The Top 5 Miss Martian Covers

I was trying to think of characters from the Martian Manhunter Dynasty that I'd missed doing a cover countdown for, and Miss Martian came to mind. Since there aren't a lot of women operating under J'Onn's aegis (and Gypsy already got covered at Justice League Detroit, this seemed like the best time to link all my blogs in a Super-Heroine countdown weekend!

5) Tiny Titans #9 (December, 2008)


4) DC Special: Cyborg #2 (August, 2008)


3) Tiny Titans #26 (May, 2010)


2) Teen Titans #58 (June, 2008)


1) Teen Titans #40 (December, 2006)

Super-Heroine Top Cover Weekend: Check out these other lists:

• The Top 10 Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) Covers
• The Top 20 Donna Troy Covers
• The Top 20 Mera Covers
• The Top 10 Nightshade Covers

The Brave and The Bold #114 (August-September, 1974)

I do not now and have not ever owned The Brave and The Bold #50, the first "team-up" story of the series, published in late 1963. It's relatively inexpensive and attainable in lower grades, but I've never bought it. Instead, a stream of reprints have passed through my hands, beginning with one in the same title eleven years and sixty-four issues later. It was given to me, along with a good deal of my Bronze Age Manhunter from Mars books, by a very friendly customer of mine from the comic shop days in the late '90s/early '00s. When I started my old, defunct WebTV site Martian Manhunter: The Rock of the JLA, my Silver Age coverage tended to be short, flip, and often condescending. "Wanted-- The Capsule Master" was one of the few stories from that period I wrote about at length and with the more dry, informative tone used for synopses here at The Idol-Head of Diabolu.



The Brave and The Bold #114 was one of those chunky, 100 page throwbacks to the Golden Age DC attempted before their implosion in the '70s. The lead story was by Bob Haney, who also penned "Capsule Master," and paired Batman with Aquaman. The art was by a favorite of mine familiar with both characters, Jim Aparo, but I've never gotten around to reading it. This was followed by a reprint of Teen Titans #5, yet again by Haney, also unread. A goofy rebus was snuck onto the bottom half of the last page to cover space presumably once occupied by a little ad. Aquaman of all people then narrated three pages of "Batman's Backgrounds for Action," clipping art from various comics in which the Caped Crusader found himself in unusual environments.

Finally, the Green Arrow/Manhunter from Mars reprint began. There were subtle differences between the two editions, though. In place of a bold text "THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD" and old style DC Bullets that ran atop each story page in #50, the book's title shared opposing space with an even bigger, bolder "GREEN ARROW AND J'ONN J'ONZZ" instead. On the splash, this was replaced by a "scroll" banner which read "Presenting: The Very First Brave & Bold Team-up:," complete with the original TB&TB logo. Creator credits were added in #114. The color boxes behind each character's name had been removed, and the yellow "Chapter 1" caption had been recolored pink. The original story also featured an additional splash page of the heroes with Johnny DC, announcing the then-new team-up format.



The reprint pages were recolored, presumably from reproduction off file film. Purple skies became dark blue, or in one case yellow, to reflect a lighting mistake missed the first time (and replicated in all other, more exact reprints.) Background colors were made more "realistic," and hence drab, compared to the primaries used in #50. At the end of the first chapter, a half-page ad for House of Secrets and Weird War Tales substituted for Tootsie Roll.

During the first year of this blog, I briefly got ahold of a copy of the 2005 TB&TB Team-Up Archive Edition, and scanned a number of images to offer the best quality pictures for our coverage of "Capsule-Master." I figured to then re-read my copy of #114, make any alterations to the Rock of the JLA text needed, and get that bad boy posted. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that early into the second chapter of the story, #114 had made alterations of its own, deleting a full page and a single panel.

In the original story, the last panel on page ten saw Martian Manhunter flying through space via a teleportational beam. Page eleven saw J'Onn J'Onzz meeting with the All-Martian Council about Vulko and his mission. The page ended with a panel of Green Arrow and Speedy in Star City, searching for Vulko, and wondering after Manhunter.



In #114, the next-to-last panel was altered to extend its right boundary with black space, and J'onn J'onzz's thought balloon was altered to read "According to the file on Martian criminals that I've compiled, Vulkor was in prison on Mars for stealing a super-weapon--" An entirely different panel closed the page, of Martian Manhunter looking at something that only vaguely resembled a computer console, continuing his thought, "--which was destroyed in the fight when he was captured!"

