1990 Mayfair Games DC Heroes The Justice League Sourcebook: Despero

Welcome to our month long celebration of Despero's 50th birthday! However, every other day for the first ten of December of Despero will be given over to what I jokingly call "Mayfairstivus," a multi-blog crossover than will run all over the place through the 10th. Check the links after this article for further details!

Despero didn't receive a card in the 1989 Mayfair box set, but for some reason, stats that did not reflect the current status quo showed up in another source book a year later. The page-and-a-half history of the character offered there covered up to the end of his first JLI rampage, when he was reduced to infancy by the gift of Mayavana. However, his Powers listings were so high I'd assume they referenced his run-in with the Detroit League, but for the lack of animation abilities. However, his base physical stats were probably low even for the classic Silver/Bronze incarnation. To reflect the disparity, I decided to create my own original Despero card (art by Dick Dillon) using one of the three character creation templates from the '89 box, then offer the '90 JL sourcebook stats (sans history) below:

DESPERO
DEX: 6
STR: 6
BODY: 7
INT: 11
WILL: 13
MIND: 7
INFL: 8
AURA: 7
SPIRIT: 8
INITIATIVE: 25
HERO POINTS: 100

•Powers:
Control: 15, Illusion: 15, Mental Blast: 16, Mind Probe: 25, Regeneration: 1, Telekinesis: 16, Telepathy: 25, Teleportation: 20
•Skills:
Gadgetry: 13, Scientist: 15
•Bonuses:
Miscellaneous: Teleportation is Usable on Others. In order to Teleport unwilling targets, Despero must make an Action Check using his APs of Power as the AV/ EV against an OV/RV equal to the target's INT/MIND. If the RAPs from this roll equal or exceed the target's MIND, Despero can Teleport the target to the destination of his choice. Each use of this Power costs Despero 25 Hero Points.

•Advantages:
Genius
•Equipment:
20 AP ABCD Omni-Gadget
•Motivation: Power Lust
•Height: 6'5"
•Weight: 289 lbs.
•Eyes: Violet (x3)
•Hair: None (fin-like membrane)
•Wealth: 10
•Occupation:
Dictator/Alien Conqueror

•Methods and Goals:
Before his disintegration by the Justice League and subsequent rebirth, Despero was just another power-mad conqueror. He wanted nothing less than total galactic domination. The pride and overconfidence that were often his greatest strengths were just as often his greatest weaknesses.
After he reassembled himself, however, he had only one thing on his mind: causing the violent deaths of the Justice League, the planet Earth, and himself, in that order. He embraced his hatred like a lover, and only after his hate had been allowed to express itself was he able to find peace of a sort.

ENDNOTES
1. Justice League of America #1
2. Justice League of America #65
3. Justice League of America #134
4. Justice League of America #177
5. Justice League of America #254
6. Justice League America #37
7. Justice League America #38-39
8. Justice League America #40

When Mayfair complimented the early '90s looseleaf Who's Who with a similar stat-heavy offering, the above information was reprinted as representing "Despero (Pre-Py'tar.)" The major differences between the two were that the updated edition awarded Despero Growth: 6. They also included the drawbacks of Strange Appearance, Catastrophic Rage, and Catastrophic Irrational Attraction to destroying the Justice League. I don't get the Growth at all, and he wasn't a rageaholic or especially fixated on the League until after his transformation. Picking bones on RPGs is a common occurrence, but since Mayfair were fairly accurate in that department, I find it odd that their handle on the original Despero was so loosey-goosey. For instance, the guy got knocked around by Supergirl and blasted with energy cannons, so his Body should reflect that resilience. Regardless, this stands as a novel indicator of where Despero once stood in power levels.

I hope you enjoyed the first day of Despero's December, and this preview edition of Mayfairstivus. I told everyone that I wouldn't be running my first posts until the 2nd, because my personal side celebration of Hanukkah doesn't begin until sundown today. Then I decided at the last minute that I didn't want anyone to post unsupported by me, so I moved this piece up on the schedule. New posts from participating blogs should begin trickling out today, but I urge you to check each blog early and often, as you never know which posts will turn up on which days throughout the celebration. It'll give you a chance to enjoy each blog under normal circumstances, taste all the different flavors on the table, and appropriately enough, you can make a game of finding where the action is each day...

The Anti-Didio League of America

The Aquaman Shrine

Booster Gold: BOO$TERRIFIC

Comics Make Me Happy!

