BEACH BUM COMICS : BECOMING THE BAR OF JUSTICE

If the big fish are guilty... they must face the bar of justice.
Manhunter

Jack "King" Kirby brings us the first appearance of Mark Shaw, as he becomes the new Manhunter, since the Golden Age of comic books.


Manhunter #1 reprints Detective Comics #437-#443 on Baxter paper.

Manhunter: The Special Edition TP included a fantastic silent story taking place after “Gotterdammerung!” It is unscripted due to Archie Goodwin's passing away before he could finish it.

Though 1st Issue Special was primarily DC's forum to introduce new characters and storylines, editor Jack Kirby used the series as an opportunity to revamp the Manhunter, whom he and writer Joe Simon had made famous in the 1940s. The original Manhunter, Paul Kirk (from the Archie Goodwin & Walt Simonson stories) had met his demise two years earlier, so Kirby turned to Mark Shaw, a discouraged public defender who believed that the legal system had been corrupted.

The cover was a variation of the splash page.

Shaw's uncle put him into contact with the Grandmaster, leader of the arcane cult of the Manhunters. Swearing his allegiance, Shaw trained in the crime fighting sect's methods and weaponry, and then assumed the outfit and power baton to become the new Manhunter.

What the Manhunters came to be subsequent to Kirby's revamp.

Kirby's Manhunter, however, didn't gain earn a spot in an ongoing series. Instead, Shaw (later using the alias the Privateer) and the crime fighting cult played a bigger role in the pages of Justice League of America, when it was revealed that the Manhunters were the original galactic law-enforcers, prior to the Green Lantern Corps.

1ST ISSUE SPECIAL #5
"Manhunter"
"The Electric Head"
"New Warrior"
Mark Shaw, a public defender, is frustrated in his attempts to gain justice and safeguard the innocent. But his uncle introduces him to the ancient society of the Manhunters, whose arcane skills and weaponry have been employed to bring down many such villains. Shaw becomes a Manhunter, taking the mask and costume from his predecessor, and begins a war against a gangster nicknamed "the Hog".
Written & drawn by Jack Kirby with inks by D. Bruce Berry.
"Manhunter...The Justice Principle"
Jack Kirby discusses justice.

Kirby's 1st Issue Specials are reprinted in this huge omnibus! Also with the Super Powers mini-series! Recommended!

Kirby's philosophy on bringing back the Manhunter!

Theses were exciting times for me. I always enjoyed DC's Showcase series and this fit the same bill. Fortunately, the Kirby 1st Issue Special comics have been reprinted in the huge Jack Kirby Omnibus Vol. Two.