Human Target

(Vertigo, 1999, 2002)
™ and ©1999 DC Comics, Inc.

Christopher Chance, a.k.a. the Human Target first appeared as a backup feature in Action Comics. A master of disguise, the aptly named Chance portrayed people who were marked for death in order to flush out the threat. A television movie prompted his return in a special edition in 1991, Human Target Special.

Although his adventures were perilous by their nature (standing in for someone with a price on their head), the danger was fairly physical and straightforward. But when a title is adapted for the Vertigo imprint, things are rarely straightforward. As with most Vertigo titles, the emotional aspect is an important element, but not so overpowering that there is no room for a sexy female assassin or a vicious drug dealer. This mini-series depicts the psychological risks of so completely immersing oneself in a new persona and denying one’s own identity that reality becomes a matter of perception.

— George Haberberger

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