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Sometimes, you want to read stories about terrible people. Not so much to cheer them on but to peek inside their head and try and understand their thinking. The Killer by artist Luc Jacamon and writer Matz is one such comic. It follows an unnamed hitman who travels the globe taking out targets for money. While there’s plenty of drama, it’s also an exploration into this kind of person, diving into a nihilistic worldview and a cool disinterest that makes for an interesting character, even if you disagree with them. It’s the kind of character that seems to have appealed to Hollywood director David Fincher (Seven, The Social Network), who has adapted The Killer as a feature film for Netflix.
The Netflix movie might’ve caught your attention and inspired you to explore the source material. If so, this guide will let you know how to read Luc Jacamon and Matz’s The Killer. This includes pointing out starting points, explaining the different formats it can be read in, and much more.
Happy reading!
Table of contents
- How was The Killer published?
- Story list
- Will there be more stories?
- What is the best place to start reading The Killer?
- Collected editions
- Where to find The Killer
How was The Killer published?
The Killer is a French comic series – known as “Le Tueur” in its native language. Several stories were published by Franco-Belgian publisher Casterman between 1998 and 2004 and brought back with a sequel series in 2020. It’s worth noting that comics are released differently in Europe when compared to that of the US. Each story is published as a 64-page hardcover, referred to as a “graphic album”, instead of being serialised in issues. These are released every 9-12 months, with a larger gap between some tales.
The series has been released in a more American tradition for the English editions. The first five stories were reworked into The Killer #1-10 by Archaia Press Studios (now an imprint of publisher Boom Studios), with two issues dedicated to each story. Later stories were published in collected editions, featuring two to three stories at a time. Over the years, Archaia has rereleased The Killer in different formats, each subsequent reprinting including more stories per volume.
Archaia returned to releasing The Killer in single issues again in 2022 with the sequel series, publishing the first three stories as The Killer: Affairs of the State #1-6.
Learn more about each story and where to read them in English below.
Story list
Below is a list of all The Killer stories, broken out by the original run and the sequel series.
It’s worth noting that the years listed next to each title refer to when it was published in French, as these are a better indication of when they were created.
Original run
The Killer was published between 1998 and 2014 in the following stories.
- Long Fire (1998)
- Vicious Cycle (2000)
- The Debt (2001)
- Blood Ties (2002)
- The Killer Instinct (2003)
- Modus Vivendi (2007)
- Ordinary Mortals (2009)
- The Natural Order of Things (2010)
- Unfair Competition (2011)
- Putting Your Heart In It (2012)
- One Track Mind (2013)
- The Hand That Feeds (2013)
- Fight or Flight (2014)
Note: I found conflicting names for the story Fight or Flight. In older collections, it’s called “Fight or Flight” but in the The Complete The Killer collection it’s referred to as “Lines of Flight“. The story is called “Lignes de fuite” in French, which directly translates as “Lines of Flight“. It appears the title was changed when the story was revisited for the latest collection.
The Killer: Affairs of the State
The Killer returned six years after the original run’s conclusion for a sequel series called The Killer: Affairs of the State. At the time of publishing this guide, there are five stories available in French. Archaia has published the first three in English so far.
- Negative Treatment (2020)
- Local Networks (2020)
- Independent Variables (2021)
- Human Brothers (2022)
- The Hidden Side of the Abyss (2023)
Will there be more stories?
I believe so. The description for The Killer: Affairs of the State – The Hidden Side of the Abyss (the most recent release) on the Casterman website (in French) doesn’t make the series sound like it’s ending any time soon. The next book will likely be released towards the end of 2024.
The two latest stories for The Killer: Affairs of the State haven’t been published in English yet. It’s unknown when Archaia will release these. I imagine they’ll wait for more material to be made available first so it can be rereleased as a six-part miniseries as they did with the first three tales for The Killer: Affairs of the State. If so, we may not see more of the series in English until 2025.
What is the best place to start reading The Killer?
It’s best to read The Killer from the beginning. The events of Long Fire, the first story, are brought up in subsequent stories, making it required reading for context. The inaugural book introduces readers to the unnamed hitman’s origin and worldview, which defines the character moving forward. Subsequent stories have self-contained elements, but each one builds upon the other. Events trigger new plots, building upon each other. There are also several supporting characters introduced over time.
An alternative starting point is the sequel series, The Killer: Affairs of the State. This starts a batch of new plots, which will play out in future stories.
Long Fire and Affairs of the State have been collected in multiple formats. Find out all about these in the next section.
Collected editions
Archaia has collected The Killer in various formats over the years. Find out all about them below.
Hardcovers
In an attempt to mimic how The Killer was published in Europe, Archaia collected the series in hardcover. Each one collects two-three stories each.
These are long out of print so you’ll need to track these down secondhand. Many of the earlier volumes have sold for a high price on eBay but there are also cheaper copies available too.
The Killer Volume 1: Long Fire
Stories: “Long Fire” and “Vicious Cycle”
English edition issues: The Killer #1-4
The Killer Volume 2: The Debt
Stories: “The Debt”, “Blood Ties”, and “The Killer Instinct”
English edition issues: The Killer #5-10
The Killer Volume 3: Modus Vivendi
Stories: “Modus Vivendi”, “Ordinary Mortals”, and “The Natural Order Of Things”
The Killer Volume 4: Unfair Competition
Stories: “Unfair Competition” and “Putting Your Heart In It”
The Killer Volume 5: Fight or Flight
Stories: “One Track Mind” and “Fight or Flight”
The Killer: Affairs of the State
Stories: “Negative Treatment”, “Local Networks”, and “Independent Variables”
English edition issues: The Killer: Affairs of the State #1-6
Note: The Killer: The Hand That Feed was never collected in the hardcover collections.
Buy The Killer hardcovers on…
Omnibus editions
The Killer has been consolidated into two omnibus editions. These are thick trade paperback editions that collect five stories in the collection.
The Killer Omnibus Volume One
Stories: “Long Fire”, “Vicious Cycle”, “The Debt”, “Blood Ties”, and “The Killer Instinct”
English edition issues: The Killer #1-10
The Killer Omnibus Volume Two
Stories: “Modus Vivendi”, “Ordinary Mortals”, “The Natural Order Of Things”, “Unfair Competition”, and “Putting Your Heart In It”
There is no The Killer Omnibus Volume Three. As a result, The Hand That Feeds; One Track Mind; and Lines of Flight were not collected in this format.
Buy The Killer Omnibus on…
The Complete The Killer
The Complete The Killer is the collection you’ll want to track down if you want the most bang for your buck. It collects the complete run of the original series in one big 700+ page collection.
The Complete The Killer
Stories: “Long Fire”, “Vicious Cycle”, “The Debt”, “Blood Ties”, “The Killer Instinct”, “Modus Vivendi”, “Ordinary Mortals”, “The Natural Order of Things”, “Unfair Competition”, “Putting Your Heart In It”, “One Track Mind”, “The Hand That Feeds”, or “Fight or Flight”
Buy The Complete The Killer Omnibus on…
Where to find The Killer
The Killer can be found in good comic book shops, online retailers, eBay, and Amazon/Kindle.
Learn more about where you can buy comics and graphic novels in this extensive guide.
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