Review by Jamie McNeil
In its time Hitman stood out from the other hyper stylised, ultra-violent ant-heroes of the 1990s because, 1) Garth Ennis wrote about the ties of friendship and lampooned the mainstream superhero fare of the day, and; 2) John McCrea’s art, while stylised, actually helped tell the story rather than distract from poor writing. He crafted outstanding action and grotesque violence, but he also imbued the cast with emotion and dignity. It was always certain from the start that low-level hitman Tommy Monaghan was headed towards an untimely demise, but he was going to wring as much fun from life as he could before then. As seen in Vol. 1, Ennis and McCrea crafted some wickedly funny exploits, but they also plunged the depths of drama and heartache along the way, a trait that still makes it such a satisfying read years later.
The Hitman Omnibus Vol. 2 collects the final three trades in the series and some extra spin-off tales featuring the supporting cast. Tommy’s Heroes explores Tommy’s origins further as his sister Katie arrives in a gut-wrenching story. For Tomorrow is a collection of stories both emotionally hefty and downright zany, Ennis and McCrea hitting both the feels and the funny bone with consummate ease. The appropriately named Closing Time is a near perfect climatic finale to Hitman, another assortment of outrageous tales and the harrowing emotional end to the original series. Also included in the omnibus are the Sixpack spin-offs All-Star Section Eight and Sixpack & Dogwelder: Hard Travelling Heroz starring the odd, flawed, and useless heroes who regularly featured.
Included is ‘Of Thee I Sing’ one of the finest Superman tales ever told. ‘That Stupid Bastich’, brilliantly illustrated by Doug Mahnke, is a hilarious Hitman/Lobo crossover and Nelson De Castro does a fine job on ‘How To Be A Superhero’. Tommy’s outing to the JLA’s moon base is still brilliant. Ennis is known for pastiching superheroes, but he has a fond respect for Supes. The others, like Batman and Wonder Woman? Fair game and illustrated here. Hard Travelling Heroz is the only weak spot in the collection though features good art from Russ Braun.
What makes Hitman so popular with his core fan base is the depths of the supporting cast and the strength of their friendship and loyalty to each other. Sean Noonan is a believable if flawed father figure to Tommy and his nephew Pat though feels responsible for Tommy’s choices. Then there’s the believable friendly banter between Tommy and his best mate Natt the Hat, the friendly but tense rivalry with Ringo, and the ribald teasing of the dependable yet dim Hacken. Sixpack is a lost soul yet there’s a tangible fondness among Noonan’s regulars for the aimlessly deluded barfly. Beneath the irreverence, the series is fundamentally about loyalty and camaraderie in difficult circumstances.
Unlike so many other characters in the DC universe, Hitman has never been resurrected and reinvented, but the legacy reverberates. Tommy’s old haunt Noonan’s Bar features prominently in DC’s animated series Kite Man Hell Yeah! ‘Of Thee I Sing’ won the 1999 Eisner Award for Best Single Issue, while the main storyline in For Tomorrow won the 2000 Eisner for Best Serialized Story. Hitman is a cult classic and arguably the best of the series is found in the pages of Hitman Omnibus Vol. 2.
For readers wanting an excellent yet compact introduction to Tommy Monaghan and friends there’s Hitman’s Greatest Hits.
