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Martian Manhunter (1998) #0-9
Martian Manhunter: Son of Mars
The Martian Manhunter, one of the key heroes in The New 52, stars in this new title collecting his popular 1998 series. Featuring moody art by writer John Ostrander's frequent collaborator, Tom Mandrake, the story begins as the Manhunter tells Superman about the end of Mars's civilization and how he came to Earth. In his guise as Detective John Jones, he tracks a serial killer and investigates a mystery at Cadmus Laboratories, then saves the entire Justice League from the threat of Malefic.
Collects the 1998 MARTIAN MANHUNTER series issues #0-9.
Collects the 1998 MARTIAN MANHUNTER series issues #0-9.
240 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 1999
26 people are currently reading
191 people want to read
About the author
John Ostrander
2,086 books171 followersJohn Ostrander is an American writer of comic books. He is best known for his work on Suicide Squad, Grimjack and Star Wars: Legacy, series he helped create.
Originally an actor in a Chicago theatre company, Ostrander moved into writing comics in 1983. His first published works were stories about the character "Sargon, Mistress of War", who appeared the First Comics series Warp!, based on a series of plays by that same Chicago theatre company. He is co-creator of the character Grimjack with Timothy Truman, who originally appeared in a back up story in the First Comics title, Starslayer, before going on to appear in his own book, again published by First Comics in the mid 1980s. First Comics ceased publication in 1991, by which time Ostrander was already doing work for other comics companies (his first scripts for DC Comics were published in 1986).
Prior to his career in comic books, Ostrander studied theology with the intent of becoming a Catholic priest, but now describes himself as an agnostic. His in-depth explorations of morality were later used in his work writing The Spectre, a DC Comics series about the manifestation of the wrath of God. His focus on the character's human aspect, a dead police detective from the 1930s named Jim Corrigan, and his exploration of moral and theological themes brought new life to a character often thought of as impossible to write. He has also worked on Firestorm, Justice League, Martian Manhunter, Manhunter, Suicide Squad, and Wasteland for DC.
Originally an actor in a Chicago theatre company, Ostrander moved into writing comics in 1983. His first published works were stories about the character "Sargon, Mistress of War", who appeared the First Comics series Warp!, based on a series of plays by that same Chicago theatre company. He is co-creator of the character Grimjack with Timothy Truman, who originally appeared in a back up story in the First Comics title, Starslayer, before going on to appear in his own book, again published by First Comics in the mid 1980s. First Comics ceased publication in 1991, by which time Ostrander was already doing work for other comics companies (his first scripts for DC Comics were published in 1986).
Prior to his career in comic books, Ostrander studied theology with the intent of becoming a Catholic priest, but now describes himself as an agnostic. His in-depth explorations of morality were later used in his work writing The Spectre, a DC Comics series about the manifestation of the wrath of God. His focus on the character's human aspect, a dead police detective from the 1930s named Jim Corrigan, and his exploration of moral and theological themes brought new life to a character often thought of as impossible to write. He has also worked on Firestorm, Justice League, Martian Manhunter, Manhunter, Suicide Squad, and Wasteland for DC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 28, 2018
As a fan of the TV series Supergirl and Justice League, I was curious as to the character of J'onn J'onnzz, aka the Martian Manhunter. This collection of old-school comics made for interesting reading; I was surprised to see the planet Mars referred to as a word similar to Malacandra, which is an allusion to C. S. Lewis' Space Trilogy. However, disturbing images and profanity brought things down a bit; still, as a whole, I enjoyed it.
January 30, 2024
The Rise and Fall of an Evil Twin
There are several ways to experience the Martian Manhunter. More Alien than Superman and holds what he had close. The death of Mars, it's Legacy through Jemm of Saturn, and the lives of people whose identities he assumed. We readers love and enjoy seeing J'onn J'onzz interact with the world and how he puts his faith in people to see reason and the depth of his character. But that's not always easy when you consider the moral boundaries he could cross. His detective partner was so suspicious she was ready to blow everything about his life on Earth open. If that wasn't enough, now J'onn has to deal with the person who destroyed the Green Martians, his brother Malefic. Malefic was a great manipulator, and the plot structure set him up effectively. But admittedly for all of the terror Malefic inflicts and the damage he leaves on J'onn, he's a rather boring villain. He just feels like a typical megalomaniac.
