Martian Sightings for April, 2013

Martian Manhunter

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #3
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Backup story written by MATT KINDT
Art and fold-out cover by DAVID FINCH
Backup story art by SCOTT CLARK
MAD Variant cover by The Usual Gang of Idiots
1:100 B&W Variant cover by DAVID FINCH

On sale APRIL 3 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue. Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information.

• A new Secret Society is forming-—but which of its members has the power to attack the Justice League from within?

I freaking love the Secret Society of Super-Villains as a concept, which makes me glad they're against the New 52 Detroit League in a book I'll actually buy, instead of the New 52 Whitebread Seven version. I'm guessing that's Catwoman on the other side of that "Holy Smokes Month" gatefold cover, which I assume involves inappropriate financial propositions on Ollie's part. If the DCU has a Charlie Sheen, wouldn't it be Oliver Queen? Anyway, the only thing surprising about the image so far is that Charles Schultz drew a flower on J'Onn's chest where his divided symbol should be. I'll forgive Finch because he seems to have blown off the Seashellheadhunter from Mars in favor of an old school Mr. Clean dome. Come to think of it, Mr. Clean would have made a par Silver Age villain. By the way, notice Matt Kindt now gets full writing credit on the back-up? Also, Jim Starlin takes over Stormwatch after Martian Manhunter leaves? So pissed.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA’S VIBE #3
Written by ANDREW KREISBERG
Art by PETE WOODS and SEAN PARSONS
Fold-out cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
1:25 B&W Variant cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
On sale APRIL 17 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. The variant cover will feature the fold-out cover in a wraparound format.

• What is the one super power that is more than a match for Vibe and how can it tear the universe apart?

New 52 Damage? Anyway, Brett Booth's cover is the best look I can recall getting of Vibe 2.0, and neither the art nor the suit impresses. Geoff Johns is also not co-writing this anymore, for the record.

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #19
Written by TOM DeFALCO
Art and fold-out cover by JOE BENNETT and ART THIBERT
On sale APRIL 24 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

• The Secret Society strikes again—but who is the one member strong enough to ground The Savage Hawkman?

Are they trying to squeeze me into buying Hawkman, because damned if it doesn't have a shot at working?

CATWOMAN #19
Written by ANN NOCENTI
Art and fold-out cover by RAFA SANDOVAL and JORDI TARRAGONA
On sale APRIL 17 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

• Catwoman needs help—but what is the only place the Justice League of America can take her?

AND Catwoman?!? J'Onn J'Onzz is on the freakin' cover, and it's all but certain that these books tie together. Screw it-- I'll bite-- especially since it's been way too long since I read an Ann Nocenti comic, anyway. Wish she'd brough Steve Lightle with her, obviously.

Willy

Alter Ego: Willy
Occupation: Student
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Captain Harding (Uncle)
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: Unknown
First Appearance: Detective Comics #256 (June, 1958)
Height: Approx. 4'0"
Eyes: Dark
Hair: Ginger

History:
While staying with Captain Harding in Middletown for a week, Willy was invited to the Wonderland carnival by Detective John Jones to take some of the burden of the "handful" off his supervisor. At the carnival, a trio of thieves were planning a heist. Alerted to Detective Jones' presence on the grounds, the hoods decided to try to kill both Jones and Willy by sabotaging various rides. Willy was too excited while riding an iron horse to notice Jones using his secret Martian powers to detect and repair the first act of sabotage. A second involved Willy falling from some height in a mock airplane, which was landed safely by a gust of Martian super-breath. Aware of only the second instance of peril, Willy remained enthusiastic about a third ride, the Tunnel of Thrills, where he was nearly crushed and drowned by a large statue. Willy displayed resilience and substantial denial in the face of these dangers, and saw the ride through to the end. The Manhunter from Mars, not yet a publicly known figure, was spotted by Willy as he goaded the thieves into turning themselves in to police. Willy insisted that he had seen evidence of the same "strange creatures," but was dismissed by Detective Jones.

Powers & Weapons:
Willy wore a cowboy outfit and carried a toy pistol.

Quote: "Missed us by inches! You think that was done just to give us a thrill, Detective Jones?"

