Review:
This is the Martian Manhunter at his most alien. Collected in these pages are the first six issues of his 2015 ongoing series, plus a Sneak Preview short story, all sixty years after his debut. For much of those six decades, he strode through the pages of DC Comics as a tall, green humanoid, clad in little more than a long cloak, blue briefs and a red X across his chest. The green skin and pronounced brow ridges on his bald head lent an alien aura to him but he was otherwise very human-like.
His standard, long-standing look is quickly swept aside in these pages, dismissed as a result of his shape-shifting abilities, chosen to make us more comfortable but with at least a little reminder of his alien origin. Freed of that historic look, artist Eddy Barrows amps up the sheer otherness of his appearance. In these pages, J'onn J'onzz is all spikes and protrusions, long and gangly limbs beneath a more classically alien head. Not quite the four-armed monsters of our imagination, tracing to Edgar Rice Burroughs, but still very alien.
J'onn is hardly the only Martian in this tale. He is not, we learn, truly the last of his kind, pulled to Earth almost by accident. Rather, he is a weapon designed to pave the way for the eventual Martian invasion of Earth. To prevent that from happening, J'onn deliberately splits himself into multiple scattered parts. Most of these pages are the tale of those parts trying to find each other and reunite.
There is the Dubai-based thief, the Pearl, who falls briefly for Aquaman. There is FBI Agent Daryl Wessel, probably the most reluctant of the group. And Mould, a senior citizen in khakis and a cape, who calls himself the Manhunter's head. They are joined by Mister Biscuits - a clever nod to J'onn's classic penchant for cookies - who is an excessively tall and thin deformity; and the mysterious Leo, wheelchair-bound and exhibiting MS-like symptoms. Can they get back together? Should they?
Tying it all together is the coming to Earth of the strangely named Epiphany, which will trigger the Martian conquest of earth and make Mars the only planet with life in our solar system. That would be a revelation, I suppose, but hardly seems to fit the 'Epiphany' label.
If this review sounds disjointed and confusing, all the more so is the story being reviewed. Writer Rob Williams puts these and more disparate plot cards on the table and shuffles them around but fails to put them together into a decent hand.
Mister Biscuits and his young orphan friend Alicia are the most compelling characters, most of all in their achingly beautiful parting scene; sadly, most of Mister Biscuits's scenes are played for comedy. The rest of the characters fail to gel and seem every bit as confused as the reader.
Eddy Barrows with his pencils and the ink work of Eber Ferreira give us page after page of lively images, keeping us on the edge of our seat that everything is on the verge of going sideways. Their work frequently slips into horror motifs although we could use with fewer mouths filled with super-long and super-sharp teeth. The worst of the monsters have more mouths than arms.
The real highlight of the images in this volume are the covers, variants and initial sketches by Eric Canete. His work visually explores the blend of Earth and Mars, the central tension in the heart of the Martian Manhunter. Very striking and compelling.
What tried to be a powerful reimagining of the Martian Manhunter and his mythology trips out of the gate and ultimately falls flat.
Description:
An unforgettable new take on J’onn J’onzz is presented here by up and coming writer Rob Williams (Star Wars: Rebellion) with stunning art by comic veterans Eddy Barrows (NIGHTWING) and Eber Ferreira (TEEN TITANS).
For some time now, the Martian Manhunter has been lost in our world. An alien in every aspect, he has struggled to find his place even after joining the Justice League of America, Justice League United and Stormwatch. Now his past has come back to haunt him as an alien invasion threatens to destroy the world. In order to prove to the world, and to himself, that he is the hero he knows himself to be, the Martian Manhunter must make the ultimate sacrifice. What happens next is truly alien!
Collects: MARTIAN MANHUNTER #1-6
Authors: Rob Williams
Artists: Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: March 1, 2016
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401261511
Pages: 160 pages
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