Folks, you remember this show, right? Mysterious
Christopher Chance is a soldier for hire, putting himself in the line of fire
to protect his clientele from terrorists, murderers, and kidnappers. Sometimes
he’d appear in public as the intended victim’s bodyguard. And sometimes he’d
dress up as the target in order to end the threat to his customer’s livelihood.
And it starred Rick Springfield????
The comic I read was based on the first attempt to
bring the Human Target to TV. The show aired on ABC for a whopping 7 episodes.
Needless to say it was a colossal fail. This version of the show is so obscure,
I don’t think you can find it on VHS or DVD. I highly doubt anyone except maybe
a diehard Rick Springfield fan even has this show on video anymore period.
I’ve only come across one copy of this in my years
of trolling comic book stores and bargain boxes. This very issue, which I
bought for less than a dollar is it. The book itself isn’t bad. The art is
tag-teamed by the legendary Dick Giordano and Rick Burchett. It’s very classic
Christopher Chance and it very clean. The stories themselves aren’t bad either.
Both involve Chance’s organization being hired to help protect people whose
lives are in danger.
This special also acts as a quick introduction to
potential viewers of the show of the cast and characters- as well as their area
of expertise. (This comic was published almost 8 months before the show finally
aired after 2 years of sitting in ABC programming limbo.) Some of the dialogue
is stale and the banter between Chance and his “booking agent” and obvious love
interest on the perspective TV show is cloying. But the action, adventure, and
plots of this special are top notch.
While I have no qualms to the limited lifespan of
the TV show, I am disappointed that this didn’t spark more interest in the
comic book. I like the idea behind the Human Target and years later, Fox would
get it right with a series that at least for the first season was an instant
classic. Hopefully, DC will create a Human Target collection of stories under their
Showcase Presents line. I’d pay full price for that and in my case that speaks
volumes.
Worth Consuming.
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
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