There are several ways to experience the Martian Manhunter. More Alien than Superman and holds what he had close. The death of Mars, it's Legacy through Jemm of Saturn, and the lives of people whose identities he assumed. We readers love and enjoy seeing J'onn J'onzz interact with the world and how he puts his faith in people to see reason and the depth of his character. But that's not always easy when you consider the moral boundaries he could cross. His detective partner was so suspicious she was ready to blow everything about his life on Earth open. If that wasn't enough, now J'onn has to deal with the person who destroyed the Green Martians, his brother Malefic. Malefic was a great manipulator, and the plot structure set him up effectively. But admittedly for all of the terror Malefic inflicts and the damage he leaves on J'onn, he's a rather boring villain. He just feels like a typical megalomaniac.
May 10, 2025
I don't know much about the DC universe outside of the most famous heroes, and if I could identify Martian Manhunter until now, I knew nothing about the character.
It's fixed with volume, which retells the origin of MM before moving on to new stories. Whether they're independent or form an arc, they firmly establish the character. However, they're still quite classic and lack the wow factor that would have made me love J'on J'onnzz.
Plus, as much as I love Tom Mandrake, he's probably better suited to illustrating more horrific titles - Swamp Thing, The Spectre - than this one.
Anyway, a good (re)introduction to the character.
It's fixed with volume, which retells the origin of MM before moving on to new stories. Whether they're independent or form an arc, they firmly establish the character. However, they're still quite classic and lack the wow factor that would have made me love J'on J'onnzz.
Plus, as much as I love Tom Mandrake, he's probably better suited to illustrating more horrific titles - Swamp Thing, The Spectre - than this one.
Anyway, a good (re)introduction to the character.
June 4, 2014
No matter how famous and how outstanding the team, it’s unfortunate that many iconic figures within comics often go so overlooked by the public. When it comes to the X-Men, the majority of the characters people can name will be from their downsized numbers from the 90s animated series. When it comes to the Avengers, few people will be able to name anyone who has not had a film about them, often calling any other interpretation wrong (such as prior incarnations of Iron Man, who used to speak the English language rather than snark and cultural references.) The Justice League is the same, with few decades old characters having little pop culture status and often being overlooked at best, or known for some horribly inaccurate internet jokes at worst. It’s for these reasons that collections like Son of Mars have a place in history, delivering a definitive look into a character, his methods, and his motivations.
Set in the wake of the attempted White Martian invasion and Injustice Gang plot in JLA, Son of Mars follows the Martian Manhunter as he tries to hold the world together. Initially taking down comparatively minor threats to the league such as city destroying automata and rogue genocidal cyborgs, J’onn begins to realise something or someone is targeting him specifically. As longtime compatriots are killed with methods which mark him as the killer and crimes framing him begin to emerge, the Manhunter must uncover the true criminal before it is too late.
In just about every basic respect, Son of Mars contains everything a new reader would want in order to understand who and what the pre-New 52 Martian Manhunter was. Along with easing readers into the general world of superheroes, Ostrander goes out of his way to establish as much about the martian as possible.
While the story quickly covers his origins and history on Mars, it also spends the two initial stories as isolated incidents which establish his powers, skills and how he operates. The latter is certainly the most interesting part as, behind Batman and The Question, the Manhunter is the best detective on the team and has the best skill-set for certain investigations. Between invisibility, metamorphosis and mind-reading, it’s not hard to see why, but the comic soon pushes it further. J’onn himself has a keenly deductive mind and the comic displays him using a number of fake identities across the world, allowing him to more freely investigate certain matters and pick up information without reading the minds of others. This might sound like something basic, but the story does go the extra mile in seeing what kind of tales can be told with the Manhunter and the greater scope behind his adventures. Unlike other heroes, he’s still earthbound but not focused upon Gotham, Metropolis, Central City or the like, allowing for far more global tales.
When the story does begin to move into a more detailed arc over the initial episodic events, it builds upon the seeds already sown right from the start. As such, while the lighter and more individual tales help you get used to the character, the sudden shift into an ongoing tale doesn’t come out of nowhere. In many respects it’s similar to what many TV series to do great effect, and it really does work here, providing a bit more range and variety of stories than usual. It’s also important to note that this avoids the mistake of adding these after the big event and making them feel meaningless or tacked on; a common problem found in the likes of the Thanos Imperative and the first volume of the New 52 Aquaman.
J’onn himself is certainly a likable enough of a character despite his alien nature, and the trade does place emphasis his position as an outsider at many points along with the baggage of what he last saw on Mars. This might not be entirely clear first, but that is because of what the story has to convey. The writing has to balance the fact he has a history beyond the earth, horrific acts which have still left their scarring but he has moved past, and the fact that while an outsider he has been around humans for long enough to mostly get them. In this respect it works, but it can easily feel as if it’s not pressing far enough with its main driving events at first.