The Continuity Blog

DC Bloodlines

Diana Prince as The New Wonder Woman

Doom Patrol: My Greatest Adventure #80

Firestorm Fan

Flash: Speed Force

Girls Gone Geek

Green Lantern Corps: The Indigo Tribe

Hawkman: Being Carter Hall 

Justice League Detroit

Martian Manhunter vs. The Idol-Head of Diabolu

Once Upon A Geek

Power of the Atom

Subject: Suicide Squad [Task Force X]

Supergirl Comic Box Commentary

Koma Designs Martian Manhunter Resin Model Kit

So I'm over at the Aquaman Shrine the other day, where Rob posted a gnarly Custom Aquaman Statue. I says to myself, "Diabolu Frank," which is strange because that's a total alias, but I says, "didn't you find a boss custom Alien Atlas statue during your eBay troll a week or so back?" Why yes I did, and I put it in my blessedly expanding posting queue of timely scheduling. With tomorrow being the start of the 50th Anniversary December of Despero, plus a side project you'll be seeing pop up on a host of other blogs soon thereafter, might synergy be the order of this final day of November? It 'tis!

From Koma Designs comes The 1/6th scale Martian Manhunter Resin Kit Statue measures almost 14" tall. It has been built and painted and ready for display.

2010 The Martian Manhunter Archives Volume 8 Introduction by Martin Lowell & Tom Hartley

Click To Load PDF

In the world of science fiction, few things are more endearing than seeing an otherwise alien character assume a human trait or two. Spock had his own wry sense of humor, Data had his cat, Spot, and the Martian Manhunter has Oreo cookies.

The 90’s saw a divergence in interpretations of the Alien Atlas: was he to be the alien living amongst humanity with all-too-human quirks of his own, or was he to leave humanity behind and fully embrace his Martian roots? The question remains unanswered by both fans and creators alike, with the issue of “how human is J’Onn J’Onzz” still being a divisive one. Collected in this volume are stories which represent both visions of the Martian Manhunter, and when read together, throw the dichotomy of J’Onn J’Onzz into sharp focus. The Martian Manhunter has been plagued by an ill-defined character premise almost since his inception, and the revelations of the
1988 MARTIAN MANHUNTER miniseries by J. M. DeMatteis and Mark Badger, coupled with the exquisite, deeply rooted in humanity noir of MARTIAN MANHUNTER: AMERICAN SECRETS, the 1992 mini-series by Gerard Jones and Eduardo Barreto, only drove the two separate interpretations further toward the (not-Martian) poles.
 
Further background to these 90’s stories is the groundwork Keith Giffen and J. M. Dematteis laid down during the fan-favorite JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL series, which drew J’Onn J’Onzz as friendly, albeit wry, patriarch to a group of juvenile superheroes. Some stories collected
in this volume, such as “The Fire this Time” from ADVENTURES IN THE DC UNIVERSE #5, capture the playfulness with which the character can be written. While this story is a lighthearted tale written for a younger audience, many a modern DC writer would do well to attempt to recapture
the wry humor presented in this story, as this kind of humor always works well for the character.
In this story, we see him enjoying his milk and cookies and renting low budgeted sci-fi films from a Denver video store.

Whether in his “alien-only” or “alien-amongst-humans” interpretation, tragedy is a recurrent theme for the Martian Manhunter in many of his modern-era stories. From the Bronze Age onward, death, failure, and just plain bad luck follow J’Onn J’Onzz around as closely as Zook did in the Silver Age. Despite his shortcomings, the Martian Manhunter never loses his sense of compassion for the
human race, and stories such as “Deep Down” from SHOWCASE ‘95 #9 show the depth of J’Onn’s compassion as he brings peace to an elderly survivor of the Titanic, a few years before Leonardo DiCaprio assumed the same role.

While the stories in the 1996 MARTIAN MANHUNTER SPECIAL #1 and 1998’s MARTIAN MANHUNTER ANNUAL #1 insist on pulling the Sleuth from Outer Space either away from the dearly-held ties he had formed with his adopted homeworld, or from the character’s
morals, both JLA SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS #1 and JLA ANNUAL #1 plant a well-characterized J’Onzz firmly amongst Humanity, in situations both shining and corrupted.

