Hitman is a series I return to every couple of years, and I always enjoy revisiting the whole thing, from the Bloodlines to the tragedies of Closing Time. And I have increasingly come around to the view that it was the best thing Garth Ennis did in the 90s (and I have literally read it all).
A lot of it has to do with the wonder of John McCrea's art (especially with the crucial Leach inks), but it's somehow also the writer's most earnest, and occasionally heartfelt comic of the period. His dose of the absurdity was a surprisingly good fit, out there on the very edges of the DC universe.
But even though I've read the entire Hitman story a few times, and know all the beats and jokes and pay-offs, the final page of #50 gets me every time.
It follows an absolute massacre, a Wrath of God vengeance from Tommy Monaghan which isn't even really dwelt on, all covered in one devastating double-page spread. Because the wiping out of the usual wretched scum isn't the point, it's all about the loss of a loved one.
When I see what's written on Sean Noonan's gravestone, it breaks my heart every time. It speaks to all the friendships and comradeships among the men who deal in death, and the deep connections they made, all in a comic that is full of super douches, demon bartenders and assorted monsters.
It's as good as Hitman ever got, and damn, it was good a lot.
Yep, would agree it's one of Ennis' best comics, maybe even his best ever. My theory is that because it was an all-ages title he couldn't just resort to lazy shock value and had to work harder at the storytelling. Also McCrea and Leach are up there with Kirby and Sinnot as the greatest penciller - inker pairing ever
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