Scary Monsters #5 (9/03)

J'Onn J'Onzz and Kishana Lewis shared a bed, and a dream, beginning with the events that led to the death of Lewis’ fellows, Gerry, Rudy, and Simeon. With a tear rolling down her cheek, Kishana said, "They deserved so much better."
"Sometimes, Kishana, we choose the battle. Sometimes the battle chooses us. Fate is not fair."
"Part of me wishes I'd died with them."
"As I wish I had on Mars, with my own wife and family. But I was chosen for another purpose. And so, it seems, were you."

Kishana gasped at the sight of a white buffalo, until she was distracted by a white bird overhead, which landed on the shoulder of the newly revealed White Buffalo Woman. "She brought the awareness of life to the people of the plains. In a way, without her, we wouldn’t even be human. And that bird on her shoulder, that can only be--! With a clap that sent Kishana and J'Onn reeling, Thunderbird created sonic force waves with its wings. These visions, including the return of her possessed friends, were intended to help Lewis come to terms with her mission as the descendant of Abel Carmody and the shaman's granddaughter.

William Hume, the resort manager and longtime possessed pawn, opened the doors of the fortress to allow his masters entry. Diana, still struggling with her condition, was the first on defensive. Superman, Batman, and the Martian Manhunter were called next, just after J'Onn had presented the World's Finest pair with his lover's true nature. "I am not of this world, Kishana. I play at being human, but I am not. By nature and by choice, I have stood apart from your passions. I have observed the emotion you call love... but rarely experienced its passion! It is hard for me to leave you. Yet to save you, I must." Lewis replied, “Come back quick, J’Onn. Come back safe. I’ll be waiting.”

While the Kryptonian and the Martian flew off, the Batman tried to drag Kishana down to the catacombs. "I'm staying! ...I saved J'Onn, doesn't that count for something? The monsters believe I'm important, even if you don't! Can you really afford to throw away any potential asset?" Batman appreciated the American Indian lore regarding the demons and a fabled guardian, though going too deep into metaphysics bothered him. Kishana agreed to the Caped Crusader's tutelage in accessing her abilities. "Twice now, with J'Onn on the astral plane, I transformed into an avatar of pure flame. He said it was like looking at the spark of creation that brought the universe to life. If there were beings who existed before that moment... maybe they want revenge for being evicted."

Just after Jade arrived to support the Amazing Amazon on defense, Wonder Woman’s adulteration was completed, and she downed the emerald heroine. Seeking a final resolution, Superman and the Martian Manhunter decided to attempt to activate a dormant volcano under Black Spirit Lake with their heat vision. "This will trigger an eruption on a scale that hasn't been seen since this world was born. The ecological consequences will be devastating, Superman." It would be Green Lantern's job to contain their scope. "If he fails, my friend, our actions will leave this world as barren as its moon." Much ado about nothing, as the Scary Monsters immediately froze the site and relaunched hostilities against the heroes.

By Chris Claremont, Joshua Hood and Sean Parsons.

Scary Monsters #3 (July 2003)

Wonder Woman fared worse than Superman against the sinister entities. Diana was infected with a disorder that caused her to slowly turn into a demonic version of herself, then frozen inside a lake. It required most of the League's powers combined to release the Amazing Amazon from her trap, as everyone returned to the resort built around Carmody’s Folly to regroup.

During this quiet before the storm, Linda Park expressed discomfort around J’Onzz to her husband, Wally West...
“I know he’s your friend...”
“Tell me about it. Sometimes he spooks me, too.”
“It’s the telepathy. Intellectually, I know he doesn’t pry, but every time J’Onn is around... I feel like I’m naked. Transparent clear down to the soul.”
“But think about him. All those years living among us... and no matter how much he blends, he’s still an alien.”

