In our late night quest to track down all the Human Target Comics, we had to do a double take when we found one older that 1972, the date we believed Human Target to have been created.

It turns out it is not the Christopher Chance we all know and love as The Human Target. The character was named Fred Venable and first appeared in issue 201 of Detective Comics in 1953. This hero is forced to take take on the dangerous task of posing as marked men in order to pay for an operation for his daughter. After getting all the money he needed he thought he was retired. But a Gothum City gangster named Blinky Grove had different plans, kidnapping his daughter and forcing the Human Target to pose as a criminal marked for death by rivals. With the Help of Batman and Robin Venable was able to rescue his daughter and take down the crime boss.

Springing from the success of the Graphic Novels by Peter Milligan a new monthly comic was begun in 2003. The first ten of its issues were later bound into two more graphic novels, Human Target: Strike Zones and Human Target: Living in Amerika in 2004 and printed the last of the monthly series in 2005.

#1 To Be Frank

October 2003
Art by Javier Pulido, Cliff Chiang and Cameron Stewart Color by Lee Loughridge and Javier Rodriguez Covers by Javier Pulido and John Watkiss Letterer Clem Robins Zachary Rau and Pornsak Pichetshote Assistant Editor Karen Berger Editor

© DC Comics

#2 The Unshredded Man, Part One: Ground Zero

November 2003

# 3The Unshredded Man, Part Two: Ready to Die

December 2003

#4 Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Part One: The Set-up Man

January 2004

#5 Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Part Two: The Strike Zone

February 2004

#6 For I Have Sinned

March 2004

#7 Which Way the Wind Blows, Part One

April 2004

#8 Which Way the Wind Blows, Part Two

May 2004

#9 Which Way the Wind Blows, Part Three

June 2004

#10 Five Days Grace

July 2004

#11 Games of Chance

August 2004

#12 Crossing the Border, Part One: Suffer the Children

September 2004

#13 Crossing the Border, Part Two: Hey, Jude

October 2004

#14 The Second Coming, Part One: In the Name of the Father

November 2004

#15 The Second Coming, Part Two: The Temptation of Christopher Chance

December 2004

#16 The Second Coming, Part Three: Pieces of Lead

January 2005

#17 You Made Me Love You

February 2005

#18 Letters from the Front Line

March 2005

#19 TThe Stealer, Part One

April 2005

#20 The Stealer, Part Two

May 2005

#21 The Stealer, Part Three: Final Issue

June 2005

back to about

In 1953 a character named Fred Venable appeared in Detective Comics issue 201. Fred, in desperate need of money to pay for an operation for his daughter, offered for a fee to pose as anyone whose life might be in danger. After getting all the money he needed he thought he was retired. But a Gotham City gangster named Blinky Grove had different plans, kidnapping his daughter and forcing the Human Target to pose as a criminal marked for death by rivals. With the Help of Batman and Robin, Venable was able to rescue his daughter and take down the crime boss.

Action Comics

After two decades a new Human Target emerged, known as Christopher Chance, this comic book character was created by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino. A master of disguise who catches would be killers off guard by donning the identity of his vulnerable clients. The character was first introduced to the public in the December 1972 issue of Action Comics alongside other DC Comic superheroes such as Superman.

In his fist case Chance, the superhero with a distinguished grey streak in his hair, assumed the identity of a rich chemical tycoon, taking his place aboard a train as bait for the would be assassin.

In his second case, "The King of the Jungle Contract" Issue 420 relased January 1973, Christopher Chance take the case of a big-game hunter who claims a jealous rival is looking to hunt more than the wildlife.*

Our hero's thrid case reveals that when Christopher was just a boy a loan shark came to murder his father. The young Chance bravely stood between the man's gun and his father, but was all too easily pushed aside. Vowing to never let that happen again, Chance spent much of his childhood mastering martial arts.

In "The Shadows-of-Yesterday Contract" March 1973, Issue 422, Chance is forced to relive his past when he realizes the murderer who is after him was the man that murdered his father.

The Deadly Dancer Contract *
April 1973, #423

The story continues as the Human Target has a showdown with his father's killer.*

The Short-Walk-to-Disaster Contract -- Clause 1: I Have a Cousin in the Business July 1973, #425

The Short-Walk-to-Disaster Contract -- Clause 2: The Shortest Distance Between Two Points
August 1973, #426

The Rodeo Riddle Contract November 1973, #429

Christopher Chance substitutes for a rodeo cowboy who has been marked for death.*

The Million Dollar Methuselah Contract
February 1974, #432

Christopher Chance takes on the identity of an aged oil baron whose great-great-great-grandnephew wants to kill him.*

Brave and the Bold

The Cat and the Canary Contract
September-October 1978, # 143

A retelling of Chance's Origin story in flashbacks as the Human Target is hired by the government to protect a witness from murder, but soon discovers he has become the man who ordered his father's death.

