Creators for RETROACTIVE: MARTIAN MANHUNTER – THE ‘90S #1

From DC's The Source Blog:

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

By David Hyde

We’ve already announced the full creative teams for the ’70s and ‘80s books in this summer’s blockbuster RETROACTIVE series. Throughout the day today, we’ll be announcing the artists who will be joining the previously announced writers for the ‘90s books and we’ll also be teasing at what these titles will be about. As we mentioned before, each of these new 26-page stories will be followed by a classic story from its era by the same writer.



John Ostrander shared exclusively with THE SOURCE, "I've been very lucky in my career that I usually don't have series canceled out from under me. Tom and I did GRIMJACK for two years together before I ended that series with Flint Henry, and then Tom and I saved FIRESTORM until we decided to leave with the hundredth issue, and then we got to do THE SPECTRE for the five year story we had worked out. MARTIAN MANHUNTER was a book where we had more editorial considerations because of the ties to JLA and we were sidetracked repeatedly so that we never got around to everything we wanted to do before Tom left and I had to end the book. An example would be that I got a lot of flack for my characterization of Beatriz da Costa on the message boards where no one gave me the benefit of the doubt. Fire was intentionally misleading DEO Agent Cameron Chase as part of a plan devised by J'Onn J'Onzz that was meant to build until the fiftieth issue. I also revealed a brand new archenemy that was meant to take the place of Malefic called The Pyre in the early issues, but I never was able to properly introduce him into the book. Tom had already committed to another book, but his wife and my longtime artistic partner on STAR WARS: LEGACY Jan Duursema plan to treat this special as an opportunity to take care of that last bit of unfinished business between J'Onn, Bea, and the Pyre."

DC RETROACTIVE: MARTIAN MANHUNTER – THE ‘90s #1
Joining writer John Ostrander is artist Jan Duursema to tell a defining story that shows why J'Onn J'Onzz is the Manhunter from Mars.
ONE-SHOT • On sale AUGUST 17 • 56 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T

1989 Animal Man #9 Original Cover Art by Brian Bolland

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Back in December, I rummaged through the various galleries at BrianBolland.net, which was by no means a chore. I found a lot of Wonder Woman material, thanks to his three-plus year stint as her cover artist, but Martian Manhunter pickings were pretty slim. Hoping to wrangle a theme day for one of my favorite artists, I break from my norms and offer a published cover. It's a great image, and is seen in the purity of black and white. The story is certainly one of J'Onn's best guest appearances, and I hope to cover it if I can ever get my blogs synchronized to 1989.

Brian Bolland Roughs Day

• 1995 The Atom Special #2 Alternate Cover Concept
• 1995 Wonder Woman Unused Cover Concept Rough
• 2002 Zatanna: Everyday Magic Cover Concept Rough

2011 Situation Room Super Heroes

May 2, 2011
Obama's Osama Bin Laden Mission Captured In Historic Situation Room Pictures (PHOTOS)

May 5, 2011
Clinton: Allergy led to my Situation Room photo

May 9, 2011
Hillary Clinton, Audrey Tomason go missing in Situation Room photo in Di Tzeitung newspaper

May 10, 2011
Picture of the Day: Superheroes! The Ultimate Situation Room Meme

It takes a mighty big picture to get this weird. I love how prominent they made J'Onn J'Onzz, because all that green draws your eyes right to him. This is also the best executed mash-up, with Robert Gates totally looking the part. This could very well end up being one of the most widely circulated Martian Manhunter images of all time once it's done making the rounds. I've sure seen it enough times without trying. Despite previous associations with Superman and Spider-Man, I'm really glad Obama ended up as Captain America. Not only do the colors suit him, but it's a nice zing after all that Birther nonsense (while anticipating the inevitable "Osama isn't really dead" push back.)

2006 Gir and Martian Manhunter by J.Mitchell

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After a harrowing week or so, I am done with finals and the last few months of awful classes. Onward and upward to the championship round after a brief summer break. Plus, none of the posts I worked on over the last few days are available to me from Google, so I'm glad I had the foresight to back up that material before their cloudware evaporated for a couple of days.