I don't know why the page was excised, but given how many silly extras were thrown into those 100 Page Giants, I doubt it was an issue of space. More likely, there was some problem with the film file, and a new panel was either drawn or swiped from someplace. The art doesn't look like Joe Certa, but maybe Dick Dillin? Anyway, it made for a brusque mise-en-scène transition to the Arrowcar on page 12, which was of course sequentially renumbered.

From there, the differences were fairly minor, usually with occasional background or detail color left out. A pink sky turned blue when the capsule struck high tension wire. The details of Vulkor's costume were colored in on that same page, where the first colorist emphasized the nighttime setting by making him monochromatic azure. Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow were treated the same way in that sequence. Throughout the reprint, Vulkor's helmet was colored silver instead of purple.



Other Tootsie Pop and Tootsie Roll Fudge ads peppered #50. They were substituted by Batman and Robin on one page, and for figures from Action Comics #438 (specifically the Atom and Superman wrestling a hulking Lois Lane) on another. The final panel of the reprint was extended through the combination of expanding the distance between a flying Manhunter and his partners, as well as adding to the solid black ground on which Green Arrow and Speedy stood. These alterations replaced the caption "And you readers are lucky to have both champions fight evildoers: Green Arrow in World's Finest Comics, Martian Manhunter in Detective, and both together with the Justice League of America." An Aquaman reprint from Adventure Comics #284, credited only to Jim Mooney but written by Jack Miller, closed out the book.

Sadly, I had not caught the omission until after the Archive Edition left my hands, and I refused to publish the synopsis as presented in #114 for the last couple of years. The write-up simply sat in my lengthy queue all this time, until I found myself desperate for something to publish while I was out of the country. In the meantime, scans of #50 passed my way, but I didn't care to rely on substandard jpegs when I knew I could eventually scam my way back to the Archive. Also, I intended to time the publication to coincide with my sequential coverage of Justice League of America. Again, in the very first year of this blog, I wrote synopsizes through to issue #36 based on the first two black and white Showcase Presents volumes. I refused to post black and white scans, so I blew up and digitally colored panels from several issues. This proved very time consuming, so I set that coverage aside. The computer drive holding the word documents crashed, and after a year of sifting through the debris extracted from that failed drive, I've yet to recover those synopses. I've felt like Vern Tessio digging under the porch for his jar of pennies ever since.

1997 JLA Gallery: Tommy Lee Edwards

Tommy Lee Edwards got his start as something of a poor man's Mike Mignola at Acclaim and Milestone, and I recall intensely disliking his work at the time. Since then, he's improved mightily, and at his best is now a poor man's Drew Struzan. I'm still not a fan, but I appreciate his growth from this lousy pin-up.

Whenever I think of the Justice League of America, I always conjure up images of... parlor mysteries? The World's Greatest Super-Heroes must be brought to bear against... late middle-aged English upper crust murder suspects? You'd think the perp wouldn't look so bored in their presence, or is he perhaps suffering a migraine? Who is the random jerk with his back to the suspect-- the cop who should actually be investigating the case? What debilitating condition is Batman suffering from to cause his body to move so awkwardly? Why is J'Onn J'Onzz, the Martian Detective, contaminating evidence by putting his greasy green fingers all over the murder weapon? Is he so nearsighted he must nearly pick his nose with that sword? Doesn't he have Martian Vision for that sort of thing, and hasn't he be on Earth long enough to have learned to look with his eyes, not his hands? Wonder Woman appears to be really troubled about the murder of a sister-- or is it an aunt, because Diana appears to be about fourteen years old? Where is Aquaman, seeing as the mass of sea green negative space indicates this is a job for Atlantis Homicide? How about those exciting hints of background-- LAMP! PLANTS! ASHTRAY! Oh, I'm sold!

1997 JLA Gallery: Daniel Zezlj

I knew I was going to be in Mexico for a while, and I figured I'd have to get started on school stuff as soon as I got back, so I tried to load up a respectable showing across all my blogs. If you check my promotional post Mars Needs Plugs, you can see that. Unfortunately, the Idol-Head got shortchanged by a scheduling snafu and some coding issues, leaving me to post entries written literally years ago and held in queue until I could update them (soon enough, now.) They were meaty though, and I figured I'd pick up the slack when I got home.

Well-- school stuff has been an endurance test of bureaucracy, youthful indiscretions nipping at my heels, and the hemorrhaging of money my newly unemployed full-time student ass can't afford. Slack remains, and I'm trying not to become an online merchandise shill or push the old CAF button again. Inspired by Aaron at Continued On 2^nd Page Following's recent postings of his favorite pin-ups from the JLA Gallery, I decided to offer the images I enjoyed the least. That way, I can double post without feeling I've shortchanged anyone that matters to me.

