Deron Generally
Deron Generally
Martin Manhunter #1
DC Comics
Written by Steve Orlando
Art by Riley Rossmo
Colors by Ivan Plascencia
Letters by Deron Bennett
J’onn J’onzz is haunted by his past and its connection to his newest case.
J’onn continues to find life on Earth different from his former life on Mars and this first issue proposes that his life as a Manhunter on the red planet wasn’t as squeaky clean and heroic as we were meant to believe. As an officer of the law, J’onzz was not above working for some corrupt forces on the planet.
That duality in his professional life leads him to keep secrets from his wife. Secrets that have more significance on a planet full of telepaths. Admittedly, many of the elements of this story don’t work for me yet. I actually am intrigued at the prospect that J’onn wasn’t as squeaky clean on Mars as he has normally been portrayed. It adds something J’nn must aspire to ultimately and I want to see how that plays out.
On Earth, J’onn finds himself assigned to a new case with his partner Diane. A double murder with a missing possible witness. When J’onn tries to use his psychic abilities to find clues to the missing girl and a connection to the murders, he finds that there is a connection to a feeling he remembers from being on Mars. Things only get worse when he and his partner get into an accident because J’onn begins to see things.
This is a really well done first issue. Giving Manhunter a more nuanced back story adds some additional elements to him as a character. It’s going to be interesting to see how Orlando connects the events on Mars to the case J’onn is working and how those connections will affect J’onzz as a cop and as a hero.
Rossmo’s art is really interesting and unique in context to a character like Martian Manhunter. I love the character designs and the visual style of this issue. Everything looks amazing and different.
Martian Manhunter #1
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