Every now and again, I bring up Project Rooftop, an art blog focused on redesigning super-heroes through hipster doofus aesthetic and/or the liberal application of piping and/or complete disregard for the character underneath their premise-betraying reconceptualizations. For instance, if you give the DeviantArt Gallery of Jemma Salume a spin, you'll see a P:R regular put athletic/boutique store shoes on a lot of people who can fly or cast magic spells. However, I rather enjoyed her angelic, grade-school-Christmas-program take on Miss Martian when I first saw it months back.
Like Martian Manhunter, naysayers can draw unfavorably comparisons between M'gann M'orzz and a certain member of the Superman Family. However, the Earth Angel angle introduced by Peter David in the mid-90s was abandoned by Supergirl even before the Linda Danvers/Matrix incarnation was cast into the abyss to reintroduce Kara Zor-El. Playing up Miss Martian as a person of otherworldly faith, or just making her a more modest (parochial?) figure against the belly-baring Maid of Might, adds welcome flavor and variety.
As I said, I saw this months ago, and stashed it for potential use in the since aborted "Miss Martian Monday" series of posts. What inspired me to dig it out today is the news from producers on the upcoming Young Justice cartoon has the intention to play Miss Martian as the Martian Manhunter’s daughter. Obviously, that's a huge break from comics continuity as we know it, and a surprisingly mature relationship assignment! Miss Martian will operate under the leadership of the new Aqualad, Jackson Hyde, alongside Conner "Superboy" Kent, Dick "Robin" Grayson, Wally "Kid Flash" West, and an entirely new non-Amazon take on Artemis in Mission: Impossible style groupings put together by Batman. Intriguing, no?
Update: Weisman has since corrected this, saying that Miss Martian is Martian Manhunter’s niece.
This is so cute. At first I was thinking it was a mod 60's dress, but now that you mention it I see the choir girl influence. I kinda like the little cape, too.
ReplyDeleteA conservative/modest optimistic do-gooder would be a breath of fresh air in my opinion, especially since Ice has gotten snarky lately. Not all women (or men) have to be badass butt-kickers to be cool, imho.
R'eally c'ute!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the whole Miss Martian concept; to me it helps place J'onn even more firmly in the pantheon of iconic DC characters.
Having a supporting cast is important to J'Onn. I think that it will help him, and perhaps there will be an effort to develop a Martian Manhunter family.
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