Danijel Žeželj is a Croatian artist whose work I loathe. I could tolerate him on Vertigo fare like El Diablo and Loveless, but on super-hero books like Captain America: Dead Men Running, it feels like he's punching me in the aesthetics. Here, the JLA are battling some mythological beast in broad daylight against some distant and likely unrelated background, yet they still manage to be cloaked in shadow. Martian Manhunter is smooshed in the bottom right corner, looking like the artist's reference was the 1985 Grenadier Models Pewter Miniature. In a rushed special to cash-in on the surprise success of JLA, this piece looks like the editor's standards were especially low. The guilty party (Dan Raspler?) who couldn't get the artist's name spelled right is hidden amongst a list of editors with various corporate titles.

DC Comics Stacked Group T-Shirt

Made from 100% Cotton, this black t-shirt features stacked boxes filled with all your favorite DC Comic Book characters! There's Green Lantern Hal Jordan! There's Superman, Batman Hawkman, Catwoman, Flash and even Zatanna and Mera! There's Birdbrain and the Green Agitator! HUH!? Anyway, this DC t-shirt is absolutely for you, DC Comic Book fan!

Small-Extra Large: $19.99
XXL: $23.99

After artificial distressing, probably the most obvious sign you might be nostalgic for the '80s is if you get off on these Brady Bunch clip art squares, regardless of the repetition and configuration. I resemble that accusation, but I'd like to narrow my choices down from the wealth of variations on the market. "Stacked" would be a top contender in my book.

Favorites Aquaman and Martian Manhunter are side-by-side, and while a bit far right, they're on the rib cage. It's Green Lantern Hal Jordan who'll be smelling the stink of literal obscurity as he will himself as far from your armpit as possible. I prefer Dr. Fate, who can hopefully magic up some Old Spice (Inza doesn't strike me as an Axe woman.) It's kinda messed up that most of the heroines (among them Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Mera, and Zatanna) are pushed down into the bottom rows ghetto, but who saw them getting a shirt in the first place? Hawkgirl and Mary Marvel curiously rated elevated real estate, but the real head scratcher is the prime diagonal placement of Cheetah and Catwoman. I think Harley Quinn got squeezed into a fold, and her smoopy Joker looks entirely too modern amongst these pieces.

The Batman and Superman I grew up with are featured, along with schoolboy chums Firestorm, Robin, and Hawkman. As a price, I'm stuck with underrated Batman villains the Penguin and Riddler, the overrated Darkseid, the bland DC Plastic Man, the consistently mishandled Captain Marvel & Junior, I Wally West-lookin' Flash, the increasingly annoying Green Arrow, and the usurper himself, Red Tornado. Did I miss anybody? That's thirty characters at a cost of less that 75¢ each. What a bargain!

I assume this was released sometime in 2009, and you can see more of it here!

2010 Ata-boy DC Comics Brightest Day Martian Manhunter Magnet (29750DC)

Originally solicited in the July 2010 Diamond Previews for September shipping, the DC Comics Brightest Day 7-Piece Magnet Set doesn't appear on the internet anymore based on my searches. The stores that once solicited it have taken down their and replaced them with individual listings. I have my doubts the full set would have retailed for $35, so I suspect there was more money to be had by piecemealing at an inflated price. Alternately, I just may not care about magnets for the covers to Brightest Day #0 or the second issue. Then again, maybe somebody just realized that Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Firestorm, Hawkman and Hawkgirl were all in their Pre-Brightest Day costumes. Regardless, I'm happy to be able to choose only the ones I want, even if I can't choose to turn down J'Onn's stoopid collar. Make your own choices through the links provided, while I roll out the description from Super Hero Stuff...

Martian Manhunter is just a big, lost, little puppy. Wait, that doesn't make any sense, but poor Martian Manhunter has had his story retconned so many times that we were hoping that nobody would be the wiser. Is he waiting for his friends to come and get him, ET style? Is he the president of Mars, has he been ripped through time, is he just a clone? Where we stop, nobody knows! Well, at least with this three and a half inch high by two and a half inch wide magnet, you'll be able to provoke a discussion! Remember; the Manhunter has an aversion to fire(sometimes?) so you may want to keep him close to the 'fridge!
$4.99

I managed to get mine for $3.99, see?

