The Human Target #1-6 + Tales of the Human Target

The Human Target #1-6 + Tales of the Human Target

Originally released in 2021

Written by Tom King

Art by Greg Smallwood (#1-6), Kevin Maguire (Tales), Mikel Janin (Tales), Rafael Albuquerque (Tales)

Christopher Chance is an investigator known as the Human Target - if someone's life is in danger, they hire him and he takes their place.  His latest employer is Lex Luthor - Chance is shot while taking his place, but later discovered that he was poisoned earlier in the day while being briefed by Lex.  When Doctor Mid-Nite examines Christopher, he discovers that the Human Target has been poisoned - and because of the unique radiation on the poison, one of the members of Justice League International is responsible.

I'm not 100% sure if this series is meant to take place in an alternate universe or not - as I'm not up-to-date on Justice League International, I don't know if this specific line-up existed at any point or it's an amalgamation of several line-ups that the JLI had.  I'm guessing it is in an alternate universe, since the alternative is that it's turning one of the Justice League members into a calculating murderer (albeit one who would murder someone as twisted and vile as Lex Luthor), but I can't say for sure.

There are twelve members of the JLI, though the suspect list narrows down pretty quickly.  Christopher Chance's narration and lifestyle gives the book the feel of a mystery novel or film noir detective story, complete with Ice filling the role of the mysterious woman who enters his life and kicks much of the mystery off.

The first issue has a slow start, but things pick up quickly.  Out of the team, the main suspects so far seem to be Ice, Fire, and Guy Gardner - so far, the main motive that's been brought up is that Lex Luthor brought an alien warlord to Earth that wound up killing Ice (she got better).  Fire is Ice's best friend, while Guy Gardner loves her despite their break-up. (where I'm at in JLI, Ice became interested in Guy while he was soft and sensitive, but she's repelled by his current boorish behaviour)

Tales of the Human Target focuses on the main suspects in the case, which consist of these three and oddly enough Booster Gold.  Tom King does a good job with writing Booster in an entertaining way, which is a very different tone from his other books that I've read. (Booster's robot, Skeets, is also part of the story - considering that this a murder mystery, I'm not ruling Skeets out as a suspect)

Out of the issues, the fifth issue (where Martian Manhunter is trying to pressure Christopher Chance into backing off from the investigation, at the request of another JLI member) was one that I found confusing to follow, to the point where I looked into it afterwards and it turned out that I completely misinterpreted some of the plot points.

Chance has twelve days to live after being poisoned, with each issue taking up a day in his life.  During that time, he and Ice slowly fall for each other, or at least he falls for Ice. (She could be taking on the role of a femme fatale, or at least splitting it between herself and Fire)  Greg Smallwood's art and colouring shine throughout the series, with vivid sunrises and sunsets making for striking images.

While Guy Gardner is presented as the clear suspect (having the motive and personality to try and kill Luthor), he seems too obvious, and the attempt on Lex's life seems far too subtle for someone like Guy.  I'm not sure if this mystery is going to run on what I call "Scooby Doo logic", where the most helpful character is going to turn out to be the culprit, or if it will wind up being someone who hasn't gotten much focus yet. (I'm keeping an eye on G'nort)

This mystery kept me hooked throughout, and I'm looking forward to reading the second half of this to see what happens.  I'm not familiar enough with Fire and Ice to know how in-character their behaviour here is, so I might read some more of Justice League International first. (though Guy, Booster, and Ted Kord feel completely in-character, at least - I'm a bit iffier on Martian Manhunter for his brief appearance)