What finally got me to stop worrying and appreciate this as the bomb was my recollection of the Thanos-Copter. For those who don't know, Thanos is the "Mad God Titan," an extraordinarily powerful cosmic demigod whose courtship of the literal embodiment of death has led to the murder of billions, including his own mother. Back in the 1970s, there was a tie-in comic to a segment of the PBS children's program The Electrical Company called Spidey Super-Stories that featured Spider-Man in very simple stories for early readers. For some reason, the creators of one issue decided to use Thanos of all characters in a story, and to treat him as a low level gimmick villain who tries to disrupt the Women's Liberation Movement while flying his own self-branded helicopter in an adventure co-starring The Cat involving lots of forced dog puns. I could have probably broken that synopsis up, but I felt it needed a breathless run-on sentence to capture the insanity of a tale that ends with NYPD escorting a handcuffed Thanos to a squad car. This is the guy who turned up in the stinger at the end of Marvel's The Avengers, so of course this bit of Bronze Age kids' ephemera is now a staple of "Things You Didn't Know" lists, and ThanosCopter is even the pen name of a contributor at The Outhouse.
What we have here is Thantos-Cycle. In an alternate universe, Martian Manhunter got his own Hostess ad and Thantos rode it in pursuit of the real fruit filling and flaky goodness of a Fruit Pie, only to be cast into another dimension with a Twinkee as his consolation prize. Now I get it, and thanks to Cody Schibi, it's a big delight! Visit his blog Drawing A Blank, and don't overlook my other best friend's Thanos commission for a nice thematic closing!
“This year to quell fans' screaming for his blood; DCD chief Georg Brewer has dubbed 2008 to be a year of true diversity; with little to no SuperBat figures. Continuing to unveil new line; Georg quipped that with the next line he will do something he had never done before: "Finish a team." After a short uncomfortable silence from the crowd; Brewer unveiled to stunned fans a line-up of the Justice League of America; with the teams' final three members: honorary member Sargon the Sorcerer, mascot Snapper Carr; and the long-awaited favorite; a silver age Martian Manhunter!! Zook; Martian Manhunter's sidekick in the silver age was said by Brewer to be a pack-in with the Manhunter "as an apology for taking so long." - Thanks Georg. :-)Click the picture above to see the full set of custom figures sculpted by "Jackknight92" for this assortment!
...Zook: fully-sculpted from clay.”
"J’onn J’onz had his own feature from 1955-1969—first in the back of Detective Comics and then in House of Mystery. About halfway through his run he acquired an alien pet from another dimension named Zook who talked in a kind of broken english/baby talk... With more powers than even Superman, it’s hard to imagine why the writers thought the Manhunter needed some help—especially from such a goofy character."Despite his best intentions to post the art for 55 DC Silver Age hero themed poker cards five days a week, it took him most of the year to complete the task, but it was worth the wait. To answer his question, DC was trying to target a younger audience for the "Manhunter from Mars" strip, especially ahead of his transitioning from a back-up to lead feature. Zook pandered to the juvenile audience, and gave J'onn J'onzz someone to fight monsters of the month with after the Diabolu Idol-Head was opened. Also, it allowed Bostick to place a character largely unchanged visually in his first half century of operation squarely in the 1960s by pairing him with his otherdimensional friend in a delightful rendering!
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #14
Written by MATT KINDT
Art and cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
1:25 MAD Variant cover
On sale APRIL 9 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US • Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for details.
FINAL ISSUE
In the wake of FOREVER EVIL, the Justice League of America’s mission has come to an end – so where do they go from here? No one’s survival is assured! This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #0
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art and cover by MIKE McKONE
1:50 Variant cover by MIKE McKONE
Blank variant cover available
On sale APRIL 23 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US.
Top comics writer Jeff Lemire teams with superstar artist Mike McKone for the all-new monthly series JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED, starring the new team of powerful heroes Earth calls Justice League Canada!
