Action Comics No. 419
December 1972
Story: “The Assassin-Express Contract” (10 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Len Wein
Penciller: Carmine Infantino
Inker: Dick Giordano
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; first appearance; last chronological appearance in flashback in issue #422)
Supporting Character: Luigi (first appearance)
Intro: T. C. Newman, Harry Cheever (only appearance for both)
Villains: Smithers (first and only appearance), a hitman (first appearance; dies in this story)
Synopsis: Christopher Chance assumes the identity of a businessman aboard a train in order to intercept a murder attempt on the man.

Action Comics No. 420
January 1973
Story: “The King of the Jungle Contract” (10 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Dick Giordano
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; next appears in issue #422)
Supporting Character: Luigi (next appears in issue #422)
Intro: Ernest Holaway (dies in this story), Mr. and Mrs. Lucien Lavender (only appearance for both)
Villain: Gunther King (first appearance; dies in this story)
Synopsis: Christopher Chance takes on the persona of a big-game hunter who claims to fear murder attempts from a jealous rival.

Action Comics No. 422
March 1973
Story: “The Shadows-of-Yesterday Contract” (8 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Dick Giordano
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; last appearance in issue #420; also appears in flashback, preceding his introduction in issue #419; origin revealed in this story)
Supporting Characters: Luigi (between issues #420 / 425), Mr. Chance (Christopher Chance’s father; in flashback; first appearance; dies in this story)
Intro: Hyram Walsh (only appearance)
Villains: Amos Sharkey (in flashback; first appearance; next appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #143), Dancer (first appearance; in flashback), other hoods (first and only appearance; in flashback)
Comment: Story continues in next issue.
Synopsis: Another potential victim comes to Christopher Chance with a plea for help, but Chance learns that the killer he fears is the man who murdered Chance’s father.

Action Comics No. 423
April 1973
Story: “The Deadly Dancer Contract” (8 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Dick Giordano
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; next appears in issue #425)
Cameo appearance: Hyram Walsh (as a disguise)
Villains: Dancer (last appearance), Jeff and his partner (first and only appearance for both)
Synopsis: The Human Target has a showdown with his father’s killer.

Action Comics No. 425
July 1973
Story: “The Short-Walk-to-Disaster Contract”
 Clause 1: “I Have a Cousin in the Business” (6 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Len Wein
Penciller: Neal Adams
Inker: Dick Giordano
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; last appearance in issue #423)
Supporting Character: Luigi (last appearance in issue #422)
Intro: The Sensei (not to be confused with the character in the Deadman series; only appearance), Antonio (Luigi’s brother)
Villain: Martin (first appearance)
Comment: Story continues in next issue.
Synopsis: Luigi gets Christopher Chance to substitute for his brother, who is planning a highwire walk across Niagara Falls to boost his circus business if he can manage to survive a series of “accidents” beforehand.

Action Comics No. 426
August 1973
Story: “The Short-Walk-to-Disaster Contract”
 Clause 2: “The Shortest Distance Between Two Points” (6 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Dick Giordano
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; next appears in issue #429)
Supporting Character: Luigi (next appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #144)
Other Character: Antonio (last appearance)
Villain: Martin (last appearance)
Synopsis: As Antonio, Christopher Chance begins his walk across the falls, until somebody cuts a guide wire.

Action Comics No. 429
November 1972
Story: “The Rodeo Riddle Contract” (7 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Dick Giordano
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; between issues #426 / 432)
Intro: Rick Ryan, Carla, Chet Hennings, Vince Jason (only appearance for all)
Villain: Harve Kimble (first and only appearance)
Synopsis: Christopher Chance substitutes for a rodeo cowboy who has been marked for death.

Action Comics No. 432
February 1973
Story: “The Million Dollar Methuselah Contract” (7 pages)
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Dick Giordano
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; next appears in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #143)
Intro: Henderson Repp, Deedee (only appearance for both)
Villain: A hitman (first appearance; dies in this story)
Synopsis: Christopher Chance takes on the identity of an aged oil baron whose great-great-great-grandnephew wants to kill him.