Created by Jack Miller and Joe Certa

The Vile Menagerie: S'VOR

Alter Ego: S'vor
Occupation: Prisoner #306970
Marital Status: Unknown
Known Relatives: None
Group Affiliation: Unknown
Base of Operations: Jupiter
First Appearance: Detective Comics #267 (May, 1959)
Height: Approx. 6'6"
Eyes: Dark
Hair: Black

History:
S'vor is a Jovian criminal who escaped the custody of his planet's security officers, stole their weapons, and landed a spacecraft on Earth. S'vor was canny enough to hide out on the planet just before the start of a 399 day cycle in which Jupiter would be too far from Earth to be accessible, forcing his pursuers to abandon him or strand themselves. He also happened to be in a city, Middletown, at a time when it suffered heavy rains that hampered the security officers' recovery efforts. However, a member of another alien race had made the city his own, and J'onn J'onzz investigated reports of the flying saucer. Learning the details from the security officers, the Martian Manhunter struck a deal wherein he would capture S'vor before sundown in exchange for transport back to Mars.

S'vor had found refuge at an abandoned amusement park, and scanned the skies with his vision powers in search of pursuers. These efforts actually attracted the Martian Manhunter, but S'vor detected him in time to launch a defense. Thanks to his dangerous arsenal, S'vor held the Alien Atlas at bay long enough to board a gondola into the Tunnel of Love. This proved his undoing, as being surrounded by water in a small boat made it easy for J'onzz to eventually douse and capture S'vor. The Jovian fugitive was turned over to his authorities in time for them to return to Jupiter, but a bomb he'd set prevented J'onzz leaving with them, as he stayed to deactivate the device.

Powers & Weapons:
It is unclear whether S'vor possessed any innate super-powers beyond the infra-red vision demonstrated by his people, although he was clearly much larger than his short, skinny brethren. S'vor relied upon his purloined armaments, which included an electric rifle that fired charged bolts meant to explode with energy on impact, an anti-gravity rifle that affected a target within range, a devastating vaporizer gun, and a solar bomb governed by a fuse.

Weaknesses:
All Jovians have a catastrophic weakness to water which was described as being comparable to Martian vulnerability to fire, whose presence immediately weakens and can eventually kill them after extended exposure. S'vor was rendered entirely passive by a mere splash of water.

Quote: "*HA, HA* Martian, you have surely walked into your own trap now!"

Created by Jack Miller and Joe Certa

SurVILEvor Island

In 2012, a number of villains with past histories fighting the Manhunter from Mars in various capacities were selected for a special poll of this blog's readership. Essentially, these were characters whose appropriateness to be grouped as part of the Martian Manhunter's rogues gallery was called into question, and put to a vote across thirteen day/hour/minute cycles. The conceit was that Despero, who had won that year's March Madness contest, was judging the worthiness of villains who had been treated here as Manhunter foes; with those rejected in that capacity expelled from a game show island inhabited by The Vile Menagerie. Those who remained after voting would constitute a stronger, more "pure" rogues gallery, firmly associated as anti-Alien Atlas adversaries.

• Asmodel was exiled by 63% of 16 votes.
• Brimstone was exiled by 64% of 25 votes.
• Cabal outplayed with 67% of 15 votes.
• Darkseid was exiled by 68% of 22 votes.
• Despero outfought at 92% of 25 votes.
• Doctor Light was exiled by 60% of 27 votes.
• Doctor Trap outfoxed 60% of 10 votes.
• Doomsday was exiled by 70% of 20 votes.
• Effigy outshined by 62% of 13 votes.
• Fernus outburned by 81% of 16 votes.
• Gorilla Grodd evened out at 50% of 26 votes.
• The Hyperclan outperformed by 94% of 15 votes.
• Kanto was exiled by 54% of 13 votes.
• Korge outraged by 83% of 12 votes.
• Libra was exiled by 78% of 18 votes
• Lobo was exiled by 78% of 23 votes.
• Mister Bones was exiled by 60% of 15 votes
• Mongul outsized at 62% of 26 votes.
• Professor Amos Fortune was exiled by 67% of 18 votes.
• Professor Hugo outwitted by 100% of 19 voters.
• Professor Ivo outlasted at 57% of 14 votes.
• Rott was 50% split by 10 votes.
• Triumph outvexed by 90% of 10 votes.
• Vandal Savage outlived by 53% of 19 votes.
• Weapons Master was exiled by 58% of 12 votes.