Unfortunately the same sort of kudos cannot be given to the supporting cast, as those it sets up for J’onn himself are barely noteworthy at best. There’s no definite side characters or rogue’s gallery set up beyond one admittedly menacing figure, and it instead relies heavily upon the Justice League to provide variety. While the Justice League themselves are good, they can easily feel as if they are detracting from the focus on J’onn’s world at times and it highlights a bigger problem – Rather than begin an independent series, the comic at this time was really a JLA spin-off. A vast amount of what’s present within its pages is either working off prior JLA events or requires the reader to have some knowledge of recent arcs. While understandable given the Martian related crisis, there’s no real recap of events which can leave some readers initially confused.
What also doesn’t help is that many sudden changes also go unexplained, such as Superman initially appearing as his traditional self, then again in his electric blue form, and then once again back as normal. If readers had no knowledge of that brief phase in his existence, they would be lucky to know that was supposed to be Superman or what was going on.
The final big problem is that the art more than anything else. While it’s hardly bad, Mandrake’s style does have an oddly oily appearance which takes some definite getting used to. A big part of this is due to the colouring, but shades of the more excessive elements of 90s art do show through. It’s certainly nothing Liefeldian, and thankfully never falls to such a low quality, but the different style can be off-putting. Especially if readers are more familiar with the ultra-realistic appearances Marvel and DC Comics push for these days.
At the end of the day Martian Manhunter: Son of Mars is not the greatest comic about the character ever written, but it’s none the less a very definitive introduction to his world and an excellent retelling of his origins. Those interested in the character or DC Comics of this era could do far worse than pick this out, and it remains an entertaining read.
Set in the wake of the attempted White Martian invasion and Injustice Gang plot in JLA, Son of Mars follows the Martian Manhunter as he tries to hold the world together. Initially taking down comparatively minor threats to the league such as city destroying automata and rogue genocidal cyborgs, J’onn begins to realise something or someone is targeting him specifically. As longtime compatriots are killed with methods which mark him as the killer and crimes framing him begin to emerge, the Manhunter must uncover the true criminal before it is too late.
In just about every basic respect, Son of Mars contains everything a new reader would want in order to understand who and what the pre-New 52 Martian Manhunter was. Along with easing readers into the general world of superheroes, Ostrander goes out of his way to establish as much about the martian as possible.
While the story quickly covers his origins and history on Mars, it also spends the two initial stories as isolated incidents which establish his powers, skills and how he operates. The latter is certainly the most interesting part as, behind Batman and The Question, the Manhunter is the best detective on the team and has the best skill-set for certain investigations. Between invisibility, metamorphosis and mind-reading, it’s not hard to see why, but the comic soon pushes it further. J’onn himself has a keenly deductive mind and the comic displays him using a number of fake identities across the world, allowing him to more freely investigate certain matters and pick up information without reading the minds of others. This might sound like something basic, but the story does go the extra mile in seeing what kind of tales can be told with the Manhunter and the greater scope behind his adventures. Unlike other heroes, he’s still earthbound but not focused upon Gotham, Metropolis, Central City or the like, allowing for far more global tales.
When the story does begin to move into a more detailed arc over the initial episodic events, it builds upon the seeds already sown right from the start. As such, while the lighter and more individual tales help you get used to the character, the sudden shift into an ongoing tale doesn’t come out of nowhere. In many respects it’s similar to what many TV series to do great effect, and it really does work here, providing a bit more range and variety of stories than usual. It’s also important to note that this avoids the mistake of adding these after the big event and making them feel meaningless or tacked on; a common problem found in the likes of the Thanos Imperative and the first volume of the New 52 Aquaman.
J’onn himself is certainly a likable enough of a character despite his alien nature, and the trade does place emphasis his position as an outsider at many points along with the baggage of what he last saw on Mars. This might not be entirely clear first, but that is because of what the story has to convey. The writing has to balance the fact he has a history beyond the earth, horrific acts which have still left their scarring but he has moved past, and the fact that while an outsider he has been around humans for long enough to mostly get them. In this respect it works, but it can easily feel as if it’s not pressing far enough with its main driving events at first.
Unfortunately the same sort of kudos cannot be given to the supporting cast, as those it sets up for J’onn himself are barely noteworthy at best. There’s no definite side characters or rogue’s gallery set up beyond one admittedly menacing figure, and it instead relies heavily upon the Justice League to provide variety. While the Justice League themselves are good, they can easily feel as if they are detracting from the focus on J’onn’s world at times and it highlights a bigger problem – Rather than begin an independent series, the comic at this time was really a JLA spin-off. A vast amount of what’s present within its pages is either working off prior JLA events or requires the reader to have some knowledge of recent arcs. While understandable given the Martian related crisis, there’s no real recap of events which can leave some readers initially confused.