I've never seen Invader Zim, so I had to research Gir at Wikipedia:

Gir is an Irken SIR (Standard Information Retrieval Unit) who was assigned to Zim in the series. Voiced by Rosearik Rikki Simons, GIR is Zim's only companion. GIR is a malfunctioning robot built by The Almighty Tallest out of SIR unit remains and whatever they could find in the trash and their pockets. GIR's creation was the result of a cruel joke the Tallest played on Zim when the other invaders were receiving their SIR (Standard Information Retrieval) units, which serve as their personal assistants. Rather than waste a perfectly good SIR unit on Zim, though, the Tallest instead gave Zim a "top-secret model", which they constructed on the spot, behind Zim's back. Shortly after being built, the junky robot activates and announces himself as GIR. The name "GIR" is a self-applied moniker that is never explained in the show. The most notable of visible differences between GIR and your typical SIR unit is his mouth, something that average SIR units lack. Because GIR's head contains various odds-and-ends (rather than artificial intelligence hardware), GIR displays a wildly erratic personality. He is almost completely irreverent, and rarely obeys Zim's commands, mostly due to distraction, disinterest or disobedience. When GIR does comply, the teal-colored parts of his body (most notably, his eyes shoulders and belly) glow red like normal SIR's, and he will usually refer to Zim as "My Lord" or sometimes "My Master", even "Vermin Lord" in 'Mortos Der Soulstealer'. GIR disguises himself in public by wearing a green dog suit which fools most humans, despite looking and acting almost nothing like an Earth dog. He also does things that a real dog would not do, such as talking, dancing and using jet rockets. A prime example of GIR's uselessness is his pre-programmed "defensive mode", which for normal SIR units is to repel hostiles. When GIR's defensive mode is activated on the other hand, he usually responds by assisting the enemy; in one case offering the enemy ice cream, and in another voluntarily jumping into a sack for abductors. Despite GIR's manic insanity, he sometimes displays a degree of competence higher than Zim's; such as correcting his master who announces to have succeeded after a failed scheme. Or in 'Walk For Your Lives' when he warns Zim that increasing the speed of a really slow explosion engulfing the city in an attempt to save it would just make matters worse. GIR continually annoys Zim, notably with his waffles, piggy, and love of "The Scary Monkey Show".

JLA Classified: Cold Steel #2 (2006)

The JLA mechs briefly engaged the Voruk warships in outer space, but Green Lantern pointed out the pointlessness of it, and Superman agreed, "You're right. This is stupid. Let's move." The League flew down to Penumbra, where the Voruk lacked shielding to follow. Only armed scouts could handle the "Infinity Coil," so they were sent in, while Mhak-Lord Gordoruk ordered the creation of "our beloved God-of-Storms."

Aquaman's shields had been damaged, so his ship fell to Penumbra in a heap. Superman struggled to fly "a bloody skyscraper, here." Everyone managed. Maiko deployed from Batman's ship in a probe to repair Aquaman's shielding. Green Lantern discovered his "power ring's gone all funny," not functioning effectively. Flash noticed flying "black snakey things" floating amongst the still world.

In space, the Voruk's many warships were sacrificed to create one massive craft, but not without sorrow and salutations.

J'Onn J'Onzz was concerned about the snakes. "I can't touch them telepathically. It's like there's nothing out there." They were "spooked" by fire from the Voruk scouts. Tsaru ordered the Ghoji to fall back, even their outcasts, but Maiko refused. "I won't run away, Tsaru Kar. I am not-- not afraid." She chastised, "Death without Shai-Tar's blessing? You compound your crime!" Superman protected them with his four arms and twin blades. Wonder Woman noted Maiko's bravery. Batman observed, "He's got nothing left to lose." Aquaman's shields and consciousness were brought back online.

Kyle Rayner rescued and revived Green Lantern Shiera Vaas, who thanked him with a kiss. The Flash unsheathed "superconducting myomer" which basically turned his mech into a War Wheel. Martian Manhunter took a hit, terrifying his young co-pilot, Gaida. Light emanated from her eyes and mouth, until her mind exploded. J'Onn melted into near nothingness before struggling to collect herself. "She went off like a bomb. I've never felt such a powerful mental attack... If I had been slower erecting a defense--" It was Wonder Woman who checked in on J'Onn, and quizzed Tsaru Kar on what had happened. "She was just a child... Her noble heart would not be restrained."



The Ghoji had long tried to telepathically probe Voruk ships, but "protective scarring" had foiled them. Using her magic lasso as a conduit and a psychic pulse from the Martian Manhunter, an "oscillation pattern" was broadcast that saw the Voruk probes rain down limply from the sky. This afforded Wonder Woman time to press the resistant Tsaru about Gaida's death.

The God-of-Storms arrived, providing plentiful distraction. Batman managed to blind it, while Aquaman penetrated the craft. Wonder Woman used her lasso to draw information from the organic behemoth to feed Aquaman. The Sea King exited his mech to swim within. Batman transformed into a fighter jet, while Flash's shields were blasted by the God-of-Storms. The Green Lanterns continued to worry about the snakes, and rather intimately shared their powers and wills to affect the creatures. Superman focused his attention on the snakes, including a giant one bearing down on him.

