Absolute Martian Manhunter (2025-) #2

Absolute Martian Manhunter (2025) (Single Issues)

by Deniz Camp, Javier Rodriguez (Artist)

The other-dimensional alien consciousness calling itself the Martian continues itsinvasion—and transformation—of John Jones’ mind! The by-the-book FBI agent hasbeen drafted into a cosmic war that will make him question the nature of realityand test his belief in good, evil, and free will!The weirdest hero of the Absolute Universe gets even weirder in this mind-bending,soul-baring issue #2

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Science Fiction, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

Kindle Edition

Published April 23, 2025

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still trippy, but now it's starting to go somewhere.



So now we're starting to piece together what the Martian is a bit more and how it might have come to be attached to John. No real explanations, just a vague outline as John tries to get the voice in head head to stop talking nonsense about a man out there who is planning to shoot up a neighborhood in a few hours.



If John doesn't start paying attention to the voice in his head, things might be far worse than just one neighborhood. Because this isn't a lone gunman, this is a psychic attack that's being carried out by an old enemy of our Martian.



Come for the art, stay for the story. Absolutely fucking cool.
Recommended.

[MrGlassWontBreak · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the “Martian” supposedly saved Jon’s life and fused their minds in the process. He begins to warn John of a rise in despair, paranoia, and rage in the human race, caused by an unknown alien, and a potential mass shooter about to attack a city.

The shooter attacks, and they face and stop him, but not after he kills s few people. Then they discover that his actions, along with everyone else's rise in negative emotions, were caused by a white Martian, who intends to destroy the Earth.

Not sure if I'm actually depicting the plot correctly, but this is a very fascinating take on the Martian Manhunter, a complete overhaul!

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute line is firing on all cylinders today. What a knockout issue, talking about mass murdering, and internal thoughts of death and hope. All in one amazing little issue.

[Vismund · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is just pure 🔥 right now...

[Colin Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow…the dynamic of John Jones and the Martian is so fully and unbelievably realized. Javier Rodríguez is creating an entirely new visual vocabulary, and Deniz Camp is fully utilizing that vocabulary to tell a powerful, unique story.

[Sam Theriault · Rating 5 out of 5]

2 issues in - is this the best comic of all time?

[Zoey · Rating 4 out of 5]

“None of this is happening. It’s all in your head.”
“What happens in your head also happens.”

I feel like those lines reflect this comic perfectly.

[Brent Chadha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camp and Rodriguez are going Shaq and Kobe and this is quickly becoming one of my favorite comics ever.

It’s colorful and psychedelic and noir and funny and dark and infinitely inventive. Every frame has 15 things going on and every page does something completely insane in a new way and this is the kind of stuff you can only make when you’re a Yoda-esque grandmaster of your art.

Also Martian putting his feet up on the dash despite being an extra-dimensional godlike being who doesn’t understand our concepts of space and time but knowing how to chill out transcends reality is iconic.

[Cody Lakin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this one when it was released but forgot to log it here. I loved the first issue. This feels like the only run of DC’s Absolute line that is a true reimagining. It is bursting with creative and artistic vision, it’s noirish and cosmic horror, it’s charming, funny, as well as tragic and heart-wrenching and even frightening.

This second issue made me wonder if I’m reading what will become one of the best comics I’ve ever encountered.

[Machiavelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just read Absolute Martian Manhunter #2 — this issue keeps leaning into the moody, noir vibe that works so well for J’onn. There’s some great inner monologue and detective work, plus a few creepy twists that dig deeper into his past. The pacing is still pretty slow, but the atmosphere and visuals carry it.

It’s not super action-packed, but if you like your Martian Manhunter stories introspective and a little eerie, this continues to deliver. Solid issue — curious to see where it goes next.

[Tyler Leto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two-in-one!

It's a team-up issue but Agent John Jones and the Martian Mind****er are mostly the same person in the same body. A fun chase and a hook for the real villain are all in play. And all with the most delicious art and gorgeous paneling. Like a candy colored sports car.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like how they are approaching mindreading in this series, despite the colorful art it’s very visceral here. This one dives into despair, prejudice, the fear of death and the possible mindset behind mass shootings. It’s heavy stuff and possibly traumatic if you’ve been in such a situation so keep that in mind before you read. It’s handled well here though I think.

And this is just one power that the Martian is filtering into John. I’m curious to see how his powers escalate and if the Martian is just a part of John’s psyche or a separate entity taking space in his body.

[Nick LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded down.

Cautiously optimistic that this storyline might be as good as it’s seeming. This issue addresses some serious topics with starting violence and surprising relevance. Good stuff!

Read as a single issue.

