Issue #2 of The Human Target continues hitting all the detective notes with just the right splash of noir and vibrant nostalgia. Reading it feels like watching a classic 1970s James Bond film, while still being in touch with the present. If I knew I had twelve days left and a beautiful woman like Ice came in, then just like Christopher Chance knew, I would be in trouble.
The panels complement each page, and I love how they dance around as they lay on the page. The layout choices helped keep my eye entertained as I read through it, and it added some active motion to give me a sense of the action and characters driving forward. The pages are a fantastic presentation by Greg Smallwood — this series would be a worthy addition to DC’s animated line of movies. Major shoutout to Smallwood’s color palette for this series overall; he has crafted a set of colors that take me back to a bygone era.
Tom King wonderfully explained to AIPT that Christopher Chance is “superhero Don Draper”, which is right on target. Just like a period show or movie, the crew and designers go through painstaking work to make their story fit into a former era; Smallwood has picked the right colors to put my mind in the past. There is a beautiful full page with Ice hearing Christopher Chance explaining their meet-up — just four colors compose the page, but it captures the moment perfectly. If I were an art collector, this would be wall worthy.
Tom King does some heavy lifting as well. He does a fantastic job of driving the story forward in this issue, but he creates such a twist that it makes the issue worth reading again. I would highly recommend doing that as on the second journey, you might appreciate the words and scenes even more. It makes the word layouts richer when you see the nearby art.
King creates a perfect voice for Christopher Chance, as well. When I read those words, I hear a voice that flows just like some hardboiled detective would use to describe the extravagant world he occupies. The passion that King creates here between Ice and Chance is lovely and just innocent enough to sting when you find out the twist. This is an enthralling narrative that has me invested and wanting to follow up with how the JLI is genuinely involved.
The Human Target #2 is an attractive dance between two characters that will entice you, but you’ll discover hidden agendas by the end. The story drives Chance’s mission, and we learn how the JLI are connected to Luthor. Now the question is, why the lies? All that wrapped up in alluring art and color will keep you on the case. The only thing missing from this issue is some soft jazz.
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