Bullseye #1 Review: Sadly, This Series Completely Misses the Mark
Gang, our Bullseye #1 review is a little SPOILER-Y, so…check back with us after you’ve read the issue. Oh? Still here? Thank you!
Writer: Ed Brisson and Marv Wolfman
Pencillers: Alec Morgan and Guillermo Sanna
The man that never misses is back. But this time, boy did he miss the mark because Bullseye #1 isn’t a very good comic.
The character of Bullseye is strong enough to headline his own series. Writer Daniel Way proved that over ten years ago with the mayhem-laden gore fest entitled Bullseye: Greatest Hits.
It’s always tough to craft a comic series with a villain as a protagonist, especially a villain like Bullseye – a psychopathic killer with no remorse and no redeeming human qualities. But, with the right plot, the right supporting cast, and the right tone, it is possible as Way showed comic fans so many years ago. But where Way succeeded, the creators behind the 2017 Bullseye series completely failed because Bullseye #1 is a mean spirited, self-indulgent, mindless mess of a comic.
The plot and story direction of the issue is solid. Bullseye is hired to protect the son of a Columbian drug lord from a murderous criminal rival. I really like the way writer Ed Brisson constructs the world of Bullseye. Brisson has the eye and voice to create this underworld where Bullseye is right at home, and I really enjoy seeing how Bullseye gets his assignments. It’s a solid foundation for a story, but the quality sadly ends there.
The issue is fraught with scenes of Bullseye causally murdering innocent people, and while these sequences do allow readers to see the scope of Bullseye’s special skills, they are also vacant of humor, and as I said before, they are extremely mean-spirited. A reader can sense that Brisson really, really wants to be Garth Ennis but Brisson has none of Ennis’ comedic timing or mastery of mayhem. Bullseye #1 is just nasty, and vacant of humor or taste.
On the other hand, Bullseye #1 does contain a backup story written by Bullseye’s co-creator, the legendary Marv Wolfman. People forget that Wolfman created Bullseye and it is really fun to see the co-creator of Blade and the New Teen Titans back at Marvel. Wolfman’s story presents a way more classic and subtle Bullseye tale and I really wish that Wolfman, definitive comic scribe, was guiding the book moving forward.
I’m always open for a good villain-led comic. Sadly, Bullseye #1 is a nasty bit of business that sacrifices humor for base violence.