[Siegfried · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5,0
Art is still amazing, story is intriguing and... I don't know.
Some lore drops (White Martians)...
But he plainly says "Not exactvly martian, alien, yes"
ALSO he says he's a "m****hunter".
IT gets a bit confusing and weird that he is NOT martian per se and he's NOT a manhunter
So... what exactly was supposed to be called?
Great nonetheless, but weird
Also: love his design. God damn it

[Luca Mendes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been fantastic so far.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ridiculously heavy subject matter for something like this

[zachariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goodness, what a story.

The execution is perfect, and not a word or image is wasted.

[Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series might be an all timer, wow!

[Lucas Álvarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cómo explico que lloro con este cómic

[James B · Rating 5 out of 5]

quite a deep issue, MUCH better than the first.

[Annemarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This might just not really be for me. There is potential, and I can see why it's so popular, but it's not quite working for me yet. it's honestly quite a confusing "story". I get the vibes it's trying to show us, the mood is seeing, but I don't really feel like I have a clear idea of what exactly is trying to say. And maybe that's the point. but I'm not sure I personally like it.

[Preston Long]

It's actually simple: mental health is when green martian, mental illness is when white martian.

I still love the art and writing but I'm worried the series will suffer if it stops trying to be a mood piece and starts trying to tell a clear, cohesive story. I'd love to be proven wrong because this is the coolest thing I've read in a long time.

[Payton Dison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute Martian Manhunter continues to be the most creative, authentic, and brilliant comic series I have ever read. Every single panel, every single bubble, every single page - they’re all pure genius. This is not hyperbole. This is the aftereffect of having a stick of literary dynamite go off in your hand. This is the kind of art people sell their soul to make.

[Diana Prince · Rating 5 out of 5]

The "Martian" itself is revealed! I'm continuously deeply impressed with what Camp and Rodriguez are capturing here, it's so fantastic I'm still thinking about how vivid the artistry is hours later. I'm thrilled to see where they're headed with this story.

[a ☕︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

martian mind****er...real and true! the absolute runs of wonder woman, batman, and superman don’t come close to how good this one is and i mean that 🌥️

[Cybernex007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just knocking it out of the park once again. This issue filled me with so much emotion as it puts me in the same confusing place as John, just as the Martian describes his situation as only capable of seeing a sliver of everything and that his brain is still adapting…I feel like I am adapting alongside him. And only once I finish the issue am I able to look back and understand everything that I just read. Leaving off from the revelation at the end of the last issue that the Martian and Johnathan are now one…he is beginning to see things. Visions of a man who has killed his parents and believe that aliens have already invaded. John tries to ignore it but the Martian tries to explain to him that what happens in his head also happens in the real world. Just like John we can’t fully understand that the Martian is showing him other people in real time, his mind is still understanding. John is understandably flustered by this, and it doesn’t help that the Martian continues to show up in his vision in different spots throughout the world to talk to him, as such the Martian reached out and fills his head with calm. Shows him memories that just make sense, his honeymoon, the smell of his mom’s baking cane he fills his head with chemicals humans haven’t even discovered yet.

Now that we have reached a place of calm John is able to deny the situation in an entirely different light…there’s no way aliens exist we have been up to Mars and there are none. But MM explains that he is Martian as a concept, not specifically from Mars, and his world is so far away that is so distant it will burn out before light from Earth can reach it. But that is not the conversation they should be having now, the visions he showed John are happening and soon the killer will be on Certa street. Obviously Johnathan is still confused and when he questions MM about why he is even here, MM explains that they are here to hunt, save, redeem, and heal this world. “The human race is under attack.” As John walks past Madame Xanadu’s shop (I wish he would walk in, lol) he questions who the attacker is. As such MM activates Martian Vision and allows John to open his eyes and truly see everyone for the first time. Once he does he can see the thoughts of everyone around him floor out, and he sees despair, fear, paranoia, and rage…everywhere. There are “bad vibes” everywhere at an unnatural rate, which implies outside intervention to cause it. So MM is here as a healer.

