As a rule — maybe a weird one — I don’t run exclusive announcements. It’s just not what I want the site to be, so I save those for my capable peers on other sites. But for I believe the first time in the history of SKTCHD, I’m making an exception.

That’s because Tommy Monaghan, aka Hitman, is back in December’s Hitman: It Was the Nineties Special #1.

“Who is Tommy Monaghan?” you might be wondering. Well, the character’s a legend amongst a certain set, a cult favorite created by writer Garth Ennis and artist John McCrea for The Demon Annual #2, a tie-in to the 1993 DC Comics event Bloodlines. After multiple appearances in The Demon, Tommy was given his own series in 1996’s Hitman, one that ran for five years and 60 plus issues.

Hitman is one of those comics where if you know, you know, and its story of Tommy and friends navigating life in The Cauldron (a Gotham City neighborhood that’s so troubled Batman largely stays away) is — at least in my estimation — one of the best comics DC has ever published. That’s at least in part because it tells a complete story, one with true finality, as Tommy and his friend Natt the Hat go out in heroic and extremely on-brand fashion.

We haven’t seen a new comic starring Tommy since 2007’s JLA/Hitman, but with this being both the 30th anniversary of Hitman’s debut and the 25th of its ending, DC decided it was time to bring the whole gang back in the aforementioned one-shot that is Hitman: It Was the Nineties Special #1. Written by Ennis, drawn by McCrea, and starring Tommy and Natt in the main story and the demonic bartender Baytor in a backup, this comic is arriving in comic shops on December 9th and, folks, I could not be more pumped about this news.

Here’s the solicitation and cover art for this one-shot, and if you’re like me and fully ready to get your first taste of Tommy and the crew at Noonan’s Sleazy Bar in almost 20 years, then make sure to let your local comic book shop know. Oh, and stay tuned for something else Hitman related that’s going to hit here on SKTCHD later today. It’s going to be a good one.

Hitman: It Was the Nineties Special #1

Written by Garth Ennis
Art and cover by John McCrea
Variant covers by Amanda Conner and Declan Shalvey
Foil variant cover by Gerardo Zaffino
$5.99 US | 48 pages | Variant $6.99 US (card stock) | Variant $8.99 US (foil)
On Sale 12/9/26

It’s a Christmas miracle! Garth Ennis and John McCrea return to their quintessential DCU creation, Tommy Monaghan, and the world of Hitman after 25 years for two twisted tales of yuletide cheer, violence, irreverence, and…ninjas?!

In the first story, we return to the DC Universe of the 1990s as Tommy is tasked with finding a star to place atop a tree but is targeted by all manner of killers, each of whom has a grudge and is looking to cash in on his head. And in the backup, Baytor mans the bar of a very familiar “café” and teams up with one of the World’s Finest heroes to save the day. Or does he?

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