The Brave and The Bold #56 (Oct.-Nov. 1964)

Manhunter popped up again in #56 (Oct.-Nov.'64) with The Flash. Even though he received second billing in both team-ups, MM really showed up The Flash in the latter adventure. In fact, the Manhunter's winning appearances may have been used to test the waters for his own lead feature.

On the planet Argon, Queen Tatania decided she wanted her own hero with the combined power of the Justice League. Her scientists created that very thing, a mutated creature which escaped before he was even activated and presented to Her Majesty. A Bio-Ray was used to halt the creature's rampage on Argon, and it's body was stuffed into a rocket bound for deep space. It instead landed on Earth, and was taken for a time capsule by workmen at "the gigantic International Fair of '64". On opening day, Barry Allen and his girlfriend Iris West were in attendance. They were unaware that they had been joined by an exotically bald and bearded Manhunter in admiring, "...a unique exhibit of me and my Justice League comrades!"

Meanwhile, the "time capsule" opened, revealing a composite Flash/Manhunter (split straight down the middle) with the combined power of both. It's destruction of "The House of Steel" caught Barry's attention, as he released his chemically treated costume from a secret compartment in his ring to become The Flash! Strapping on his cape, the Manhunter joined his JLA buddy, but was the first of the pair to fall. "...that hybrid's wrapping The Manhunter so tightly, he can't flex his Martian muscles to break out!" The Flash tried to outrace the hybrid, but ended up literally falling on his face.

The mysterious mutant went on to steal a robot girl from an exhibit. The Manhunter and Flash found the composite aboard an atomic submarine, where it was drawing power into itself. Now a Green Arrow/Aquaman meld, it felled J'onzz with acetylene arrows. Later, a solo Manhunter was hit with an emerald jackhammer by Flash/Green Lantern. Flash next slipped in a puddle created by Hawkman/Aquaman, and got tangled in a bolo by Batman/Green Arrow while on his own. Our heroes couldn't seem to stop the creature from wrecking the fair!

Iris found a torn piece of the robot girl near the time capsule, which she reported soon after. Using his Martian Vision, J'onzz learned that the hybrid was stowed away within the rocket, but was pushed back by a sudden emission of radioactive rays. "No doubt, whatever's inside needs atomic energy to operate! ...Wait here!" says The Manhunter, as he retrieved a piece of lead shielding from the atomic sub. "With powerful Martian muscles, the alien detective molds the lead around the glowing canister..."

J'onzz asked The Flash to watch the rocket while he followed a lead. "I didn't tell The Flash that my hunch means going millions of miles through space, via the teleportation beam that originally brought me to Earth! ...Unless my Martian education was faulty, that canister could only have been built and designed here... on Argon! I'll just slip inside Queen Tatania's private quarters!" What a perv! J'onzz asked her majesty for help (...with the hybrid. What were YOU thinking?), but was denied. Returning to Earth, J'onzz was shocked to learn that The Flash had okayed a strike against the rocket. "OH, NO! If that missile so much as dents the forcefield, there'll be untold disaster... a power greater than an atomic bomb!" Luckily, Manhunter caught the missile, then explained to Barry his error.

Next, J'onzz called Carter (Hawkman) Hall to request the aid of his wife, Hawkgirl. The Martian was just disrespecting heroes all over that day, huh? He explained that Tatania had released the mutant out of curiosity, and been horrified by it's instant attraction to her. To play on it's emotions, J'onzz wanted to make use of Shiera's acting and disguise abilities to portray the queen. Hawkgirl's facade lacked Tatania's pointy ears, which alerting the creature to the duplicity. Manhunter and Flash failed to capture the mutant before it returned to it's ship. The real Tatania arrived, and intentionally set off the rocket's booby-trap. She expressed her guilt and sorrow over the hybrid's treatment, touching the creature. Within it's last few moments, the mutant piloted his rocket into outer space, where it exploded. "Your visit, Manhunter from Mars, shamed me into flying to Earth to stop the disaster I had caused! The poor mutant... He had the heart of true super-heroes all the while!"

The Manhunter gave his fellow heroes a pat on the back, even though they both failed miserably. I normally hate a story like this, which fawns over one hero at the expense of others. However, since J'onn never gets to be the hero of such a tale (unlike, oh... say.... SUPERMAN!!!), it's nice to see him shine in a team-up for once. This is especially true when you consider the bone he threw to Hawkgirl, when he could have simply shapeshifted into a perfect Tatania duplicate himself. Either he was trying to give his fellows a shot, or he just wasn't in a feminine place that day.

