Re-evaluating Manhunter from 1973 and 1974

A recent post by Scott Dutton over at the Catspaw Dynamics blog about Manhunter, the Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson hero created in the back pages of the 100-page issues of Detective Comics from mid 1973 to mid-1974, sent me searching out the DC reprint collection from 1984, when all seven episodes of the story were collected in one Baxter-paper book, complete with insightful 2-page editorial by Archie Goodwin himself, eleven years after the publication of the original run. (That was a long sentence).

The original run swept the board for original story and artwork at the 1974 Academy of Comic Book Arts ceremony. During this period Archie Goodwin was pulling double duty both editing the entire book as well as writing the Batman story each issue, and had already decided to leave DC for Creepy at the end of the run. 

I managed to snap up the 1984 reprint book last week off eBay for a mere 99 cents plus postage, and the seller slipped in issue #1 of the subsequent 1986 run of Manhunter by John Ostrander, Kim Yale, Dog Rice and Sam Kieth as well. What a bargain! 

Unlike many earlier Baxter-paper reprints of superhero runs, the colours in the reprint are muted and sympathetic to the original comic, thanks to the work of colourist Klaus Janson. A quick comparison to the original colour scheme does show that it has been completely recoloured, but using the same palate for (IMHO) better choices.

I had the complete run of the story in Detective comics #437 to #443 at the time, which culminated with a Manhunter/Batman team up, FIFTY YEARS AGO, entitled “Gotterdammerung!” .

I must confess that back in 1973, if a comic was illustrated by neither Adams nor Aparo, I was predisposed to dismiss the art as hack work. I didn’t like Simonson’s art at the time on principle. What a difference 50 years make! His artwork is an innovative as Adams - his use of perspective, his use of successive panels with small differences to slow down the action, and the sheer number of panels he can fit on a page and still provide the detail and pacing needed to keep the story totally understandable are phenomenal.

Re-reading the 1984 reprint edition this week I am so impressed by the artwork, the writing, the dynamism and momentum of the story. This would make a fantastic TV series.

Here’s a few pages to whet your appetite. I haven’t read the first issue of the follow-up yet, so cannot comment on it. I will follow up in a subsequent post.

In the meantime, I encourage you to search out a copy of the 1984 reprint and enjoy. Also head over to Scott Dutton’s page for an in depth look at Manhunter’s history along with some recolouring and restoration work on some of Simonson’s original Manhunter art.

© Ian Baker

© DC Comics. Story intro sets the scene

© DC Comics. Example of use of similar successive panels to focus on action

© DC comics. Love the panel bottom right, expanding in the size as the eye follows the characters down underground

© DC comics. Two examples of successive panels. Top line shows character moving forward. Bottom line showing Batman's reaction as villain expires