J’Onzz made a second attempt at learning about the demons through Kishana Lewis’ mind, and was pleasantly surprised she still had no problem with his appearance. J'Onzz found her to be “Intuitive and brave. I like that.” Kishana responded, “Don’t be fooled, it’s mostly an act.” J’Onzz insisted, “I’m not. And it isn’t.” The Manhunter found a “memory” of the aftermath of the 1877 incident imprinted on Kishana’s genome, as she heard “Medicine drums, on the wind. A song of power.” Martian Manhunter also determined that though Lewis’ physiognomy was mainly African, her heritage was still definitely mixed. "Does the name Abel Carmody mean anything to you?"

The Alien Atlas and Kishana Lewis were attacked by a tentacle monster, but it was the progressively worse Wonder Woman's claws that tore open Manhunter’s face, as she swung wildly in the pair's defense. Kishana was concerned. “C’mon Manhunter, let’s get you—“
“My fate doesn’t matter! It is you they want!” Armed with an M-16, Lewis held her own, and vowed, “Those monsters slaughtered my team... Whatever you want of me, you got.”

Manhunter grimly warned, “Have a care Kishana. Before this struggle ends, we may well hold you to that pledge. And it will likely cost you more dearly than you can possibly imagine.”

By Chris Claremont, Joshua Hood and Sean Parsons.

Scary Monsters #2 (June 2003)

“The Martian Manhunter can fly. He can bend steel in his bare hands and change the course of mighty rivers. In fact, he can pretty much do anything Superman can do. With two significant additions. He’s a shape-changer. And more important right now, he’s a telepath. Something attacked and critically injured two of his Justice League colleagues... J’Onn J’Onzz is going inside their minds... the forest around them bursts once more into flame. The Manhunter bares his teeth in a reflex of defiance... writhing in the heart of those flames is something far worse, so great and terrible that [GL & Flash’s] minds deny its existence, for their own survival.”

“That’s when we arrived.” Rayner and West were carried back to the lodge and put under observation, while Kishana Lewis was given her own room. There she was visited by John Jones. The narration read, "This is a challenge the Manhunter's faced many times before in his career as a detective. His Martian telepathy makes the human mind transparent. Knowledge comes easily to him. Proof is hard."

Introductions were in order. “Ms. Lewis? I'm John Jones. I’m a detective. I used to be with homicide. I’ve been asked to help... Is something wrong... you’re staring.”
“I’m sorry... it’s just your skin-- looks green.”

Manhunter was stunned, thinking to himself, “Incredible. Impossible. My replication of the human form is perfect, yet somehow she sees through it! I can deny it, but this might prove the way to get her to trust me.” J’Onzz revealed his alter ego to Lewis, who was unafraid of his form. “I mean, you’re a hero—one of the Justice League. Why should it matter what you look like?” Given permission to peer into Lewis’ mind, J’Onzz found her astral self to be a being of flame. “A very rare woman indeed-- by the twin moons!” Lewis' fiery astral form created a wall of fire to protect the lodge from demonic entry, then urged the Martian Detective to evacuate, before it was too late. The flames were too intense for J'Onn, forcing his mind to leave the astral plane, only to find Kishana was consciously aware of none of this.

Back in the valley, Superman and Batman found that the forest had special regenerative properties that allowed it to redevelop at an astronomical rate. “I think I can tell you why this forest burns so easily. The wood is super-saturated with a kind of resin. Once it ignites, the fire would burn as intensely as white phosphorus. And the shape of the valley, like a bowl, makes this a natural blast furnace… From the looks of the subsoil and organic residue, about one hundred-plus years ago the valley was burned down to its bedrock. Evidence suggests another fire, equally devastating, better than a thousand years previously. And yet another, even further in the past. But this is old-growth timber… the kind of trees you’d expect to find in an eco-neighborhood that’s been untouched for centuries. No way should this have grown in just a hundred years. Or even two. “ Then, as Superman himself felt the cold and a blizzard set in, the Man of Steel tossed the Dark Knight to safety just before a creature attacked. The magical monstrosity assaulted with a wealth of speed outdistanced only by its mass. “These punches hurt! The creature’s claws are drawing blood! So much for being invulnerable!” Superman managed to defeat the one abomination, but he felt the presence of a legion. Batman noted, “His uniform’s badly torn. There’s blood all over. I’ve never seen him take this kind of punishment before.”