The Symphony For the Devil Contract
October-November 1979, #144

Christopher Chance transforms himself into an orchestra conductor whose life has been threatened.

The Best of DC

In 1979 DC Comics decided to run a special release in a digest format. They launched "The Best of Blue Ribbon Digest" in October 1979. *    Superman and Batman were most often the stars of the new series, as the release coincided with the timing of the Superman Movies. The Human Target was not overlooked however and made an appearance in Issue 30 in a reprint of Issue 419 "The Assassin-Express Contract!" released November 1982. This time Christopher Chance makes an appearance on the Detective Comics cover.

Detective Comics

In 1979 Christopher Chance made the move to DC's Detective Comics debuting in "The Lights! Camera! Murder! Contract" in April 1979. Issue 483 was Detective Comics 40th anniversary issue. Chance takes the place of an actor in a movie that promises to be even more action packed than anyone had planed.
The Who Is Floyd Fenderman Anyway? Contract June-July 1979, #484

A mysterious caller warns Christopher Chance against trying to save the life of Floyd Fenderman, a man of whom he has never heard before.
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Contract October-November 1979, #486

Crossover with the 1960s DC Comic characters the Sea Devils. Though the Sea Devil Comic series had been canceled for almost two decades the characters of Dane Dorrance and Judy Dorrance appear once again, this time seeking the Human Target's Help.

The 18-Wheel War Contract
August 1980, #493

Christopher Chance poses as a dead truck driver to find out who killed him.

The Human Target made another surprise appearance in "The 'Too Many Crooks...' Caper", the 500th anniversary issue of Detective Comics released March 1981. Fighting along side other heroes like Captain Compass, Pow-wow Smith, the Indian Lawman and Slam Bradley, Chance helped bring down the elusive criminal Victor Dominion.

Batman

In issue 515 of Detective Comics released June, 1982 a surprise guest is listed on the cover. In "College for Killers" we soon learn that Batman's secret identity may be in danger when Vicki Vale gets a hold of photographic proof that Batman is Bruce Wayne. Alfred brings in none other than Christopher Chance, the Human Target to pose as Wayne while Batman goes undercover as Matches Malone.*

The Crossover continues with "Blood Sport" in Batman issue 349 released July 1982, "What Stalks the Gotham Night?" Issue 351 September, 1982 and Issue 352 September, 1982. Batman is poisoned by vampires Dala and Monk and must battle Monk for a blood transfusion that can save his life, meanwhile Christopher Chance posing as Bruce Wayne is in danger as Rupert Throne is convinced he has discovered Batman's real identity and has hired Deadshot to kill him.*

Returning to Detective Comics September of 1982 in Issue 518 of DC's Detective Comics in, "The Millionaire Contract" Christopher Chance is still in peril while posing as Bruce Wayne. But can Batman get back in time to save him.

Action Comics Weekly

After apparently disappearing for a few years Christopher Chance made another appearance in Acton comics before taking the leap into the 1990s and a new television series on ABC



Action Comics Issue 641 released March 1989. The Human Target appeared in "The Pow! Wap! Zam! Contract"

back to about

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Sources

1. 1. The Essential Batman Encyclopedia By Robert Greenberger
2. 2. darkmask
3. 3. Coverbrowser
4. 4. Thrilling Detective
5. 5. Namtab - Digest Comics
6. 6. Wikipedia - Sea Devils
7. 7. dc.wikia

Human Target through the years

Revealed to the world December 1972 issue of Action Comics alongside other DC Comic super heroes such as Superman, Christopher Chance was a new kind of hero, a man who takes on his client's persona's to become The Human Target. Over its long history the character has gone through several revisions. Click on the images below to find out more about them.

• 
  The Original Comic   Though spotted in 1953 the Human Target we know today as Christopher Chance made his first appearance in 1972 in DC's Action Comics bound along with superheros such as Superman and Batman.


• 
  ABC Series  After two years in development by Warner Brothers and Pet Fly Productions a short lived series came to ABC in 1992 starring Pop icon Rick Springfield.


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  Graphic Novels  In 1999 Peter Milligan brought Chance back into pen and ink. Several of his works were bound into graphic novels and one original novel was created.


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  Monthly Comic  After the success of Peter Milligan's graphic novels a monthly comic was launched in 2003 and ran till 2005.


• 
  Fox Series   Fox announced a new series set to begin in January 2010. It will star Mark Valley, Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley.

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