The Human Target mostly hits the Target...
In 1972 a character made his rather inconspicuous debut as a backup story in Action Comics. The character's name was Christopher Chance, but he was better known by his operative code name: The Human Target. Chance operated as a kind of mercenary bodyguard who was a master of disguise. The Human Target’s method of bodyguarding was to assume the physical identity of his client (a “Method Bodyguard” if you will).
The character is hardly a big name in the DC firmament, but the Human Target had a couple of things going for it (him?): a catchy moniker and an intriguing philosophical/existential premise concerning identity: If you aren't yourself who are you?
The character was a superhero, but a low wave superhero to be sure (the Human Target resembles the pulp character the Avenger from the 30’s who was a worldly adventurer/detective type and could mold his face like putty to change his appearance). This has actually worked in favor of the character to an extent since he is a comic character who 1. Easily translates to the real world 2. Can be played by an actor with leading-man looks 3. The comic aspect can be played down since there are no supervillains to deal with. THT was close to being a kind of Americanized James Bond.
There was a Human Target pilot produced in 1992 starring Rick Springfield that was surprisingly well-received by a handful of comic fans and had several episodes air during the summer of that year. The show did not catch on even though it had some respectable comic talent working on it (like Mike Kaluta). The premise was that Chance/Target was a Vietnam vet, bodyguard and private eye who literally took the place of the client in question usually to protect the life of said client.
Despite some appreciative murmurs from comic fans the show did not take hold of comic fans' imagination (just a hunch, but I am sure that comic fans had a tough time with Tiger Beat coverboy Springfield as a superhero). The Olympics aired that summer which didn't help ratings and this was pre-Tivo and pre-Hulu so there was no catching it later.
The character lived on in comics, albeit quietly. Of note was the character’s mini-resurgence in the last decade in the pages of the Vertigo line. Human Target: Final Cut from 2002 was one of the most appreciated series of the year with the book exploring the ideas of how identity can be lost, warped and re-formed.
Fox has most recently launched a series based on the comic. The first episodes and clips seem to have a heavy influence of 24, combining espionage and nods to current events with some sex appeal thrown in for good measure. The lead Mark Valley is a West Point grad and he brings some authenticity to the action scenes while having a lighter touch than say the heaving gravity that Keifer Sutherland invested in Jack Bauer.
"The Human Target" idea here is not so much disguise as pure bodyguard (albeit one who blends into the background so that the threat to his client will reveal itself and allow him to, in Chance's words, "eliminate that threat"). The identity and background of the mysterious Christopher Chance will reportedly be filled in as the series progresses.
Fox appears to have the notion to park HT near 24 which is a great idea as the shows seem to more than complement each other (can you see the crossover episode potential?). The show, if successful might help trigger TV shows derived from comic book sources. One of the things about comic adaptations that has always puzzled me is how reluctant television is to develop comics into ongoing series'. TV seems like a better fit (in most instances) for the kind of episodic form that comic narratives rely on to tell their stories.
And, a series like this is a good way to "smuggle" comic book characters into prime time. If not for the DC swoosh at the beginning of the credits it would be impossible to know that this is comic book material. There are any number of series that would be a better fit as s series or HBO series (The Dark Knight Returns, Heavy Liquid -even Watchmen might have worked better as an HBO series).
There are quite a few DC characters who could work on television as superheroes without the spandex: The Blackhawks, Challengers of the Unknown, maybe the Doom Patrol. Hopefully, television will take the advice of the Hidden S and get moving on a Doctor Occult series...
S
The Human Target mostly hits the Target...
In 1972 a character made his rather inconspicuous debut as a backup story in Action Comics. The character's name was Christopher Chance, but he was better known by his operative code name: The Human Target. Chance operated as a kind of mercenary bodyguard who was a master of disguise. The Human Target’s method of bodyguarding was to assume the physical identity of his client (a “Method Bodyguard” if you will).
The character is hardly a big name in the DC firmament, but the Human Target had a couple of things going for it (him?): a catchy moniker and an intriguing philosophical/existential premise concerning identity: If you aren't yourself who are you?
The character was a superhero, but a low wave superhero to be sure (the Human Target resembles the pulp character the Avenger from the 30’s who was a worldly adventurer/detective type and could mold his face like putty to change his appearance). This has actually worked in favor of the character to an extent since he is a comic character who 1. Easily translates to the real world 2. Can be played by an actor with leading-man looks 3. The comic aspect can be played down since there are no supervillains to deal with. THT was close to being a kind of Americanized James Bond.
There was a Human Target pilot produced in 1992 starring Rick Springfield that was surprisingly well-received by a handful of comic fans and had several episodes air during the summer of that year. The show did not catch on even though it had some respectable comic talent working on it (like Mike Kaluta). The premise was that Chance/Target was a Vietnam vet, bodyguard and private eye who literally took the place of the client in question usually to protect the life of said client.
Despite some appreciative murmurs from comic fans the show did not take hold of comic fans' imagination (just a hunch, but I am sure that comic fans had a tough time with Tiger Beat coverboy Springfield as a superhero). The Olympics aired that summer which didn't help ratings and this was pre-Tivo and pre-Hulu so there was no catching it later.
The character lived on in comics, albeit quietly. Of note was the character’s mini-resurgence in the last decade in the pages of the Vertigo line. Human Target: Final Cut from 2002 was one of the most appreciated series of the year with the book exploring the ideas of how identity can be lost, warped and re-formed.
Fox has most recently launched a series based on the comic. The first episodes and clips seem to have a heavy influence of 24, combining espionage and nods to current events with some sex appeal thrown in for good measure. The lead Mark Valley is a West Point grad and he brings some authenticity to the action scenes while having a lighter touch than say the heaving gravity that Keifer Sutherland invested in Jack Bauer.
"The Human Target" idea here is not so much disguise as pure bodyguard (albeit one who blends into the background so that the threat to his client will reveal itself and allow him to, in Chance's words, "eliminate that threat"). The identity and background of the mysterious Christopher Chance will reportedly be filled in as the series progresses.
Fox appears to have the notion to park HT near 24 which is a great idea as the shows seem to more than complement each other (can you see the crossover episode potential?). The show, if successful might help trigger TV shows derived from comic book sources. One of the things about comic adaptations that has always puzzled me is how reluctant television is to develop comics into ongoing series'. TV seems like a better fit (in most instances) for the kind of episodic form that comic narratives rely on to tell their stories.
And, a series like this is a good way to "smuggle" comic book characters into prime time. If not for the DC swoosh at the beginning of the credits it would be impossible to know that this is comic book material. There are any number of series that would be a better fit as s series or HBO series (The Dark Knight Returns, Heavy Liquid -even Watchmen might have worked better as an HBO series).
There are quite a few DC characters who could work on television as superheroes without the spandex: The Blackhawks, Challengers of the Unknown, maybe the Doom Patrol. Hopefully, television will take the advice of the Hidden S and get moving on a Doctor Occult series...
S
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