What also doesn’t help is that many sudden changes also go unexplained, such as Superman initially appearing as his traditional self, then again in his electric blue form, and then once again back as normal. If readers had no knowledge of that brief phase in his existence, they would be lucky to know that was supposed to be Superman or what was going on.
The final big problem is that the art more than anything else. While it’s hardly bad, Mandrake’s style does have an oddly oily appearance which takes some definite getting used to. A big part of this is due to the colouring, but shades of the more excessive elements of 90s art do show through. It’s certainly nothing Liefeldian, and thankfully never falls to such a low quality, but the different style can be off-putting. Especially if readers are more familiar with the ultra-realistic appearances Marvel and DC Comics push for these days.
At the end of the day Martian Manhunter: Son of Mars is not the greatest comic about the character ever written, but it’s none the less a very definitive introduction to his world and an excellent retelling of his origins. Those interested in the character or DC Comics of this era could do far worse than pick this out, and it remains an entertaining read.
December 20, 2025
My underrated king. I adore John j’onz and his story. Seeing everything about jem was great and I loved seeing the JL interactions.
Read
June 13, 2020In any version of the Justice League worth reading, J'onn J'onnz is a stalwart of the team. But he can also come across, whisper it...slightly boring? The one who keeps everything on an even keel. The one who will occasionally come out with an excellent joke, but never gets to steal the show. More raw superpower than Superman, a better detective and skulker than Batman, yet destined never to be anyone's favourite. So he doesn't get many solo comics, and the ones that do tend to take him to some strange places. He's a telepath and a shapeshifter, both potentially quite fucked-up powers. The more recent Rob Williams run used them to give him a very literal breakdown, but was still madcap more often than it was horrific. This, though, is by Ostrander and Mandrake, a team best known for their brilliant but frequently gruelling run on The Spectre. I would never have considered him a similar character to Martian Manhunter, but when you think about it, they both have green as a key colour, change shape, can go invisible, know your sins, and think pants, boots and cloak is all the outfit one needs. And if you know that Spectre run, you have some warning of the sort of places they'll go here. So, in the opening issue, which restates J'onn's origin...well, as he says to Superman, they're both the last survivors of dead people, but unlike Kal, J'onn got to see his people die. Victims, of course, of a plague, which meant that unless you wanted to infect people you couldn't touch anyone, so that was fun reading in 2020 (as also the later scene in which he has to imprison a freewheeling psionic self in the lumpen, immobile flesh which spawned it – very much a quarantine mood). And I'm not sure how much of this was already canon, how much new to this series, but I'm pretty sure it must be an Ostrander/Mandrake innovation to have the bereaved and shattered protagonist shapeshift his hand into a glove puppet of his daughter, and wander the ruins of his world, talking with it.
Then, of course, he's summoned to Earth by the short-lived Dr Erdel, who in a nice little reference mutters about reversing the polarity of the neutron flow shortly before he expires. Another reference doesn't quite land – having the Martians know Mars as Maleca'andra is lovely, but then it's apparently Per'elandra for Earth, which should be Venus – in Lewis' solar system we were Thulcandra (add punctuation to taste). And after Erdel's death, J'onn J'onnz handily finds himself a detective called John Jones to follow as his template for Earth life. So he invisibly, intangibly lives with him for a year and then, when Jones is killed by dirty cops, shapeshifts to take over his life and see them convicted. I mean, as a superhero origin, that feels a lot more like a horror story, doesn't it? As also the bit where Jones isn't his only secret identity, so any other character might be him, playacting humanity. At least Kal-El only does it the once! Of course, this also means you get a more diverse story than was normal at the time, because those identities are spread around the world – so there's a wonderful issue set in Japan, where a popular manga has J'onn being a small boy with an alien suit of armour, and this gives him an idea on how to take down a foe while also playing along, because why not? Still, it doesn't stay that light for long. Because someone else who has similar powers is bent on destroying the Martian Manhunter, and when you can shapeshift, well, there are some really horrible options for framing a person, or turning his friends against him...