Exiled parties will largely be left out of Vile Menagerie games, whether it be themed events, banners, biographical entries, further elimination contests like March Madness and Legions of Doom, or whatever else we can devise for the true, confirmed rogues gallery of the Sleuth from Outer Space.

Third Animated Incarnation of Despero Debuts This Weekend

Once again, thanks to Anj for the heads up on a news item involving an Alien Atlas adversary!

The classic Justice League of America villain Despero made his animated debut in a 2003 two-part second season episode of their Cartoon Network series, "Hearts and Minds." Unlike a lot of fans, I'm not especially fond of Justice League, which took a lot of unnecessary liberties with continuity without good cause. For instance the first animated Despero was a Green Lantern villain who drew the attention of a mere quartet of Leaguers (mostly in the second half) after killing a group of corpsmen investigating his tyrannical cult on Kalinor. In the original comics, Despero was a deformed mutant telepath who enslaved relatively human citizens on his planet. Late in the Bronze Age, that origin was revised so that Kalinorians all looked like Despero, and only his third eye set him apart. However, this was back when Despero was a little guy with a scalloped fin running from ear to ear. He became a muscular physical menace through exposure to the Flame of Py'tar, which turned his fin into more of a mohawk and gave him incredible transmutation abilities for a short time.



The cartoon mingled elements of the Silver and Bronze Age Desperos, but seemingly only the least compelling ones, rendering him a most homogenic villain in the context of the series. Kalinor is pretty much Apokolips, complete with Py'tar flame pits, while armaments of the planet recalled Warworld. The deadly conflict with the Green Lanterns more resembled Peter Tomasi's use of Mongul in recent years than anything Despero ever got up to. The religious worship of Despero as "the beginning" and "the end" was very Darkseid. Even the usually praiseworthy vocal talents of Keith David were subdued. All of the religious babble rang false for the character. This superficial representation of Despero was unmemorable, which explains why it never returned in the series, and even the screenwriter had only one more outing on the series. It's really too bad, as the design used for Despero in the cartoon was sound. I also liked that J'Onn J'Onzz was the one ultimately responsible for Despero's downfall, in spite of it involving new age silliness.



Despero's second animated incarnation arrived in 2009, with a first season episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold entitled "The Eyes of Despero!" Kevin Michael Richardson's performance was ironically reminiscent of Keith David's more vital voice acting roles, and Despero's deliciously over the top dialogue courtesy of famed scripter J.M. DeMatteis made it work this time. Curiously, Despero was once again treated as a Green Lantern Corps foe, but his scary displays of power were much closer to the Kalinorian creep we know and love. Despero's savagery and scale was on a par with Post-Crisis appearances, but visually, his fanned fin was closer to the old school stories. Even his singling out of Batman recalled Despero's battle with the Detroit era League after his rebirth. I liked the weird wrinkle of Despero having additional eyes inside his palms, and like most B:BATB episodes, it was simply way more fun to watch than the seriousness of Justice League.



This weekend, Despero returns to animation in his third series incarnation on the Young Justice episode "Cornered." Once again, he appears to be a remix rather than a straight adaptation. Despero travels through space with a cute robot companion, not unlike the dynamic between Lord Manga Khan and L-Ron, the latter of whom mingled its consciousness with Despero's in the comics. For instance, Despero was never technically a member of the Justice League Task Force, but rather L-Ron while he inhabited Despero's body. Anyway, Despero is in pursuit of gladiatorial conquest on Earth, recalling Draaga from the Post-Crisis Warworld.



The more alien and feral Despero resembles the version usually found in his Justice League International glory days. It's cute that a Martian Manhunter statue comes into play, and that Miss Martian appears key in addressing this threat. Even the inclusion of Captain Marvel feels like leftover business from the funny League. It's an interesting look for Despero, though it's a bit sad that so much quality design work goes to waste because every character but Captain Marvel is stuck with black as their primary costume color. Still, it suits Despero to be so versatile in interpretation, even if I do wish they'd get him a little more on model at some point in animation. I suppose we'll see...