But again this is not the time for discussion, John’s vision is still too limited and his brain is upgrading to understand it all. He can still see visions of the man with the gun, he has reached little Damascus and is about to open fire. And sure enough only moments later John gets the call about an active shooter at Certa, and based on GPS he is one of the closest. But just as John doesn’t understand everything he is experiencing…MM doesn’t understand human concepts like distance and time. As they drive to the location John’s head is here and there at the same time as he sees the shooting unfold. As John arrives to the scene he jumps out and MM jumps into the shooters head. John is able to see the people dying around him as he experiences their last memories in real time, at the exact same time he is able to get information about the shooter from MM and talk to him. He knows his name and he is able to convince him that he is one of his oldest friends from the 1st grade. At this point I want to take a second to say how amazing the art is, it’s been amazing the entire time but one of my favorite panels is when MM is crawling through the gunman’s head, trigger, and it looks like he is crawling through a tunnel as his eye shines light on all the memories looking for the cause of this shooting. John is able to keep Trigger calm and talking instead of shooting as he feels the fears of the people hiding around them, and eventually MM is able to find it. A bad idea planted in his mind that makes the shooter think everyone and everything is the enemy, subsequently making him recreate the movie “They Live,” on a group of innocent people. MM is able to disarm it, and as he does the shooter comes back to his senses and the weight of what he just did begins to weigh on him. MM now goes searching for the creation of the memory, but unfortunately more cops have shown up at this point and right as MM goes searching…they put a bullet through the shooter’s head. Lucky for us MM was able to find the source of the bad idea right before he was cut off…unfortunately it was also the worst possible outcome. The sad look on MM’s face says it all…but white Martians have also made their way to Earth. As the issue comes to an end John gets a talking to from his boss, he should have taken the shot himself instead of talking to the shooter. And as Johnathan climbs into bed and takes his bandages off he tells his wife it was just another usual day, but the final panel with John being replaced by the Martian tells a totally different story. Hahahahaha, I cannot wait for more!!

[Alexis Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This issue was absolutely fantastic. I love the human centric story and narrative. It reads much closer to a writer understands humanity from a psychological perspective but it’s grounded in understanding the deeper motivations and beauty and terrors that come with humanity. Wanting to understand humans not just shoot them in the head. Yes, they need to be stopped sometimes but it doesn’t always have to escalate to such high levels. John found something that worked and was interrupted. Partly because he doesn’t understand “humans” and also because he understands human too fucking well. He understands even the most vile and destructive humans are humans and they don’t just show up out of nothingness. He tries to understand and he does but he doesn’t realize in modern society humans are not to be understood they are to be managed and when in law enforcement the managed aspect is really distal from the humanity aspect, it’s only related when it’s for a human to enforce their will onto another. That is paralleled with John and his martian side. It feels oppressive to him and he isn’t able to shake it off, because it’s everyone and he carries it with him. He’s not able integrate tha part of him. Not yet, maybe never but at least not now. There’s something important standing in the way and John isn’t ready to face it. Perhaps in him trying to face and understand the thing that gets in the way for others maybe one day he can do it for others.

[Arch Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like to say I actually went and picked up the physical editions of 1 and 2. This series is shaping up to becoming the best selling in the Absolute Arc (in my opinion.)

Related to this issue, Agent Jones is now getting deeper into accepting the “Martian” that has invaded his mind. Realizing that the new consciousness is here to help and assist him make his part of the world safer. In this run, Jones is still running around town trying to understand what he is visualizing and experiencing until he gets a call about an active shooting that the Martian already knew was going to happen and was trying to prevent. Ultimately, it was semi-unsuccessful as Jones work life is seemingly to take a hit from not reacting as a normal agent should by neutralizing the shooter, but he’s learning more about his new “abilities” that will seemingly help him solve more cases effectively. They also learn that another Martian has come to earth to wreak havoc. The plot thickens.

An amazing arc building issue. The artwork and dialogue is still top tier, not as over the top as the first issue that hooked everyone in. Glad to see that it will be a recurring theme with amazing storyline. Easily 4.7/5 stars. Can’t wait for the next issue.

This is the Absolute series everyone should be reading though.

[R. C. Ripley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trippy as the last, but everything is starting to take form - just like John Jones. The duality between its chain-smoking main lead and his stoic green Martian partner starts to make more sense in this issue, by raising the stakes between its overarching narrative and intrapersonal conflict - alongside the physical conflict. The trippy visuals is amplified to its wits end. Primary colors clash with one another to create visuals that look larger than life to what we're used to with superhero titles. But, that's what separates this title with other contemporary ones, as its a title that takes creative liberties and isn't afraid to push the envelope. This is especially see within the last few pages, a personal favorite of mine at this point, where in its almost transgressive when compared to how it would normally playout within the contemporary climate comics are in.

Absolute Martian Manhunter continues to surprise me with every issue, and its definitely a ride - one that I'm willing to put myself in, from hell and back.

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing issue.

John Jones (and us) are still trying to fully understand the extent of his powers…or trauma. John is beginning to see the Martian everywhere he looks. Stop signs, parking meters, baby faces. The Martian is nearly is fully control of John’s psyche. While John spends half the issue trying to communicate with the mental creature, he gives in and listens to his thoughts.

The Martian guides John to an active shooter situation. The shooter believes aliens are out there and trying to disguise themselves as humans (which seems to become more and more true throughout these issues). The Martian infiltrates the shooters mind and uses memory’s to help John stop the massacre.

The illustrations are still phenomenal. The story intrigues me and it still isn’t clear cut on what the Martian actually is. The end of the issue gives us a hint at a new villain and expands the story into new areas. I love everything this story has to offer.