There are a lot of comics out there, but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we look at an ongoing from up-and-coming DC creators Steve Orlando and Riley Rossmo as they venture into the gloomy, noir cop drama of “Martian Manhunter.”
Who’s This By?
Writer Steve Orlando has been tasked with writing a lot of books for the publisher. Orlando has taken over existing properties like “Justice League of America” and has even created new DC properties like “The Unexpected.” Now, Orlando is getting the chance to tackle a DC fan-favorite hero, Martian Manhunter. Orlando is joined by Riley Rossmo who he previously worked on with “Batman/The Shadow: The Murder Geniuses.” The duo are both relatively newer creators at DC and “Martian Manhunter” has already taken on an impressive reputation for being one of the most emotionally charged and imaginative mini-series currently published by The Big Two but more on that later.
What’s This All About?
“Martian Manhunter” follows a plot thread seeded in earlier “Justice League” Comics and expanded on in “Justice League: The New Frontier” where Martian J’onn J’onzz is undercover as policeman John Jones. J’onzz is trying to solve a murder with his partner while keeping cover at the police station. The series explores J’onzz’s background as a Martian on his homeworld and juxtaposes the moments incredibly nicely with his time as a cop on Earth. The title builds a lot of tension between the past scenes with J’onzz interspersed between two different planets. The series functions as a noir murder investigation offering insight to the Mars within J’onzz’s own mind.
So, Why Should I Read This?
In past series and issues, Orlando has shown difficulty evoking a more grounded, introspective nature for the lead character. “Martian Manhunter” is the title that finally lays all of J’onzz’s complicated emotions on the table and shows what he has sacrificed to get where he is. Readers who are curious why J’onzz can be emotionally stunted or nervous can read this series and start to understand how he developed as a character. From the opening sequence of the debut issue, Orlando does a great job grounding the series. J’onzz has a lot of built-in paranoia due to his origin and masquerading as someone else. Readers can’t help but sympathize with his situation and start to feel bad when reality becomes untethered for J’onzz. It doesn’t take long for the seems in J’onzz fabricated reality to fall apart as Orlando changes the status quo of the issue immediately in the debut chapter.
The series moves at a brisk pace but also captures the odd nature for Orlando’s depiction of J’onzz right off the bad. Watching him adapt to two incredibly different cultures and showing how J’onzz experienced difficulty on both Mars and Earth makes him incredibly relatable. While Mars is arguably the B-plot of the overall title, it is interesting to see how J’onzz functions when he is entirely in his element. J’onzz lost so much and Riley and Orlando depict all the dark and dreary baggage from his past coloring J’onzz’s future. “Martian Manhunter” is loaded with all kinds of external conflict but does an excellent job actually showing off the personality traits and struggles of the lead characters. Readers will immediately start to empathize with all of the struggles and conflict J’onzz has to face. Orlando lends a decent mix of alien battles and interpersonal battles in the narrative. The series carries a lot of versatility and can even be funny at times.
The scripts for the tale are downright ethereal but artist Riley Rossmo captures the most interesting parts of the narrative. The scenes on Mars look particularly inspired as Rossmo tends to let loose and show off some of the blemishes and imperfections in his pencils to enhance a scene. Rossmo’s craft is very interesting to analyze. Rossmo captures scenes in really creative ways but still carries a pretty clear approach to sequential pencils. Readers are likely not going to be bothered by the more creative framing in the sequences no matter how imaginative they can be in certain moments.
Continued belowThe rounded corners and lines on certain elements of the title can slightly detract from the storytelling when Jones is doing his detective work on Earth. These problems with storytelling can only serve as a distraction to the reader in certain moments within the story. Rossmo also has a lot of heavy lifting to do in the most recent installments of the title that unleash a bevy of monsters and sci-fi elements in the story. The moments where Rossmo can show off his loose line work in a horror context are among the series most impressive visually. Also, the incredible tension that the script carries J’onzz worlds collide lend the book really high stakes. Orlando and Rossmo seem to have a really good collaboration and have produced incredibly solid comic books together.
How Can You Read It?
“Martian Manhunter” is meant to be enjoyed in a binge right from issue #1. Now that readers have access to almost half the series right at their fingertips, I implore you to spend an afternoon getting caught up at Comixology. If you are a binge-reader I have bad news for you because the trade isn’t solicited…YET! This series isn’t even at the halfway point and I’m sure there is a trade paperback for the title on the way. When it comes to the creative team of Steve Orlando and Riley Rossmo, I’m inclined to believe the hype and recommend a buy from readers. Few mainstream Big Two comics can carry the impressive level of artistic merit and writing quality coming from a title like “Martian Manhunter.” It is also refreshing to be pretty confident in the overall quality of the tale with the book wrapping up in 12-issues. Even on a monthly basis don’t be afraid to explore the twisted mind of J’onn J’onzz in “Martian Manhunter” published monthly by DC Comics.
