REVIEW: ‘Absolute Martian Manhunter’ Issue 1

Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 1 is published by DC Comics. Written by Deniz Camp, art and colors by Javier Rodríguez and letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

This is part of the Absolute Universe. A detective starts to believe he’s going insane after an explosion and he can see and hear things others can’t. But the truth is something within him.

The very fabric of this crime story is slowly eaten away by the marvelous madness that takes over instead. A seemingly regular family man, John Jones, is trying to investigate a bombing. But around him, the world isn’t cooperating. The detective side of Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 1 becomes secondary to the melting of his world. Camp is a master at experimenting and interfering with traditional story structures, constantly finding new ways of writing comic book plots. In some ways, the issue tries to be linear and messy at the same time.

The slow descent into complete deconstruction makes the book accessible. It’s clever, operating on multiple levels. There are bits of the plot that are circular and methodical. The explosion keeps circulating, and the miracle of John keeps resurfacing. The plot is slow, pulling us deeper into the ocean of comprehension to transfix readers. It’s a psychological thriller with a soft sci-fi twist that rapidly gets harder. By the end of the first chapter, The world that Absolute Manhunter Issue 1 started in has entirely dissolved.

John Jones is something of a blank canvas. He doesn’t have much personality. Instead, others fill it for him. His wife expounds and reveals how great a father he is, but his boss, the head of his FBI task force, thinks he’s cold and hates him. There are differing accounts of what he’s like as a person. The narration and dialogue can also offer differing accounts.

John can be analytical and ponderous, but he’s also dishonest and does not tell everyone everything. At the same time, the dialogue describes his descent into madness. John knows something is wrong with him, but no one is listening. Sometimes, a caption changes the entire premise and shatters the plot. And yet, it is delivered so coldly through calm and matter-of-fact lettering.

The most genre-changing aspect of Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 1 is the artwork. Rodríguez works on a theme that is staggering to behold. This series has a balance between patterns and randomness, and that can be seen in the entire of the opening chapter. There is often a strange geometry in the rooms, revealing most of the location without completing the house or structure. In these instances, there are straight lines but not squares. This leads to odd angles and a peculiar layout.

John looks normal and bland, and that is entirely intentional. He’s got a very round head and eyes, with a basic set of clothes and hairstyle. To give him more discernible features, he has bandaids on his face. His eyes bore into the soul, spaced out and struggling to focus. There are often busy scenes around him, bustling streets and people, but John never seems to pay attention to them. Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 1 becomes a noir during the crime scene investigations. Here, the buildings are fully realized, giving a sense of place and hinting at a mysterious event.

But the comic can also melt.  There is a sudden transition into flailing, random lines that are made of the world around John. The background is morphing and shifting. This gets more pertinent and impossible to miss as the issue progresses. The lines come out of peoples’ ears like smoke. Eventually, the whole panel fades away into bizarre, bewildering imagery. It’s here where other examples of art styles, usually seen in exhibitions, have invaded comic book art to a marvelous effect. It’s all building up to an equally captivating and unnerving reveal.

The colors are also intriguing. The regular, human aspects of the comic are dull and somewhat bleak. It’s a mixture of grey and other bland shades. But when the book gets weird, it gets much more colorful. These intense, vibrant tone streaks fill the comic like someone spilled a whole color palette onto the page. Red, blue, green, orange, pink, every color of the rainbow, and then some. They don’t merge but instead deliberately clash. They morph and change to show images.

Sometimes, little strands move into the sky like streams of smoke, and other times, the whole panel explodes in intensity. Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 1 heavily utilizes empty space. To compensate for that, the page is a cream tone instead of just a solid white, which is less harsh on the eyes.

Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 1 is more of an experience than a story. Camp and Rodríguez love to play around with conventions, which are on display on every page. The story structure and the art are there to cause wonder. It’s brilliant in every aspect, mainly because it’s completely changing the genre. Rules are being broken, meaning the comic contains elements rarely seen in the medium. It’s a game changer, precisely what the Absolute Universe is for. To make superhero comics unlike any other.

Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 1 is available where comics are sold.