Martian Manhunter leaving Stormwatch?

As probably assumed, I am an avid comic book reader, and even though my tastes may wax and wane as creative teams get shuffled about there are still a of couple characters and teams that I always love reading about.

One such character is the grossly underappreciated Martian Manhunter.

For the uninitiated, Martian Manhunter possesses similar strength and speed to that of Superman, but he is also laced with strong psychic powers and has the ability to shift into any form. Pretty snazzy, right? Personally, I have found it frustrating that the Manhunter from Mars has not hit the mainstream populous, but due to the lack of an early fan base and some unusual character development choices throughout the years he has largely remained along the sidelines when compared to the Trinity and Green Lantern.

He led the Justice League of America for many years in the 1980s and Grant Morrison’s JLA in the late 90’s/early 00’s, in perhaps his most influential runs, before being cast as the martyr in DC’s Final Crisis. Finally reemerging during DC’s famously complex Final Crisis the Manhunter from Mars was slain, but like all superheroes and villains with potential, he was revived in Geoff John’s Brightest Day maxi-series.

With DC relaunching its universe in September of 2011 the Martian Manhunter became an integral part in Wildstorm turned DC franchise, Stormwatch. Paul Cornell, who is an amazingly talented science fiction writer, grabbed reigns of the new ongoing series, but was sadly yanked from the run after only one story arc, and replaced by Peter Milligan.

Unfortunately, I have a huge stack of recent back issues that I have been meaning to read, but just not gotten around to. However, this morning I was able to start cracking into my monstrous pile with a nice cup of Seattle’s Best. One such unread title that I got to peruse and finally read was Stormwatch #12, which primarily focuses on Martian Manhunter wiping the minds of his fellow teammates, so that he could leave the team without any repercussions. The Shadow Lords (the otherworldly benefactors of Stormwatch) allow him to break their coveted rule of ‘no one leavesStormwatch alive,' but in return they ask a favor of him. This little plot detail leaves a nice open-ended plotline for the Martian Manhunter to follow as time progresses.

For me this plot twists came as a complete and utter shock. First off, I only started reading Stormwatch for Paul Cornell’s writing and Martian Manhunter. Now, with the proactive missing in action I see almost no other reason to continuing reading the series. Besides the unfortunate turn of events in an otherwise solid series a more important question comes to mind: What will DC do with Martian Manhunter?

It stands to reason that the creative team behind Stormwatch could be leading up to a story arc that would better fit a solo working Martian Manhunter. This would create a unique split narrative that might better flesh out the character development of those in Stormwatch, which would imply that Martian Manhunter would return to the team (in an official capacity) at the conclusion of the plotline. Also, Geoff Johns’ and Jim Lee’s Justice League has made slight references to Martian Manhunter, so his exodus from Stormwatch could merely insinuated that his introduction to the Justice League is imminent. Or, with DC’s cancellations coming up in September Martian Manhunter could be thrown a bone and receive his own title, or even a group to lead that would be comparable to the stellar (but, unfortunately canceled!) Justice League International.

Honestly, who knows what DC has in store for the good Martian, but one thing is for certain they better include him in something. He is a stellar character who is slowly garnishing the attention that he deserves. He is gracefully reaching the upper echelons of awesomeness.

I love the character so much I even named my personal comic book blog after him. So, to not see him in anything reoccurring would be practically maddening for a fan boy like me.

Check out character bios over at the DC Comics' website, and do not forget to check back here—I have a surprise hitting the Internets tomorrow.

(SOURCE: Martian Manhunter leaving Stormwatch?)

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The NEW 52: Ravagers #1

Ravagers hits you with a dull thud the moment you take a gander at it.  The cover is riddled with eye-distracting text, which effectively buries any semblance of artwork beneath its heel.  On a related note, I am surprised by the lack of fact checking that took place on the cover.  Artist Jeremy Whittington pointed out to me that two of the team members are misnamed, due to a transposition, creating a fairly blatant error that now gets to rest upon comic book shelves all across the country for all to see DC’s wonderful editing skills. 

As guessed, the first impressions of Ravagers #1 are not a stellar.  The Ravagers spins out of the Titans Titans crossover, The Culling.  Essentially, the Harvester (a villain from Legion Lost’s time period) has meta-humans compete in what is dubbed the ‘Culling’ to see which are skilled and strong enough to become his own personal minions, otherwise known as the Ravagers.  These individuals are often tortured and experimented on in order to enhance or evolve their power sets.  This often has horrible side effects resulting in unstable abilities and memory gaps and/or loss.  However, despite all of this, in the closing pages of theCulling a small group of Ravagers escape and try to begin anew in Ravagers #1. 

The first issue of this new DC series begins and ends rather sluggishly.   Led by Harvester scientist Fairchild aids the beguiled Ravagers to the surface above the underground complex amidst a flurry of snow and broken ice.  Almost immediately the loose knit team splinters, pairs off, and takes their own lives in hand in an effort escape.

There is some brief dialogue between the characters, but the comic tries to pick up again when two of Harvester’s more prominent Ravagers (Warblade and Rose Wilson) arrive on site to wrestle the remaining Ravagers back into their cages.  In desperation the team reforms under Fairchild’s leadership and instead of fighting the two head on they use Thunder’sunchecked power to cut off a section of the ice shelf successfully separating themselves from their enemies and plunging them into the newly created chasm. 