By Chris Claremont, Joshua Hood and Sean Parsons.

JLA: Seven Caskets (2000)

I had intended to run this one on Wednesday for Halloween, but the breakdown and art reference for "Scary Monsters" ran longer than I expected, and I didn't want to break the flow once it really started going. I blame Claremont's infamous exposition.



Following is a synopsis exactly as written but unpublished seven years ago:

“Barrow, Alaska. The mind of the Moon King is closed to any attempts at parley. And despite the fluidity of its spirit form...is highly damaging to the Martian Manhunter’s.” The world was plagued by ghosts sent forth by seven ancient kings old when the world was young. To combat the horrors, the JLA became possessed by chaos incarnate. They beat the bad guy. The end. JLA: Seven Caskets (2000) was produced by Dan Brereton.

Whether this speaks to my burn-out with regards to the old site or my utter indifference to the story is up to you. To be frank, I didn't remember that I’d even read the thing before stumbling upon this. In retrospect, it seems like an excellent opportunity for Brereton to draw dark, pointy things for an above-average paycheck.

JLA: Scary Monsters #1 (May 2003)

In the Dakota Badlands of 1877, U.S. Calvary soldier Abel Carmody rescued the granddaughter of an American Indian shaman who gave his life to contain a demoniac hoard. Carmody eventually married the girl, become a great industrialist, and constructed the fortress "Carmody’s Folly" in preparation for another terrifying assault.

In the present, the Martian Manhunter ripped the back door of a suburban Denver home off its hinges with his bare hands. “As his name implies, he’s not from around here. But on his adopted homeworld, as on his planet of birth, J’Onn J’Onzz is a policeman. He swore an oath to protect the innocent. Moments like this, there’s nothing he’d rather do.” As he entered a den surrounded by police, the Manhunter began to assume a form more suited to the setting. He stepped over a young man unconscious on the floor to scoop up a frightened schoolgirl into his arms. “Hi, Ellie. I’m Detective Jones. You’re safe now. Everything’s going to be okay.” At that moment, a SWAT team burst onto the scene.



“Jones! What the hell are you doing here?!”
“What does it look like, Gene?”
“Watch the mouth, pal. You got no badge anymore, you got no right to be here!”
“Just doing my duty as a citizen, Lieutenant.”
“We had the situation under control--!”
“No—you were ready to start a war. In that kind of a cross-fire, what chance do you think the girl would have had? You got the bad guys, Gene. You saved the girl. You get to take the public bows. How ‘bout we leave it at that?”

Meanwhile, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, his girlfriend Jade, the Flash, and his wife Linda had taken to the Spirit Lake Resort for a vacation. Also at the resort were Kishana Lewis and three fellow forest service fire fighters, who were called out by resort manager William Hume to insure that there would be no sparks lit under the hot summer sun. Within hours, Lewis had made a fire, and left her men to burn in it. Smoke over the south ridge had alerted Flash and Green Lantern, where they found Lewis in shock and rambling. Clearing the flames, the heroes were attacked by the possessed bodies of the firemen, whose supernatural abilities allowed them to circumvent the Leaguers’ powers. The firemen spontaneously combusted just as the dual titans were ready to collapse. Additional Leaguers Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Plastic Man, and the Martian Manhunter were likely called to the western Badlands by Jade, who joined them in discovering Flash and Green Lantern unconscious.

By Chris Claremont, Joshua Hood and Sean Parsons.

Justice League of America #239 (6/85)

Elongated Man & Sue Dibney: Noted that the missing Leaguers had been gone to Earth-2 for three weeks, though to them it seemed mere hours.

Martian Manhunter: "May I suggest you were caught in a probability paradox while traveling between Earths? A ripple in the river of time?" J'Onn noted that his people on Mars II were detecting an increased frequency of temporal anomalies before he left them, which would later tie into the epic mini-series we all know and love, "Crisis-Earth." Make that "Universe." No, they settled on the unwieldy "Crisis On Infinite Earths," didn't they? Anyway, the missing Leaguers accepted the explanation, with Superman asserting that if the new League needed help, they knew who to call. J'Onn confirmed, "We can never forget." Later, Aquaman again abused his telepathy in a bid to bend the considerably more willful Vixen to his will. The Manhunter pulled "Arthur Curry" toward him by the shoulder, then seized him by the collar and demanded, "That is enough!"