Proving again that the most interesting stories happen when superheroes are on their day off, “A
Day in the Life: Martian Manhunter” from JLA SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS #1 shows the efforts J’Onn has taken to protect the parts of the world neglected by other heroes, using intelligence and diplomacy in addition to brawn. Silver Age fans will also rejoice to see the human guise of “John Jones” alive and still solving weird crimes, and J’Onzz’s adoption of other human guises in his
quest to further understand humanity pays homage as well as expands upon his original concept in a logical and inspired fashion. There is even a bit of Silver Age lightheartedness in the choice of “Johann Johnson” as the name of J’Onn’s cab-driving alias. Completing the story is an
interpretation of J’Onn’s Martian spirituality that nicely dovetails the groundwork laid down in the 1988 J.M. DeMatteis miniseries without jettisoning his ties to humanity for the sake of “embracing” his Martian heritage.

For those fans who regard the Martian Manhunter as a noir detective with a superhero twist,
“Hardboiled Hangover” from JLA ANNUAL #1 provides a well-written, albeit a tad over-the-top, strange mystery with a tragic turn. “Martin Smith” is a bit more hard-boiled and world-weary than “John Jones” ever was, yet still possesses enough vulnerability for the femme fatale to prey upon. Though readers may find it jarring to see J’Onzz channeling Mike Hammer more than Sam Spade,
it is worth a look if only for the untapped potential contained in this perspective on the character.
 
While many fans enjoy reading a Martian Manhunter who is free from all ties on Earth to explore his past on Mars, to forget that so many solid stories were penned with the Manhunter from Mars firmly planted amongst Humanity would be a disservice to the character and his original intent. In all the aforementioned stories, you will find humor, pathos, tragedy. Given the freedom to roam the Earth as one of us, J’Onn is a dichomatic mirror reflecting our own potential: he is both naive and
worldly, witty and humorless, compassionate and torn. To look away from J’Onn in his human guise is to look away from ourselves. Given his efforts to understand humanity even after so many failed
attempts, don’t we at least owe himthe honor of gazing back?

—— Martin Lowell

Martin Lowell is a part-time
haberdasher/astrophysicist living in
Sydney, Australia along with his
collection of Restoration-era salt
servers and nine Himalayan cats. His
latest book, How To Host Your Own
Apocaplypse Party With Flair And
Fabulousness will be on shelves late
December, 2012.

Superman Annual #3 (1991)

On my old Martian Manhunter: The Rock of the JLA blog, I spent a lot of time griping about how often Superman beat up J'Onn J'Onzz, especially in "Imaginary Stories." When Siskoid recently covered one such story under the heading of Superman of 2001, featuring art I could steal from a comic I no longer own, I thought I'd revisit one of those old posts with limited rewriting...

Sure, Superman was obviously being manipulated in Red Glass, but he's still treated as a power without equal. That same year, we were "treated" to an Armageddon 2001 story, featuring a possible future for Superman from Dan Jurgens and Dusty Abell. Supes writers just love to kill off Lois Lane as an excuse to have Clark act completely out of character, and this was no exception. Superman sets himself up as the global enforcer of his own laws, which doesn't sit well with the people he's supposed to be protecting. He sinks a U.S. Nuclear Submarine, killing seven crewmen, and bringing on the JLI. In his megalomania, Superman decides that their "limited mind" won't allow them to see that he's right, After slapping Booster Gold and Fire around, MM jumps in. "You know I am your physical equal. Can you not see we will eventually defeat you?" Supes shoots back,"Strength has nothing to do with it, Manhunter! It's the conviction that what you're doing is right!"

No, it isn't. The point of the story seems to be that Superman is strongest one there is. He uses Martian Manhunter as a bum shield against Fire and Booster's blasts, then drops his unconscious form into a blazing building. Using his telescopic vision, he sees J'Onn clutching his chest in pain, but ignores him. The Manhunter is claimed by his greatest weakness, and Superman tries to make excuses to relieve himself of guilt. When Superman is finally beaten, it's through the use of Kryptonite... not another hero proving his righteousness, or just plain overpowering him.

"Execution 2001" was by Dan Jurgens, because of course it was, since he's always writing stories of the type I gripe about at length. He was aided and abetted by Dusty Abell with Terry Austin, John Beatty, Dick Giordano & Dennis Janke.

1991-92 Impel DC Cosmic Cards #96- Gorilla Grodd

Despite the trademark awkwardness of Grodd's position, there's no way I'd have recognized this as Carmine Infantino without looking at the credit on the card's back. Ray McCarthy must have inked this to within an inch of his life to manifest that level of detail. It's like one of those CGI critters where every shaft of fur is rendered, to the point where your mind perceives it as fake because nothing looks that fine in real life. Anyhow, it's a neat looking card.