Then, of course, he's summoned to Earth by the short-lived Dr Erdel, who in a nice little reference mutters about reversing the polarity of the neutron flow shortly before he expires. Another reference doesn't quite land – having the Martians know Mars as Maleca'andra is lovely, but then it's apparently Per'elandra for Earth, which should be Venus – in Lewis' solar system we were Thulcandra (add punctuation to taste). And after Erdel's death, J'onn J'onnz handily finds himself a detective called John Jones to follow as his template for Earth life. So he invisibly, intangibly lives with him for a year and then, when Jones is killed by dirty cops, shapeshifts to take over his life and see them convicted. I mean, as a superhero origin, that feels a lot more like a horror story, doesn't it? As also the bit where Jones isn't his only secret identity, so any other character might be him, playacting humanity. At least Kal-El only does it the once! Of course, this also means you get a more diverse story than was normal at the time, because those identities are spread around the world – so there's a wonderful issue set in Japan, where a popular manga has J'onn being a small boy with an alien suit of armour, and this gives him an idea on how to take down a foe while also playing along, because why not? Still, it doesn't stay that light for long. Because someone else who has similar powers is bent on destroying the Martian Manhunter, and when you can shapeshift, well, there are some really horrible options for framing a person, or turning his friends against him...
December 30, 2020
Many of the negative reviews this series got are are rightfully deserved, but not all. It's not a bad
comic for straight super-heroes but its creators should have done better. John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake made their mark as a team with THE SPECTRE, which was utterly fantastic for its entire run. They left that series on a high point, with their next collaboration destined to be the next step in a powerful creative evolution. But what we got instead is this. Ostrander can do straight superheroes better than most, like the classic SUICIDE SQUAD -- he even did X-Men stuff over at Marvel. The
problem generally doesn't necessarily come from the stories themselves; Ostrander does the best with what he has (as he always does).
The problem comes first from the character, second from the artist. No matter what you say about the history of the Martian Manhunter, whether you debate that his first appearance sparked the Silver Age of comicdom, or whatever, you can't deny that the character is dead boring. Is the Manhunter ANYONE'S favorite character? We don't even know the full extent of his powers and what we can expect him to do. The Manhunter has survived so well over the years as, and because of being, a member of the JLA. He's a good foil for some of the flamboyant and obnoxious members that team has had. And he does his part being the team's wild-card, but he's no Wolverine, to the group's detriment. But giving the character his own series just because the rest of the core JLA have their own was ill-conceived. This isn't to say that the character can't hold his own solo story -- there were some good Manhunter stories in the JUSTICE LEAGUE QUARTERLY and J.M. DeMatteis & Mark Badger did a good 4-issue mini with him in the late '80s. But he's a good supporting character that can stay that way without any particular genius (and it's already been a while).
Tom Mandrake is also a problem. He's a good artist -- even near-perfect for moody fare like THE SPECTRE, with abstractions and demons and angels and weird stuff straight from an imagination fit for the task. But he stumbles on straight superhero stuff: his Green Lantern, in #One Million, is downright ghastly. And this new series will depend on guest appearances by the JLA, which will also probably benefit the story (Ostrander knows what side his bread is buttered on), but for now Mandrake is doing a worse job on them than a JLA fill-in artist. Though this isn't to say that an artist who can do straight superhero stuff by rote is needed: Jan Duursema, one of the most reliably dull comics artists around, did the fill-in for #5 and the comic looks like a spit-shined perfect issue of a forgettable anthology (one of the ones featuring a boring story about a lame, obscure character that a DC editor wrote out of some twisted nostalgia). Mandrake's art may not be suited for the series, and it may seem like he's drawing the wrong characters, but it was exciting to see his work (even if he kept ripping off Gene Colan) and wasn't doing something at all more exciting.
comic for straight super-heroes but its creators should have done better. John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake made their mark as a team with THE SPECTRE, which was utterly fantastic for its entire run. They left that series on a high point, with their next collaboration destined to be the next step in a powerful creative evolution. But what we got instead is this. Ostrander can do straight superheroes better than most, like the classic SUICIDE SQUAD -- he even did X-Men stuff over at Marvel. The
problem generally doesn't necessarily come from the stories themselves; Ostrander does the best with what he has (as he always does).
The problem comes first from the character, second from the artist. No matter what you say about the history of the Martian Manhunter, whether you debate that his first appearance sparked the Silver Age of comicdom, or whatever, you can't deny that the character is dead boring. Is the Manhunter ANYONE'S favorite character? We don't even know the full extent of his powers and what we can expect him to do. The Manhunter has survived so well over the years as, and because of being, a member of the JLA. He's a good foil for some of the flamboyant and obnoxious members that team has had. And he does his part being the team's wild-card, but he's no Wolverine, to the group's detriment. But giving the character his own series just because the rest of the core JLA have their own was ill-conceived. This isn't to say that the character can't hold his own solo story -- there were some good Manhunter stories in the JUSTICE LEAGUE QUARTERLY and J.M. DeMatteis & Mark Badger did a good 4-issue mini with him in the late '80s. But he's a good supporting character that can stay that way without any particular genius (and it's already been a while).