"Get your hand off me, J'Onn. Who do you think you are?"
"The question, my friend, is who do you think you are? ...Your determination to dominate has done harm enough for one night, my friend. Let her go. We must allow her to handle this matter alone... for the sake of the League."

Aquaman: Played all sincere and nice around Superman, Flash, and Wonder Woman, while Sue tried to let go off his rude remarks from a previous issue. Watched his friends set off on a Cosmic Treadmill to make up for their missing time.

Steel: Antagonized then apologized to Flash. Recalled the mental whammy Aquaman laid on him.

Vixen: After a two page myth sequence referencing her powers, focus of the issue shifted toward Vixen. On page nine, when she tried to get her freak on, she was distracted by Vibe's sister alerting the team Mother Windom had been kidnapped by General Maksai. She swore to confront her uncle, who was trying to extort her Tantu Totem from her, but was assaulted by Aquaman. Released, the book became entirely a Vixen solo issue for it's second half, wherein she had a deadly final confrontation with the killer of her father, "the Gored Ox."

Vibe: Shook Wonder Woman's hand, who patted him on the head.

Zatanna: Hugged Wonder Woman. Caught Vixen making out with Dale Gunn. Questioned Aquaman's recent actions.

Dale Gunn: "Since when did you become irresistible?"

Gypsy: Stood around.

The Creators: Conway, Patton, and Machlan make me angry as an Aquaman fan, with their unfair characterization of a hero that would fit right in with today's adulterated vigilantes. As a Manhunter fan though, I'm proud to see J'Onn speak truth to power and stand up for the sanctity of a person's mind and will.

J’Onn J’Onzz’s Nicknames of the Issue: One time, Arthur called him "J'Onn." The rest of the time, Aquaman and the rest of the League (including Barry Allen) use his full name.

Most Embarrassing Vibe Quote of the Issue: "Rosita, mi hermana, what are you doing here?"

Justice League of America #238 (5/85)

Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash: Beaten by wraiths conjured from a souped-up Casio synthesizer slung like a guitar. Held captive by stock evil Commie, only to be rescued by Justice League Detroit. Rumor has it Barry died not during the Crisis, but from the embarrassment.

Vixen: Provided early example of meta-commentary by directly addressing Detroit League hatas.

Steel: Enabled Vixen.

Zatanna: Hated on Vixen, possibly because she broke the 4th wall, or perhaps because she came off as kind of a tramp back then. Used magic to control a thunderstorm and down Soviet Migs.

Vibe: Rightly impressed that Zatanna finally used her powers right. Vibrated a rogue Soviet trooper. Fried by a "key-tar."

Aquaman: Probably forced Vixen to make lame speech with his telepathy or something. Trash talked Gypsy. Made no mention of the concept of "morale."

Elongated Man: Stretched by Steel like a rubber band in an elastic double-team with Martian Manhunter.

Martian Manhunter: As Zatanna observed, "J'Onn J'Onzz, we're the only two in the group who can fly, so..."
"Your point is well taken, Zatanna. Shall we see how backward-spell magic and Martian adaptive power fare against military hardware?" While invisible and not, J'Onn tore apart a Mig with his bare hands, and was mistaken for a demon. "Strange, the effect I seem to have on people. I'm not that frightening in appearance, am I, Zatanna?" Before she could reply, Vixen asserted, "Hey-- not in my book, Big Green. Matter of fact, I like my men tall and lean." J'Onn and Zee also fought a fire-breathing pterodactyl wraith.

Gypsy: Projected her illusion powers directly into the evil Commie's mind, sending him into shock as he imagined himself falling from a great height.

Dale Gunn: Still flying that personnel transport.



The Creators: Have to date faced the Detroit League with such impressive foes as street gangs, embassy security agents, a baseball-themed villain, weak poseur heralds of a lame Galactus wanna-be, Soviet military forces, and a dude with a keytar. Indulge in meta-commentary because, for some reason, fans think the new team stinks.

