Four years ago, the Flying Graysons consisted of Dick's parents, uncle, aunt, and cousin John. The nine-year-old runt of the troupe wasn't allowed to take part in their signature finale, and given that we all know how that played out one fateful night in Gotham, for the best. While ringmaster and circus owner Jack Haly was the closest thing Dick had to a grandfather, he ultimately ended up the ward of Bruce Wayne. Curiously, Dick's unnamed uncle survived, but was left paralyzed for life.
Since becoming Robin meant keeping Batman's secret, Dick shared none of this with his friends on a camping trip where several origin stories were told. Instead, Robin simply drifted off for a few minutes, missing the part where Superboy revealed that he felt it was his destiny to take down Superman. Kid Flash freaked out a little, but the team seemed to come around to Miss Martian's way of thinking that "Those would be silly thoughts! You should put them out of your head." To further enable a change of subject following an awkward lull in conversation, Kid Flash said, "Hey! You haven't told us about your story. What's the dealio with you, M'gann?"
"Oh... okay. Since all of you told your stories... I guess... well, I'm from Mars. Ugn! Hello, Megan! ...You guys already know that!
All Martians live in underground tunnels because the surface is uninhabitable. Our family lives are very intertwined. As you already know, we mostly communicate telepathically. The form of communication we use helps large Martian families maintain a sense of community and stay closer... Martian families are usually quite large. I have twelve sisters and seventeen brothers! In my extended family I have over three hundred cousins."
Images depicted all Martian males as bald and all females with strawberry blond hair. Kid Flash asked, "Are they all hot girls like you? ...Dude! Three hundred girls that look like her? That's a planet I want to visit!"
"Well, half of my cousins are males, but yes, most Martians look very similar... Mostly green like myself and Uncle J'Onn. But there are others with... differences. There are also Martians that are red and white. Some on my planet do not see the whites as equals. My parents were both green and I was raised in what you would call a 'liberal' type of environment. My family... I... had no issue with White Martians. Others were not as tolerant... And the treatment of the White Martians was especially horrible."
Aqualad asked how M'gann came to Earth.
"Of all the brothers, sisters, parents, aunts and uncles, the family member I was closest to was Uncle J'Onn. We had a great relationship! We would watch his exploits on Earth with the rest of the Justice League! He grew to be a true beacon of hope and stood for what our society could achieve. He became the most famous Martian in our history! Upon his return to Mars it was declared a day of planetwide celebration. He also had a specific purpose in mind.
Having learned about all of you-- Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Speedy-- J'Onn decided now was the time to introduce a younger Martian hero to Earth. J'Onn J'Onzz came to Mars and declared he would hold a competition to find the next Martian champion that would be returning with him to fly among the heroes of Earth! I decided I would enter the contest, as did what seemed like half the Martian population. I, however, was coming to Earth."
M'gann M'orzz was depicted in an all black body suit with red piping, the bare basics of J'Onn J'Onzz's own YJ costume. The other contestants were identically garbed. Challenges included pugil stick duels and flying through rings.
"The competition was fierce... and dangerous. It was exciting and consumed or touched the lives of every single Martian on the planet. At first, Uncle J'Onn seemed as if he didn't want me to compete. I thought maybe it was that he did not want me coming to Earth. I had seen some of his adventures, and they were life-threatening and dangerous. But I was not going to let that stop me. I was determined to win! From everything I had seen and heard of Earth up to that point, I found that I... loved it. I wanted to come see it for myself. I would not be bested! I won! The whole competition! My heart soared! I was coming to Earth! This was the most exciting time of my life! Now I am here with all of you, and I am part of the team! I truly love it!"
Aqualad said, "We are happy you're here with us as well, M'gann," which Kid Flash echoed. Robin figured it was time to turn in. "Yes! This has been such a wonderful evening but I am excited to sleep in a tent." Kid Flash was excited by the prospect of sleeping in M'gann's tent, but Robin pulled him to his own. As it turned out, the "campsite" was in clear view of the entrance to the Secret Sanctuary.
Meanwhile, Superboy continued to fantasize about an uncontrollably murderous Superman providing him the motivation to fulfill his destiny...
"Fears" was written by Art Baltazar & Franco, drawn by Christopher Jones, and inked by Dan Davis & John Stanisci.
5 comments:
i like the whole concept of Martians being underground dwellers.
It's better than treating them like ancient Egyptians in desert pyramids for damned sure. Too Chariots of the Gods for my taste.
I really like this version of the DC Universe. I hope some of it drifts into the new one.
But could she still be a White Martian?
What I really like is the idea of J'onn as a role model and the most famous Martian. Could be an interesting dynamic if he's a beloved celebrity on his home planet, but a feared outsider on Earth. I haven't seen YJ in a while, so I'm not sure where they've gone with this.
I think she's totally still a White Martian. Her origin is a direct lift from Wonder Woman. She's lying.
I don't like J'Onn as a celebrity. There are too many "World(')s(') Finest," especially at DC Comics. J'Onn's a detective, and not even a great one. He's an unexceptional scientist who became a political leader during trying times and repeatedly failed to rescue his own people. Soul weary, he chooses to expatriate to Earth after having spent some time there against his will, but found it to his taste. He's still no Superman, but he realizes his niche as a super-powered investigator with some muscle to back up his hunches. It reenforces his noir credentials as another broken man back from the war, disillusioned but still a believer in truth and right.
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