Aquaman fought his way to Mhak-Lord Gordoruk, who detected his telepathy, cursed, and tried to eat him. "Mouth-Breather!? On my world, I am the lord of the sea. And you, you murderous piece of filth, have the audacity to call me a mouth-breather!?" The Mhak-Lord's guards promised to get him. "You'll try." The Martian Mech tore through the chamber walls. "About time, J'Onn." J'Onzz exited in an amphibian form, and tried to reason with the Mhak-Lord. Gordoruk explained of the Ghoji that they worked very much like H'ronmeer's Curse, telepathic suicide bombers who could infect the minds of their oppressors. "In the hours before you kill yourself, you'll know a pain you never imagined possible. If you're strong enough, you'll survive to infect your mate and your broodlings. Everyone you love. You'll watch them chew off their tentacles in their death agony. You'll kill them yourself, in the end-- as a gift... Imagine spending the rest of your life as an exile. Swimming in a sea of pain and madness."

"Aquaman, I require your assistance. This creature is in pain. Can your mental abilities get to it?" Aquaman could, while the Manhunter from Mars revealed, "It began to dawn on me, when Gaida died, what the Ghoji's Shai-Tar really was. Not a god, but a psychic weapon. Gaida harnessed the energy of her own body to fuel a violent psychic attack. The ultimate vengeance for a powerless people." With the red mist lifted, Gordoruk knew such relief that he immediately sought redemption.



The Infinity Coil collapsed, and all hell broke loose. It was revealed that it had been a gate, but instead of connecting two points in space, it looped one back on itself, causing a compression in time. Too long destabilized, it was now rending reality. The snakes were shadow anomalies, and the best hope (suggested by Manhunter) was to redirect the gate. It would require "a stardrive of massive proportions," and Aquaman pointed out, "We're swimming in it." The God-of-Storms had existed in some form for nearly nine hundred years, so Tsaru Kar had to telepathically convince it to sacrifice itself, against Wonder Woman's protestations. "Shai-Tar is the only way. The Ghoji god and the Voruk god. Together they will cast down the shadows." Mhak-Lord Gordoruk refused to abandon ship, and would pilot the God-of-Storms to its death alongside Tsaru Kar.

Superman and Batman had been grounded by the snakes. The other mechs looked on as the deaths of gods ended the threat of annihilation. Wonder Woman ripped open her hatch. Martian Manhunter passed through his. Heroes and survivors looked out at the new dawn, while a bird sang.

Let me just say that I hate giant robots. The mechs were the least interesting thing about Robotech, I only liked the puzzle aspect of forming Voltron and I could not be less interested in Transformers turning into cars, planes, and other devices I've always seen as mere conveyances. Despite having adored JLA: A League of One, I passed on this book when it was released. I don't seem to have been alone in that, given its ranking of 111 in ICv2's Top 300 Comics for December of 2005 with sales of 20,543.

That's a shame, because the admittedly silly giant JLA robots don't show up until page 35 of 45 in book one, and there's plenty of Star Trek grade science fiction preceding them. Book two is a little dodgier, dominated by mech action and exposition, so I'd recommend reading both in one sitting. I love the savagery of the aquatic aliens, a dominant aspect of sea life that makes the jungle look fit for pussycats. It makes for an exciting milieu which remains unexploited in the various Aquaman and Sub-Mariner series. Most of the Leaguers got their spotlight moments, and after an overabundance of weirdly eyeless Batman in the first book, the second was good enough to de-emphasize the World's Finest Duo. The Flash probably had the least to do. It doesn't hurt my feelings a bit that personal Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman have plenty to work with, especially since in a more perfect world Moeller would have painted the covers to Martian Manhunter #1 and 2, and created one of my favorite Wonder Woman stories.

"Chapter Two: The Sleeping World" was by writer/painter Chris Moeller

2011 "It's Elemental!" Infographic by Rob Kelly and George Pérez

Rob put this infographic together for the four blog Brightest Day Finale crossover from a few weeks back, but I felt it warranted its own (belated) post.

2007 Miss Martian by brandokay

I lined something quick up for today, forgetting it was supposed to be Miss Martian Monday. One quick change later, and...

"The Squirrel Girl picture turned out well enough that I wanted to do another, and Miss Martian is a newish DC character who's just adorable. She's currently in Teen Titans.

Green skin. Something about it, man. Like chicks on vespas.

Plan on doing more of these!"

