The NZA Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 This is one of DC's best-kept secrets. See, much like Marvel, DC'd run big, silly crossovers in the 90's that'd promise eternal reprucussions for thier entire franchise, and inevitably, itd be forgotten, 'till its 10-year anniversary. Were it not for Garth Ennis, "Bloddlines" would easily have been one of them, as it was an event meant to bring in new characters, new poers etc from, well, aliens. On his run on the book Demon, Ennis knew the end was coming for the title, and simply had a lotta fun - his final arc on the book saw a Patton-like war in hell, but quite comedic (granted, i dont believe i finished reading it). However, in the 2nd annual, he introduced & cameo'd his new charcter: Tommy Monaghan, a low-rate irish-american assasin, who gets bitten by an alien or something ridiculous and gets x-ray vision and low-level telepathy. Its an overused origin and powers and with any writer this character wouldve been left into obscurity or used as cannon fodder against some cosmic villian cause you cant fucking have him kill Batman or something. But Ennis has big plans for him, and along with Preacher, had his own series, with John McCrea on board for the pencils. Difference was, this book was mainstream DC, and thusly, was forced to go along with the current crossovers the editors forced on him as well, to keep continiuty or sales or whatever. Again, Ennis proved constantly with this book that you can make something really amazing out of absolute shit. Tommy, unlike, say, Jesse (Preacher), is not really a good guy. For one, he's a hired gun, and with his new powers, he becomes the assasin of superheroes and villians, as his block in Gotham has become plagued by them. Raised by Sean Noonan after being orphaned, he follows in Sean's footsteps, and much of the story revolves around him, Sean (the owner of Noonan's sleazy bar, the backdrop for the story), and Tommy's best friends, a collection of other hitman and pals. Tommy uses his new powers for everything from cheating at poekr to seeing girls naked. There are times he tries to be something better, but he's not - his only saving grace, sometimes, is the loyalty he feels for said friends. That's what this book is really about. Reviews went on about the comedy - and it was there, like when Sea World got zombified and there were zombie penguins and sharks about, or that time with the dinosauras - but to me, this was the best buddy story since Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. Tommy's old war buddy, Nat the Hat shows up early on, and the bond they develop reminisces Jesse & Cassidy, without all the drama. What's awesome is the off-pacing of this book. The first arc, 10,000 bullets, seems like your typical action/hitman story, with Ennis doing his parodies of superheroes every chance he gets, but then you get a tragic, touching death at the end, and start to see more of who Tommy is. The book has more fun with DC's finest with arcs like Local Heroes (proving that the Green Lantern doesnt carry money, that bum) and then youre in a more serious arc about the british S.A.S or something, then back to zombie penguins & the like, and before you know it, Tommy & Nat are facing down the CIA with nothing but their bar and a handful of weapons, and the book goes down roads that leave you misty, and you didnt even see it coming. Mcrea's pencils are the best theyve been at points in this book, which is almost a shame because the coloring is sometimes decent, sometimes horrible...despite an Eisner for a solo issue with Tommy talking to Superman about the american dream - an amzing story for anyone, especially Superman fans - DC never recognized this book for its greatness, and to this day, tragically, only half of its 60-issue run is collected in trade paperback. I'm one of those fanboys who've written to DC about this, and still havent heard back. But i cant stress to you, the shit that was coming out at that time, dime-a-dozen superhero shit, and this book showed up outta nowhere, and i actually picked it up before Preacher, and i never got over how much heart it had. I'm just glad Ennis was allowed to finish the tale. Even the side-stories are fun: DC's 1,000,000 event forced itself here, and there was fun to be had, but nowhere near on the level of Hitman vs Lobo, which saw my most hated anti-hero at the hands of Bueno Excellente, and...heh. But all of this, for me, sits below "Coffin full of Dollars", the one-shot where Ennis tells a sphaghetti western with these characters, and a great one at that. Fans of good writing/movies would do well to check it out, Z-Cult has the whole series scanned right here, and personally, if DC doesnt want to recollect and profit from it, i say read it guilt-free. Those of you who've read it: props. Here's some stuff you might enjoy: Piggy took a great scan of one of my favorite moments...the wedding from # 50 Stimpy (old member here & Preacher's, cant find Ben these days) made this a longtime back, fun trailer-type pic: Finally, here's my favorite wallpaper from the series. Enjoy. ps More info here. 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MusicManiac Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 (edited) This series looks cool. Guaranteed it will be a movie in a few years. I might jump on these books. Edited April 7, 2006 by MusicManiac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted April 7, 2006 Author Share Posted April 7, 2006 People dont mention it much in that venue, but i think it could be a really fun movie, and done on the cheap, if you had some cool direction like, say, The Professional. But the thing is, again, i saw it as a buddy comedy/drama with some western elements, and itd be hyped as a superhero spoof, which'd be sellng it short. Though the rumors of a Jack Black Green Lantern'd work better here, i imagine. If youve ever read scans, give that link a try. Again, sometimes its just gonna be fucking silly, but still a fun book, and if you stick with it, itll have some powerful moments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 Ennis' best work, that's right you heard me you Preacher whores. Don't get me wrong, Preacher was excellent, an incredibly awesome comic and I smile a little bit every time I think of it, but Preacher's message and meaning was right out in the open, what I really found good