Officer Pat Brady

Alter Ego: Pat Brady
Occupation: Police Officer
Marital Status: Unknown
Known Relatives: None
Group Affiliation: Middletown Police Department
Base of Operations: Middletown, U.S.A.
First Appearance: Detective Comics #240 (February, 1957)
Height: Approx. 6'0
Build: Obese
Eyes: Light
Hair: Black

History:
Pat Brady served unexceptionally on the Middletown police force for forty years before retiring. In that time, Brady had made the acquaintance of Detective John Jones, and expressed sadness on his last day over a lack of important arrests over the course of his career. Sympathetic, Jones decided to use his secret Martian powers to help the officer go out on a high note. A truck reported as having taken part in the Jason Warehouse robbery was made to crash in an alleyway, and the aging officer gave chase on foot. Discreet extraterrestrial intervention slowed the robbers' flight enough for Brady to capture the lot without incident.

Later, Jones uncovered another robbery at a factory, but was felled by a blowtorch triggering his Martian vulnerability to open flames. Jones fell unconscious for three hours, then returned to his precinct afraid that he had placed Officer Brady in harm's way. Instead, Brady had recalled his lab training with the force, and using pumice powder located within the chemical plant, had managed to subdue the robbers as they choked on the irritant carried airborne by a fan. A retirement party was thrown for Officer Brady, who was scheduled to receive a "Most Perfect Officer" award even before his heroics of the day.

Quote: "That's being the smart boys! Just keep your hands up, and we won't have any trouble!"

Created by Jack Miller and Joe Certa

2011 Triumph convention head sketch by Luke Ross

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“An 11x14 chest and up shot of DC's character Triumph. While many know Luke Ross as a Captain America artist now in my mind he'll always be the fellow who drew Justice League America #92 which featured Triumph leading the eventual Justice League against an alien threat.

Luke seemed genuinely surprised when I asked him to draw Triumph (and a bit lost, though that tends to happen to any artist I ask to draw my obscure favorites). "Oh wow, that was from a long time ago!"

Thanks Mr. Ross!”

If I recall correctly, Ross drew Triumph's origin story/first full appearance. I like how the pencils serve as both structure and shading.

2011 Brightest Day JLA color art by Ramon Villalobos

Click To Enlarge

"Okay so here is the Grant Morrison era JLA but drawn as they appear today. Why this? Because. I inked this digitally in sketchbook pro so some of the hatching is inconsistent and the lines aren't very smooth at points... but then they aren't in stuff I do by hand either so... its no big loss. I wanted this to be graphic and crazy looking so I did a lot of color holds and didn't render certain parts but I hope it doesn't look unfinished because... that could very well be the case. Anyways, let me know what you think. Thanks."

Ramon Villalobos' first Manhunter drawing posted to his deviantART account may have been of Paul Kirk, but he got around to the Martian model soon enough, and included him in some fanfic DC2 stuff. The quality spiked when he chose to forgo the DC Trinity for the Minor 4, but nothing Alien Atlas related matches the quantum leap demonstrated above. It's neat seeing the Morrison Magnificent Seven represented in a very temporary transitional state, not unlike how the actual JLA book soon hosted Superman Blue, Hippolyta, and Dark Flash, plus in retrospect the quite dated crab mask Green Lantern and harpoon hand Aquaman. That said, this lot just looks off, thanks especially to Batman's boring Incorporated costume, the tacky spectacle of "The Odyssey" Wonder Woman, Kyle Rayner's ongoing Jordan cosplay, and Wally West's lack of a nose. With the exceptions of Aquaman and (to a lesser degree) Martian Manhunter, the DC Universe was really barreling headfirst in the wrong direction immediately before Flashpoint, so I'm relieved it wasn't immortalized with a line-up like this. I still enjoy the piece though, and appreciate J'Onn J'Onzz's uncommon central location in the image, with the artist's style best suited for the Martian Marvel of all featured characters.

Ramon Villalobos

• Aquaman @ Justice League Detroit
• The Atom @ Power of the Atom
• OMAC @ DC Bloodlines
• Wonder Woman @ Diana Prince

2012 New 52 Miss Martian art by Antonia Leiva

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It took me a lot longer to revisit Antonia Leiva's Miss Martian than I expected, and maybe one of these days I'll find a basic model to work with, but for now we get a stealth suit...

