‘I’ve got 48 hours to kill the President and the only person that can stop me…..is me!!’ are words said by the hero of CrossHair #1 just after he’s despatched the members of the crack Block Ops unit sent to assassinate him. Everything you really need to know about the plot of CrossHair is in that line.
It’s a familiar plot; ex Cia man living the quiet family life has to be smoked out to complete one last job, that only he can handle. There are echoes of Red, A History of Violence and as the author refers to in his notes at the end of the comic, The Manchurian Candidate. When you have such a familiar story, the interest lies in how you, if you can, bring something new to the telling of the story.
I’m not sure that CrossHair does manage this though. While it’s nicely written, well paced and delivers on the action front there’s nothing in here that you haven’t seen before. It’s an enjoyable enough read and you won’t feel short changed for your cash, especially if this is the sort of thing you enjoy. Of it’s kind it’s very good, but if you’re looking for a fresh take on the genre then this isn’t the place to find it. Although I will give a special mention to our hero’s booby trapping of the entire neighbourhood, just in case something like this was to happen at some point.
CrossHair is part of Top Cow’s preview season and this issue is the pitch for having the whole series published. So if you like I then you’ll have to vote for it to win so that you can see how it all pans out. Vote over at Top Cow’s website.
7/10