More Impel DC Cosmic Cards

• Green Lantern John Stewart at DC Bloodlines
• Adam Strange at Comics Make Me Happy!
• Troia at Diana Prince: Wonder Woman
• Nightshade at Power of the Atom

2010 "Minimalist JLA" by Chris Samnee

Click To Enlarge


Pretty awesome, don't you think?

2010 "Team Justice 2" by Andy Hunter

Click To Enlarge

Andy Hunter ALSO went with that same “Team-up or mash-up comic book characters with video game characters” theme with this Justice League/Team Fortress 2 mash-up.

2007 Rittenhouse Archives DC Legacy Card #21: Martian Manhunter

I'm no fan of Rottenhouse. It's one thing to turn art scanned out of comics into trading cards. Comic Images was all over that in the '90s to feed fans junk between Marvel Universe sets. However, it's quite another to charge exorbitant prices for same because you brought up your Photoshop game and throw in "sketch cards" available at most conventions for cheaper than a pack of their cards. Still, here's their Martian Manhunter card, complete with the usual black & white Showcase Presents scan of an early Joe Certa panel, and a shot of the Al Barrionuevo "Coneheadhunter," who looks far more ridiculous in this context. It's like he's got a withered old witch's teat growing out the back of his fool head, complete with a bejeweled handkerchief so as not to expose the full saggy bosom as the Jolly Green Giant's unholy offspring suckles at N'ppl J'Onzz's lactating cranium. No wonder he's halfway giving us all the finger! Even classic J'onn is clearly perturbed, either by the vision of his dire but fleeting future self, or by the dang pointy new DC logo star jabbing him in the thigh. Regardless, it's nice to live in an age when no remotely comprehensive DC set will exclude even a rather disturbing and unpopular take on the Manhunter from Mars

1996 Martian Manhunter Oil Painting by David H.

A few weeks back, Shag of Once Upon A Geek fame sent out an email alerting '80s aficionados like myself that one of the DC properties of the decade with the most devoted cult fan base had finally received a blog of its own. David H. runs Subject : THE SUICIDE SQUAD ( Task Force X ), revolving around super-criminals conscripted by the government to partake in impossibly dangerous missions in exchange for potential freedom. It's an awesome premise often exceptionally handled, and several favorite DC characters of mine were part of the team, foremost being Amanda Waller. However, Detroit Leaguer Vixen was also on the team, as was Bronze Tiger and Nightshade, all of whom have been spotlighted on one of my blogs. This crossover bleeds both ways, as David H. is a fan of our own preferred Leaguer...

i have an oil painting of the Martian Manhunter i did back in the late 90s i would love to submit for consideration to be posted to your blog... that painting is 14 years old now. i've improved as an artist much since then but it's one of the few pieces i saved from those early years.

The piece measures 11" by 8.5," and the Manhunter love didn't stop there...

check out my monday posting on the Suicide Squad Blog i finally have the Martian Manhunter in the mix.

The post discusses Vixen and J'Onn's meeting during the JLI/Suicide Squad crossover during each book's first year. Check out When a Martian meets a woman...

2010 The Martian Manhunter Archives Volume 8 Table of Contents by Tom Hartley

Click To Load PDF


Another fine collection of stories, and the first I've not only mostly covered on this blog, but for which I will actually provide the links to prove it:

• Heat Wave
• Help Me Make It Through the Night!
• Deep Down
• Holy War
• Eye To Eye
• The Fire This Time
• A Day In The Life: Martian Manhunter
• Hardboiled Hangover

For individual page listings from this Table of Contents, download the PDF here.

2009 Rittenhouse Justice League of America Archives Sketch Cards by Tone Rodriguez

Not as nice as his 2007 Rittenhouse Archives DC Legacy Sketch Card, but few are. You can visit Rodriguez's site here, though the navigation leaves much to be desired.

Martian Sightings for February, 2011

BRIGHTEST DAY #17-18
Written by GEOFF JOHNS & PETER J. TOMASI
Art by IVAN REIS, PATRICK GLEASON, ARDIAN SYAF, SCOTT CLARK & JOE PRADO Covers by DAVID FINCH & SCOTT WILLIAMS
1:10 Variant covers by IVAN REIS

The BRIGHTEST DAYS are numbered as this best-selling series heads toward its shocking conclusion, and fans won’t want to miss a single page of the action! “Aquawar” breaks out with Aquaman, Mera, Aqualad and a surprise guest star facing off against the terrorist forces of Black Manta and Siren to keep the vast waters of the world from sinking the United States!
Retailers please note: These issues will ship with two covers each. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.