Brave and the Bold No. 143
September-October 1978
Cover: Batman and Creeper vs. Mr. Big; Human Target (two vignettes) //Jim Aparo (signed)
Story: “The Cat and the Canary Contract” (9 pages)
Editor: Paul Levitz
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Dick Giordano
Letterer: Shelly Leferman
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; last appearance in ACTION COMICS #432; origin retold in flashback)
Cameo appearances: Mr. Chance, Dancer (in flashback), John Dillinger, Bonnie Parker, Clyde Barrow, Lex Luthor, Pretty Boy Floyd (as statues)
Villains: Amos Sharkey (last appearance in ACTION COMICS #422; last appearance), the Cat (first and only appearance)
Synopsis: The Human Target takes a job from the government to protect a witness from murder, only to learn that the subject is the man who ordered his father’s death.

Brave and the Bold No. 144
October-November 1979
Story: “The Symphony For the Devil Contract” (8 pages)
Editor: Paul Levitz
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Dick Giordano
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #483)
Supporting Character: Luigi (last appearance in ACTION COMICS #426; next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #484), Vanessa Van Dyke (first appearance; next appears in DETECTIVE COMICS #484)
Intro: Andre DeVyne (only appearance)
Villain: An assassin (first and only appearance)
Synopsis: Christopher Chance is hired to protect an orchestra conductor whose life has been threatened.

Detective Comics No. 483
April-May 1979
Story: “The ‘Lights!  Camera!  Murder!’ Contract” (8 pages)
Editor: Paul Levitz
Writer: Len Wein
Penciller: Howard Chaykin
Inker: Dick Giordano
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #144)
Intro: Brad Nayle (only appearance)
Villains: Jessica Kincaid, Pinky (first and only appearance for both)
Synopsis: Christopher Chance takes over for a stuntman and actor whose latest picture threatens to be a killer.

Detective Comics No. 484
June-July 1979
Story: “The ‘Who Is Floyd Fenderman Anyway?’ Contract” (9 pages)
Editor: Paul Levitz
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Dick Giordano
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; next appears in issue #486)
Supporting Characters: Luigi (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #144; next appears in issue #493), Vanessa Van Dyke (last appearance in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #144; last appearance)
Intro: Floyd Fenderman (only appearance)
Villains: Huey, Alvin, Fats, another hood, a hitman (first and only appearance for all)
Synopsis: A mysterious caller warns Christopher Chance against trying to save the life of Floyd Fenderman, a man of whom he has never heard before.

Detective Comics No. 486
October-November 1979
Story: “The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Contract” (8 pages)
Editor: Paul Levitz
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Dick Giordano
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; between issues #484 / 493)
GS: Dane Dorrance, Judy Dorrance (last appearance for both in SEA DEVILS #35; next chronological appearance for both in ACTION COMICS #552 (flashback))
Intro: Hank Bonner (dies before this story opens), Jack Payton (only appearance)
Villain: Roger Scott (first and only appearance)
Synopsis: Chance is hired by Dane and Judy Dorrance of the Sea Devils to learn which of Dane’s two old friends may have killed another friend and injured Dane.

Detective Comics No. 493
August 1980
Story: “The 18-Wheel War Contract” (9 pages)
Editor: Paul Levitz
Writer: Len Wein
Penciller: Dick Giordano
Inker: Steve Mitchell
Letterer: Ben Oda
Colorist: Glynis Wein
Feature Character: The Human Target (Christopher Chance; between issues #486 / 500)
Supporting Character: Luigi (last appearance in issue #484; last appearance)
Intro: Jeremy Cole (dies before this story opens), Jody Ann Cole, Curly (only appearance for both)
Villain: Slim (first and only appearance)
Comment: Sometime after this story Christopher Chance joins forces with a group of other detectives to solve a mystery in issue #500, then poses as Bruce Wayne in issue #515,  BATMAN #349, 351, issue #518, and BATMAN #352, then briefly appears in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #11.
Synopsis: Christopher Chance is hired to pose as a woman’s dead brother to find out which of the truckers she employs killed him.

 (back to home)