In the aftermath of FOREVER EVIL, Adam Strange is caught up in an adventure across the far reaches of the cosmos that will unite an unexpected team of heroes including Supergirl, Hawkman, Green Arrow, Stargirl, Martian Manhunter and Animal Man – but if they’re on the team, who exactly is Canadian? Plus: Don’t miss the debut of a new Canadian hero who will have a huge effect on the group!
I have always really liked the John Jones incarnation of the Martian Manhunter character from DC comics. He's so much cooler as a ghostly noir detective. I think he should just stick to the fedora and trench coat. So much better than a blue speedo with red suspenders and a cape.It's 4:30 a.m. I've killed a bottle of nasty Moscato made palatable by Diet Mountain Dew and the last of the ice cream that ruined me for all others, Blue Bell Homemade in the Shade. I am not up for in-depth blogging this
By all rights, I should be excited about Justice League United. I correctly guessed back in August J'Onn J'Onzz would be moving to Canada, and was all for it. I've never been blown away by Jeff Lemire (and outright hated his Atom serial,) but he's a popular and respected writer I've been entertained by. I've previously mentioned that Mike McKone is one of my all-time favorite Martian Manhunter artists. I'm rather pleased that he's having none of that extraneous alien crap on J'Onn's head seen throughout the New 52, and he's using a clean, iconic chest symbol instead of that ridiculous flowery thing David Finch had some other aesthetically-challenged people drawing. This is a solid creative team.
Looking to the line-up, there's some swell people for the Martian Manhunter to interact with. Supergirl is one of my favorite DC heroes, and she has history with the Alien Atlas dating back to 1968, though their most memorable encounter was in 1977 (with fun shared villainy in 1980.) For some reason, I just get a bigger kick from the Martian Marvel interacting with the Maid of Might over the Man of Steel. Animal Man hosted possibly the finest Sleuth from Outer Space guest appearance in his first volume, where J'Onzz told Buddy Baker how much he wanted the animal rights activist in the League because of the importance of what he represented. It's swell that they'll be serving together on the same team. I also like when J'Onn J'Onzz interacts with his fellow 1950s sci-fi heroes, which is surprisingly uncommon, and Adam Strange is the archetypal example of that DC staple. I even prefer Adam's redesign here over the one from a few years, even if he does look like the 1987 Lazer Tag champion and/or one of Captain Power's Soldiers of the Future. No flies on this lot.
I'm not buying it. I mean, literally, I most likely will not purchase this monthly comic book. The reason why is that I can't seem to take pleasure in DC Comics and their universe anymore. I've always bought DC books, but I really got into them in the early '90s, investing emotionally, intellectually, and financially into their line. In the case of the Martian Manhunter, my discontent began around 1999, when I found myself greatly disliking his solo series despite having previously been a fan of the work of chief creators John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake. Heading into the '00s, the culture of the company slowly began to change in a way that alienated me. Infinite Crisis was a major turning point, as power within the company shifted to new hands, and its output geared further away from my interests. After having unhappily followed the '98 series for three years, I only gave a 2006 mini-series that promised to radically revise the Martian Manhunter one issue to hook me, and it failed. I kept cutting back on my DC purchases, and became ever choosier in which Manhunter appearances I bothered to pick up. When J'Onn J'Onzz was killed in the first issue of Final Crisis just two years later, I felt a bittersweet relief, hoping the character would return someday to be handled better. His death lasted little more than a year, when he returned in classic form, and I spent a year buying his middling appearances in the bi-weekly series Brightest Day. Whatever grand plans there may have been to spin titles out of that maxi-series were aborted in favor of the line wide reboot, the New 52.
I spent most of 2011 failing spectacularly to guess DC's plans for the Manhunter from Mars. No solo series ever materialized, but I was very enthusiastic about the possibilities that came with his joining Stormwatch as part of that team's integration from Wildstorm continuity. Unfortunately, the book was garbage, which I once blamed on writer Paul Cornell, until I started watching Doctor Who and realized that he was one of the finest members of their screenwriting stable. The title went through creative turnovers until the Martian Manhunter arbitrarily left the team book after only a year, realizing not one iota of my hopes for his time there.
