Favourite comics: Detective Comics #443 -Batman & Manhunter

Detective Comics in 1973/1974 was an excellent 100 page title featuring some wonderful new stories alongside many classics from the golden and silver ages by some of comics greatest artists and writers. However it was with issue 437 that (for myself at least) the comic went into another gear when it featured a brand new character called “Manhunter” written by Archie Goodwin with art by relative new comer (and future comic legend) Walter Simonson. The excitement of this storyline came to a climax with the above issue #443 (cover by Jim Aparo.)

The Manhunter character seemed to appear out of nowhere in issue 437 (cover by Jim Aparo) and it was an instant fan favourite. The strip itself appeared in 8 page segmentsand was always the last story in each issue until the final Manhunter tale when the character appeared on the cover with Batman as the main feature, it was fanboy heaven.

Manhunter told the tale of Paul Kirk a man raised from the dead by a secret organisation of super scientists called the “Council” intent on controlling mankind. The Council give Kirk healing abilities, martial arts training and a natty 1970’s glam rock style costume and sent him out as an operative for their cause. In order to test his loyalty to the Council Kirk is tasked with killing an Interpol agent, which he refused to do. As a result the Council clone him and send the clones to kill him. Realising that the Council are corrupt Kirk sets out to kill the clones and destroy the Council.

At the end of the story Paul Kirk, Manhunter destorys the Council but in doing so he sacrifices his own life. The Goodwin/Simonson Manhunter series has been collected several times and is worth picking up if you havent read this 1970's classic series.