Issue #19 on sale FEBRUARY 2
Issue #20 on sale FEBRUARY 16
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Based on Martian Manhunter finishing next to last ahead of the Hawkman & Hawkgirl in a Newsarama poll of reader's reaction to this series' segment stars, I'm guessing I'm not alone in being disenchanted. Aquaman stole this show.

DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #1-2
Written by TONY BEDARD & MARV WOLFMAN
Art by HOWARD PORTER & LIVESAY and ADRIANA MELO & NORMAN LEE
Issue #1 wraparound cover by ED BENES
Issue #1 1:10 Variant cover by RYAN SOOK
Issue #2 cover by ED BENES

The DC event of the year begins, coinciding with the release of the wildly anticipated DCU MMO! Get ready for the ride of a lifetime with this immense, 26-issue biweekly series!

In issue #1, Lex Luthor’s obsession with destroying Superman reaches fever pitch when he cuts the ultimate Devil’s deal with Brainiac...but with the shake of a hand, has Luthor consigned humanity to genocide?

In the startling second issue, The Lex Luthor of a post-apocalyptic future scrambles to escape Brainiac’s invasion of Earth, but he must gather an army to stop the invasion. Who will he recruit? And in the present, Brainiac’s first assault on Earth has begun, which recaps the incredibly rare DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #0!

Comic book legend Marv Wolfman joins fan-favorite writer Tony Bedard and artist Howard Porter to tell the ultimate DC Universe Super Hero tale of good versus evil!

Retailers please note: Issue #1 will ship with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
Issue #1 on sale FEBRUARY 2
Issue #2 on sale FEBRUARY 16
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Hey look! Another bi-weekly mini-series that will feature J'Onn J'Onzz! That's like, weekly Martian Manhunter... except considering J'Onn wasn't on that "theatrical trailer" and only very recently was even visually confirmed as being in the game (go-go Martian Man-thong) that might be an overstatement.

BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #53
Written by MARC GUGGENHEIM
Art and cover by JERRY BINGHAM

Indebted to a super-powered team called The Zhuguan, Bruce Wayne repays the life-altering favor they bestowed upon him by joining their ranks against their most deadly foe! Marc Guggenheim (JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA) and classic Batman artist Jerry Bingham (BATMAN: SON OF THE DEMON) present “Super-Powers” part 4 of 5!

On sale FEBRUARY 2 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

So this thing is still going on, presumably with the retro JLofA back-ups. The art inside wasn't as bad as the covers, but still a far cry from Bingham's best.

The Art of Vintage DC Comics: 100 Postcards
Celebrating the 75th anniversary of DC Comics, these 100 all-different postcards feature the incredible art of DC's comic book covers from the 1930s through the 1980s.

Miss Martian

YOUNG JUSTICE #1
Written by ART BALTAZAR and FRANCO
Art and cover by MIKE NORTON

Based on the highly anticipated, all-new hit animated show from Warner Bros. debuting in January on Cartoon Network!

It’s moving-in day for Superboy and Miss Martian as they choose their rooms at their new headquarters! But the Boy of Steel is haunted by the Cave’s memories and strange visions of his past…

On sale FEBRUARY 16 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

I realize this is really the second issue, but why bother with a #0 scheme if your #1 is going to carry such a weak cover?

TINY TITANS #37

Written by ART BALTAZAR & FRANCO Art and cover by ART BALTAZAR It’s a Shazam Family super special! Mary Batson makes her way to the tree house for a Pet Club meeting with her adorable talking tiger! That’s right! A big, talking tiger named Tawky Tawny who wears a suit and tie and a pair of glasses! Guest-starring Freddie, Hoppy and Billy, too!

On sale FEBRUARY 16 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Lobo

WEIRD WORLDS #2
Written by KEVIN VAN HOOK, AARON LOPRESTI and KEVIN MAGUIRE
Art by JERRY ORDWAY, AARON LOPRESTI & MATT RYAN and KEVIN MAGUIRE
Cover by MARIO ALBERTI
DC’s eccentric anthology continues as Garbage Man seeks the secrets of his origin – with Batman hot on his heels! Elsewhere, Tanga tangles with some most unsavory characters in one of the galaxy’s most disreputable saloons! And how about Lobo? You’d better believe he’s doing what he does best!
On sale FEBRUARY 2 • 2 of 6 • 40 pg, FC $3.99 US

Why does a book with nothing but swell interior art have such a crap cover?