Tom Mandrake is also a problem. He's a good artist -- even near-perfect for moody fare like THE SPECTRE, with abstractions and demons and angels and weird stuff straight from an imagination fit for the task. But he stumbles on straight superhero stuff: his Green Lantern, in #One Million, is downright ghastly. And this new series will depend on guest appearances by the JLA, which will also probably benefit the story (Ostrander knows what side his bread is buttered on), but for now Mandrake is doing a worse job on them than a JLA fill-in artist. Though this isn't to say that an artist who can do straight superhero stuff by rote is needed: Jan Duursema, one of the most reliably dull comics artists around, did the fill-in for #5 and the comic looks like a spit-shined perfect issue of a forgettable anthology (one of the ones featuring a boring story about a lame, obscure character that a DC editor wrote out of some twisted nostalgia). Mandrake's art may not be suited for the series, and it may seem like he's drawing the wrong characters, but it was exciting to see his work (even if he kept ripping off Gene Colan) and wasn't doing something at all more exciting.
June 19, 2018
I really enjoyed this story. It was a little slow to start, but once it picked up, it just kept rolling and rolling until it's (literally) explosive climax. Martian Manhunter is one of my favorite characters, but it's been a little difficult to find stories with him in the spotlight. But this story gave us, not only J'onn at its center, but also an intriguing and introspective look at who he is and exactly everything that he is capable of doing. He could be a terrifying enemy, but he is, in every sense, the exact opposite. I especially liked the different personas he lives on earth; there's something both slightly unsettling but mostly fascinating and cool about a Martian living among humans, learning their ways, helping out, and just getting a taste of different ways of life. The villain, while not the most interesting I've ever read, was also pretty solid--especially his overall plan of first destroying J'onn's character and then destroying him. He was a formidable threat, especially considering his connection to J'onn. But what really came through, above all else, were the defining character traits of J'onn, particularly his honor and calm. In some ways, that makes the earlier Martian Manhunter story I read (the one with Mr. Biscuits) less enjoyable, since that one essentially painted him as insane by the end of it, so... yeah, interesting "division of our separate internal selves made real" plot points aside... it wasn't a very good Martian Manhunter story. A good what-if, but... yeah.... This story, however, really showed exactly who Martian Manhunter is, and it was a joy to read it and get a better grasp on this fascinating character.
December 15, 2019
I'm reviewing the entire Ostrander run here, not just the first volume.
First things first: This is the definitive Martian Manhunter run. It is by far the best introduction to the world of J'onn J'onzz. You get several stories examining different aspects of his life, whether it be 1950's UFO paranoia, grim noir detective work, interplanetary warfare, or old fashioned superheroics. The run is remarkably self-contained for a 90's comic, with only a few very small intrusions by crossovers and events of the day, and even those are handled extremely well. Anyone can read this with very little forehand knowledge of the DCU (though of course more will always help).
That being said, I won't say it's an amazing or life-changing experience. Certainly the best Martian Manhunter comic, but far from one of the best DC or superhero comics. There's a lot of fun, but the arcs can be of inconsistent quality, and sometimes Ostrander's writing feels overly rushed to print. Tom Mandrake's art is quite good compared to some of his late 90's contemporaries. The early digital coloring certainly isn't great, but it's not an eyesore either.
I'd say definitely check it out if you're interested in the character.
First things first: This is the definitive Martian Manhunter run. It is by far the best introduction to the world of J'onn J'onzz. You get several stories examining different aspects of his life, whether it be 1950's UFO paranoia, grim noir detective work, interplanetary warfare, or old fashioned superheroics. The run is remarkably self-contained for a 90's comic, with only a few very small intrusions by crossovers and events of the day, and even those are handled extremely well. Anyone can read this with very little forehand knowledge of the DCU (though of course more will always help).
That being said, I won't say it's an amazing or life-changing experience. Certainly the best Martian Manhunter comic, but far from one of the best DC or superhero comics. There's a lot of fun, but the arcs can be of inconsistent quality, and sometimes Ostrander's writing feels overly rushed to print. Tom Mandrake's art is quite good compared to some of his late 90's contemporaries. The early digital coloring certainly isn't great, but it's not an eyesore either.
I'd say definitely check it out if you're interested in the character.
August 21, 2018
It's both amusing and bemusing to see folk were were obviously Born Yesterday using words like "old-fashioned" and "old school" to describe this work that was originally published in 1999! Well; when I was that age, I didn't have any sense of the scale of time, either, so I can't really fault the new crowd for falling into the same trap. But I wonder how they characterize work that really _is_ old now... work like Golden Age Batman, Superman and Captain Marvel?
