Human Target #12: The Final Favor

We all go in the end, but what happens to those that we leave behind?

This is the central question that the final issue of The Human Target asks as Christopher Chance finally meets his death and the story’s focus shifts to Ice and how she grieves in the days and weeks following his passing. While the book started off as a simple mystery, over time it became a character study about love, lies and understanding one’s self; The relationship between Chance and Ice, the true nature of his investigation and her part in the crime and eventually Chance acknowledging that he was never afraid of groveling like his father, but appreciating the person he loved and Ice herself finally taking steps to change people’s perception of her. Both of them were broken people that managed to fix small parts of themselves over the course of eleven days and while it doesn’t seem like a long time, for them it was just about a lifetime.

Tom King told this story excellently, making sure that even though the mystery was easily solvable, the journey towards the answer was more than worth it. He allowed us to delve into the mind of Christopher Chance as he gathered evidence of the crime, failed to keep himself from falling in love with his primary suspect and eventually let himself open up to another person, something he could almost never do in his line of work. This allowed Chance to evolve as a man over the course of the series, becoming better as his days were drawing to a close. At about issue 10, the murder itself stopped mattering because Chance had found a reason to forgive and forget, despite all of the men he’s killed and all of the bullets he’s taken for less. 

Ice herself flourished in this story in a way that I don’t think she ever has, even within the pages of JLI or her other scant few appearances over the years. She’s always been a character that’s been something of a tertiary player in the pages of DC Comics, save for Justice League 3000 and Generation Lost, there’s almost very little in the way of deep characterization that isn’t just a part of someone else’s story. A similar case can be made for her part in Human Target, but I would argue that she’s the other lead of this book as she’s with Christopher every step of the way and moves the plot forward in other aspects that Chance himself could not. And the way that she grows in the book, going from the frail, optimistic everygirl to the strong, self assured and terrifying force of nature was a treat to read in every aspect.

Greg Smallwood’s art has been nothing but stellar, especially in this final issue of the series. Where most series find their success through bombastic action setpieces, Smallwood has managed to make this story compelling through small motions and facial expressions alone. His charcoal brushes manage to convey so much on the page, from little things like Ice picking up a notepad, her hands trembling and tears streaming down her face to a tender series of similar looking panels where Fire comforts her. There’s even a fantastic few pages where Martian Manhunter confronts Ice about starting a new investigation led by him and Smallwood uses a series of close ups where Ice’s sweet demeanor falls away and the pain and anger in her eyes take over instead. 

Smallwood’s coloring in this issue serves as the perfect encapsulation to the messages that the story itself has portrayed up to this point. The mid-tone oranges when Ice sits in Luigi’s restaurant, giving off a feeling of optimism as Luigi himself muses to her that Chance left him a large amount of money and that while they’ll both miss him, there’s a chance for happiness. The scene with Manhunter has a heavy use of green to symbolize Ice’s growth as a woman during her time with Chance, no longer allowing her teammates to walk over her. And finally, when Ice herself is about to ingest the same poison that killed Chance, the scene is balanced by a depressive dark blue alongside the aforementioned oranges – showing that while she’s in immense pain over a man that she knew for a short time, she’s still able to acknowledge that she has a future and will be happy again.

Clayton Cowles’ letters ultimately make the book the complete package that it is. As always, his placement is spot on as they’re easy for the eyes to follow and don’t take too much of the space on the page. They flow excellently and continue to lift the aesthetic of the book with their borderless look. There’s also a good sense of the passage of time with the number of days passing since Chance’s death appearing in the upper left corner of certain pages, this allows readers to see how Ice’s mindset changes as the weeks and months pass and how she continues to get better following her time with the man.