R.E.B.E.L.S #25
Written by TONY BEDARD
Art by CLAUDE ST. AUBIN & SCOTT HANNA
Cover by AARON LOPRESTI
Starro the Conqueror returns to rebuild his empire, and his first act of revenge against super-genius Vril Dox is to turn him into a mind-slave. Meanwhile, with his rebel crew in hot pursuit, Lobo thinks he’s discovered another Czarnian! But he’s the last of his race…isn’t he?
On sale FEBRUARY 9 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

With two monthly titles and no fights with Martian Manhunter in ages, I'm rethinking Lobo's inclusion here. Please comment on whether to dump the Main Man, as left up to myself alone, I probably will...

Audio

DC Comics Final Crisis [Audio CD]
The novelization of the superhero event starring Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the heroes and villains of the DC Comics Universe Victorious at long last against his enemies on the world of New Genesis, Darkseid has unleashed the forces of Apokolips on Earth. With the secret of the Anti- Life Equation at his command, Darkseid now possesses the ability to eradicate all free will from humanity-and usher in an end to the age of super heroes. Facing an ever growing army of mindless slaves and corrupted heroes, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the remnants of the Justice League of America find themselves consumed by the ever spreading darkness. They remain humanity's only hope-the only light that will not be extinguished in the world's darkest hour. Copyright (p) & © 2010 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved. All characters, their distinctive likenesses, and related elements are trademarks of DC Comics.
MSRP: $19.99

Will they still kill Martian Manhunter in this one, or just not Batman?

Video

Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics
Behind the amazing tales of legendary super heroes is the equally amazing story of the company that told them. So many heroes, so many stories to tell--stories of DC Comics' 75 years of challenges, creativity and triumph. This DC Comics Original Documentary is both a compelling insider's tale and a celebration seen through the inkwell of those who created and lived it, balanced with insights from key historians and filled with interviews, archival footage and a dazzling parade of riveting and splashy DC covers. From the bans to the breakthroughs, from humble pulp beginnings to the literary rise of the graphic novel, the story holds a mirror to an ever-evolving enterprise and the society reflected in its comic book pages. It's an American story.

Any significant Martian Manhunter material in here, for those who've seen it? I need to send back these Netflix rentals I've been sitting on for two years and check this out...

Universe Retro Argentinian Detective Martiano Trading Card

I can't make out who drew this, it doesn't look very good or professional, and the stats are vague but familiar (height, weight, strength, etc.) Still, it's foreign, so it's novel. Viva Argentina!

The Comic Reader #219 (September, 1984)

If The Comic Buyers Guide was the national weekly newspaper of the industry in the '70s & '80s, The Comic Reader was like the TV Guide. You could pick up Marvel Age for a month's worth of that publisher's solicitation copy and self-serving promotional "articles," but DC only served them up in brief a week at a time on the back page of their monthly comics, and what about everybody else? The Comic Reader. Of course, ancient retyped press releases only have so much entertainment value in the present, so I never go out of my way to buy copies when I very rarely find the little pocket guides somewhere. However, I'll have to keep my eyes out for this issue, as it celebrated the return of the Manhunter from Mars to Justice League of America (and comics in general) by giving him a back cover illustration by inker Jeff Albrecht. Aside from the fruity seashell belt buckle (raiding Aquaman's wardrobe to make up for the ravages of Mars II?) this is a spiffy piece, reminiscent of Mike Gustovich. Evangeline held the front cover (anyone remember the Matthew Sweet tune she inspired? Or Matthew Sweet, for that matter?)

2010 The Martian Manhunter Archives Volume 8 Fan Mock-Up Back Cover by Tom Hartley

"Sorry, no create-your-own page this time. There were only four good choices, so I made a mock-up."

How dare Tom deprive us of our chance to make our own back covers! We could have included this:



Umm... okay, that was an awkward, totally amateur hour cover that never should have gotten published in the first place. Well fine, what about this:



Alright, I guess Impulse is literally in the spotlight, and even J'Onn's profile space was halved to accommodate Green Arrow (Connor Hawke,) but there was still:



Woo-hoo! Howard Porter and the block-rockin' Jay-El-Lay! See, there's the Manhunter from Mars... in partial silhouette... in the third row...

Never mind.