2010 Martian Manhunter by Nick Edwards

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J'Onn J'Onzz and an evil looking version of a form Frank Quitely drew him in during JLA: Earth-Two involved with Hector Hammond. Random much?

"character designs for a short about Martian Manhunter (featuring Hector Hammond of the Green Lantern comics) that will be a part of Ulises Farinas's UnDC project"

The original black and white art was colored by Jared D. Weiss...

"When Mr. Edwards submitted his original line art last month, I commented on how rad it would look in color, and he responded with "you do it". So one month later, I finally decided to do it, asked for the .psd, and here is the result. The actual size I colored at was about 13" x 16", so if you want to see a bigger version, just ask me."

2005 HeroChat Message Board Interview With John Ostrander

Originally conducted by "Highfather Izaya" on 04-14-05. Edited for clarity and relevance. For the complete interview, which covered Ostrander's origins, early career, interests, Grimjack and Star Wars work, click here.

What do you believe is the key to working with a character like Martian Manhunter? Inquiry about Ma' Alefa 'Ka what was your direction for this character?

Our goal with Ma'alefa'ak (Malefic) was to create an arch enemy for J'Onn that would be his "opposite number". Who could give J'Onn a severe challenge. To my mind, the "key" to J'Onn is that he is an ALIEN. He was born and raised and lived a lot of his life not only on a different planet but in a different culture. Superman/Clark Kent was raised on Earth and his values are of not only Earth but of America; indeed, of the Midwest and Kansas. That is the CULTURE in which he was raised. For Tom Mandrake and myself, J'Onn will always be an "outsider". The key is not in his powers but in his CHARACTER.

What were your goals in your title run on Martian Manhunter what did you want to accomplish with the character?

We wanted to show J'Onn as something other than a "green Superman". We felt he was a little unfocused as a character. He is a PART of this world -- the only world and "family" he now has left -- but he is, at heart, a Martian. We wanted to weave a tapestry of his existence around him; show him in context of both Earth and Mars. What makes him UNIQUE?

In MM #25, 26, and 27 it was shown that the gods of Ancient Egypt were actually Green Martians. These Martians remained on Earth and posed as gods, until some anomaly in the environment caused them to deteriorate and they were forced to transfer their minds into humans to survive. Doing so eliminated all of their previous powers, save their telepathy.

My question is, do you feel this is an ability all Martians could replicate, mind transference I mean, or were the Ancient Egyptian Martians an isolated incident that can't be replicated?

I haven't read that story in some time and it's hard to put myself back into what I was thinking at the time. I think I would treat it as a MUTATION that occurred for these particular Martians. Probably caused by environment. Contact with the planet Mars would be very important to a Martian, in our version. They literally draw their substance from it and cutting themselves off from it would have repercussions.

In MM #1, page 23, J'Onn says, "I am not as fast as the Flash or Superman." Since that issue, in several JLA issues it has been shown, both by J'Onn and by other Martians that they can reach speeds rivaling those of both Flash and Superman. Is your stance still that J'Onn is third best, and if so how fast would you say he is in comparison to the two aforementioned heroes? For example, would you say he is 80% as fast as Superman?

My theory comes down to this -- when you have a character like the FLASH whose super power really comes down to how fast he is, then he has to be the fastest man alive. Superman has to be overall better than all the other heroes; that's his place in comic's history and, IMO, the DC Universe. He shouldn't be quite as fast as the Flash but a close second. J'Onn can come in third; his primary powers, IMO, need to be telepathy and shape changing as this is what sets him off from the other characters. How fast he is doesn't really matter to me.

What are your thoughts on J'Onn's position in the JLA? Should he be the leader or remain in the advisor/tactical officer role he currently inhabits?

The JLA used to have a rotating leadership which I thought worked out pretty well. These days there appears to really be no central leader; the team comes together and certain people assume certain functions as is necessary and that seems to work okay, too.

If DC asked you to write another Martian Manhunter series would you be willing to? Just as a sidenote, I enjoy your version of MM more then anyone else's. I have often said, Ostrander is to MM as Simonson is to Thor.

There is always a tug to return to characters or books that you enjoyed (as I certainly enjoyed doing Martian Manhunter) but I don't know if that's always a good thing. With some exceptions, I think it's better to go on to the next thing. Still, never say "never".

In MM #13, after J'Onn merges with Martian soil, to regain his full operational body, after having severed his arm and transferred his soul etc. into it to escape Malefic's trap, J'Onn states, "There are some limitations, but I will explore this later."

Did you intend for J'Onn to experience problems or have less abilities due to losing so much of his original mass, and just never got to explore this further, or was this matter just pushed aside because it didn't mesh with what was to come?