Martian Manhunter Prototype: Radar the International Policeman?

Never underestimate synchronicity.

For instance, I was reading a post at Supergirl Comic Box Commentary about an Amazing Heroes article on the early years of the Maid of Might. Supergirl was co-created by Otto Binder, who was one of the primary writers on Captain Marvel comics back when Shazam routinely outsold Superman. Binder had been brought over to the Superman line when Fawcett finally folded shop due to a shrinking market and DC's decade-plus-long lawsuit over the similarities between the Man of Tomorrow and World's Mightiest Man. The Superman titles were edited by the monolithic Mort Weisinger at the time, and while he often disparaged the Fawcett books, it's pretty obvious that those rival comics inspired huge swaths of Superman's Silver Age adventures, including the development of a whole "family" of similar heroes. In a 1974 interview, Binder said of Weisinger, "He was really an idea man. Most editors aren't, you know." Binder said that it was Weisinger's idea to create Supergirl and hand the assignment to Binder, despite his past as co-creator and writer of Mary Marvel.



History has not been kind to the memory of Mort Weisinger, who was later revealed to be anything but an idea man, and rather a manipulative abuser of talent and associates. Most of the creations unofficially ascribed to Weisinger (as DC has a policy of not crediting their editors as creators in most instances) were blatant swipes of proven successes. Weisinger was noted for the dire habit of hearing a pitch from one writer, lambasting it, then turning around and giving the "rejected" idea to another writer to develop as though it were Weisinger's own.



At the same time I was reading the Supergirl blog, I was also playing a bit of catch-up on the infotainment site Comics Alliance, including an article titled Bizarro Back Issues: Boxing Day With Captain Marvel! (1944). Discussing the lead story from Captain Marvel Adventures #35, we're introduced to U.S. Army Private Pep Pepper, whose background as the child of circus performers led him to an impromptu performance at a U.S.O. show alongside Bob Hope and Billy Batson. Pepper ends up in a boxing match with Captain Marvel, and displays extraordinary abilities before knocking out a Nazi spy impersonating a major. Pepper is revealed to have inherited super-powers from his parents, and the Big Red Cheese is so impressed that Pepper is taken before President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and a secret collective of world powers to compel Pepper to become a covert International Policeman under the alias "Radar." The story was clearly a backdoor pilot for a new strip, which debuted in Master Comics #50, and ran for a couple of years.



Here's where things get interesting. Radar was a brown-haired Caucasian male with an athletic build who wore a white trenchcoat and fedora while conducting clandestine investigations using telepathy, heightened strength, and enhanced vision. Sound familiar? After spending many years considering the origins of John Jones, it's hard not to see this character as a missing link. Radar got a heavy push early on, but never caught on, though it seems the sort of property right up Mort Weisinger's alley. Radar was a back-up feature in the comic Captain Marvel Junior starred in, and Radar was also the subject of an illustrated "Comics Novel" called Anarcho, Dictator of Death written by Otto Binder. As a spy hunter, it isn't hard to see why Radar would have failed in the closing days of World War II, much too late to a crowded party that was rapidly winding down. I think it's very likely Weisinger could have been exposed to the property, seen its potential, and married it to the extremely popular crime drama and science fiction material of the mid-50s. It's not such a great leap from international to interstellar policeman.



Of course, the strong similarities between John Jones and Radar faded fairly quickly. Jones ditched the coat and hat, and artist Joe Certa began altering the character's features to that of a lantern jawed Irishman from the more WASPish look of the early stories. As the series progressed under editor Jack Schiff, the telepathy was soon forgotten, and when the super-hero trend was embraced, a fantastic alien appearance and more physical powers were emphasized. Still, the Sleuth from Outer Space came from somewhere, and creatively, it wasn't necessarily Mars.



Some Radar sample stories for your perusal... Captain Marvel Adventures #35/Master Comics #50
"Arsenal of Hate"
Master Comics #64

2010 “JLA” color art by Kit

Click To Enlarge


Color art by kit-kit-kit

• “Night of the Huntress” @ DC Bloodlines
• Wonder Woman vs. the Cheetah @ Diana Prince
• Zatanna “Mistress of Magic” @ Justice League Detroit

“Mr. Jones” proposal by Christopher James Priest

While researching Triumph-related posts from writer Christopher J. Priest, I stumbled upon some Martian Manhunter material, including the following undeveloped proposal...

"Mr. Jones has absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Smith. It’s an idea likely to be stolen either off of this page or, certainly, an obvious idea just waiting to be pitched by someone more marketable than myself. It is the story of a twentysomething working mom struggling to get her undergraduate degree who, desperate for a job, pursues her neighbor, Mr. Jones, until he agrees to hire her as a part-time Girl Friday working a strange 8PM-2AM shift for his detective agency. Mr. Jones is a enigmatic and unknowable cold fish whose entire caseload seems to consist of strange and scary supernatural or extra-terrestrial phenomena. Jones himself seems to have mysterious mind-control powers and can enter locked rooms without anyone seeing him. The Girl Friday inevitably becomes convinced Mr. Jones is a vampire and tries to report him to the police or whomever hunts vampires these days, but becomes invariably involved in his cases.

Of course, veteran DC readers are in on Jones's secret, which we may never explicitly state: the nature of Mr. Jones's strange abilities: the series is a Martian Manhunter reboot minus the swim trunks and swashbuckler boots. Mr. Jones wipes her memory of him or his strange cases at the conclusion of every arc, such that the girl ends up pursuing him all over again in a kind of Groundhog's Day cycle until Jones comes to know and trust her enough to allow her to retain her memory of him and his work."

The above was taken from Priest's new web home, Lamercie Park from a whole page of unreleased Projects. Do check it out!

The Fire, Water, Burn Manhunter Burn Podcast 2

LISTEN NOW!

In September of 2011, Rob Kelly of The Aquaman Shrine and Shag Matthews of Firestorm Fan teamed-up for The Fire and Water Podcast, a weekly program available through iTunes discussing the heroes of their respective blogs and comics in general. To celebrate their first year of successful broadcasting and round out year 1.5 of the New 52, the guys decided to offer an episode of pre-recorded segments from audience members who also happen to have DC-themed blogs. As a regular listener, commentator, and occasional guest, I was invited to contribute, and chose to represent both the Idol-Head of Diabolu and a sister blog, Diana Prince as the New Wonder Woman in a roughly ten minute editorial on what I was thankful for about their recent comics. Mine is the last segment, because you know I brought it like a Sleuth from Outer Space, and who wants to follow the lethal alliterative combo of Alien Atlas and Amazing Amazon?

I recommend listening to the entire podcast, featuring Superman fan Michael Bailey, Siskoid from the Blog of Geekery, Green Lantern Corps conjecturer Chad Bokelman, swingin' singer Luke Daab, and Hawkman man Luke Jaconetti. You can find the 38th episode of THE FIRE AND WATER PODCAST on iTunes. While you’re there, please drop the guys a review on the iTunes page. Every comment helps! Alternatively, you may download the podcast by right-clicking here, choosing “Save Target/Link As”, and selecting a location on your computer to save the file (34 MB).

I also recommend trying "back issues" of the podcast, and offer a linklist below:

Episode 15
Episode 16
Episode 17: Super Powers Collection Action Figures
Episode 18
Episode 19: Interview with Gerry Conway
Episode 20: Early Days of Aquaman and Firestorm
Episode 21
Episode 22: Interview with Sirena Irwin
Episode 23
Episode 24: Comic Talk
Episode 25
Crossover: Member of the Wedding
Episode 26: A Few Words About Joe Kubert
Episode 27: Aquaman and Firestorm Live Action
Episode 28: Listener Feedback
Episode 29: Dragon*Con 2012
Episode 30: Aquaman #12 Review and Listener Feedback
Episode 31: Robot Chicken DC Comics Special Commentary
Episode 32: The Zero Episode Also, while Anj of Supergirl Comic Box Commentary may not have made the podcast, he did offer an extension to December of Despero by offering coverage of his appearance in Justice League of America #134. Check it out!

2012 DC Comics Deck-Building Game Martian Manhunter Promo Card

I visited Rob Kelly's The Aquaman Shrine today, which had a post on Cryptozoic Entertainment's DC Comics Deck-Building Game. It appears to harken back to '90s CCGs like Magic: The Gathering and my own much loved Overpower card game, but more loose and self-contained like poker. What made Overpower great was that you built a team of four characters with specific powers who had to work well together in order to defeat opposing teams through strategy or raw power. Based on this review, each player chooses one hero each between Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, or Cyborg, then villains turn up through random deck draws, and whichever player ends up with the most victory points in an every-man-for-themself contest wins. Also, while each hero has a special power that works throughout the game, if Aquaman draws a Lasso of Truth, he can use it. That would bug the crud out of me.

Anyway, Rob made a crack at the end of his post about the lack of any Firestorm cards in the game, needling his buddy Shag from The Fire and Water Podcast. In this new age of Cyborg rounding out the Affirmative Seven JLA, Martian Manhunter has lost his once obligatory presence in these things. Still, I decided to run a search out of curiosity, and sure enough, the Alien Atlas plays a unique role. A playable Martian Manhunter character card is available as a promotion to get fans to buy the $40 set directly from Cryptozoic, which based on message boards ticked off fans who pre-ordered elsewhere for the same product.

In the DC Comics Deck-building Game, you take on the role of Batman™, Superman™, or one of their brave and heroic allies in the struggle against the forces of Super-Villainy! While you begin armed only with basic combat maneuvers, you will add new, more powerful cards to your deck as you go, with the goal of defeating as many of the DC Comics Super-Villains as you can. In the end, the player who has accumulated the most Victory Points from the cards in his or her deck wins the game!

**Receive a Martian Manhunter Promo Card while supplies last!**

Game Box Contains:
214 Game Cards
7 Oversized Hero Cards
1 Rulebook
Number of Players: 2-5
For Ages: 15+
Playing Time: 30-45 Minutes

Features
• Play as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, or Cyborg. The Justice League is ready for action!
• Each DC Comics Super Hero has a unique special ability that will open up different strategies to the player.
• Card combos, strategy, and fun abound in this game where every card features amazing fan-favorite art.
• Compatible with other Cerberus Engine: Heroes games, a common card back means you can mix your whole collection together for the ultimate throwdown!

I find it odd that they used pre-Flashpoint art for J'Onn, and I don't know whether he's got a cool power or not, but I'm just happy he's in there somewhere.

2012 Robot Chicken: DC Comics Special

The officially authorized Cartoon Network stop-motion parody of DC Comics somehow managed to reference Sinestro's vagina, but didn't have much use for the Manhunter from Mars, although there was a similar capacity for gender-bending.

J'Onn J'Onzz had a cameo in the Challenge of the Superfriends inspired opening sequence, substituting for both Samurai and Green Lantern Hal Jordan (the latter subbing for Robin, curiously) as the last guy flying in from stage right.

In one sketch, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and Aquaman have a bet on who can pick up a woman at a nightclub while in full costume. Everyone strikes out, but Aquaman has the distinct discomfort of trying to "talk to tuna," only to find that he'd hit on J'Onn J'Onzz in shapeshift-drag. "I have a life outside the team, you know." The other guys laugh at how the Sea King got "Manhuntered."

As part of a subplot that brought the show to a close, teamwide disrespect for Aquaman includes his lobster pals the Johnsons walking right up to the door of the Watchtower, only to be boiled alive by Chef J'Onzz. When Arthur gets hysterical about the murder of his loved ones, J'Onn says "Aquaman, I hear you... Can we still eat the lobsters?" Later, Lex Luthor appeared to successfully apply a choke hold to the Alien Atlas. J'Onn also mourns at a funeral, but not the good one.

As you might have guessed, none of the above were favorite bits, not for a lack of sense of humor on my part, but because they just weren't that great. I much preferred the Bane running gag and the burials of Captain Carrot (shades of Chuckles the Clown) and Abin Sur. The big battle also has some quality rapid fire gags, including a fighting mad Wonder Woman and "Joker toxin." Seth Green provided both Martian Manhunter's digitized wonky and Aquaman's effete voices.