History ComicBook / Hitman1993

''Hitman'' is a CultClassic comic book series written by popular and controversial writer Creator/GarthEnnis of ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' and ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' fame and drawn by frequent Ennis collaborator John [=McCrea=], starring Tommy Monaghan. It had its origins in the [[TheNineties 1990s]] [[MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]]-tastic ''Bloodlines'' CrisisCrossover, where aliens invaded Earth to murder human beings and drain their spinal fluids, which somehow gave the few survivors superpowers in the process. It was easily forgettable, and the cast of NinetiesAntiHero[=es=] equally so. ''Bloodlines'' was meant to profit off the Dark Age phenomenon by creating a new batch of "heroes" for the era, because, after all, DarkerAndEdgier sells, doesn't it?

''Hitman'' is a CultClassic comic book series written by popular and controversial writer Creator/GarthEnnis of ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' and ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' fame and drawn by frequent Ennis collaborator John [=McCrea=], starring Tommy Monaghan. It had its origins in the [[TheNineties 1990s]] [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]]-tastic ''Bloodlines'' CrisisCrossover, where aliens invaded Earth to murder human beings and drain their spinal fluids, which somehow gave the few survivors superpowers in the process. It was easily forgettable, and the cast of NinetiesAntiHero[=es=] equally so. ''Bloodlines'' was meant to profit off the Dark Age phenomenon by creating a new batch of "heroes" for the era, because, after all, DarkerAndEdgier sells, doesn't it?

->''"I'm interested in Hitman as a character in the larger DCU, and 'the area of Gotham so bad that ComicBook/{{Batman}} doesn't go there,' because Batman is a dude that has paid multiple visits to a planet literally called [[{{ComicBook/Darkseid}} Apokolips.]]"''

* {{Expy}}: As is somewhat standard in Garth Ennis works, we get a few, most of them resembling characters from the concurrently running ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}''..

->''"I'm interested in Hitman as a character in the larger DCU, and 'the area of Gotham so bad that Franchise/{{Batman}} doesn't go there,' because Batman is a dude that has paid multiple visits to a planet literally called [[{{ComicBook/Darkseid}} Apokolips.]]"''

With these, a lot of guns, and a loyal band of friends, Tommy's contracts will always set him off on insane adventures one can expect in a colourful world like Franchise/TheDCU, but this being a Garth Ennis book, there's always a darkly humourous and satirical bent. What other comic can you read about hitmen fighting zombie baby seals, two-headed mafiosos, Ricean vampire pansies, gun-demons, dinosaurs, {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, the ComicBook/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}}, ComicBook/{{Batman}} and Franchise/{{Lobo}}?

* ActionGirl: Deborah Tiegel. Also [=McAllister=], Comicbook/{{Catwoman}}, and Comicbook/WonderWoman. Only two major female characters really aren't.

** Tommy's involvement with ''Comicbook/DCOneMillion'' has him brought to the titular future by a bunch of misguided fanboys who view him as one of the greatest heroes of the 20th century. He proceeds to show them how this kind of rep is... quite overblown. [[RedSkiesCrossover No, it doesn't even skim the main story]], but it's hilarious.

* {{Expy}}: As is somewhat standard in Garth Ennis works, we get a few, most of them resembling characters from the concurrently running ''Comicbook/{{Preacher}}''..

** He meets the League proper in Creator/GrantMorrison's ''JLA'', and they're treated... well, they're not ''bad'' people in his eyes, but [[spoiler:it's revealed that he let Bueno Excellente rape GL while unconscious, so he probably still thinks GL's a sissy]]. Flash is shown as humorless([[spoiler:and useless without his powers]]) but still brave and professional. He's polite and respectful to Franchise/WonderWoman (though that might have something to do with Tommy's [[PowerPerversionPotential X-Ray vision]]) and they treat each other as fellow warriors.

With these, a lot of guns, and a loyal band of friends, Tommy's contracts will always set him off on insane adventures one can expect in a colourful world like Franchise/TheDCU, but this being a Garth Ennis book, there's always a darkly humourous and satirical bent. What other comic can you read about hitmen fighting zombie baby seals, two-headed mafiosos, Ricean vampire pansies, gun-demons, dinosaurs, {{Eldritch Abomination}}s, the Justice League, Franchise/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/{{Lobo}}?

* GoshDangItToHeck: Being that this is one of Ennis's few titles in the mainline DCU, he can't indulge in his usual ClusterFBomb tendencies, so there's a lot of "motherloving" and "friggers" thrown around.

* BitingTheHandHumor: Ennis loved mocking whatever was new at DC. His CrisisCrossover contributions center on the characters talking about how stupid the whole thing is, both Mullet Superman and Superman-Blue were treated as downright blasphemous, and whenever Ennis brought up other characters who debuted in ''Bloodlines'', they were dismissed as pathetic losers (in particular, the ''ComicBook/DCOneMillion'' tie-in features a LegacyCharacter of Gunfire who injures himself by accidentally turning his medipak into a gun and blows up after accidentally turning his own ass into a hand-grenade, while the Justice League crossover miniseries released six years after the main series ended had the alien parasites from ''Bloodlines'' return and picking Hitman over the other heroes spawned from that storyline because they considered them useless and unimpressive).

* RightBehindMe: In JLA/Hitman, right when Batman starts ranting about how Tommy is scum and the lowest of the low, Superman walks in, shakes his hand, and greets him on a first-name basis.

* BreakingPointSwearing: Natt's mother made him give up swearing as her dying wish. [[spoiler: The arrival of the SAS scares him badly enough that he does it anyway, figuring he won't live long enough to regret it.]]

* PrecisionFStrike: Natt's mother made him give up swearing as her dying wish. [[spoiler: The arrival of the SAS scares him badly enough that he does it anyway, figuring he won't live long enough to regret it.]]