I think the editor wanted to get past that and move on.

What are your thoughts on the Fernus story arc in JLA from a while back? What did you think about the introduction of "Burning Martians"and the statement that the Oans were responsible for the Martian fire weakness?

Different writer, different explanation. I think we linked it back to Darkseid. Somebody will come up and make their own explanation. It's the nature of the beast when working on characters that you don't own or control.

Did he have any stories in mind for Martian Manhunter's series that he never got to tell due to cancellation?

Nothing comes to mind.

Subquestion: Did you have future plans for any particular characters that had been introduced in the series?

Again, nothing comes to mind. It's been awhile since I did the series.

What is your general opinion on the basis of J'Onn's powers? Are they telekinetic used in conjunction with his shape shifting abilities?

It all stemmed back to his being an alien and that the Martians had certain things because that's how their species adapted to their world and its environment. J'Onn wasn't the only Martian to have these abilities; they were common to his species.

Does J'Onn possess the ability to breed with other species?

It would depend on how close that species was to him; how close the DNA matched. More likely with a Saturnian, less likely with a human, I should think. Again, just my opinion.

If you had another shot at doing an MM book Mr. Ostrander how would you go about building his support cast and villains? Would you bring back the White Martians? Would you create some villains? Or would you retcon some obscure villains into worthy MM villains?

Probably look more at building a Rogue's gallery and single support cast. The white Martians have been used a lot and I'd probably keep away from them for a long time. Easier to build new villains, IMO, than retcon old villains into something usable but it might work. I'd have to spend more time seriously thinking about it and that only makes sense if I was actually working on the character.

Do you keep up with J'Onn's appearances in JLA since MM's book ended? What were thoughts on Martian arc like Terror Incognita?

I've seen some of them. Like I said, different writers, different takes. I got the chance to do what I wanted with the character and other writers should have the same right without kibitzing from me.

What role do you believe J'Onn plays in the JLA? and what is MM's best asset?

I think his telepathy is his strongest and most useful power, especially in a team book.

Some people have posed that most J'Onn abilities appeared out nowhere sorta like out of continuity for example Martian super-speed and a host other powers what is your response to this? What about mind control is this a good power for a hero to have?

Superman developed powers that he didn't have when he first appeared in comics and those powers have fluctuated over the years. It usually happens when a writer needs the character to have a certain power in order to make a given story work. Lots of time, there was NOP continuity when these characters were first developed. Is mind control a good power for a hero to have? I don't know; is x-ray vision a good power for a character to have? Is the ability to bend steel with their bare hands? Depends on the character.

What do you think of MM relationship with the following characters..Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, GL(Hal) & Plastic Man?

We showed the basis of some of those relationships when we did the book. My guess is that he might have the closest relationship with superman since both were born on another planet and derive their powers from that; both are aliens. Leads to a certain amount of bonding. What's his relationship with Wonder Woman? Harder to define -- the character tends to change a lot. Plastic Man? Well, they're both shapechangers but J'Onn is outwardly a LOT more serious about it. Hal Jordan? Again, it depends on who Hal is this month.

MM's costume what up with that? Another what up with that.. the Zo'oks? If you could update his costume what would do with it?

I think the costume is a nod to Edgar Rice Burrough's MARS novels. Zook was a "pet" that J'Onn had in the earlier continuity. I decided to bring it in and update it -- make it a symbiote. Otherwise, the "clothes" J'Onn wears when he morphs is really just his skin which creeped me out a bit. I wouldn't update the costume.

Why did DC abandoned MM before and is reviving him now?

Best to ask DC that.

Who would you cast as Martian Manhunter in a JLA movie?

I would NOT cast David Ogden Stiers. The Rock might be cool.

Did you ever hide any Easter Eggs in run on Martian Manhunter that you care to tell us about?

Nothing comes to mind.

Had to ask Superman vs. Martian Manhunter who wins?

The Hulk.

As an extra, here's a brief excerpt from a later interview...




An interview with
John Ostrander
Conducted by Highfather Izaya
July 30, 2009

You had an acclaimed run on "Martian Manhunter." What are some the hardest parts about making Martian Manhunter not appear just as "Green Superman"? And what would you consider your most proud accomplishment in that series?

John Ostrander: Figuring out what made him different besides the color green. Many of the powers were duplicated, so we looked at his CULTURE – what would that have been like? That would have helped shape him into who he was. [My most proud accomplishment was] working out that society and background. I also liked how we worked Jemm, son of Saturn, into the mix.

Any thoughts on the death of Martian Manhunter?

John Ostrander: Nobody stays dead forever in comics. Also, he’s DC’s character, not mine, so they can do as they like with him.