Late in 2012, Justice League of America was announced, and I gave Martian Manhunter's possible interactions with his new teammates a lot of thought. I was still energized by the potential of the New 52. J'Onn was on a rival Justice League whose book would host a new Manhunter solo strip! Unfortunately, the strip was handicapped by a gimmick of tying into the lead story of each issue, which was produced by an entirely different creative team, and likely only existed to justify charging a dollar more than standard books in DC's line. Further, the title's hot artist left after something like three issues, and the superstar writer bolted a few months later. I stopped reading a comic I continued paying $4 a month for, including a six part, three book crossover event. The team behind the Martian Manhunter strip was supposed to take over the book for a five month solo/spotlight arc, but that ultimately became a team-up with Stargirl used to spin the titles' wheels as a separate event mini-series by the former lead creative team played out, and art chores deteriorated into catch as catch can. I read the first Forever Evil tie-in, was unimpressed, and continue to lightly skim/toss through further issues in the story arc, just as I had in my final months buying Stormwatch.
At this point, I'm simply all out of love. Justice League United might be awesome, but for how long? Mike McKone isn't a monthly artist, so he'll hopefully at least make it through the initial arc before being replaced. Jeff Lemire is increasingly in demand, and he only lasted nine issues on his previous team book. Justice League of America launched with over fifty variant covers and mounds of hype, but in retrospect only existed to set up the "Trinity War" event, and has now fallen to pieces. I have no real reason to expect the new book to last a year, and if I still want it then, I can buy a trade paperback. Even if Jeff Lemire had substantial plans for the Manhunter, there's no guarantee the next editorial mandate won't quash them, or that Lemire won't up and sign an exclusive deal with Image Comics before the debut issue even sees print. The New 52 is defined by fickle impermanence, so I can't motivate myself to commit to purchasing any of its product on a periodical basis. I've been burned so often, I wouldn't even want to place a bet on Justice League United coming out in a recognizable form at all. I won't. I call enough on these shenanigans, and expect to draw the line at never mind.
"I need to ask Roger what that little critter was next to the Martian Manhunter. I just guessed that he was some kind of martian too."Said the colorist Tim, not knowing who Zook was.
"Thank you for posting my pin-up, Frank! I´m a devoted fan of the Miller/Certa´s years, and I loved trying to recreate their particular charm in a series of illos. All the best, Quique Alcatena"Much love to Mr. Alcatena, who is not only a fine artist, but a true fan, as made obvious by his choice of subjects. Martian Manhunter! "Faceless" Mr. V! Vulture's "Monsters"! Zook! In fact, Alcatena's appreciation of the lot extends to fan fiction, because Zook wasn't actually in “The Manhunter Monster!” story, as he was inexplicably absent for most of J'onn J'onzz's European crusade against Vulture. Considering I never was much for the way that ongoing narrative was hastily wrapped when House of Mystery dumped their adventure strips to return to the horror anthology format, I'll just pretend that this was a "lost" continuation from 1969...
"11.25x16.75 sheet of art paper has 9x13-1/8" image area in ink and colored markers. The Martian Manhunter, aka J'onn J'onzz has word bubble reading "Sigh!" as a giant version of his friend Zook appearing just as he did on the cover to "House Of Mystery" #143 (Martian Manhunter's first appearance in what would become his home title in June, 1964) looks over his shoulder while J’onzz holds copy of "House Of Mystery" #143 comic book (the front cover being a hand-colored stat). Created in 1994, art is signed in ink "Dave Fontaine 94" at lower right. Blank top margin has strip of masking tape holding protective acetate cover sheet in place. Image area is Exc. Well done. From the Robert M. Overstreet Collection and comes with COA."Was this art featured in one of the Overstreet price guides, I wonder? Obviously the Zook is heavily referenced from Joe Certa's original cover, but there's a heavy Kevin Maguire look to that face, as well. Not that I care, because this is ginchy and a certified classic antique!
"Some alien fun from deep deep in the DC universe."Can anyone name the lot? Thanks largely to "The Ambush Bug History of the DC Universe," I know Proty, Ilda, Itty, Cryll, and of course Zook, but I'm at a loss on the first two. Jero & Halk? I never read "Space Cabbie."
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