I am Mark Shaw. I have been a hero, a villain, and again a hero. I am now a hunter. 
Manhunter #1 is an issue of the series Manhunter (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1988.
Synopsis for "Visible Objects"
A necklace known as "the Roc's Eggs" have been stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York which offers a reward for its return. Mark learns from his sources that the culprit was the Penguin and Mark tracks Penguin to an abandoned warehouse serving as his hideout. Mark changes to his new heroic persona, Manhunter, and confronts Penguin as he takes a bath. Manhunter brings Penguin to the Area 3 Station House. He confers with Lt. Best who reveals that this is Manhunter's third bounty in three weeks. He also expresses his displeasure with Manhunter's bounty hunter status.
Bishop Damian M'Butu is driven by his guards to Caterbury Cathedral where Damian's seminary teacher, Bishop Charles Sutton, practices. Damian seeks Bishop Sutton's service for confession. His guards are nervous as Damian's life has been threatened but Damian knows that his enemies will find him eventually. As Damian meets with Sutton, Sutton pulls a gun and kills Damian. He sneaks out while the guards rush in and escapes having slashed the tires of the guards' car. Sutton, his face seemingly melting, calls his employer, Herr Van Damm, and reveals himself to be Dumas and the mission (for which he was paid $1 Million) is complete.
Shaw returns to his apartment, checks the time of tomorrow's Cubs/Mets game, disguises himself as a chauffer and drives to his family's residence in Connecticut. He arrives as his parents' party is ending and enters once all the guests have left. The party was for Mark's sister, Rose, who just passed her bar exam. Remaining are Mark's parents, Rose and step-father Eliot, half-sister Eleanor and younger half-brother, James. The family has agreed to act out the charade that they and Mark are not on speaking terms in order to keep them all safe from Mark's enemies. James, however, is very displeased with Mark's actions as they are having a disruptive and negative impact on the family law firm. Mark recounts his origins and history. Mark gives Rose her present, the keys to the car in which he drove, and catches the train back to New York.
The next night, Mark goes to Shea Stadium and spies on Leonard Snart, a die-hard Cubs fan. As they leave, Snart changes to Captain Cold and Shaw changes to Manhunter to follow him. Captain Cold jumps on top of a moving train and leaps off at a station where a major drug deal is going down. Further, the police are also hiding ready to catch the dealers and reporters and a camera crew are also in hiding ready to televise the drug bust. Reporter Howard Baxter-Foote appears disrupting the drug deal. Captain Cold appears sticking up the drug dealers. The police get involved in the fray. Manhunter jumps in and takes down Captain Cold.
The broadcast of event is watched by Olivia Vancroft who calls a Mr. Devree and hires Dumas to steal Manhunter's mask.
Appearing in "Visible Objects"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Lieutenant Lucius Best (First appearance)
- Eleanor Shaw (First appearance)
- Eliot Shaw (First appearance)
- James Shaw (First appearance)
- Rose Shaw (First appearance)
- Howard Baxter-Foote (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Captain Cold
- Dumas (First appearance)
- Olivia Vancroft (First appearance)
- Penguin
Other Characters:
- Mr. Devree (First appearance)
- Bishop Damian M'Butu (Single appearance; dies)
- Joseph
- Desmond Shaw (Flashback only)
- The Hog (Flashback only)
- Manhunters (Flashback only)
- Red Tornado (Flashback only)
- Simon LaGrieve (Flashback only)
- New York Mets
- Chicago Cubs
Locations:
- United Kingdom
- Kent
- Canterbury
- Canterbury Cathedral
- Canterbury
- Kent
- United States of America
- Connecticut
- Eliot and Rose Shaw Residence
- New York
- New York City
- Manhattan
- New York Police Department - 11th Precinct
- Mark Shaw's Apartment
- Queens
- Shea Stadium
- Manhattan
- New York City
- Wisconsin
- Cliff House
- Connecticut
Items:
- Manhunter Power Baton
- Manhunter Mask
- Captain Cold's Cold Gun
Vehicles:
Notes
- Due to a retcon presented in Issue 13 of the third Manhunter series, Mark Shaw was purportedly brainwashed into having a second, hidden personality known as Dumas. It is unclear if there was ever a real Dumas, if Shaw always unknowingly acted as Dumas, and/or if "encounters" with Dumas were all imagined or hallucinated. Thus certain aspects of this story may not be considered canon.
- It is revealed in Issue #4 that Olivia Vancroft is actually one of Dumas' aliases.
- The reporter refers to a biographical book entitled Mask of the Manhunter about Paul Kirk and written by former Interpol agent Christine St. Clair.
Trivia
- Leonard Snart is a die-hard Cubs fan and watches them every chance he gets. He also bets heavily on them to win.
- Among the superhero masks in Olivia Vancroft's collection are: the previous Manhunters (Dan Richards, Paul Kirk, and Clone of Paul Kirk), Animal Man, Batman, Commander Steel, Dr. Mid-Nite, Enemy Ace, Judomaster, Mister Miracle, Northwind, Plastic Man, Sandman, and Vigilante.
- In his first appearance Mr. DeVree appears as bald on the top of his head, clean shaven and wearing glasses. In his next appearance, he has most of his hair, a mustache and no glasses.