Classic Comic Compendium: HITMAN #34 is a classic Superman comic

6 days ago 12

There’s a new Superman movie coming out in a little more than a month on July 11, 2025.

Trailers so far seem to indicate a movie filled with hope, humour, and a cute dog. When in doubt, always hit them in the animal brain with adorable creatures that trigger base instincts. And undoubtedly with a new Superman movie, there will be discussion about perception of the character.

What Superman stands for. Whether Superman is valid in current political landscapes. If Superman should kill. How well he works under a Gunn. And all sorts of permutations on different perspectives on if he’s for kids, adults, non-Americans, and so on and so forth. In many ways, I think the idea of Superman is one in which we project many of our own ideas onto him, ideals or otherwise. Sometimes as the ultimate aspiration. Others as an unobtainable fantasy.

I’ll give my perspective on a number of my favourite Superman stories, and I wanted to start with one that examines perspective within the DC Universe.

“I know I can’t save everyone. But I also know what I…what Superman, the idea of Superman means to everyone.”

Hitman #34 by Garth Ennis, John McCrea, Garry Leach, Carla Feeny, Heroic Age, and Pat Prentice is a simple conversation on a rooftop. After a catastrophic failure of a space mission, Superman lands on a building in Gotham City and strikes up what amounts to a confession with Tommy Monaghan.

The art from John McCrea, Garry Leach, and Carla Feeny is epic. McCrea’s idiosyncratic style is part of what made Hitman so memorable from the jump, unique characters with an almost organic feel, and there’s an interesting shift here with the presentation of Superman. A bright, do-gooder of a leading man with square jaw and broad shoulders brought in to the darkness of Monaghan’s world. It’s an interesting contrast, yet because of the doubt, despair, and remorse of Superman’s tale, there’s a beautiful humanity in the range of emotion in McCrea’s facial depictions that cross the divide of the two worlds. With Leach’s inks maintaining the darker, harder edge of the usual stories and Feeny’s colours bridging the brighter primary colours of Superman and the more offbeat palette of Hitman.

I feel that this humanity beautifully represented in the art is an important part of the overall story. It’s one of expectations and perspective of a larger than life icon. Of what responsibilities Superman feels himself and the terrible burden that he places upon his shoulders if and when something goes wrong. And of how the little guy, the ordinary person as represented by Monaghan, still yet see something different. A bit of Superman representing second chances and an idealism of the American Dream that seems borne out of Garth Ennis’ own experience emigrating to America. Pat Prentice nicely presenting the narration of Superman’s story of the space mission with his letters.

“An’ if a chance is all we can hope for, well, maybe that ain’t so bad.”

Now, as myself a Canadian, I can appreciate that some of the jingoism and American exceptionalism that bleeds through in Monaghan’s depiction of Superman may rub some people the wrong way, but I sincerely doubt that this is meant to exactly be an America Rah Rah tale. Especially with how darkly humorous the conclusion is and that part of it is a co-option of the American Dream through personal greed. My personal perspective endorses more of a mosaic than a melting pot, though I still support the idea of coming together for a greater ideal that underlies the story. That finding a common good and asking how you can help actually transcends other definitions.

Of course, maybe even here with Hitman #34 from Ennis, McCrea, Leach, Feeny, Heroic Age, and Prentice — a story of quiet failure, self-recrimination, and pulling yourself back together out of hope, inspiration, and a second chance — I’m colouring it with personal bias and perception. What I read into it may not be the same as others. Maybe the American bits resonate with you differently.

Classic Comic Compendium: HITMAN #34

Hitman #34 – “Of Thee I Sing”
Writer: Garth Ennis
Penciller: John McCrea
Inker: Garry Leach
Colourist: Carla Feeny & Heroic Age (separations)
Letterer: Pat Prentice
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: December 23 1998
Available collected in Hitman – Volume 5: Tommy’s Heroes, Hitman’s Greatest Hits, and the forthcoming Hitman Omnibus – Volume 2 (December 2025)