J’Onn J’Onzz’s Nicknames of the Issue: "Big Green" - Vixen
J'Onn J'Onzz wants to know why everyone calls J'Onn J'Onzz "J'Onn J'Onzz." J'Onn J'Onzz doesn't stand for ceremony. J'Onn J'Onzz just likes the spicy chicken.

Most Embarrassing Vibe Quote of the Issue: "Hey, relax, amigo."

Justice League of America #237 (4/85)

Vixen: Listened to Aquaman moan. Not like that. Disparaged by Hank Heywood Sr.

Aquaman: Moaned about his busted-up marriage, kingdom, and team to Vixen. Anxious when he learned Superman, Wonder Woman, and to a lesser degree Flash were back from whatever hole they'd crawled into, necessitating the League to work at half-strength during the Earth/Mars War.

Elongated Man & Sue Dibney: Alarm interrupted something that forced the pair up in their robes. Disparaged by Hank Heywood Sr.

Gypsy: Acknowledged as actual member of team living in the Bunker. Disparaged by Hank Heywood Sr.

Vibe: Disparaged by Hank Heywood Sr. Understandably.

Dale Gunn: Karate practice with Steel and pilot of L.O.S.T. for trip to visit Steel's powerful military-industrial-complex-proponent grandfather Hank Heywood Sr.

Steel: Cried some more. Tossed Hank Heywood Sr. out a window. He was sensitive like that.

Zatanna and Martian Manhunter: The only other heroes to show up in costume and ready for action after Aquaman's alert that the missing founding Leaguers were spotted flying into the U.S.S.R.

J’Onn J’Onzz’s Nicknames of the Issue: None. He hardly appeared.

Most Embarrassing Vibe Quote of the Issue: "Amigo, if this was a test..."

Creators: Conway, Patton, and Mike Machlan let the old Leaguers get all the action, while the new tended to foreshadowing of upcoming issues.

Martian Manhunter Children's Halloween Costume

There's still just barely time...


"This Martian Manhunter costume includes a green, red, yellow, and blue jumpsuit with attached blue cape and boot tops, belt and PVC mask.

The Martian Manhunter Costume is 100% Polyester. Hand wash cool water. Line dry. No bleach."

All man-made materials! Rock! Kids don't need to breathe, right?

JLofA #36 & House of Mystery #150 (April 1965)

Small wonder J'Onn J'Onzz lost his cover slot, as the 150th issue had a neat looking monster that reminded me of Doomsday instead. When the greenish-brown skinned creature with spikes running down his arms, legs, and knuckles was awakened, he burst free of his chains and destroyed everything in his path. That's a lot more interesting than the Idol-Head's creating a pair of cursed paint brushes to be found by twin landscape artists. Joe Certa was joined by Jack Miller, dealing out more punishment with "The Supernatural Masterpieces!"

Posing as a swimmer, John Jones watched one brother paint a water twister, only to have it (surprise?) vanish from the canvas and come to life. Tunneling underground, J'onzz lifted the whirligig in his hands from it's narrow bottom, then burst it over the ocean. Spotting the other brother, J'onn flew in and smashed his canvas to toothpicks. Explaining his rather harsh art criticism, J'onzz learned that two completed paintings had turned into monsters. Manhunter just snagged one tentacle of the gigantic (See? Thesaurus!) "All-Seeing Seaweed" and tossed it into the stratosphere to dry out from the sun's heat.

A four winged bird-thing was freaking out a school of dolphins. "That eerie mist discharging from the underpart of the creature's wings is causing it!" Well heck, that would bother just about anyone. It spat out a protective force field, leaving J'onzz to solve this one with his Martian mind. His plan? Have the artist paint an enormous (ta-dah!) harpooned, dying whale eating the winged freak. Oooooo-kay. Sadly, this was a Zookless issue.

