MANHUNTER II (1973-1974)

This weekend’s light-hearted and escapist superhero blog post here at Balladeer’s Blog will examine the milestone Bronze Age attempt to revive DC’s Golden Age hero Manhunter.

DETECTIVE COMICS Vol 1 #437 (November 1973) Later reprinted multiple times in Trade Paperback collections of the entire new Manhunter saga.

Title: The Himalayan Incident

Villains: The Council 

Synopsis: Interpol Agent Christine St. Clair is assigned to locate the former Big Game Hunter Paul Kirk, who, decades earlier, had secretly become the costumed crimefighter called Manhunter. A new Manhunter has been reported around the world and Christine’s superior at Interpol wants the figure found due to his involvement with multiple assassinations.

Christine travels to Nepal to investigate this new Manhunter’s recent actions which saved the life of a wealthy philanthropist. Via flashbacks from her informant, she learns that the new Manhunter has been battling an organization which made several clones of Paul Kirk and has been using them to carry out the assassinations that Manhunter is blamed for because the clones wear blue costumes like his red one.

The lone “good” Manhunter clone is the one thwarting the evil clones whenever he can. Recently in Nepal, the good Manhunter saved the above-mentioned philanthropist in the tale told in flashback this issue.  

DETECTIVE COMICS Vol 1 #438 (January 1974) Later reprinted multiple times in Trade Paperback collections of the entire new Manhunter saga.

Title: The Manhunter File

Villains: The Council

Synopsis: Christine St. Clair is pressured by her Interpol boss Damon Nostrand to increase her efforts at solving this ongoing Manhunter investigation.

Meanwhile, as Manhunter, the good Paul Kirk clone continues to battle the evil clones as well as the organization behind them – the Council.     

DETECTIVE COMICS Vol 1 #439 (March 1974) Later reprinted multiple times in Trade Paperback collections of the entire new Manhunter saga.

Title: The Resurrection of Paul Kirk

Villains: The Council, Dr. Anatol Mykros and Damon Nostrand

Synopsis: As Manhunter continues his global battle with the Council and the evil clones, Agent Christine St. Clair at last catches up with him. He confirms what her informants and her Interpol superiors told her about him.

Manhunter adds new information – years ago the original Paul Kirk was mortally wounded while elephant hunting. The villainous group he was now opposing – the Council – absconded with the body and had their scientist, Dr. Anatol Mykros, make several clones of the dying Paul Kirk.

To that original Manhunter’s existing excellence in unarmed combat, agility, tracking and skill with guns, knives and shurikens, Dr. Mykros added accelerated, superhuman healing. The clones had the memories of the late Paul Kirk but only this “good” clone rebelled before he could have his will subjugated by Dr. Mykros.

Manhunter escaped and had been opposing the Council and the evil Paul Kirk clones ever since. Christine’s boss Damon Nostrand arrives on the scene, but turns out to be working for the Council. He tries to kill Manhunter and Christine, but our hero kills Nostrand instead.   

DETECTIVE COMICS Vol 1 #440 (May 1974) Later reprinted multiple times in Trade Paperback collections of the entire new Manhunter saga.

Title: Rebellion

Villains: The Council

Synopsis: Agent St. Clair steals the late Damon Nostrand’s files, which confirm for her that he had indeed been acting on behalf of the international oligarchs of the Council, who believe the world needs brought under their “enlightened” rule in order to survive.

Nostrand had already framed Christine as an accomplice of Manhunter and had planned to kill both of them and take credit for “closing the case” on the new Manhunter.

Christine and our hero are international fugitives and flee to Morocco, where they battle more Council agents and evil Paul Kirk clones.     

DETECTIVE COMICS Vol 1 #441 (July 1974) Later reprinted multiple times in Trade Paperback collections of the entire new Manhunter saga.

Title: Cathedral Perilous

Villains: The Council

Synopsis: In Istanbul, Manhunter and Christine St. Clair infiltrate a cathedral which the Council covertly use as one of their many bases.

Though the pair uncover a lot of incriminating evidence against the authoritarian villains, Dr. Mykros and the others, including the evil Paul Kirk clones, attack them before they can use it.   

DETECTIVE COMICS Vol 1 #442 (September 1974) Later reprinted multiple times in Trade Paperback collections of the entire new Manhunter saga.

Title: To Duel the Master

Villains: The Council

Synopsis: The action moves to Japan in this penultimate chapter of the new Manhunter’s saga.

Our hero winds up in mortal combat with Asano Nitobe, the Council’s master of martial arts. Christine’s father is killed by the Council and Christine is shocked to learn that even he was a Council operative. 

DETECTIVE COMICS Vol 1 #443 (November 1974) Later reprinted multiple times in Trade Paperback collections of the entire new Manhunter saga.

Title: Gotterdammerung

Villains: The Council

NOTE: DC made this final Manhunter chapter a crossover story with Batman to hype interest. 

Synopsis: Batman becomes aware of the Council’s global activities when it appears the villains have killed off his friend Daniel Kingdom. This leads to him meeting the new Manhunter and his ally Christine St. Clair, who brief Batman about the Council’s global plot and activities.

The action ranges from Kenya to Australia, as Batman learns that his friend Daniel Kingdom is still alive and has become an agent of the Council under the costumed identity of the Enforcer.

In the Council’s Australian headquarters, Batman settles his score with the Enforcer and gets Christine out alive while Manhunter II gives his life using one of Dr. Mykros’ inventions to destroy the installation and kill the Council.   

Sadly, this attempted revival of Manhunter in Detective Comics had incredible potential and some often impressive writing and art but may have been too ahead of its time with its grittiness to become a hit with 1970s readers. The saga has developed a big following since the 1970s and has been reprinted multiple times in collections using the title Manhunter rather than Detective Comics. 

NOTE: Another Paul Kirk/ Manhunter clone (at left) had somehow found its conscience and later infiltrated the Secret Society of Supervillains in their own comic book series, issues 1-5 (1976-1977). That Manhunter also gave its life to stop Darkseid’s plans that were being carried out by the Society.