about Hitman was that it looked shallow but was surprisingly deep. That was why John McCrea's artwork is perfect for this because it looks cartoony yet realistic, Hitman poked fun at every stupid fucking trend DC threw out: Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, #1,000,000, Parallax, and let's not forget Lobo. But it had a cast of characters that could indeed rival Preacher's. Tommy was a class guy he was no Jesse Custer but he was definately one of the finest characters DC has ever had, one could not ask for a more loyal sidekick than Natt the Hat, Deborah Tiegal was not anywhere near Tulip O'Hare status but she was an incredibly hot and well thought out heroine tough and still weak in her own right, the cameos were all well done and with the exception of Green Lantern and Lobo, taken seriously. I once read a review on the internet that said Hitman was to Preacher what Tolkien's Hobbit was to Lord of the Rings, anyone who feels that way isn't looking deep enough into this comic to see what lies beneath, Garth knew what he was doing when he made this and I stand by my claim that this is his best series of all. This would translate to film in theory but it would hard to put in the balls-to-the-wall action and campy humor. Cause if there ain't no Baytor and Section 8 then it's just not Hitman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganny McVagflaps Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 Nah, seriously? Hitman had it's moments, but it was no Preacher. Fuck that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IguanaDon? Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 "My name's Tommy Monaghan, and I kill people for money. It's a living. " It is quite the opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganny McVagflaps Posted April 30, 2007 Share Posted April 30, 2007 So says Rich Johnson... I hear word that there is a brand new Hitman mini-series, naturally written by Garth Ennis and drawn by John McCrea, currently in production. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted April 30, 2007 Share Posted April 30, 2007 I think I just came. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 ... Better than Preacher? No fucking chance girly. If you think you have a leg to stand we'll take this to culture, but nah. No chance at. All. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganny McVagflaps Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 Yeah, these fucking Knollians don't know dick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 Oh, they know dick, just not pubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 ... Better than Preacher? No fucking chance girly. If you think you have a leg to stand we'll take this to culture, but nah. No chance at. All. I know Australia is in a different time zone but you're a few months late on this. And I stand by what I say, I will not falter not even at jokes you made a year ago and are now repeating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 I'm not making jokes. Maybe the dick & pubes one, but who hasn't made that?! Off to Culture we go then!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iambaytor Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 We're starting that again? I've got to go toe-to-toe with someone who pulls his jokes out of the bargain bin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganny McVagflaps Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 The internets is going Hitman crazy. I'm surprised there's been no celebration. Now, let's just hope this mini sells so we can finally get all the trades. Garth @ Newsarama Also, whatever about The Boys fiasco looking at DC Nation in the back of ASB&R (and I'm presuming all that week's/month's (?)) books there's a whole lotta Ennis going on. I smell an exclusive contract on the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted May 21, 2007 Author Share Posted May 21, 2007 Now, let's just hope this mini sells so we can finally get all the trades. I dont know why i didnt think of that...now, DC should see the interest in the character. Ill have to go check Newsarama and see when this mini is scheduled for, ive been reading The Boys should be going agani hopefully in june or so? im also guessing this mini and any potential others happen befoer "closing time"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganny McVagflaps Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Yeah, the interview explains all. Also Ennis says that there's a female character from Hitman that features prominantly in Punisher. I gotta go back over my trades. Dirty Ennis and his secret crossover... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted May 21, 2007 Author Share Posted May 21, 2007 oh shit! i wonder if its the redhead CIA chick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganny McVagflaps Posted May 21, 2007 Share Posted May 21, 2007 Shit. I wish it wasn't so late and I could dig around in the attic for my trades to check it out. I needs mah own pad again - stat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted May 21, 2007 Author Share Posted May 21, 2007 If its her, she showed up in the last arc before this one, "Man of Iron" which was great, thought not as good as "Mother Russia", its prequel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ganny McVagflaps Posted May 22, 2007 Share Posted May 22, 2007 Barracuda has been my favorite so far. I really wanna read the mini about him. Also this new skin is nice. Like Nivea on the balls after a riggerous shave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted May 23, 2007 Author Share Posted May 23, 2007 Baraccuda's been that kind of silly/violent fun you mighta dug from the last, non-max volume of Punisher. And thank you sir, i searched far and wide and was quite pleased with the look i brought back here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint5 stimpy Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 I dont know if anybody even saw this. Hitman and the JLA I will be picking it up next week has anybody got it yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted October 7, 2007 Author Share Posted October 7, 2007 Just spotted #'s 1-2 this week...how the hell did they make it out?! im all over this tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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