THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF D.C.’S “MANHUNTER!:” MANHUNTER VOLUME 1 #8-24 (1988)

flash meets manhunter

These issues include a tie-in to DC’s Invasion event, and Flash is the guest star, but he spends most of the story unconscious.  He’s pretty useless throughout it, as a matter of fact.

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Then, the book starts to get schizophrenic.  It had trouble finding its center from the beginning: Is Manhunter a bounty hunter?  A hero?  And is a ninja, or an all-around action guy?  Then with this arc, he becomes more like Iron Man.  This isn’t a bad comic per se, it’s just not a great one.

The series ends with really pretentious credits, calling the artist a “cinematographer” and giving the letterer “titles and opticals” credits.  Hmm.  And then the final issue pays tribute to one of the greatest Spider-Man illustrations of all time. The Mark Shaw character retired as Manhunter, but later went on to join DC’s “Shadow Fighters.”  His future in mediocre comics would live on. And then, much later, he’d reappear in Manhunter Volume 3, but we’ll get to that.  Because that’s when Manhunter got good.  No, not good.  Great. 

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