern make appearances. I love how the now 70-ish Phantom Lady talks about using her costume to distract bad guys in the 1940's. Great stuff.

Really, if you're not already aboard the Manhunter train, nothing I can say will change your mind. If you like well written comics and you don't read Andreyko's Manhunter run, you're missing out.

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Manhunter, Vol. 2: Trial by Fire

Manhunter, Vol. 2: Trial by Fire by Marc Andreyko
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Shadow Thief is on trial for the murder of Firestorm and it's up to Kate Spencer to make sure he's found guilty but some of his friends are on the way. Meanwhile, someone's murdering past Manhunters...

The second Manhunter volume is even better than the first. Kate learns more about her costume's capabilities, tries to quit smoking, and even works on her relationship with her ex. Also, there's a lot of great action. I can't say enough good things about the Kate Spencer character. She's tough and kind of a bitch sometimes and I'm quickly becoming attached to her. It's a shame she'll probably never make another appearance post-New 52.

I think the reason this book developed a cult following is much the same as Starman. Andreyko took a concept no one had done anything interesting with in years, Manhunter, and pretty much did what he wanted to with it while still showing respect for the past. Couple that with great writing and you have a winner on your hands. Too bad people ignored this book and Gotham Central in favor of the same old bullshit when it was being produced.

That's really about all I have to say. Anything else would spoil too many plot points. Like I always say with Starman, if you're looking for a super hero book that's about more than guys punching each other, give Manhunter a try.

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Manhunter, Vol. 1: Street Justice

Manhunter, Vol. 1: Street Justice by Marc Andreyko
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Prosecutor Kate Spencer gets fed up with super criminals and takes the law into her own hands as... The Manhunter!

I'd been hearing about this series for half a decade before I finally plunked down some coin and picked it up. Did it live up to the hype?

Sort of. Regular people taking the law into their own hands is nothing new in comics. What is new is Kate Spencer. She's not hot. She smokes. She's divorced with a young son. Her ex-husband is a douche. Intrigued yet? What if I told you Kate took some super powered goodies from the evidence locker, like a Darkstar uniform, to help her fight crime? Yeah, I was interested too...

In this volume, Kate goes about the ropes, learning to be a super hero, with Copperhead and Shadowthief as her primary villains. She does a good job too, all things considered.

Other than Kate's ass-kicking character, the things I liked most about this book were her interactions with the rest of the DC universe, namely Batman and the Justice League. Seeing her gay assistant hit on Hawkman was possibly my favorite non-violent part of the book.

After reading this, I can see how Manhunter became a cult hit in its initial run. It's not like the other comics on the rack, it's very well written, and has a lot of unconventional things going on, especially for a super hero comic. Four stars!

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