This is a great month to be a Martian Manhunter fan, even if half of his appearances make you die a little inside.
The Martian Manhunter You Know And Love:
DC Comics Super Hero Collection #18 - Martian Manhunter
The ultimate collection for comics fans, the DC Superhero Collection Figurine Magazine brings together DC Comics` greatest heroes and villains! Official figurines of the characters, both good and evil, are cast in lead, individually hand-painted and numbered to form an authentic collector`s edition. Each comes with a 20-page magazine providing detailed history and background on the featured characters, including exclusive images and interviews. Choose this month from Starfire (#17), the Martian Manhunter (#18), Hitman (#36), and Batgirl (#37).
Release Date: 10/28/2009
Price:$14.00
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ARCHIVES T/C BOX (Net) (C: 1-1-2)
Rittenhouse Archives presents Justice League of America Archives Trading Cards, the first-ever trading card set to feature the JLA, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and more! The 72-card set will feature full-color art on the fronts and classic comic covers on the back. Bonus chase cards will include an 18-card Superfriends cartoon bonus set, as well as 1 Hand Drawn Color Sketch Card per box! Look for sketch cards from Warren Martineck, Andy Price, Pat Broderick, Kate Bradley, Mark Spears, Tone Rodriguez, and dozens more! Collectors will be looking to store their set in a custom-designed album, with 9-pocket pages and a bonus promo card. 5 cards per pack, 24 packs per box.
Release Date: 7/22/2009
MSRB:$80.00 (Box)
ABSOLUTE NEW FRONTIER HC NEW PRINTING
Written by Darwyn Cooke
Art and cover by Darwyn Cooke
Writer/illustrator Darwyn Cooke's award-winning, critically acclaimed masterpiece DC: THE NEW FRONTIER is back in a new printing of the Absolute edition, featuring new story pages, detailed annotations, alternate sequences and an extensive gallery of sketches, pinups, action figure art and more!
In the 1950s, Cold War paranoia outlawed the Mystery Men of the Golden Age. Stalwarts such as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman continued to fight for truth and justice, but as the world hurtled toward an uncertain future, it would take a new breed of hero to define the American Way. DC: THE NEW FRONTIER takes readers on an epic journey from the end of the Golden Age of heroes to the beginnings of the legendary Justice League of America.
Darwyn Cooke's most ambitious project yet features the stunning color art of Dave Stewart, an introduction by DC's President and Publisher Paul Levitz, and an afterword by Cooke.
On sale July 29 • 8.25” x 12.5”, 464 pg, FC, $75.00 US
The Martian Manhunter You Neither Know Nor Love:
J'Onn J'Onzz provides a cameo appearance and part of the reason for the formation of the Hal Jordan League of America...
JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #1
Written by James Robinson
Art and covers Mauro Cascioli
What brings a team together? Justice! Batman and Martian Manhunter have been slaughtered. But he’s not the only hero to fall at the hands of villains. The murder has to stop, and it’s time to take the fight to the bad guys! Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Supergirl, Atom, Shazam, Congorilla and Starman unite in a cry for justice!
This 6-part miniseries from James Robinson (STARMAN, SUPERMAN) and rising star artist Mauro Cascioli (TRIALS OF SHAZAM) pushes our heroes to the brink and beyond as evil can no longer be tolerated to win. But when Prometheus plans his revenge on not only the heroes, but on the very places they call home, will this new team be ready to pay the cost for the justice they seek? This time it’s personal – and it’ll only get more bloody before it’s over!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers by Mauro Cascioli that will be separately orderable. Cover A shows the left side of the image; cover B shows the right side. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale July 1 • 1 of 6 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
We've replaced one of the off-brand supporting heroes in this comic with a disguised alternate reality J'Onn J'Onzz. Let's see if anyone notices...
TRINITY VOL. 2 TP
Written by Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza
Art by Mark Bagley, Scott McDaniel, Mike Norton, Tom Derenick, Art Thibert, Andy Owens, Jerry Ordway and Wayne Faucher
Cover by Mark Bagley and Art Thibert
The second TRINITY collection, featuring issues #18-35 of the weekly series, is here!
“The Trinity of Heroes” are legendary characters who are believed to be the keystone to all of creation. Convinced that Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are this Trinity, sorceress Morgaine LeFey teams up with Despero and Enigma to replace the three icons with evil doppelgangers from the Multiverse in order to recreate existence. Can the greatest heroes of 52 universes stop this evil plot – or will evil win?
Advance-solicited; on sale August 26 • 424 pg, FC, $29.99 US
BLACKEST NIGHT
The black hits the lantern this month, as Martian Manhunter joins the Corpse Corps! I can't say for certain Black Manhunter will pop up in these first two, but he's obviously in the third...
BLACKEST NIGHT #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert
Variant cover by Ethan Van Sciver
Sketch variant cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert
Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis raise the dead in the most anticipated comics story of the year! Throughout the decades, death has plagued the DC Universe and taken the lives of heroes and villains alike. But to what end? As the War of Light rages on, the prophecy of the Blackest Night descends upon us, with Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps at the center of it all.
Don’t miss this 8-issue epic taking the DCU beyond the grave!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with three covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Ethan Van Sciver). For every 250 copies of the Standard Edition, retailers may order one copy of the Sketch Variant Edition (with a cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale July 15 • 1 of 8 • 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US
GREEN LANTERN #43
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy
Variant cover by Rodolfo Migliari
The official prologue to BLACKEST NIGHT starts here as the first Black Lantern is born! Black Hand has been an enemy of Hal Jordan since Hal’s early days as a Green Lantern. But even Black Hand is unaware of the true power he holds that will connect him to the Blackest Night! Discover this villain’s connection to death and the Black Lantern Corps!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Rodolfo Migliari). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale July 8 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
GREEN LANTERN #44
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy
Variant cover by Rodolfo Migliari
“Blackest Night” continues! As Hal Jordan and Barry Allen investigate a bizarre crime in Gotham City, they come face to face with one of their oldest allies – J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter! But their old friend is not there for reunions; he’s come for much more. Meanwhile, Sinestro seeks to rebuild his army and take his revenge on the being who would usurp it – Mongul!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Rodolfo Migliari). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale July 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
That's right, ya'll! Manhunter and Mongul in the same comic again! Not fighting one another, again!
More Blackest Night tie-ins, but far less likely to feature Martian Manhunter...
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #38
BLACKEST NIGHT: TALES OF THE CORPS #1-3
The Human Flame
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN! #3
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie E. Williams II
Cover by Kako
Everything you’ve come to love about RUN! is on display this month: beatings, fire, explosions, guns, jokes at the expense of the less fortunate, stupid costumes and stupid people. You get all this entertainment plus the shocking chain of events that leads to the Human Flame getting a new girlfriend. It’s all downhill from here…
On sale July 1 • 3 of 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US
Miss Martian
TEEN TITANS #73
Written by Bryan Q. Miller; co-feature written by Sean McKeever
Art by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson; co-feature art by Yildiray Cinar & Júlio Ferreira
Cover by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson
In the first feature, the team attempts to rescue Wonder Girl from the new Fearsome Five, as Calculator enacts his revenge on the team for not protecting his children. In the 10-page co-feature, Ravager faces the drug problem that could kill her!
On sale July 29 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Don't forget about SHOWCASE PRESENTS: MARTIAN MANHUNTER Vol. 2! Nearly 600 pages of previously unreprinted Silver Age silliness, including the complete Idol-Head of Diabolu and Marco Xavier sagas!
ReplyDeleteIndeed.
ReplyDeleteoops. Sorry I missed that earlier post. I'm a semi-regular visitor to your excellent blog, but I confess I haven't read every single post. Now I'll have to search your blog for your synopsis of that Batman story with Arnold Hugo's 1st appearance.
ReplyDeleteEven though a Vol. 3 probably won't happen, I've been thinking about what the contents would be. Here's what I've come up with:
Justice League of America #71
World's Finest Comics #212
Justice League of America #115
Adventure Comics #449-451
World's Finest Comics #245
Justice League of America #144, 177, 178
DC Comics Presents #27
Detective Comics #500
Justice League of America #228-230, 248
Action Comics #595
Martian Manhunter #1-4
Secret Origins #35
Martian Manhunter: American Secrets #1-3
That would be 575 pages of material. I know American Secrets deserves to be reprinted in color, and in hardcover, but a black & white reprint would be better than nothing.
I even made a cover mock-up for Vol. 3, using the cover of Justice League of America #248:
http://home.nethere.net/tomhartley/mmshowcase3.jpg
Ah now thats more like it.
ReplyDeleteNo worries, Tom-- I skip whole months on the solicitations sometimes, and the ones I do run are often long enough that any single item can get lost in the shuffle. I haven't gotten around to synopsizing the lead story in Detective Comics #306 yet, but I'll put it way up on my to-do list. You can read a brief overview in Professor Arnold Hugo's Vile Menagerie entry, and the Hugoless Martian Manhunter back-up here.
ReplyDeleteI like your third Showcase: Martian Manhunter edition mock-up. If you have an article to go with it, or are just interested in seeing it on the site, I'd be happy to run it here. Sad to say there's no chance a third Manhunter Showcase would sell well enough with the Post-1976 royalties expenses to ever get solicited, though. On the hypothetical, I'd throw JLofA #200 into the mix, but take out #248, since the John/Gypsy subplot dragged on for months before and after that spotlight. I'd also want to see 1987's Justice League Annual #1 and "The Man I Never Was" from the '89 JLI Annual, as well.
Thanks for reading!
You can post the mock-up to your site, if you want. Maybe you can write your own article. I'll bet the 3rd Showcase volume already has been published in that alternate reality you sometimes write about where DC has published 700+ issues of MM's solo title.
ReplyDeleteI expect I'll post your piece within the next few weeks, likely mashing up your selections for the volume with mine. Great fun, isn't it?
ReplyDelete