4 out of 5

…And then every once in a while, Ennis will pause and say, “But I actually really like comics, and heroes,” or at least what he feels they should stand for, and we get a wisdom-espousing one-shot contemplation on that.

With Hitman, that comes in the form of Tommy and Superman, meeting on a rooftop, Tommy playing therapist for Supes during a moment of self-doubt.

Like the previous arc, this is something generic written exceedingly well.  My problem with these types of issues of Garth’s is that his revelations or statements are often just hand waving; he presents something rather emotionally complex – here it’s Supes’ personal conundrum about how he’s perceived – and then makes a warm sounding Hallmark statement, distracting from its flatness with either juxtaposed crass or a lampshade.  I mean, it works.  That’s the moralizing of Blockbuster movies; the easily-accessed emotions.  But it always knocks these moments down a notch for me.

The kicker of why Tommy is on the roof nudges it back up, even if it’s an obvious punchline, and the whole presentation – the art, the patience of the dialogue – makes it a classy read, and a smart pause after a couple of slightly heavier story arcs.