Bullseye #1

By Ed Brisson, Mary Wolfman, Guillermo Sanna, Miroslav Mrva, Alec Morgan, Frank Martin Clayton Cowles, and Dave Johnson.

Bullseye is back in action again in his own series doing what Bullseye does best: kill lots of people for his own amusement. Money, success, and notoriety? None of that really seems to drive him. He is the kind of guy that really does want to watch the world burn. This book is certainly only for mature audiences; apart from Bullseye the bigger, badder guy he goes after in Columbia, has the same lust for sadistic torture proving this book is not for the squeamish. Bullseye #1 delivers plenty of bloodshed and pure action, as Bullseye finds ways to turn everyday items like paperclips into weapons of mass destruction.

Giving a villain a series is always risky; finding ways to care about the story without a babyface is always a challenge. Brisson has a lot to prove over this series because he needs to give Bullseye enough human qualities to deem him relatable while also showing he is no role model, what with his constant and unending need for bloodshed. The quick pace is noted throughout with art from Guillermo Sanna and colors from Miroslav Mrva. The story reflects Bullseye’s personality: quick to the point and brutal. The art has an overall dirty feel to it with a grainy quality that gives you the sense this book is seedy and a glimpse into the crime underbelly we always see Daredevil uncover.

Bullseye’s ADD for death and destruction is on full display in vivid splash pages and detailed page layouts. There is rarely a page with Bullseye that does not show him maiming someone in some capacity. Brisson’s story comes to gory bloodied life from this creative team of Sanna and Mrva. The use of red against grim and dark pages is really aggressive, especially in the Columbia pages and shows the brutality of The Black Knife, the drug cartel Bullseye is hired to take down.

Maybe Bullseye is a one-dimensional character and this series is going to be driven by violence and death. If this series is going to have any longevity Brisson needs to shows some humanity and depth to this character or this may be short-lived. The constant lurking, killing and senseless acts of violence from Bullseye are cute at first, but after so many issues it becomes old hat and the audience will demand more from the lead in terms of personality and motivation.

The only glimpse of personality we get is in the short story “If I tell you…” from writer Mary Wolfman and artist Alec Morgan. This story shows Bullseye getting bested by a gang after he stole information from them. As he gets tortured and humiliated in front of the mobsters, he shows a sense of humor and some insight into the human condition as he weighs his options. The story from Wolfman does deliver some needed insight into the character of Bullseye, a little glimpse beneath the tattooed head. We see him outsmart and show mercy in a situation many would deem hopeless and inescapable. The art from Morgan with colors from Martin and letters from Cowles show more human expression as well, giving us close facial shots of Bullseye that give the readers a sense of sympathy as he is tortured and humiliated. The crazy thing is you begin to root for him as the story goes on, and that sense of familiarity is something the larger over arching story needs.

The need for a Bullseye series is there, but can this series stick around once the initial excitement wears off will be the true test of the story and art. The story has a good start, seeing Bullseye get in over his head going against an entire Columbian drug cartel has a lot of appeal. With art that gets the tone of the book there could be a lot to look forward to from this series as long as we see some depth added to Bullseye along the way.