Series: Martian Manhunter
Writer: Rob Williams
Pencils: Eddy Barrows
Inks: Eber Ferreira
Page Count: 32
Summary from Comixology: “Shape-shifting Martians are invading Earth—so where is J’onn J’onzz to stop them? Trust no one as the Martian Manhunter tries to stop these ruthless alien terrorists from destroying everything!”
Overview:
J’onn J’onzz is one of my all time favorite comic book characters. If he is in a book, chances are I’m going to be reading that book. Cameron often doesn’t even say Martian Manhunter while talking to me, he just refers to him as “Your Boy.” I have always appreciated Manhunter for the same reason I am an Aquaman fan, he’s an underdog and fairly under appreciated. I mean the dude is WAY stronger than Superman and even Superman think’s J’onn is over powered. Pretty much the only thing Manhunter can’t do is hangout around a camp fire (his biggest weakness is fire). This book just shows what a badass J’onn is.
I have to talk about the art in this book for a second. It was absolutely beautiful, stunning, and just weird. Seeing Manhunter transform into a dragon in hopes to save an airplane full of people was just a beautiful splash page. Mr. Biscuits (pictured above) was just a weird fellow, and in the panels focused on him, you really have no clue if he’s a good guy, or a bad guy. The planet is being attacked by martians, and Manhunter is trying to save the planet, while Mr. Biscuits is sitting in solitude waiting on some children to bring him doughnuts/biscuits. It’s as weird as it sounds, but it’s really cool. We don’t know if Mr. Biscuits is friend or foe, and I personally hope he’s friendly.
Along with the art, the story is really interesting. At the same exact time, Martians all attack Earth, and this leads to people believing it’s a terrorist attack, since most of the martians have blended in with humanity. There was even a cameo by several JL members, which leads me to believe we will be seeing them return for a major climax to the first arc of Martian’s first solo book in a long time. With the seriousness of this book, it also had a good balance of humor. It was a dark/gallows style humor but it had a couple good laughs none the less.
Martian Manhunter #1 is as good of a jumping on point as you can get. You don’t have to have any previous knowledge of the character, and it only costs $2.99. You can’t beat that This is a great/fun book that is sure to be a hell of a ride. Make sure you check this out when you go to your LCS to pick up this weeks books. Leave us a comment below to let us know what you thought about the book!
Music Pairing:
Since, J’onn J’onzz has the ability to destroy someone from the inside of the mind, you gotta jam some post-alternative rock for this read. And I can’t think of anyone better than Balance and Composure, specifically the song I Tore You Apart In My Head, since J’onn can do that..