2002 Comic Books ETC! Interview With John Ostrander

Edited for relevance. For the complete interview, click here.

Speaking of teams and strong lead roles, characters like the Martian Manhunter seem to do well in teams, but not by themselves. Or, popular characters come together to form a team, like Heroes for Hire or Marvel Knights, and just don’t have the same following as an Avengers or a JLA. Why do you think some books fail?

I think there is any number of combination of things. And different people will give you different reasons. I think it depends upon the individual book. You have to realize, nowadays, unless it is one of the core or franchise characters, it’s going to have a shelf life of about 3-4 years. That is simply the reality of the marketplace. Martian Mahunter, for instance, lasted over 3 years. And in this market, that’s not a bad run.

In Hawkworld #23 you have J’onn J’onz (Martian Manhunter) reveal that his weakness to fire is a psychological rather than physical one, and seemed to be over coming it. Is that still the case?

That was first suggested in a Martian Manhunter mini-series years back. That sort of became part of the law of the character. When I went to go the book, one of the instructions given to me was that they wanted it be not just psychological, but a physical one as well. So, how do we blend the two? We explained it be sort of like a telepathic virus.

2011 Martian ManHunter by Terry Huddleston

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JLA Classified: Cold Steel #1 (2005)

One alien spaceship was pursued by another on the surface of Earth's moon. Genshi Mian, a white-skinned alien in armor, figured he and his partner were doomed. Tsaru Kar, the pilot, wished he would "Show some dignity." They were pursued by the Voruk, amphibians who resembled various terrestrial sea life like manta rays and large piranha. "Go on, you mud-sucking minnow. Twist all you want..." Laser fire clipped the JLA Watchtower, as Superman and the Martian Manhunter worked outside.
"Did you see that?"
"What?"

The pursued ship crashed on the lunar surface. "I'm making sure that scrawny mouth-breather stays down." Superman had something to say about that, as he casually ripped through the pursuer with heat vision. "Hull breach-- we're losing water!" J'Onn J'Onzz had taken their lasers, as well. "Superman. That ship was bio-engineered. This bit's still twitching." As the pursuers fled, the heroes delivered the two aliens in flight to a containment room within the Watchtower. Both wore armor which fed them an oxygen/nitrogen mixture, so J'Onzz felt they needed to come off, since the aliens could breathe their atmosphere. However, the aliens' thin bodies could not handle the gravitational pull of the moon, so J'Onzz reversed and resealed their encasement. J'Onzz detected telepathy, as the aliens scanned the heroes' minds to learn their language. Tsaru fretted for her companion, but upon learning that he was alright, introduced herself. "My companion and I represent the Ghoji-in-exile."

Tsaru did not believe in asking for help, but Councilman Genshi Mian had insisted, initially hoping to contact the defunct Green Lantern Corps. Instead, they explained how their peaceful but resolute Ghoji had refused to be enslaved by the Voruk, "the water-breathing filth that wrecked my cruiser." The Ghoji saw themselves as a peaceful, civilized people who neither made war nor were willing to submit to oppression. Despite torture and widespread destruction, "the Voruk got no labor out of us." After three years, the Voruk gave up, and instead deployed an "Infinity Coil" that basically put everyone to sleep for the last twenty years.



Aquaman had taken offense to the Ghoji's fish baiting, and didn't believe the JLA should get dragged into such a conflict. J'Onn J'Onzz protested, "War? They are victims of a crime, Aquaman! An entire planet has been... what, abducted? Imprisoned? You suggest we leave injustice of that magnitude unanswered? We're called the Justice League for a reason!" Batman felt that the alien was less than forthcoming. "If you doubt my ability to detect deception in her, there's always Wonder Woman." The Green Lantern of Ghoji had been caught in the Infinity Coil, so Kyle Rayner was set on investigating, alone if necessary.

Speaking of the Infinity Coil, scientists warned Mhak-Lord Gordoruk that it was threatening a dimensional implosion, with no means of containing a collapse of reality if it device continued operation. Mhak-Lord Gordoruk literally bit the scientist's head off, demanding a fix.

Superman contacted Mr. Terrific to have the JSA keep an eye on Earth while the JLA was off to the Lagoon Nebula for a week or less. "I hear it's beautiful this time of year. Sure, we'll keep an eye on things. The Martian Manhunter was first aboard the Ghoji's repaired ship, and accepted Councilman Genshi Mian's gratitude. A "gating" later, and the Ghoji were near their world of Penumbra, showing its still state from space. There was no expectation it would need guarding, but "Liong Ma'tek! A Voruk gunship! We're done for!"

