This striking image, though I think there may be something slightly off about it, can't quite figure out what, appears on the first page of Justice Society of America #41 and is drawn by Mark Bagley and Rob Hunter. I think on the periphery of my awareness, in that careening cosmic vapour I call my mind, I had grown aware of the existence of a girl Martian in the DC universe but this issue made me want to find out about her, so I did some research.She's a white Martian, and I know what those are from having read the the original Blanx stories in Justice League of America #71 and #144 of the original series, and the first arc of the nineties reboot, and some other stories. They're mad, bad, and dangerous to know. I see that through various storylines in the Teen Titans, which I haven't collected for a few years, not really because I didn't like it but because of redirecting comic funds to back issues and suchlike, that she has been revealed as one of the good ones - or maybe the good one.
Anyway, I like the idea of Miss Martian, as it seems like time Martian Manhunter had a kind of girl counterpart. This all falls under the heading of a larger concern, which is that I was thinking about how my Martian Manhunter cred was, for as I revealed in the now classic entry of July 28, I recently bought a shirt with MM, along with several other heroes, on it and started thinking about what a genuinely great character he is. So fortunately there is the great and informative blog, Idol Head of Diabolu, which also looks at Jemm Son of Saturn about whom I unfortunately know very little, though he recently made an intriguing cameo in I believe it was Adventure Comics, in a sequence that I think is meant to help tie together his Saturn with that of Saturn Girl.
I'm not really going anywhere with this, other than that looking at Idol-head and other sources, I feel I might have almost half MM cred, anyway. I have a pretty good number of what are the key MM stories, in one form or another - by which I mean some are reprints of old classics. But I've read those two I mentioned as well as his kind of comeback in DC Comics Presents #27, plus his return to the Justice League and of course the Oreo years in JLI. And didn't he turn into a woman one time in Justice League Task Force? Though I admit I don't have those issues, I was reading a friend's copies. But I guess he has always been there and I think for Justice League members he would probably be the same, the guy who's always there but you don't think about much. Kinda reminds me of me, maybe that's why I like him.
But I really know nothing about his little Silver Age buddy, Zook. Think I might have to go out and get the Showcase reprints soonish.
4 comments:
I won't dissuade you from more Martian reading, but I've got pretty good Zook coverage in the '60s comic section. As for Teen Titans, from what I've read on your blog, give it a wide berth. Mean, violent, shallow comics.
Read Martian Manhunter: American Secrets. Quite possibly the best Martian Manhunter story out there.
Then read the 1988 Martian Manhunter mini (four issues) by J.M. DeMatteis.
Reading those two things will give you about an 87% increase in Martian Manhunter Cred, guaranteed.
Oh, and after those two, if you haven't already, read DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke.
Okay, your Martian Manhunter tuteledge is now complete.
Thanks the both of you! Yes, I was wondering if I wanted to read about Zook on the MM blog or wait until I'd read the old stories. Maybe I'll read the blog first.
I read the first half of New Frontier and have seen the movie. I like the covers so much I might try to get ahold of the original issues.
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