Bob Haney (Script), Bernard Baily (Pencils), Bernard Baily (Inks),

The Brave and The Bold #50 (Oct.-Nov.1963)

When The Brave & The Bold switched formats from anthology to super-hero team-ups, J'onn J'Onzz joined Green Arrow as the very first pairing of the series. DC has often been accused of producing cardboard scripts for its Silver Age comics, but Bob Haney always proved the exception to that rule. He joined with artist George Roussos to craft "Wanted--The Capsule Master!"

"A mysterious capsule hovering in the night sky over Star City... A startling prison-break by convicts who could've escaped at any time... A daring raid on a quiet museum just to steal a rock! What terrible threat lies behind these bizarre events?"

Green Arrow and his kid sidekick Speedy answered the "Arrow-Signal" requesting them to stop the escapees before they exited prison, but they displayed super-human strength and resilience while effecting their departure. Investigating further, G.A. found fleshy masks worn by the convicts, possibly to hide their inhuman true features. That very night, the cons swiped a mildly radioactive meteor on exhibit that had fallen two years prior, leaving only an impression left by the rock as a clue. "Speedy, we need help on this case-- and the best man to give it to us is... the Martian Manhunter!"

Based on eyewitness descriptions, G.A. drew up a police quality sketch, which resembled an alien-- maybe even Martians! "Who better to help us corral them than the Martian Manhunter!" Green Arrow put out the call for his fellow Justice Leaguer. "So not long afterward, following a radio call over a secret wavelength..." Manhunter's immaterial form passed into the archers' "Arrow-Cave" headquarters. "Greetings, Green Arrow and Speedy! What's this about other aliens being here on Earth?"

At about that same time, a purple-jumpsuited spaceman wearing a featureless spherical helmet named Vulkor claimed the meteor from those very same extra-terrestrials. "Two more pieces remain...and tonight, we will recover the second!" That was the plan, until the harbor patrol blew the whistle on the dockside meeting. Vulkor took his compact orb of a spaceship with its giant appendage sticking out the bottom and crushed the police boat between its artificial fingers.

A flare attracted Martian Vision and that of the archers, who found that the crooks were indeed Martians of an unusually short variety. Speedy chimed "Look at the Manhunter in action, G.A.! That was a great idea, calling him in!" In their purple T-shirts, briefs, and go-go boots, the Martian gang looked like pre-teen queer retro-ravers, and they bashed Manhunter's butt to boot! "You forget-- our powers are as great as yours here, Manhunter! Hold him... I'll make Vulkor a gift of our fellow Martian!" I'm suddenly regretting the imagery conjured up by combining my description with the xeno-club kid's words. It's funny that these Martians needed masks to assume human form, although they may have just wanted to retain their Martian abilities while incognito (as that was a hang-up at the time, especially for Martian criminals.)

Meanwhile, Green Arrow and Speedy's "Arrowplane" was forced out of the air by Vulko's wacky flying machine. A "para-arrow" (I kid you not) slowed the jet's death dive to a survivable drift. The Martians left the Manhunter "beaten to his knees." A stunned Speedy asked, "How could this happen? Vulkor and his Martian thugs beat us, G.A.!" J'onzz confessed, "I overlooked the fact that I was meeting powers equal to my own, for the first time since I've been living on Earth! We've got to work out a plan of action, Green Arrow!"



Manhunter returned to his secret mountain headquarters to facilitate a trip (or in one retelling just to check his computer records.) "The Robot Brain, with which the late Professor Erdel accidentally brought me to Earth... I must use it once more to return to Mars!" Although J'onn J'onzz had been stranded on Earth for seven years due to complications related to the Robot Brain, Dr. Alvin Reeves had finally managed to repair it in Detective Comics #301. "Complex circuits hum, teleporting the Alien Sleuth across the void of space, on an incredible journey to his home planet..."

Manhunter was told by the All-Martian Council that Vulkor was an "arch-criminal recently escaped from long imprisonment!" Further, "Our scientists developed a super-weapon to defend our planet... Vulkor stole the only working model, which was destroyed when he was captured in a furious fight! We have never been able to duplicate the weapon-- it is gone forever! Without it, Vulkor is no real threat to us!" The Sleuth from Outer Space countered that the powers they acquired on Earth, as well as Vulkor's atom-powered capsule, made them a menace anew. "Since we have no official relations with Earth, we cannot send our space police to help you!" The Alien Atlas knew it was up to himself to "bring Vulkor to Justice, with the help of my Earth ally-- Green Arrow!"