Not necessarily, as the Manhunter from Mars understated. "I'll go on ahead, shall I?" Passing immaterially through the ship's hull, the Alien Atlas destroyed incoming missiles by hand. Superman and Green Lantern followed suit in deflecting "Implosion Vacuoles." However, the Ghoji ship was still injured by a shockwave, and spiraled toward Penumbra. Superman tried to catch it, but he and its occupants were knocked out by the Infinity Coil. Wrapped in emerald energy, Wonder Woman fended off lasers while Green Lantern rescued the League. The Martian Marvel was preoccupied with tearing the aggressors' ship apart. "Animated corpses for spacecraft... What sick mind dreamed that one up?" Recognizing that he was "killing my ship," the Ghadz-Commander ordered retreat. Drolly, J'Onn J'Onzz ordered, "...and don't come back."



The group arrived at a hidden refuge, where they were greeted by the sight of torture survivors who had been dropped into water to have their lower extremities gnawed off by the Voruk. Tsaru Kar insisted "Most victims died instantly, as was proper. These cowards chose to live with their injuries." Batman was silently revolted, as he watched the survivors walk on their hands with braces over their arms and chests.

The Flash (Wally West) and Kyle Rayner joked amongst themselves, and "met" the Ghoji Green Lantern through her power battery. Genshi confided, "Shiera Vaas. Wise and beautiful and brave. The greatest Ghoji in living memory. She would have become our queen if she hadn't left to join the Green Lantern Corps... Our society has always been inward-looking, more concerned with refining old ways than finding better ones... She challenged customs that she thought were unfair or harmful." Her progress was rolled back by the old guard in her absence, however.

Superman and Martian Manhunter discussed the effect of the Infinity Coil and how to deal with it. Aquaman confided his distrust of Tsaru Kar to Wonder Woman. "It's nothing I can put my finger on, Diana. Tsaru's attitude, maybe. Praising death as glorious-- then sneering at survivors as if they were morally defective. There's something sick about that." Diana had noted Batman's reaction, while the Dark Knight had snuck off to visit their topic of discussion: First the amputee Maiko, then Tsaru, who had followed him to the camp.

Aboard the Banished-Squadron Gunship Slasher, the Ghadz-Commander spouted paranoia as his ship was repaired, and believing plague had broken his mind, lieutenants devoured him alive.



Councilman Genshi Mian mentioned the shield technology that protected their haven from the Infinity Coil, which allowed the JLA to develop a means of using same to permanently address the problem. Giant mostly humanoid mechanized vehicles were outfitted with shield protection, and each was customized to reflect the strengths of their individual JLA pilots. This was mostly attributed to Batman, which is why the role of super-scientist often assigned to the Atom, Steel, or even J'Onn J'Onzz is so vital to the suspension of disbelief when crap like that comes up. The Flash laid down a super-heroic paint job, and the game was on. Batman would fly with Maiko as his co-pilot, Green Lantern Genshi, while Wonder Woman took on Tsaru Kar, although not without objection. "My people are philosophers... artists... not axe-wielding savages!"

Counsellor Tarngiri had tried to warn Mhak-Lord Gordoruk that the Ghoji might have hired mercenaries, but he couldn't believe the "skinnies" would fight back or mingle with other species. Tarngiri had a number of issues with his people's leadership, and as they prepared to descend on Penumbra en masse, he wondered if this was his last chance to extend reason...

"Chapter One: The Hidden World" was by writer/painter Chris Moeller

Imaginary Wednesday
Captain Atom: Armageddon #5 (April, 2006)

2007 Martian Manhunter by Gavin Michelli

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I was going for a more design-oriented feel with this piece, though I can't deny a certain Frank Miller influence (if there's a comic book artist alive who says he's not influenced by Frank Miller, he's a liar!).

2008 Miss Martian [Colored Version] by Todd Nauck

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I'm running a time deficeit this weekend, as I have three tests over two days and then then the finals bobsled kicks in. Sorry for the embed, but at least its a sweet piece of Miss Martian art from a veteran well suited to draw her after four years on the original Young Justice.

"My friend and incredible talented colorist, Benny Fuentes :iconbennyfuentes:, supplied some outstanding colors to my Miss Martian penciled piece.

Benny colored my WildGuard: Insider covers as well as the Astro-Girl story in WildGuard: Insider #2.

Thanks for rocking this piece, Benny!"

You can see the black and white version here, "A piece I did for fun."