On the whole, the Ravagers is much worse than last month’s G.I. Combat.  For a second I almost thought that I was reading a J.T. Krul penned comic, but alas I was mistaken.  Like Krul, the dialogue and plot structure are clumsy and ill structured.  I see the intent behind some the scenes, but they are injected at odd junctures and try to convey much deeper motifs than can be explained in a single issue. 

From my understanding one of the main tenants of theRavagers’ dynamic is the simple fact that they are essentially tortured meta-humans with a tampered moral compass.  As a group they are going to have to ascertain their place upon the good vs. evil battlefield, and instead of setting some underlying narrative to dive into this as the series progresses there are particular snippets that try too hard to explain something too complex for the infancy of the series.

The art is middle of the road.  It’s not bad, but it’s not Jim Lee’s Superman either.  I was hoping that I would be dazzled with a brilliant splash page or two after slogging through such poor narrative, but alas I was wrong again.

 I give Ravagers #1 two-out-of five stars; I’d shelve this one and move on to something more intriguing.  DC has rolled out some great titles, but unfortunately this isn’t one of them.  Save yourself the trouble and pick up Dial H to satisfy your hankering for something fresh.

Also, don’t forget to check out more of DC’s New 52 at your local Spokane comic book shop, Merlyn’s, downtown on Main Street.  They’ve recently changed their pricing to include 20% off of graphic novels and 50% off of back issue comics 2011 and older.  It’s a stellar deal, but it’s first come first serve, so stake your claim quick.  Stayed tuned for my upcoming review on DC’s first Before Watchmen title, Minutemen #1.  Here’s a preview: It’s Awesome!

(SOURCE: The NEW 52: Ravagers #1)

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Comic Book of Week (1.4.2012)

Red Lanterns #5

Prior Comics of the Week

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The NEW 52: Week 4 Wrap-Up

In the final week of DC's big relaunch some the biggest hitters of the month led the September extravaganza to a stellar conclusion.  If you get a chance I would highly recommend picking up Aquaman #1, The Flash #1, and The Savage Hawkman #1.  These were by far the best of the best of the week.  Some definitely have some potential, but akin to Justice League #1, they kind of had a slow start and thus didn't make the recommedation list.  Of these I think that Green Lantern: The New Guardians and Teen Titans will take off in the coming months and will be truly great runs.

Here are a list of notable reviews:

1.  All-Star Western #1

2.  Aquaman #1

3.  Batman: The Dark Knight #1

4.  Blackhawks #1

5.  Justice League Dark #1

6.  Superman #1

7.  Teen Titans #1

8.  The Flash #1

9.  The Fury of Firestorm #1

10.  The Green Lantern: The New Guardians #1

11.  The Savage Hawkman #1

12.  Voodoo #1

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The NEW 52: Resurrection Man #1

Resurrection Man is written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with art by Fernando Dagnino and colors by Santi Arcas.  (With cover art by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado)

Resurrection Man has a very interesting premise and power.  Resurrection Man is technically immortal, however, he can be killed; upon his death he is resurrected (hence the name) and receives a new power related to his death and/or rising.

Issue #1 begins with Mitch Shelly (aka Resurrection Man) describing the metal about his corpse as he lays upon a gurney with an M.E. performing his autopsy.  He describes the cold metal slab beneath him, the taste of metal deep within his gums, and his abnormal sense of other metallic objects in the room (including the coroner’s watch).  Shortly after the M.E. leaves the room Resurrection Man is painfully resurrected.  He then proceeds to gather up an ID and some wearable clothing from the nearby locker room.  Intuition tells him he needs to head to the nearest airport to catch a flight.

Besides his ability to resurrect and subsequent power he also is ‘gifted’ with a notion or a nagging idea of where to proceed once he is revived –akin to a indirect, more cerebral Greek call to action-.  This time around he feels the need to take a particular flight, and thus heads to the airport to satisfy his mind’s urge.

He makes his flight and in a sudden twist the patron who ‘happens’ to sit beside him ends up being something a little more than human, which results in a stellar ending to the issue and sets up for a great story arc to be continued well into the next issue.

Personal Thoughts:  I really enjoyed Resurrection Man almost solely on the principle that it felt ‘new’ to me.  He is an interesting character that I had not really caught onto when he debuted in the late nineties.  His powers are truly unique and he comes off as a more realistic character who just happens to have powers instead of an invincible hero with a cape.  His powers are not the standard super strength, speed, or flight abilities given to most heroes and villains to some degree or another, and because of this he stands out amongst them. 

Due to Resurrection Man’s ability to overcome even death he is technically more powerful than even Batman or Superman.  This coupled with the aforementioned statement makes for an intriguing dichotomy, which will further create some out of the ordinary story arcs that I think will stand out from other comic book runs.

Overall, the art is slick and the writing is superb; definitely a week two gem of DC’s NEW 52.  I give Resurrection Man four-out-of-five stars.  Do not forget to check out Resurrection Man #2 which releases 10.12.2011; it is sure to tingle even the dead’s literary senses. 

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