Absolute Martian Manhunter is a bond fide hit. Most people certainly expected for it to sell well, mostly because every Absolute book so far as been selling in the six figure range every month. However, writer Deniz Camp and artist Javier Rodriguez’s comic was a mindblowing example of what comics can be. Absolute Martian Manhunter #1’s success saw the series extended, promising fans more Camp/Rodriguez goodness. Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 threw a lot of changes at fans, exciting fans for the next issue. Absolute Martian Manhunter #2 is a fitting follow-up, another mindbending trip unlike anything else on the stands. This issue is much less chaotic than the first, revealing a lot about John Jones and the Martian Mindhunter, who John has just learned he shares a body with.
DC fans know a lot about Martian Manhunter and his deal. Much like Superman, and some other major DC heroes, he’s the last child of homeworld and immensely powerful. The Absolute books have so far done a great job of changing everything that readers know about the characters, and Absolute Martian Manhunter seemingly goes further than any of the other Absolute titles so far. Absolute Martian Manhunter is a different beast and it could change the DC Universe forever.
Absolute Martian Manhunter Brings into Question Everything We Know About the Martian Manhunter
So, in the main DC Universe, Martian Manhunter is J’onn J’onnz, a Green Martian who was pulled away from Mars by a human scientist named Doctor Erdel. J’onnz was lucky to an extent; the people of Mars died in a planetary firestorm caused by J’onn’s brother Ma’alefa’ak, with J’onn as the last survivor, his wife and child dying. J’onn’s true form caused Erdel to have a heart attack, and J’onn decided to use his shapeshifting powers to become a human detective named John Jones. Martian Manhunter is one of the most powerful heroes on Earth. He has super strength, invulnerability to everything but fire, shapeshifting powers, invisibility, Martian vision (basically heat vision without the heat), intangibility, super senses, and powerful telepathy. In fact, he’s usually looked at as the most powerful telepath on Earth. The Absolute version of the character is quite different than all of that.
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So, it seems like John Jones is a normal human in the Absolute Universe, although there are clues that say otherwise. He was caught in explosion caused by the Human Flame, a villain Martian Manhunter fought in the mainline universe that died in Absolute Martian Manhunter #1, and started to feel differently, eventually meeting the Martian Mindhunter. In the book so far, it’s mostly appeared as a psychic projection of some kind, using its powers on the minds around it and John. It doesn’t actually seem to have a physical form, and only John can see it. Now, this could be a symbiote situation of some kind — maybe the Mindhunter was pulled to Earth and bonded with John at the moment of the explosion — but there are moments like John’s son making a clay version of his father that looks like the Mindhunter and the end of issue #2 shows John as the Mindhunter in bed with his wife that call this into question. His constant cigarette smoking might be another clue, as the Mindhunter sees thoughts as smoke. It’s hard to know the truth, but issue #2 also reveals that John and the Mindhunter are the only thing standing between Absolute Earth and destruction.
Absolute Martian Manhunter Is a Strange Composite Lifeform
Absolute Martian Manhunter #2 revolves around the Mindhunter leading John Jones to someone it calls “the trigger” — Trigger Taylor, a man who believes that aliens have invaded the Earth and are taking over humans. The irony of this is delicious, and John and the Mindhunter work together to stop Taylor, although not before he’s able to start killing people. The issue shows just how different Jones and the Mindhunter are, giving the readers the impression that they’re separate. We also learn what the Mindhunter’s purpose is — to stop the White Martian from destroying the Earth.
DC fans will recognize the White Martian, at least as concept. Using the White Martian as an enemy for Absolute Martian Manhunter, and showing it as something that possesses others, show how different Martians are in the Absolute DC Universe. Maybe it’s another clue about the true nature of John and the Mindhunter, but one thing’s for sure — if the White Martian is as powerful as the mainline White Martians, Absolute Martian Manhunter’s war against it will have huge consequences for the Absolute Universe.
Absolute Martian Manhunter #2 is on sale now.
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