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Manhunter is a fictional character, a superhero in publications from DC Comics. Kate Spencer is the eighth DC Comics character depicted using the name Manhunter, and the first female to do so. The character first appears in Manhunter vol.3, #1 (October 2004) and was promoted by DC Comics as relevant to the popular Identity Crisis limited series.

Despite critical success, the series has repeatedly had trouble gaining larger readership. DC Comics announced in May 2006 that the series would be cancelled, that issue #25 would be the last. Dan DiDio, DC's executive editor, soon followed with another announcement, that fan outcry convinced him to extend the series for five additional issues in order to improve sales. The new five-issue story arc will deal with a ramification of the Infinite Crisis, again tying the series into a popular event. Didio also said that the storyline leads into another big event in the DC Universe[1]. While DC's April solicitations listed #30 as the final issue, Didio announced at the New York Comic-Con that the series had been given a second stay of execution.

Kate Spencer is a federal prosecutor who grows increasingly tired of seeing guilty criminals evade punishment. Copperhead, a criminal on trial for multiple deaths and cannibalism, avoids a death sentence and escapes from custody after killing two guards. Angry, Kate steals equipment from an evidence room and kills Copperhead. She leaves a mark on the wall near the body, calling herself Manhunter. Kate blackmails Dylan Battles, a former henchman for numerous villains now in the Witness Protection Program, and he builds, maintains and upgrades her armor, weapons and gadgets.

In addition to legal proceedings and fighting crime, Kate's life includes awkward relationships with her six-year-old son Ramsey and novelist ex-husband. Kate's secret life as Manhunter cuts into her career and family life, but her co-counsel Damon Matthews covers for her. Damon dates Todd Rice, the superhero Obsidian. Kate's father Walter Pratt spent time in prison for murdering her mother,[2] and she comes to believe that her grandfather is superhero Al Pratt, the original Atom, a member of the Justice Society of America.

Through her friendship with Department of Extranormal Operations Agent Cameron Chase, Kate works for the DEO under the direction of Mr. Bones. During the Infinite Crisis, Oracle calls Kate, along with a number of low-powered heroes to join the Battle of Metropolis, and she has also been invited to possibly join the Birds of Prey.

The June 2006 issue of Manhunter revealed that Kate's true grandfather was not the original Atom, but actually Iron Munro and that her grandmother was Sandra Knight (Phantom Lady). When Munro was apparently unwilling to deal with his girlfriend's pregnancy, she was taken by Pratt to a home for unwed mothers and Pratt was mistakenly listed as the father on Walter Pratt's birth certificate. This makes her a third cousin to Jack Knight, as Phantom Lady pointed out in the issue.

Recently Kate was hired to be Wonder Woman's defense lawyer, for the murder of Max Lord. The case has taken an unexpected turn however, upon the recent arrival of a supposedly alive Blue Beetle, who claims he has no memory of the last 18 months. Wonder Woman has called in Batman to run an investigation on Ted, to see if it is really him. Meanwhile Kate received aid from Checkmate, which proved that Diana's actions were justifiable. The "Blue Beetle" turned out to be the shapeshifting cannibal Everyman from Lex Luthor's Infinity Inc.

When Kate pursues Copperhead, she sneaks into an evidence room to steal some items she can use against him. Manhunter #15 tells the origin of each of the three items she takes:

• The Suit - The suit comes from a member of the Darkstars who died in battle and fell to Earth to rot. A drifter found it and used it to defend himself against a group of attackers. Successfully defeating them, he robbed them and left the suit in a dumpster.
• The Gauntlets - A small-time crook found the gauntlets, originally worn by Azrael during his stint as Batman, in Gotham City. The crook used them in an unsuccessful burglary, but when the police arrived, the crook fell to his death, leaving the gauntlets still dug into the side of the building.
• The Staff - An attack on Eclipso ended with several heroes dead; among them was a man programmed to believe that he was Mark Shaw. The staff was recovered with the body and hidden in storage.

• Birds of Prey #100 - 103, 105+ (November 2006 - present)
• Identity Crisis #6
• Infinite Crisis #7
• Manhunter vol.3, #1 - 30 (October 2004 — April 2007)
  • Manhunter Vol. 1: Street Justice (TPB; reprints #1–5)
  • Manhunter Vol. 2: Trial By Fire (TPB; reprints #6–14)
  • Manhunter Vol. 3: Origins (TPB; reprints #15–23)
• Villains United Infinite Crisis Special #1
• World War III Part 3: Hell is For Heroes (April 2007)

• One Year Later with Manhunter and Marc Andreyko
• Andreyko & Manhunter: Love Is In The Air
• Manhunter comics
• Unofficial Manhunter/Kate Spencer biography
• Overview of Marc Andreyko's Manhunter
• 2006 Podcast Interview with Manhunter Writer Marc Andreyko (contains plot detail)
• APPROACHING THE BENCH: ‘MANHUNTER'