"The Case of the Disabled Justice League" made use of Manhunter in July 1965's Justice League of America #36, but only 17 pages in (aka "Part 3,") alongside a “B” team of Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and the Atom. J'onn missed out on becoming crippled to prove to handicapped children that disabilities can be overcome, but got the chance to beat up on the heroes that did once they fell under the control of Brain Storm. This especially dubious, cone-headed foe used mind control and the power of illusion to diguise all of the Leaguers in his sway to appear the same, so that the “B” team was unsure how to defeat any single one. Batman started using deductive reasoning where super-powers failed, his fellows followed suit, and the Manhunter ultimately popped the real Brain Storm in the jaw.

House of Mystery #149 (Mar.'65)

An unusual turn in "The Man-Thing That Unearthed Secrets," had Diabolu zapping a loser named "Driftwood" Dagan, who then turned into a giant mole to dig up a child's buried "treasure." That was a test run before Dagan transformed into a steel screw against his will and drilled into the side of a building to swipe a time "scroll" (or capsule.) Returning to normal, Driftwood was arrested for defacing public property. That didn't last long, as he was forced to break out as a giant vulture that shot fire from its wings. With a power like that, you just knew the Manhunter would soon appear and be felled by it. Little Zook's body ballooned up, then expelled a gust of air (and presumably, a monster lugee) to cushion the powerless Martian's fall.

At least MM managed to snag a bill from the bag the vulture had uncovered, and concluded the money was from a recent payroll robbery just from the serial number. Like Martian Super-Breath, Martian mega memory was overused in spurts. Manhunter used his photographic memory to recall a page from the "Crutch (I mean Book) of Diabolu." He gathered that the Idol-Head was empowering Dugan to find the "Witch Doctor's Tomahawk of Evil," but something was derailing its efforts.

All that detective work led to a giant winged caterpillar pilfering gold bullion from the military. Zook froze the giant bug, which released the gold bars from hundreds of legs to rain down over the heads of Army soldiers charged with guarding the loot. Martian Super Speed allowed our hero to catch all the bars, but not to capture the creature. As a giant weasel (Yes, giant again. They wrote it, all right? I've got a thesaurus,) the drifter broke into the Manhunter's secret cave. Knowing this, Manhunter used this precious time while the plunderer was distracted to fashion and bury a fake evil tomahawk. Finding the forgery, Driftwood reverted back to normal. The full moon faded into a sunny morning, and all was well...except that the Manhunter lost the cover spot of HoM this month and the next. This one was of course drawn by Joe Certa and probably scripted by Dave Wood, though it's understandable if he'd demand to be let off due to reasonable doubt.

Inside? Outside? Upside-down?

So I'd built this massive Martian Manhunter site, maintained it for a couple of years, and took it all down again. Editing and hosting the site on WebTV was so arduous, tedious, and expensive, the thought of trying to rebuild from the HTML up was frankly a horror to me. I was also burnt out on the character specifically, and comics in general. Marvel had improved greatly in the Quesada years, but my passion wasn't there anymore, and I was sick to death of DC's pandering to their World's Finest over the rest of their library.

At first, I was impressed with Dan DiDio, who seemed inclined to shake-up the status quo and focus more on secondary characters. I certainly applauded his initiative to promote cultural diversity in the super-hero line. However, both came at the expense of established characters, who were dispatched in increasing numbers and in increasingly malicious manner. A notable target were former members of Justice League International, despite the success of two mini-series that reunited both team members and creative team. The focus was much more on the molestation of these characters and turning back the clock with an eye toward early-90's event hype and third rate Moore/Miller knock-offs than producing entertaining comics. I'm still waiting for Sinestro to turn up as Kathleen Turner to Hal Jordan's Michael Douglas, serving a rockin' pâté made out of G'Nort at a Green Lantern dinner party.

Anyway, I found myself dropping DC Comics one after another, with "Infinite Crisis" serving as the final, painful straw. With the "New Look" Martian Manhunter to follow, I figured I would pick up the heavily discounted first issue of his mini-series, dislike it, and allow it to stand as my official "jumping-off" point for Martian Manhunter fandom.

