Broken Frontier

There are super humans among us, living in secret. When they get out of line, it falls to the Hunter-Killers to do just that—hunt them and kill them. The problem, however, is actually finding them.

Rogue superhumans, or “ultra sapiens,” surreptitiously released from a covert government program seventeen years ago, now roam the earth unbeknownst to virtually every homo sapien. Worse yet, the means to find them, a document in an unknown format called “The Catalog,” has been stolen by whoever released the ultras. The threat to the world is grave, and dealing with it is the sole function of the Hunter-Killers. But all is not so simple for the Hunter-Killers as they scour the Earth pursuing Ultras. Wolf, himself super-powered, is out to make sure that the location of the Ultras remains secret. And to complicate matters still further, the Hunter-Killers’ mission takes a different turn when it’s discovered that The Catalog is not a “what” at all, but something else entirely.

It’s interesting that RISING STARS is ending at the same time that HUNTER KILLER is beginning, as HUNTER KILLER can be thought of as RISING STARS turned on its head. The Specials in J. M. Straczynski’s epic superhero tragedy are basically good, whereas here it’s at least intimated that the Ultras are evil. Equally flipped are the roles normal humans play, in the background in RISING STARS, part of the cast of main characters in HUNTER KILLER. The nature of the conflicts is the same in both though, particularly in the way that Mark Waid’s script strives for the same scale as RISING STARS. HUNTER KILLER is  not quite there yet, but it has enough buzz around it and potential within the comic itself to give it a fighting chance.

That said, Waid’s script stands well on its own. In fact, in terms of technique and storytelling skill, he gives Straczynski a run for his money in several ways. His scripts for issues #0 and #1 are tightly paced, balancing character development with give-no-quarter action and showing no signs either of filler or feeling rushed. The main players need more fleshing out, but each has an interesting wrinkle separating them from stock archetypes such as The Sexy, Bad-Ass Chick, or The Chosen One Who Also Just Happens To Be Very Attractive. And in terms of plot, issue #1’s is anything but run-of-the-mill. A well-played twist towards the climax re-writes the rules for the Hunter-Killers before the game has even started. Lastly, the premise itself is killer. Within it in are plenty of chances for duplicity, double-dealings, things being not at all what they seem, and maybe even serious questioning of just who’s “good” and who’s “evil.”

Who wouldn’t want to live in a world drawn by Marc Silvestri? It’s a gorgeous place full of beautiful people, all of them seemingly bred from genes harvested only from the hippest, most exclusive nightclubs in America and Western Europe. With perfectly sculpted faces, tits like torpedoes and pecs broad enough to land jet planes on, you can’t take your eyes off these people. Even the ghoul Cathy Cthulu had a freaky chic about before she went all dead and desiccated. OK, eye-candy aside, Silvestri’s artwork is totally captivating. Every line is executed with intent and finesse. He works angles like Enron, his images beautifully rendered on their own, yet fitting together with real narrative drive. In addition, HUNTER KILLER #1 is adroitly inked and lavishly colored, page and panel dense with detail and vitality. It’s amazing what can happen when a top-tier artist is pared with a script that’s up to his skills.  Indeed, looking at this issue is as much a pleasure as reading it.

HUNTER KILLER is vintage Silvestri with Waid scripting A-material. Could there be a better recipe for success? Hardly. In fact, any new comic would hunt the globe for a combination like this, then kill to keep it while enjoying a long run at the top of reader’s pull lists.

- Dexter K. Flowers