REVIEW: ‘Absolute Martian Manhunter’ Issue 2

Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 2 is published by DC Comics. Written by Deniz Camp, art and colors by Javier Rodríguez and letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

Detective Jones’ world has been transformed by the appearance of a Martian in his mind, leading him to an active shooter.

This issue continues to warp both the world and the minds of the people reading it. Now that the reveal of the Martian is out, the feeling is more of “what now?” The pacing is slow but constant, leading Jones through the city and showing how things have changed. It’s a journey of discovery and peculiar emotions, threatening to overwhelm at any point. Occasionally, the book allows that chaos to seep in and boggle the mind; other times, it gets quieter to deliver a powerful punch.

It’s difficult to know where the plot is going for a while because it’s confined in its own world, but then it starts heading towards danger. A gunman is taking innocent lives. However, even the confrontation is unlike what should happen in a superhero comic. