Monday, November 30, 2009

2009 The Martian Manhunter Archives Volume 4 Fan Mock-Up Cover by Tom Hartley



  1. Create-Your-Own Back Cover
  2. Table of Contents
  3. Introduction
  4. Biographies


Better late than never, here's Tom Hartley's cover to the fourth Manhunter Archive Edition. Based on Tom's specifications, I pulled together solicitation copy based on the fourth Archive Editions for Batman, Batman: The Dark Knight, The Flash, and Green Lantern.


MARTIAN MANHUNTER ARCHIVES VOL. 4


Written by Jack Miller; Art by Joe Certa and others; Cover by Joe Certa
THE MARTIAN MANHUNTER ARCHIVES VOL. 4 reprints the John Jones back-up strips from DETECTIVE COMICS issues #317-326 (1963-1964) as well as the J'onn J'onzz lead strips from HOUSE OF MYSTERY #143-150 (1964-1965), faithfully recolored and restored to their original glory. This volume follows the Sleuth From Outer Space as he abandons his role as a police detective to pursue the deadly Diabolu Idol-Head around the world. The Alien Atlas and his trusty otherdimensional pet Zook fight side by side against organized crime, alien invaders, world conquerors, mad scientists, super-powered villains and maniacs, including their first encounter with classic foe Professor Arnold Hugo!
  • Archive Editions
  • 224pg.
  • Color
  • Hardcover
  • $49.95 US
  • ISBN 1563π9811X

39 comments:

Tom said...

There it is! Now Wade Greenberg have to write the intro. (And it's 224 pages, not 240.)

LissBirds said...

Looks great, Tom! What really amuses me the most is that you gave it an ISBN number...with the letter pi in it...

mathematicscore said...

Now that is snazzy.

Diabolu Frank said...

Psst, Liss-- that was me...

LissBirds said...

lol, then I shall give credit where credit is due, Frank!

Hey, can you guys give my theoretical wallet a break and set the hypothetical price at $29.95?

Diabolu Frank said...

That would be Tom's call. I just wrote the copy. ;)

Tom said...

Each volume is only $1.98 in Martian money.

LissBirds said...

But, Tom! With the weakened U.S dollar the current exchange rate between Martian currency and dollars is like ten-to-one. *Sigh*...guess I still have to keep saving up my metaphysical dollars.

Diabolu Frank said...

Liss, I hope you like your present...

Martian Manhunter Shocase vol. 1 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3AL7JIHO

Martian Manhunter Shocase vol. 2 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JGVPNKJ4

LissBirds said...

Frank! A digital copy? Now you're just enabling me to go around posting pictures of The Human Squirrel all over the internet. If anyone complains, I'm blaming it all on you.

Digging the festive theme, btw. I see Despero couldn't find work for the holidays and had to take up a gig as a mall Santa?

And where's that pic of J'onn from in your new header? I like the artist's style.

Diabolu Frank said...

In full color. Thank the Martian Manhunter Fotolog for hooking me up, and Tom for getting me off my butt to track these zip files down after my last computer ate part of my files.

Both pieces of art are from the final issue of Justice League Task Force (#37.) Since the brown backgrounds of that issue were of inconsistent shade, I dropped in a festive partial Magen David, or something. Art's by Ramon Bernado. It was weird seeing DC characters drawn in a style heavily influenced by John Buscema.

For the record, this was the issue where Triumph's whole history with the team was retroactively wiped out, forcing Despero to replace him as the collective League's Santa for their Christmas party.

LissBirds said...

Really? I thought you Photoshopped that! Now I have to read that issue to see what is going on. There's so much I don't know about my own 2nd favorite character. My frustration in my lack of knowledge usually manifests itself in me staring at pictures of J'onn on ComicVine trying to discern what book they're from.

mathematicscore said...

For some reason I'd never made the Buscema connection before. I first encountered him filling in for Adam "can't finish more than three issues at a stretch" Kubert, and was consequently nonplussed. Having read a larger run of him on Task Force, I rather like him now. J'onn was a tough but secretly funny so-and-so, and the action was dynamic. And I do miss L-ron Despero.

mathematicscore said...

I just went back and read that issue again. Doesn't Triumph still have the candle when he pops up again in JLA? Not that anybody actually read the last issue of this series.

Diabolu Frank said...

Liss, the JLTF issue was an abrupt end to a bunch of ongoing storylines that had run since the Zero Hour reworking of the book. It's really not worth bothering with if you haven't read the preceding couple years of Waid/Priest scripts.

I just thumbed through J'onn's Comicvine gallery looking for an elusive image. Didn't find it, and most of what's there was mighty familiar, if you need any help.

M.C., I didn't like Bernado at Marvel, both because it felt dated and it lacked humor. Faux Buscema at DC was a lot more interesting, and Ramon was better at translating Priest's humor to the page than Sal Velluto's Adams school photorealism. JLI and Priest's JLTF are the last two great runs I need to cover here.

As for Triumph, maybe he was out there in the snow to collect the now unlit candle? Does that get me a No-Prize?

mathematicscore said...

No Prize? You're a fan of the wrong company, bub...:p

If I were to suddenly become a writer at DC I'd be working in Mystek like nobodies business. Mutha Truckin' Deus Ex Macina!

Tom said...

Now you'll have to change the Biographies link to the new Vol. 4 bios post.

LissBirds said...

I just thumbed through J'onn's Comicvine gallery looking for an elusive image. Didn't find it, and most of what's there was mighty familiar, if you need any help. Thanks, I might just take you up on that Frank. Don't forget, I've probably read a quarter of what you have so I'm always playing catchup. This is what I get for getting into comics so late in life.

I did actually just read the JLA run where Triumph shows up and things get all mixed up with the blue and red "djinns." (Genies.) Should I go back and look to see if he's got a candle?

Diabolu Frank said...

...plus most of those images are from within the last fifteen years, and I ran a shop for eight of them. Don't sweat the candle, Liss. I'm confident the candle is there, and believe M.C. was wondering aloud whether it should have been.

M.C., Mystek was intended to be a partially creator owned character, with her own mini-series. Priest's editor asked that he build her up in JLTF first, and then got squirrelly about giving Priest his rights. I'm not sure DC could publish more Mystek stories, if Priest never signed away the character.

mathematicscore said...

Good call. I read a little of Priest's site the other day, and Glossed over that it was creator owned. He seem like a more interesting creator than I gave him credit for on my first read through. Plus that underworld unleashed issue is straight up "J'onn being kick ass," which is always fine by me.

LissBirds said...

Frank, this is the one that confounds me the most:

http://www.comicvine.com/162934-martian-manhunter/105-234285/

And owning a comic shop does sound like a good ticket to comics-knowledge-utopia. Maybe when I hit the lotto.

mc, I'll have to add that to my reading list. Even though I prefer a calmer J'onn J'onnz I don't mind him kicking ass once in a while.

Diabolu Frank said...

I'm pretty confident the artist is Pat Oliffe, and it's not from his World War III issue, so I'd guess its from late in 52. Sorry I couldn't pin it down further.

LissBirds said...

Thanks, Frank. Hmm...I'll have to go back and look at 52. I don't remember J'onn being in front of the Statue of Liberty at any point in the series. 'Tis a mystery.

Did you enjoy the 52/World War III mini, by the way? I remember really liking how J'onn was portrayed but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on it.

Diabolu Frank said...

52 is just a guess, but I don't recall anything else Oliffe would have done involving J'Onn recently. I did some checking, and my next guess would be that it's from an issue of the Marvel/DC: Unlimited Access mini-series.

I just bought the set of WWIII for $2 on sale last month, and I'm planning to read and review it in the relatively near future.

mathematicscore said...

WWIII is the closest thing to a Martian Manhunter feature in any of the Infinite Crisis stuff since he was immediately sidelined for IC and just had a few "Oh, yeah, that guy..." moments in 52 proper. I dug the art, and liked his relationship with Black Adam. Especially since it's paid off (albeit subtly) in the Black Adam mini by Tomasi and Mahnke. Even though I'm not a fan of "infected with darkness" storylines (Paralax, Onslaught)I believe WWIII is intended to be the impetus for Brave New World Manhunter and in that regard, it works ok. Sorry to respond to your saying you're going to review it with a minireview of my own, but I get excited, you know?

LissBirds said...

I have a feeling a lot of those pictures on ComcVine are from Marvel/DC crossovers. I'll have to look for the Unlimited Access one.

Can't wait to read your review of WWIII! I wish it had been included in the 52 trades--it would've tied up some loose ends and rounded out the series nicely.

Diabolu Frank said...

Actually, you guys are getting me a lot more enthused about reading WWIII. It was the obligatory, for-the-blog purchase of a spin-off I expected to be a chore to cover. Now I'm guardedly optimistic.

LissBirds said...

It's actually quite good. The art is pretty sharp and for the most part I liked the story. And so far, it's the only comic I've ever seen that features both J'onn J'onn and Harvey Dent. Considering that I'm a Two-Face fanatic, it made my day.

Diabolu Frank said...

I found Two-Face the most boring regular Batman villain as a kid. As an adult, the main reason I saw Batman: The Dark Knight was because I was so excited about Aaron Eckhart doing the character right. Two-Face's handling under the Batman: The Animated Series team, and especially Bruce Timm's "Two of a Kind" from Batman Black and White #1 completely changed my opinion of Dent. Now he's one of my favorite Batman villains, while the Joker is among my most loathed.

LissBirds said...

Yeah, he never made an impression on me as a kid. Harley Quinn did, though, for some reason. I went in with low expectations, but came out pretty pleased with Two-Face's portrayel in The Dark Knight. I'm not completely thrilled with Aaron Eckhart but that's only my personal bias getting in the way. It's tough to completely accept an actor's portrayal of a character when I already have a strong depiction of what I think that character should be like in my mind. (One of the reasons I can't for the life of me think of an actor who could play J'onn in a live-action movie.)

Loeb and Sale's "The Long Halloween" was the clincher for me. Though the Bruce Timm story you mentioned is equally wonderful, especially considering that it's so short. They made a "motion comic" of "Two of a Kind" recently that was pretty cool.

Diabolu Frank said...

I've never been able to get too attached to actors related to Batman. Even as a kid, there were three of four guys doing him and his villains at any given time. Richard Moll was great, but I preferred Eckhart, and Tommy Lee Jones was a real disappointment.

J'Onn J'Onzz I'm pickier on, but more over who I disapprove of. I hated Carl Lumbly on JLU, but David Ogden Stiers, Miguel Ferrer, and Phil Morris were all decent. Avery Brooks is still the voice in my head as I read, though.

I hated The Long Halloween, but Jeph Loeb has never been on my good side, so its to be expected.

LissBirds said...

I have yet to see that live action version of JLA which had David Ogden Stiers in it. I liked Miquel Ferrer, and Darwyn Cooke's interpretation of J'onn on the whole as well. Reading DC The New Frontier was actually my introduction to J'onn, so it has a lot of sentimental value for me.

Captain Sisko! I can only think of Avery Brooks as him. :) I'll have to pass that info along to The One True GL and he'll probably be interested to know that. He's been coming up with fantasy casting lists for a JLA movie and he suggested David Boreanaz as J'onn. I am still suggestionless.

Loeb seems to be either a love-him-or-hate-him type of creator. I loved TLH and Dark Victory, but that's where it ends for me. I did not like Hush at all.

Diabolu Frank said...

I decided against posting a review of the New Frontier comic, which I frankly found somewhat boring through its repetition of other writers' themes and concepts. However, it was a blessing to the Martian Manhunter, as his many disconnected interpretations were sewn together into a very appealing whole. It owed to great work from Steve Englehart, J.M. DeMatteis, Mark Verheiden, Gerard Jones and more, but sets itself apart through its incorporation of them all into a single, palatable presentation. Plus, he invented the King Faraday relationship, which was a beautiful contribution to the character.

Wasn't David Boreanaz in the animated adaptation? No flies on him, but I don't feel him for J'Onn. Too classically heroic. J'Onn should be heavier on the bass, and a little left of center. Brooks' emotional breakdown toward the end of "Far Beyond the Stars" made me think about J'Onn's many collapses, while still projecting wrenching conviction.

Curious Item:
David Ogden Stiers played the Martian Manhunter in an awful life action pilot featuring the villainy of Miquel Ferrer as the Weatherman. Miquel Ferrer played the Martian Manhunter in New Frontier opposite Phil Morris as King Faraday. Phil Morris played Martian Manhunter in the live action Smallville, and Vandal Savage on Justice League Unlimited, which co-starred the voice of Carl Lumbly as J'Onn J'Onzz.

LissBirds said...

I read New Frontier when I was pretty new to comics, so it was all shiny and exciting to me. I didn't even grow up in the late 50's and it made me feel nostalgic.

The one part I liked the most about J'onn's depecting in New Frontier, (and I don't know if Cooke was responsible for this, maybe you can enlighten?) was how his personality played against his (sarcastic down-to-Earth) partner's. J'onn was portrayed as this total straight arrow guy (and kind of a square, to borrow lingo from the era) who idolized heroic TV cops and wanted to be a good guy simply for the sake of being a good guy. There's such a nostalgic innocence to that characterization and I like seeing a character who chooses to be a hero. I really haven't seen him portrayed with that kind of wide-eyed naivete since. Now he just kind of looks down on humanity. (Maybe he's just been on Earth too long and he's gotten a little world-weary?)

And Faraday was the perfect rival to J'onn! I wish someone had picked up on that idea and developed it more. What a missed opportunity that was.

Your last paragraph has my head spinning...don't you wish that kind of trivia showed up on Jeopardy??

Diabolu Frank said...

You can see more of "innocent" J'Onn in JLA: Year One, and to a lesser extent in some flashback issues from the Ostrander/Mandrake ongoing. I'm sure Gerard Jones' American Secrets played into that, as well. I'd say J'Onn's fatigue with humanity began under Giffen/DeMatteis in JLI. I believe J'Onn loves us, but we can be so disappointing sometimes.

LissBirds said...

Yes, I forgot about JLA Year One! I liked how Aquaman was characterized, too.

I was going to mention American Secrets as an example, too. There was a certain innocence there to some extent, like his fascination with the television, and so on.

LOL. So it's all the JLI's fault! I think anyone would be fatigued with humanity after putting up with Beetle and Booster for any length of time. :)

Tom said...

When he post intro? He say soon but it way past soon.

Tom said...

Now it needs to include a link to the intro.

And I just now realized that the solicit should read:

Art by Joe Certa and others; Cover by Joe Certa

The "and others" would be Dick Dillin and Sheldon Moldoff, who did the cover of House of Mystery #143. Since they both contributed only a single page, "Art by Joe Certa, Dick Dillin and Sheldon Moldoff" would be giving them too much prominence.

Tom said...

There! Now it's perfect.