Back in Star City, the archers were on patrol in their Arrow-Car. Green Arrow fumed "No sign of Vulkor and his bunch anywhere!" Speedy bemoaned, "All the same, I wish the Manhunter were back! Our new arrows look great-- but how will they work against that alien menace?"

Just then, a police scanner alerted the pair to the "alien gang attacking Highmount Radar Station!" located and disturbed the Martian gang. Their ultra-high frequency sonic arrows were "hitting the acute Martian ears like shock waves!" The Martians were rescued by Vulko, prompting Green Arrow to fire himself out of his "Arrow-Car" by means of it's "Catapult Seat" to pursue. A force field halted Green Arrow's attempts to disable the ship, and it's mechanical arm captured the Emerald Archer. Manhunter arrived, but was unable to penetrate the force field before the ship sped away. Speedy was again incredulous, as watched his mentor spirited away and "Manhunter's tumbled like a rock into that lake!" Manhunter emerged to take on the additional identity of Oliver Queen, assumed guardianship of Speedy, and replaced the lost Green Arrow for the rest of the Silver Age.

Okay, I lied. Manhunter and Speedy spent a short time together, trying to figure out Vulkor's plan and rescue G.A. J'onzz compared a shadow image cast by the radioactive museum meteor with a mechanical part his x-ray Martian Vision spotted the alien gang making off with, and deduced that the super-weapon Vulkor once possessed was not truly destroyed. "When his henchmen took refuge on Earth years ago, they dismantled the weapon and hid each piece in a different place!" Manhunter had a hunch the Martians' presence on Highmount Hill, where Green Arrow was lost, denoted the probable hiding place of the final weapon piece. A concerned Speedy asked, "But what about Green Arrow? Can we risk tackling vulkor while G.A.'s in his hands?" Ollie Queen then stumbled into the Arrow-Cave with the tale of his escape from the aliens. His timing was perfect, as Manhunter needed archers to fire incendiary arrows at his fellow Martians to exploit their natural weakness to fire.

The trio staked out the Highmount until they corned Vulkor on foot, but Green Arrow then turned on Manhunter! Speedy used a foam arrow to douse the flames, while Vulkor made his exit. J'onzz thanked Speedy, then set about figuring out why G.A. "blacked out" and attacked. Manhunter had more than one reason to appreciate Speedy, who had also fired a traceable radio transmitter arrow at Vulkor. A one-way microphone revealed that Vulkor had gained the ability to mind-control Oliver Queen, so Green Arrow would be a potential liability for the rest of the mission. It also clued the green team as to where the Capsule Master would test his now completed super-weapon... an atomic-powered sea liner dubbed the Neptune. They boarded in civilian guise. "I hope our plan works, Manhunt-- I mean, John Jones!"

On sight, a spare Arrow-Plane took flight, and intercepted Vulkor's sphere. Green Arrow ejected and fired an arrow with "magnetized particles" that absorbed the spaceship's force field. The Martian crew attempted to manually remove the particles, but were blown off the ship by Green Arrow's super-breath. Oliver Queen, disguised as Manhunter, continued to fly the Arrow-Plane with Speedy while the Martian "Green Arrow" boarded the capsule. Vulkor was unable to control J'onn J'onzz mentally, instead extorting his inaction by threatening the Neptune. The true modern day Robin Hood used his plane to jar the sphere, giving the other "Emerald Archer" a chance to stop Vulkor. "I'll destroy that ship... Earth... Mars--!"
"You'll never fire that weapon, Vulkor!"

Speedy and G.A. shot fireworks arrows to turn back the recovered Martian gang as they flew in pursuit, while Vulkor's orb plunged into the sea. The pressure of the depths crushed the ship and its super-weapons, while Manhunter used "a little Martian judo" to subdue Vulkor. A "Brainwave Energizer" hidden in G.A.'s bow grip was discovered to have effected the mind-control, and was removed. Manhunter determined cruel punishment was in order. "Now, I'm off to imprison these criminals in a fiery volcano! If you ever need me again..."

"We'll send for you, Manhunter! It was great being teamed with you...Earth's lucky to have you on it's side!"

Mars Needs Plugs

If you're reading this, I'm in Mexico! Barring kidnapping/human sacrifice/drug related violence, I'll be back mid-week. Comments are now unmoderated. In the meantime, I'll have sporadic updates here, and feel free to try one of my other blogs, with scheduled updates below...