Batman #550 (January, 1998)

A boy with cottage cheese thighs was strapped to a table in a laboratory that looked like a Hammer Films set, even with the computer bank. Rather than adipose tissue, the boy was made of flesh-like clay, from which a sample was extracted without any effective sedation. You never see eye patches anymore, but "Dr. Peter Malley, DEO researcher, Level Q" kept the pirate look alive. A six page overview of the various Clayfaces from Basil Karlo to Cassius "Clay" Payne followed.

Malley was working in the lab late one night, when his eye beheld an eerie sight. For his sample from the arboreal cage began to rise, and suddenly to his surprise, it did the mush. It burned a hole in the tank. The mush was loose. It was an ambulatory mass. It did the mash, melding to Malley's flesh in a flash. They were now a monster mesh!

The best part was when Malley (Get it? Malleable?) picked up the tank to look through the porthole with his one good eye while the creature leapt onto his back. The "Claything" merged with Malley in an obvious Dead Alive swipe, drawing the attention of a DEO agent, whose gun melted into his hand. In another Dead Alive swipe, a doctor later planned to amputate the agent's arm at the shoulder, because it was infected with materials from the gun working their way through his system. It seemed Claything could melt things psychokinetically from a fair distance, making it the most powerful Clayface yet. The creature had a childlike intellect, and began traveling from New York to "Mommy... Daddy... Gotham." Presumably thanks to Malley, it could drive a car, while comically scaring people and melting cops to mush en route.

The Department of Extranormal Operations was a new government bureau, so they didn't have a dedicated agent in Gotham City yet. However, Cameron Chase had just been hired, and was driving from the West Coast to town with a layover in Gotham to visit her sister. "Look like Agent Chase just got her first case-- before reaching her desk." The DEO knew Chase's unlisted cell, her sister's address, and her email without being informed, and forwarded all the necessary data. Terry Chase was a fan of super-hero culture who quizzed her older sister on her case, while Cameron lectured, "There's a fine line, you know, between hero worship and blasphemy... They don't deserve worship."



Harvey Bullock was as crusty and needlessly confrontational as ever in surrendering the Gotham City Police Department's files on the Clayfaces to Cameron Chase, calling feds pompous "tax-suckin' lice." Still, he offered, "Do me a favor... Don't melt out there, fed. Me an' messes get along-- but even I got my limits." Chase staked out the cave where several Clayfaces once resided, which is where she met Batman. Chase drew on him, and tried to run off the vigilante, but he browbeat her into submission with a variation on the need to do one's civic duty. As the two debated, Batman realized that the "Clay-Thing," might not be headed home, but instead follow a telepathic connection to its "parents" in Arkham Asylum. The Batmobile sped off, and when Chase's American muscle car failed to keep up, she called her sister for directions.

The Clay-Thing released Amygdala while burning its way through Arkham, giving Batman two massive threats to contend with. The Caped Crusader took down the second a might easily per story convenience, but there wasn't anything he could logically do to stop the first. That's where story contrivance kicked in, as Cameron Chase secretly had a super power that caused the Clay-Thing to melt itself. Batman was content to let the D.E.O. clean up its mess, but requested Chase see to it this didn't happen again.

Kelly Jones can be one of the finest horror artists in comics, and operates at a more consistently high standard than his most obvious influence, Bernie Wrightson. On the other hand, even as a pale shadow of his '70s glory, Bernie Wrightson operates at a minimum level of craft that far exceeds the Rob Liefeldian excesses of Kelly Jones. Despite being gifted in many respects, there are times when Jones is just plain objectively bad, as in random panels of "I clear don't give a crap" amateur hour composition. How can Mick Gray salvage this in ink when a page has a post-it note stating "I let my granny with the severe cataracts draw this face with a sharpie?" It's like Jones has a meter than runs up a $200 panel over here, so he makes it up with several $2 ones elsewhere. On the last page, Cameron Chase looks like a particularly sour Shirley Hemphill in whiteface and a bad wig. J.H. Williams III pitches in for eleven pages on his co-creation, and despite the absence of D.C. Johnson, nine-tenths of Chase's characterization works so long as he's present. That's good, because Chase was a cult favorite, but writer Doug Moench seems to be doing the "comic book adaptation" of her character here. She's a chain smoking rookie secret agent who gets into rec room philosophical debates over why she hates super-heroes with the Batman, as written by a guy who clearly favors the Batman and can't even conceive of a way to verbalize Chase's stance in the presence of the Batman.

"The Batman."
"But..."
"The Batman."
"I'm..."
"The."
"...just saying..."
"Batman."
"Yes."
"He's the Batman."
"Right."
"Didn't you hear?"
"Yes."
"Batman."
"Okay."
"The Batman."
"Fine."
"The."
"..."