Absolute Martian Manhunter #2 – Deniz Camp, Writer; Javier Rodriguez, Artist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: This is hands-down the most mind-bending of the Absolute line so far, and also the one that it’s harder to see how it fits into the larger story of this universe. This Martian Manhunter isn’t a kind detective from Mars with shape-shifting abilities – he’s a normal detective who barely survived a terrorist bombing and wound up with a hitchhiker. That would be an alien intelligence, maybe of a creature whose physical form and species have been gone for a long time. That’s given him the strange ability to read psychic emissions. Or is he? I’m a little skeptical that all is what it appear to be about John Jones’ origins. But for now, our intrepid detective is not having a good time dealing with his psychic passenger. He’s having hallucinations, seeing Martian faces on the street (leading to him harassing a baby at one point), and is slowly losing his grip on what little remains of his sanity.
But while he’s trying to figure things out, there’s no time to waste – a far-right shooter has targeted the city’s Little Syria, pulling off a mass casualty event. This is one of the most harrowing depictions of domestic terror I’ve ever seen in a comic, which is interesting given that it’s punctuated with surprising bursts of bright color in the form of the psychic emissions J’onn can’t escape. These are the last thoughts of the victims, as well as the fevered paranoia of the killer. Minds are disordered, of course, and the story does an amazing job of capturing that while also keeping the story tense and focused. John Jones isn’t a superhero, so it’s interesting just how good he is at psychological warfare when he needs to be. The issue doesn’t feel like there are any big reveals about the overall mythology of the issue, but it doesn’t need them – it’s just incredibly fascinating to watch these two unlikely partners work.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