Diana Prince: Wonder Woman

Saturday: DC75: Princess Diana--Diana Prince (Sensation Comics #1, 1942)
Introductions are made...

Monday: Ten Reasons No One Cares About Wonder Woman
A lengthy rebuttal of an online article. Reformatted and mildly edited on Wednesday the 11th.

Justice League Detroit

Saturday: DC75: Die Like A Sorcerer (Swamp Thing #50, 1986)
Zatanna Zatara loses another parent...

Monday: DC75: The Birth of Aquababy! (Aquaman #23, 1965)

...nurgh...

Monday: A Frank Review of "Dead Like Me: Life After Death" (2009)

Wednesday: Wednesday Is For Bad Girls For All I Care #77
Reviews of Artifacts, Hack/Slash: My First Maniac, Lady Deadpool & X-Women

The Power of the Atom

Monday: The All New Atom #9 (May, 2007)
The first part of the Ryan Choi story "Jia," with new art added on Wednesday.

DC Bloodlines

Saturday-Tuesday: InDirect Currents
My usual linkpost of blogs and news, just more dated than usual. 6 P.M. daily.

Saturday: The Daily Planet Weekend Review Section
My weekly linklist of comic book reviews

Sunday-Monday
A look at Art Adam's designs for two Bloodlines parasites, with commentary

Tuesday-Wednesday:
Action Comics #597-598
Brief summaries of John Byrne Superman comics.

DC75: J'Onn J'Onzz Is Not Okay (Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare #2, 1996)

In the series that first brought the "Magnificent Seven" JLA together as a team, J'Onn J'Onzz had been living in a fabricated recreation of Mars housed in (essentially) Area 51. Ignoring signs that something was amiss, J'Onn was delighted to be with his beloved wife and daughter again, far from the strife he had once known. Even when the Justice League tried to "rescue" him from happiness, he turned his back on his past life and embraced the illusion. However "Sparkers," temporarily empowered agents of Know Man, caused J'Onzz's false family to perish again amidst an inferno. After an anguished cry, the Manhunter from Mars emerged from the smoke, his body contorted by his unimaginable anger.

Green Lantern Kyle Rayner hoped he was okay. Wonder Woman asserted, "J'Onn is many things-- okay does not seem to be one of them." On learning who was responsible for this travesty, Martian Manhunter declared, "When this day is over-- each of your gods will know the meaning of a Justice League!" Then he shut all their brains down...

Check out more highlights from the past 75 years of DC Comics at The Truly Most Memorable Moments of the DC Dodranscentennial

DC75: Despero Enjoys Chess (Justice League of America #1,1960)

God may not play dice with the universe, but the despotic alien Despero sure got a kick out of chancing the lives of the Justice League on a board game. The image of a blank-eyed League seated at a table presided over by the evil mutant is creepy, and watching teammates perish as a hero struggles through a deadly game of chance has become downright routine in its constant homage.



For the full story, read Justice League of America #1 (10-11/1960), or check out more highlights from the past 75 years of DC Comics at The Truly Most Memorable Moments of the DC Dodranscentennial

DC75: Justice League of Arbor

I talked yesterday about my disappointment in Comics Should Be Good's 75 Most Memorable Moments in DC Comics History, and have decided to do something about it. I'll be offering up alternatives at my various blogs, and encourage others to do the same, so I can link to them at DC Bloodline's Truly Most Memorable Moments of the Dodranscentennial.

While I'm sure there's no shortage of memorable Martian Manhunter solo moments among his fans, I don't see general audiences even being aware of the introduction of Diane Meade, the death of John Jones, the destruction of the Diabolu Idol-Head and so on. For my own part, I'll try to stick to moments that should be familiar to all comic book fans and looked on favorably by most.

For instance, fans haunting the spinner rack in the early '60s would have been safe in assuming the Justice League of America were formed in The Brave and The Bold #28. Superman and Batman were already quite chummy, as were Green Lantern and the Flash. It wouldn't have been a stretch to assume the Manhunter from Mars patrolled the same Gotham City streets as the Caped Crusader, plus everyone knows Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Starro the Conqueror strucks, and it just took the lot of them to bring him down. While battling a giant mind-controlling space starfish might have made for a great first cover image, I don't think there were any particularly winning moments within.

Imagine a kid's surprise at one of the first great retcons of the Silver Age-- as two years later, they learned of the case that really brought the team together. That's pretty memorable on its own, but even with the full knowledge that the team had survived to tell the tale, seeing Earth's greatest heroes turned into helpless trees burned into the consciousness of a generation. In the decades since, the moment has been revisited and recreated, as the individual heroes played to one another's strengths to free themselves from the Appelaxians' trap. I'd say February 1962's Justice League of America #9 stands among DC's finest hours of a great many.