A few months later, I found myself wishing I had fewer comic boxes around, and making peace with chunks of my collection. A major part of that was dealing with all these Martian Manhunter appearances I'd cataloged over the years. Sorting thorough what I intended to keep and discard, I was seized with the realization, "this too shall pass." Someday, I'll look back on the redesigned look and costume and find nostalgia rather than contempt. Really, it wasn't such a bad uniform, if only it showed a bit more skin and allowed J'Onn J'Onzz's classic beetle-browed look to replace the Natural Martian/Skrull hybrid thing he's got going on. This also led to the previously noted creation of the blog you're reading now.

Click To Enlarge

My acceptance of this new period of Manhunter adventures even managed to fuel interest in Tony Bedard and Koi Turnbull's intended relaunch of "Batman & the Outsiders." While DC was a bit dodgy on the team's line-up, advance solicitations all but confirmed it to be J'Onn, Bruce, the new Aquaman, Catwoman, Katana, Grace, Thunder, and Metamorpho. The first three formed an unlikely but historical friendship with J'Onzz at its center, and I thought it might be fun to see a new dynamic between the Dark Knight and Selina Kyle. I always hated the Outsiders as a team, but with the additions to the roster, I figured I'd at least pick up the trade. Score one for the new DC, right?

Click To Enlarge

No. Stopping them now. Because you see, with very little notice or fanfare, DC Comics has changed everything. Chuck Dixon and Julian Lopez are the new creative team. J'Onn J'Onzz is still in the first issue or so, but his image was removed from Ryan Sook's original version of the promotional piece/variant cover, replaced by Geo-Force (with Batgirl bumping Catwoman and Green Arrow theoretically offing Captain Boomerang Jr.) Dixon states, "By editorial fiat and the demands of continuity the line-up will change with issue #3 and #4. Some jaw-dropping additions to the team will occur then." Considering Manhunter's appearance as a murderous Judas figure in a Countdown-related teaser image, there's no telling what the future holds. Yet, the book it still hitting its announced November 14th ship date, so DC knew their solicitations for at least the third issue were utterly fraudulent advertising and accepted orders anyway. I'm just glad I was wise enough not to pre-order the book. Wait for the trade shall remain my mantra, excepting Jim Shooter's upcoming run on Legion of Super-Heroes. It's funny, because Jim Shooter was seen as at least as much of a tyrannical presence in his editorship at Marvel twenty years ago as DiDio has proven today. The major difference, I suppose, was that Shooter also happens to be one of the greatest writers the industry has ever produced, often providing well-considered rationals for his interference with other creator's work. DiDio? Not so much, but hey, thanks for saving me the cost of another DC trade and additional fortification against purchasing any future wares under your editorial stewardship, Dan.

1986 DC Comics Subscription Ad

It seems a safe assumption this in-house ad was intended to showcase DC's outer space heroes, which makes the inclusion of the entirely earthbound Ambush Bug (who didn't even appear in any ongoing series for which to shill) all the more curious. Further, Green Lantern and J'Onn J'Onzz were both in under-performing, soon-to-be-cancelled titles, while hopes for the just-launched Hawkman were similarly misplaced. However, all three and Superman were part of the Super-Powers toy line, which allows me to explore my personal connection to this ad. You see, when I started collecting comics, DC was already suffering near collapse in the marketplace. You could only find a few bestsellers and some new launches at the convenience stores I frequented in Texas (like "Teen Titans," "Warlord," and, honestly, "Blue Devil.") While Kenner's semi-popular toy line was introducing kids like myself to DC characters, the ball was getting fumbled at the newsstand, preventing DC from capitalizing on the interest. The only time I ever saw Justice League of America comics, for instance, was in older friend's collections. Those George Pérez covers would really grab my eye, before I'd crack the cover, see the interiors didn't match, and set the book right back down. I don't believe I so much as held a copy of a Detroit-era League comic until the mid-90's. So you might imagine, having bought the trés cool Martian Manhunter action figure back in '85, I was at a bit of a loss as to who this dude actually was. On the other hand, I was very fond of the Son of Ambush Bug mini-series, which somehow made it to 7-11 for most of its run. In one early issue was this ad, likely the first time I'd ever seen J'Onn J'Onzz in an actual comic book (as opposed to the rinky-dink number packaged with the toy I lost nearly immediately after opening the package.) The striking image added to the mystique in my mind surrounding this still obscure hero. Who is the Manhunter from Mars? What were his powers again? I wouldn't begin to unravel the mystery for about another year, when a shopgirl at Waldenbooks thought I was just too cute in my Houston Oilers jacket and gave me a double-sized comic book off the rack. I saved it for a trip to Colorado, though that was a trial, as the interiors of "Crisis on Infinite Earths #7" did in fact match the glorious Pérez cover... I'd love to find out who drew that Martian Manhunter image, and for what project. I initially assumed it was by Mike Nasser, based on the quality, prior association, and clear Neal Adams influence. That artist, now going by Michael Netzer, corrected my error, and we both figured it was Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, though that remains unconfirmed. Any help on the matter would be appreciated.

