Issue Description

First appearance of Mark Shaw as he becomes the next Manhunter

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 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.

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. Kirby's Manhunter, however, didn't gain earn a spot in an ongoing series. Instead, Shaw and the crime fighting cult played a bigger role in the pages of Justice League of America in 1977, when it was revealed that the Manhunters were the original galactic law-enforcers prior to the Green Lantern Corps.

1st Issue Special

Publisher

DC Comics

Volume Description

1st Issue Special was a try-out book in which a different character or team would headline each issue, a Bronze Age successor of the Silver Age title Showcase. Its most successful feature was Warlord, who debuted in issue #8 and went on to have his own long running series which lasted for over 130 issues. Familiar faces appearing in this title included Metamorpho, The Creeper and Doctor Fate. The title's final issue also launched the return of the New Gods, who branched out into an ongoing series of their own.

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Status: Not in Collection