Old happens to everyone and everything, soon enough. Let's not characterize this still-very-fresh take on The Martian Manhunter as being old before its time.
Old happens to everyone and everything, soon enough. Let's not characterize this still-very-fresh take on The Martian Manhunter as being old before its time.
March 5, 2023
This is a compendium of rapidly shifting events that barely relate to each other, and don't make sense even going in knowing it's fucking superheroes.
The author paid no attention to the whole of a story, even within the mostly one-shots here. When the story coheres a bit later in the volume, huge portions of it don't work. Even the fight at the end is crap.
Mr. Manhunter suffers from the OP disease so prominent in Green Lantern. He can pretty much do or survive anything the writer sloppily throws on the page. I can't believe the writer was paid for this onslaught of diarrhoeic shite.
The author paid no attention to the whole of a story, even within the mostly one-shots here. When the story coheres a bit later in the volume, huge portions of it don't work. Even the fight at the end is crap.
Mr. Manhunter suffers from the OP disease so prominent in Green Lantern. He can pretty much do or survive anything the writer sloppily throws on the page. I can't believe the writer was paid for this onslaught of diarrhoeic shite.
June 17, 2024
J'onn never got the attention he deserves so it was nice when this came out. Reading it a quarter of a century later it is pretty dated especially compared to what Marvel was releasing at the time. I think John Ostrander does a really good job of showing who J'onn is as a person. There were a lot of cookie cutter elements until the story hit full gear with the conflict with Malefic. It was done well despite a big plot hole. Tom Mandrake's art was classic and holds up well but less so with his JLA panels. Overall a good look at a classic character.
December 4, 2017
Solid story for all your Martian Manhunter lore needs. The art is way too old fashioned for my taste (those lens flares) as is the writing style, but that's not the fault of the book at all.
There's some fun Justice League action scenes here and there, other plots are kinda a bore. Still, I came for Martian Manhunter lore and wanted to learn about his relationship with Ma'alefa'ak in this series, and that's exactly what I got.
There's some fun Justice League action scenes here and there, other plots are kinda a bore. Still, I came for Martian Manhunter lore and wanted to learn about his relationship with Ma'alefa'ak in this series, and that's exactly what I got.
August 18, 2025
Its so rare to see any DC writers actually give much time or care to the Martian Manhunter, but its even more appreciated when they're actually good.
I like how much focus on the manhunter there is, especially the complicated relationship he has with the rest of the league, and the human race. I especially enjoy how this is essentially a mystery story once you strip back the superhero trappings, even if that mystery is the weakest part of the book. The art is just the cherry on top.
I like how much focus on the manhunter there is, especially the complicated relationship he has with the rest of the league, and the human race. I especially enjoy how this is essentially a mystery story once you strip back the superhero trappings, even if that mystery is the weakest part of the book. The art is just the cherry on top.
February 13, 2019
A great introduction to a character that doesn't get the spotlight as much as he should. Martian Manhunter truly is a manhunter and philosopher, and it is Ostrander's writing here that really brings that characterization and narration forth is an impressive way.
January 25, 2020
Really interesting comic that links J'onn J'onzz's origin with a new story, and shows his life on Earth. It also links up well with the JLA characters and series of the time, and has some thematic value.
July 6, 2020
Gems include Manhunter's return to Denver, a Tokyo battle w/ an alien probe, a visit to Project Cadmus, a Mars-Saturn history lesson, & Manhunter v. JLA 4parter
April 16, 2023
A good J'onn tale, giving us a lot of background on him. The best parts are the little character sections, such as seeing the Japanese Anime based on him.
Read
June 6, 2023Backlog.
January 5, 2025
It’s been so long that I’ve read this that it wasn’t even on my goodreads 🥹🥹🥹 to say I love J’onn J’onzz is an understatement
October 18, 2025
Philosophical and thoughtful, yet still succeeds in being fast-paced and exciting. Ostrander does a great job at writing fresh stories that also weave in J’onzz’ past and origin on Mars.
