Graphic Novel: Human Target, By: Peter Milligan (writer), Javier Pulido (Art)

Title: Human Target (vol.2 Issue #4-5)
Year Published: 2003
Length: 23 frames each
Setting: New York
Format(s): Digital
Series? Yes, two-part story
Book Source: Bought

Human Target is a great series. It was once a TV show that I see is now cancelled. The character was created by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino before DC’s Vertigo imprint picked it up with Peter Milligan as writer. The protagonist, Christopher Chance is a special kind of bodyguard. For his clients, he takes on their physical attributes, basically impersonating them and offers himself up as a human shield against those who seek to cause them harm thereby eliminating the threat. I started reading this series about two or three years ago and went through several volumes. I was fully entertained by something that was new to me. It’s a well written series. Even posted about it at another blog a long,long time ago. Well, thanks to the iPad and the Comixology app, I’m able to take up where I left off or so I thought.

There aren’t that many issues that I haven’t read already that are available digitally but what I did find were two issues that I missed that I thought was pretty good and it includes baseball (!) I love baseball mysteries (wish I could find more of them). The basic premise has Christopher Chance impersonating a washed out, has-been black baseball player to get inside info on what happened to the team’s star player, Reuben Alfredo Valdez, who’s been dubbed the new Martín Dihigo. He left Cuba to come to the U.S but things go seriously wrong. Something made this three hundred plus hitter do a header out of his apartment window. This puzzles everyone in the organization since he had everything he could ever want.

There is nothing new in this story that you haven’t heard already in the media about athletes, performance enhancement drugs and gambling. Still, this was entertaining nonetheless because Chance sometimes loses himself in his work, often forgetting that he is impersonating someone else’s life. It’s those situations where things get kind of interesting especially if there’s a wife involved or a relationship in trouble. He sometimes can improve those situations (ha). Consider that a side-benefit of the job. I hope there’s more to be offered in this series. I love it.

Note: Sundays are my graphic novel days. From looking at my stats no one seems interested in them but along with mystery, I love reading them so just skip me on Sundays if you visit me here.