If you want more, check out the DC Bloodline's DC75 Countdown, where LissBirds at Comics Make Me Happy! gets us started with Adam Strange, while Aaron at Continued On 2^nd Page Following offers a really alternative 10 Moments in DC History That You Won’t See On the Top 75...

Vote for the 75 Most Memorable Moments in DC Comics History!!

Listen to Doctor Professor Erdel! Vote for the introduction of John Jones-- the Manhunter from Mars-- as one of the most important moments in DC Comics history!

Brian Cronin at Comics Should Be Good/Comic Book Resources has compiled a list of about 100 DC comics moments he's asking fans to narrow down to the 75 greatest, which will be ordered based on the size of an individual book's response. It's kind of a terrible selection, filled with Bronze-Modern Age moments and obvious, almost token Golden-Silver nods. Batman #244, a well drawn Ra's al Ghul story, gets three spaces; and I'm pretty sure collectively more than half the list is represented by the works of Frank Miller, Denny O'Neil, Alan Moore and Grant Morrison (including two Final Crisis scenes and an All-Star G-D Batman and Robin.) It brings back memories of the inglorious heyday of Wizard Magazine, frankly.

Of interest to Martian Manhunter fans is Mongul's "Burn", John Stewart's Xanshi boo-boo, the Hyperclan reveal and the "Right Stuff" strut in DC: New Frontier. There are also a ton of moments tangentially associated with J'Onn J'Onzz, mostly through the JLA and other event gatherings, but only one genuine solo spotlight: "The Strange Experiment of Dr. Erdel". As you sift through all those Legion of Super-Heroes moments, brewing tar and plucking feathers, keep in mind that's only one less than Wonder Woman (her debut story and killing of Max Lord. Yes, it's that bad.)

I figure a solid placement for Detective Comics #225 is a lock, if only in protest to all the garbage and already poorly aging moments on the list. Still, I'd like to see this point driven deep down home. If you visit the Voting Page, you can make as many selections as you like on a virtual checklist before submission. What I'm asking is that you a) vote for J'Onn's sole moment, and b) vote for only the moments you think are truly worthy. The more moments you vote for, the less each individual vote counts for. Vote early, vote often, and for God's sake don't vote for Pantha getting her head punched off during Infinite Crisis. Even if she pooped on your lawn, she surely covered it with gravel like a good kitty.

Justice #4 (April, 2006)

Art from Justice #3


The Legion of Doom struck out against the Justice League of America, whether in their heroic guises or private alter egos. All the while, a seemingly lifeless Martian Manhunter drifted through the ocean’s depths…

In the first Justice trade paperback, an introductory piece was written in which Superman considered his fellows in the Justice League. Superman noted Martian Manhunter's many powers, used only "as a friend to mankind." Kal-El continued:
"I have no idea how old he is. I sometimes fear that J'onn allows me to make too many mistakes for the sake of my own wisdom."

"Chapter Four" was plotted and painted by Alex Ross. The script was provided by Jim Krueger, and the penciled layouts by Doug Braithwaite.

Continue the story through these character-specific posts:

• Hawkman, Hawkgirl, the Atom & Red Tornado at Power of the Atom
• Wonder Woman versus the Cheetah at Diana Prince
• Everyone Else at DC Bloodlines

DC Comics Martian Manhunter Circle Image T-Shirt

Made from 100% Cotton, this green, slightly distressed t-shirt features an image of the Martian Manhunter, confidently posed with arms akimbo, encircled by a crazy, Kirbyesque cosmic canvas! Martian Manhunter is the cornerstone of the Justice League with many powers similar to Superman, in addition to psionics, invisibility, shape shifting...yeah, he can most definitely take you AND your big brother! This green t-shirt is for members of the Bring Martian Manhunter Back from the Dead (Not As A Black Lantern) Because He Got One Hell of a Raw Deal in the Greatly Conceived But Poorly Executed Final Crisis Society [the B.M.M.B.D.(N.A.B.L.)B.H.G.O.H.R.D.G.C.B.P.E.F.C.S. for short]!

Small-Extra Large: $19.99
XXL: $23.99

Thanks to The Irredeemable Shag for hipping me to this T! See more here! I assume this was released sometime in 2009, and the art should be by Ed Hannigan from an '80s style guide.