May 24, 2014
The heart of the Justice League finally gets a volume to call his own, as John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake help Martian Manhunter take center stage. J'onn J'onzz is nostalgic for his Martian lifestyle. Following a return trip to the Red Planet, J'onn opts to take stock of his Earth-bound lives for a while. The John Jones identity is up first, as J'onn tackles a series of homeless decapitations. Next up is a trek to Japan, both as a businessman and as the Jade Warrior hero of legend, in order to defeat an alien probe. The superpowered criminal identity of Big Doof leads Martian Manhunter in a battle with the psionic Cadmus experiment called Bette Noir. Finally, the JLA and Jemm guest star as Martian survivor Malefic sets his sights on destroying the reputation of the Manhunter before trying to eliminate him entirely. Kudos to DC for allowing J'onn to star in his own book, and providing a rich history of Earthen identities for the roving Martian. Ostrander allows J'onn to be powerful, cunning, engaging, intelligent, charming, and more by showcasing how each chosen form offers unique ways of interacting with the world at large. Mandrake's dark and rough art does detract from the full enjoyment of the volume, however. Overall, this Son of Mars has found a home on Earth and a place on the bookshelf of this reader.
February 12, 2015
"The only one of my family - my race - who still lived. The Great Voice was stilled. I had never thought of Mars as barren before then. Now it was as dead as I felt inside. I wept for them. Mostly, I wept for myself."
Wow. I've always been a fan of Martian Manhunter; I only wish there were more quality stories that focused on him in the manner that Ostrander does.
This book wonderfully switches from the philosophical to the physical action in a way that's emblematic of J'onn J'onzz's internal conflict. Occasionally the plot of the individual issue seems a little lost in terms of the whole arc, but it's nothing that detracts from the book's highlights.
Holy shit is the opening hauntingly beautiful. Ostrander's retelling of J'onn's Martian origin made me constantly put the book down in order to process the existential tragedy surrounding this under utilized character. The moment where Manhunter compares humanity to fire? Genius use of this outsider; especially given the distinction Ostrander sets up between Superman & J'onn a few pages previously.
A stellar read. Check it out! (Even people who dislike 90's comic art need to give this a shot for the characterization)
Wow. I've always been a fan of Martian Manhunter; I only wish there were more quality stories that focused on him in the manner that Ostrander does.
This book wonderfully switches from the philosophical to the physical action in a way that's emblematic of J'onn J'onzz's internal conflict. Occasionally the plot of the individual issue seems a little lost in terms of the whole arc, but it's nothing that detracts from the book's highlights.
Holy shit is the opening hauntingly beautiful. Ostrander's retelling of J'onn's Martian origin made me constantly put the book down in order to process the existential tragedy surrounding this under utilized character. The moment where Manhunter compares humanity to fire? Genius use of this outsider; especially given the distinction Ostrander sets up between Superman & J'onn a few pages previously.
A stellar read. Check it out! (Even people who dislike 90's comic art need to give this a shot for the characterization)
February 9, 2017
Having been dissatisfied with some of the recent Marvel books I have read, I decided to shift gears and read an older DC book featuring a character that I have been drawn to since first encountering him. I only knew so much about the character, and this was a good starting point, since the story focuses a great deal on his origin story. I rather enjoyed getting to know the character, even though I imagine much has changed since this was written, and am interested in reading more.
May 26, 2021
The Martian Manhunter gets a solo series and John Ostrander somehow manages to build up J'onn, while making the same mistakes other writers have.
Nice to see MM get a solo series and see him get a life, outside the JLA, but at the same time, most of it is just him fighting other aliens.
The first arc, which involves a case of detective John Jones becoming something bigger, connected to J'onn J'onnz's history has a good mix of mystery, DC history and super heroes. A solid start to the series.
I just wish writers would treat J'onn more as a super hero and less as the guy that deals with aliens.
Nice to see MM get a solo series and see him get a life, outside the JLA, but at the same time, most of it is just him fighting other aliens.
The first arc, which involves a case of detective John Jones becoming something bigger, connected to J'onn J'onnz's history has a good mix of mystery, DC history and super heroes. A solid start to the series.
I just wish writers would treat J'onn more as a super hero and less as the guy that deals with aliens.
March 20, 2014
I love getting more on J'onn and that is ensuring this gets a high rating despite some shortcomings. For example, the art leaves a bit to be desired - even for the era of its original publication. And the ending, while conclusive, seems cut short. Nonetheless, I'll be turning back to this for quite some time.
March 24, 2016
Decent
I would have given this four stars, but I found Tom Mandrakes art less than stellar. The story carries this telling Jon's origin and adding to it greatly. I've always enjoyed a lot of what John Ostrander writes and this was no different.
I would have given this four stars, but I found Tom Mandrakes art less than stellar. The story carries this telling Jon's origin and adding to it greatly. I've always enjoyed a lot of what John Ostrander writes and this was no different.
February 25, 2014
John Ostrander writing Martian Manhunter, what's not to love?
May 3, 2014
Good solid read, nothing special.
November 7, 2014
After reading Ostrander's first specter volume I knew I was going to enjoy his Manhunter run. This book was fantastic, I already have the second one and look forward to it!
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