Detroit League & JLA Eyeline by Frank Lee Delano

Back in the days of "Martian Manhunter: The Rock of the JLA," I had probably the most sprawling online enshrinement of J'Onn J'Onzz ever. Not just synopsis, scans, and biographies, but really extraneous stuff like personal reminiscences, rambling opinions, and the like. The one thing I never had though was fan art. Like fan fiction, I find the stuff near uniformly awful and embarrassing. However, blogs have a nasty habit of breaking down one's resistance to indulgences, especially as there has to be something new up on the daily. As I attempt to clean up as much junk accumulated from my life as possible, I'm bound to throw trash like this out there every now and then. It's also important to note, these are my lousy drawings. Bad enough I'm unleashing my own personal dreck on an unwilling public; I'm certainly not soliciting anyone else's equally crumby work. I'm not looking to work a gong or a hook here.

Speaking of work, I hate my job. I'm currently studying for the SATs about fifteen years too late because I also hated the last job I had, and most any other I've held besides the three that sustained me for most of the aforementioned decade-and-a-half. My present meal ticket is especially distasteful and mind-numbing, so after my boss busted me on my semi-undercover educational pursuit, I turned to the bottom drawing here. It's shown pretty much actual size, from off the corner of my TPS Report. All in pen, freehand, without reference. I tell you this not in some deluded boast, but to minimize the awfulness of all those asymmetrical faces and especially off-balance eyes (& brows that sprawl everywhere.) There's a little bit of the inaugural Martian Manhunter doodle left to the left, but it was somehow far worse than these, and the god-awful Ralph Dibney caricature I tossed in after will never be spoken of again.

Anyway, this is a Manhunter blog, and since (literally) today's doodle resembled an old job I did on the box I used to carry my Overpower cards in (circa '98 or so, another secret shame I'll further expose in the future,) I figured a pass at it was called for. The image here is less than a quarter of the original size, and spotlighted my favorite DC Overpower characters of the time (plus an Ambush Bug reference, though he wasn't in the game, and the intentional absence of the "bedraggled" Aquaman, in case rob! ever wondered where I stood on his favorite character's wanting to be a pirate.) This was the first and likely only time I ever tried to replace solid black feature outlines with colored marker, aping a popular printing technique of the time that thankfully went out of fashion.

Green Lantern #138 (July '01)

"I got a call two days ago from J'Onn J'Onzz, the Martian Manhunter. He wanted me to go to a planet in another galaxy. Yes. I get calls like this."

"It is called Tendax and they need an ambassador for a very auspicious ceremony. They contacted the JLA seeking the Green Lantern."
"Hal Jordan, huh?"
"Yes. I told them he was unavailable."
"And you told them about me."
"Yes."
"Then they asked for Superman."
"Yes."
"You said he was busy."
"Yes."
"Then they asked you to come."
"Yes."
"You declined."
"Yes.
"For the sake of time let's just pretend they asked about me next."
"Fair enough. Are you interested in going? It would only be for a week"
"Can I bring my girlfriend?"

And that's all a Martian Manhunter fan needs to know about that issue, by Judd Winick and Dale Eaglesham: