Since DC has become notorious for publishing Hardcover books that DO NOT deserve the Hardcover format (I, Paparazzi, Batman books The Chalice, Fortunate Son, Harvest Breed, Dark Knight Dynasty, Etc.), I was ready to be disappointed by Human Target: Final Cut. I enjoyed Milligan's previous Human Target story, however, so I thought I'd give it a try. Glad I did! After finishing it, I actually had to sit for a few minutes and try to digest what I'd just experienced. It was a truly staggering read!

Christopher Chance, the titular "Human Target", is just what his name implies: For the right price, Chance will assume the identity of people whose lives are endangered, using everything from fake mustaches and wigs, to Dermal Implants and Plastic Surgery. Here Chance assumes the identity of Dai Thomas, B-Movie actor, who is the third target of a homicidal Hollywood screenwriter trying to raise money for his movie project. After killing the stalker, Chance gets a bit of shocking news: The writer had kidnapped child-star Ronan White, and had hidden him away. With the kidnapper dead, Ronan will die of starvation, if he isn't dead already....and so Chance is forced to assume the identity of the killer/kidnapper, and descends into a maelstrom of drugs, murder, and nasty secrets.

The underlying theme of Chance being absorbed into the "Roles" he plays is dealt with by Writer Peter Milligan very convincingly, and the art by Javier Pulido is perfectly suited to the twisty story. Milligan manages to tie all of the loose ends up in an ending that is not only satisfying, but jaw-dropping. How often can you sat that a book left you speechless at the end? Simply an amazing effort all around. The book is divided into 4 comic-book sized chapters, which makes me think that this was originally intended as a mini-series, and someone at DC thought it was so good it merited the deluxe treatment. If that's the case, there may be hope for DC's hardcover line yet.... :)

yes well um, i havent read it. i would have read it HAD AMAZON HAD IT IN STOCK. i heard it was good though. im gonna watch the movie.

Sports are a great time to have fun and make friends. Playing sports also have some bad sides. Injuries and heartbreak are just part of the game. Fourth down, by Dave Klein, trully brings this to attention by telling the story of two football teammates. Ed Buck and Adam Benson who lived in Pennsylvania were best friends and high school teammates.
The country's leading high school quarterback Adam Benson left Pennsylvania to play football at Oklahoma University. Ed left without a scholarship with the dream of being a walk-on playing on the offensive line at OU. After college, the Bears drafted Adam and Ed, but Ed tore up his knee in the college all star game, ending a promising career. Adam started a great pro career while Ed became a sports writer for the New York Express.
After twelve years in the NFL, Adam is having his worst season ever. He informed Ed that he has a cocaine addiction and he had to borrow money from some bad people. He has been throwing games, but Adam plans to play his best against the New York Giants. During the game, Adam dies of a heart attck. Ed is heart broken and is at a loss for words. Though he places his life on the line, Ed starts an investigation.
This fiction novel is wonderfully written and it is obvious that Dave Klein has made great sports books before. Fourth Down is very enttertaining and included a stupendous mix between comedy and drama. Directed toward a male audience especially young males, I would suggest this book anytime.

I read this book in one evening and it was worth the time. Interesting story with good character development and a great twist ending. Includes it all, Sports, the Mob, Crime in a great story line. I recommend you read it. It's worth your time and money.

In 1968, the country's leading high school quarterback Adam Benson left Pennsylvania to play football at Oklahoma University. In that same year, Ed Buck left New York City without a scholarship with the dream of being a walk-on playing on the offensive line at OU. In 1972, the Bears draft Adam and Ed, but the lineman ripped up his knee in the now defunct college all star game, ending a promising career before it began. Adam started a great pro career while Ed became a sports writer for the New York Express.

A dozen years later, Adam is having his worst season ever. He talks with his pal Ed, informing the journalist that his cocaine habit led him to borrow money from the wrong people. He has been throwing football games, but has had it. Adam plans to play at his best against the Giants. However, during the game, Adam dies from an apparent heart attack. Ed thinks a gambling syndicate killed his friend. Though he places his life on the line, the intrepid reporter only knows one way to go and that is right up the middle.

FOURTH DOWN is a touchdown winning sports mystery that fans of the sub-genre will relish. The sports segments and the related gambling sub-plot are superbly written, enticing sport and non-sport fans to read more novels by Dave Klein. Though the mob sequences seem pale by comparison, they do not slow down the frantic pace of a story line that reads more like a two minute drill. With this novel and BLINDSIDE, Mr. Klein is deserving of the writers equivalent to the "Lombardi Trophy" for authors of excellent sports mysteries.

Harriet Klausner

I really want to like this book. But I can't. It's DULL. I bought it because I saw Sergio Zyman's name on it, and I like his message and in-your-face style. In spite of their wealth of knowledge, Sutton and Klein, put me to sleep. Even the title is a snooze - a bad mistake for expert marketers.

Remarkably short of the usual marketing gobbledygook doublespeak that I just hate. Also, is NOT an academic tone. It's clear these guys have experience in the areas they address - whether it's CRM or E stuff or Brands or ROI. They've hit on the key issues across the board and give just about any marketer some things to think about.

Despite the mouthful of a title, there's good stuff in here. Very plain-spoken and straightforward. It's not another story about P&G or all of those brands that everyone on the planet already knows. This is for the "rest of us" who are going to trade shows and working with distributors and selling directly to customers - not sitting in overpriced ad agency offices in New York. I bought a copy for our CEO, CMO AND our CFO.

I could never belive that Wonder-Woman and Batman would come to blows like they do in this story. In the monthly JLA stories, they always had a certain respect for the other;s abilities, in fact, sometimes it appeared Wonder-Woman agreed more with Batman then Superman. Thus their behavoir in this story is just unacceptable.

This "deluxe" hardbound book has some obvious similarities to Christopher Moeller's "A League Of One," also offered from DC Comics a year or so back. Lavishly illustrated and thoughtfully written, they both follow Wonder Woman in 'extra-curricular' (that is, outside the continuity of her monthly comic) adventures, and feature supporting heroes from DC's pantheon. Both books are fairly quick reads, and both deserve the occasional re-read. Unfortunately, both books have a somewhat hefty list price...one good reason to buy them at Amazon's discount.

"The Hiketeia," though it shares some of "League"'s artfully dark style of illustration, isn't written in the same epic manner. At times gloomy and drear, "Hiketeia" is more of a modern Greek tragedy, and has a predictably sad ending. In brief, this story follows a young woman named Danielle, whose sister has come to an untimely end at the hands of drug dealing lowlifes. Though Danielle has always emulated Wonder Woman's heroic ideals, to the point of teaching herself ancient Greek and studying Greek history, her life is changed by a visit from the Furies, a trio of Greek goddesses who thrive on vengeance. Also known as the Erinyes, these hellish goddesses convince Danielle it is her blood obligation to exact revenge upon her sister's tormentors and killers.

Danielle runs afoul of Batman, but escapes him to seek sanctuary with Wonder Woman. She is 'bound' to Diana by performing the ancient ritual of "hiketeia," and Wonder Woman agrees to protect Danielle and provide for her. Eventually Batman tracks the girl to her hideout (the Themysciran embassy), but WW prevents him from taking Danielle into custody. In doing so, Diana honors the sanctity of hiketeia, but defies the laws of modern society. There's much more to this story, but I don't want to spoil it for fellow readers.

Greg Rucka's story is at times riveting, and his characterization of Batman and The Furies is commendable. Longtime Wonder Woman readers may object to the way Diana subverts her sense of reason, in order to honor a ritual that puts her at odds with modern/cultural justice. But there's no questioning her resolve, or her faith. The Furies, despite their blood-thirsty nature, are portrayed as slightly whimsical deities, a nice touch. Batman's importance in this story is belied by his prominence on the book's cover. Though he is a potent reminder of the magnitude of Danielle's crimes, there isn't a single page in this book devoted to his search for the girl, or his reaction to Diana's "interference."

Drawn by J.G. Jones and inked (somewhat heavily) by Wade Von Grawbadger, "Hiketeia"'s visuals are an excellent complement to
Rucka's tale. The style is clean and reasonably realistic in comic book terms, and all the main players are depicted in fine form. Story colors are generally good, though emphasis is given to moody blue-greys and amber lights. The cumulative effect is modern enough to please the average comics fan, and also respectful of classical illustration...a nod to "serious" readers. My only quibble with artwork is the cover, which takes WW and Bat's battle way out of context. It's a powerful image that could easily be misinterpreted as political commentary or a gender statement.

I'd call this a "five star" book if characterization for Wonder Woman was more consistant with her comics "norms". But that's a highly subjective view, so I can still recommend this book to fellow WW fans with few reservations. Fans of the Big Bat may be disappointed to see just how small his part is, but I don't think anyone will find him out of character here. Given the shortage of hardbound WW books, I'd say this one is a must for collectors.

Well ... I just had to write a review and give it five stars, despite being tired and sleepy (almost midnight as I write this). Only two persons had reviewed this book, and one of them gave it only one star, grossly skewing the average rating and possibly affecting what unsuspecting potential buyers might think of this GREAT book. The Hiketeia is a dark and depressing story, very much in the vein of classic Greek tragedies. Wonder Woman grants sanctuary to a young woman, Danielle Wellys, and becomes bound to give Danielle protection without realising that Batman is after Danielle for having murdered several people who caused her younger sister's death. The story resonates with Aeschylus's Oresteia, with its theme of duty and vengeance and their consequences - Orestes was commanded by the Gods, through Apollo's oracle at Delphi, to avenge the murder of his father, Agamemnon, by killing the murderer, his mother Clytemnestra. He duly performed this horrendous duty, bringing the wrath of the Furies, ancient goddesses who hound murderers of blood kinsmen, upon his head in the bargain. Orestes was in a no-win situation - had he failed to kill his mother, the Furies' wrath would have also descended upon his head for failing to avenge the murder of his father. While the Oresteia ended on a happy note - Athena absolved Orestes of any misdeeds and placated the Furies by appealing to their egos - Greg Rucka goes one step further by giving The Hiketeia a bleak ending without any deus ex machina plot devices often used by the ancient Greeks. While the characterisation of the Furies as scheming witches plotting Wonder Woman's downfall is contrary to what the ancient Greeks themselves would have thought of them, I greatly enjoyed this story for being true to Wonder Woman's roots in Greek mythology. The colours used are muted to reflect the darkness of the story, but the art-work is gorgeous. Go beyond the S&M cover of Wonder Woman's heel on Batman's face and you will discover a modern Greek tragedy well worth reading and re-reading several times.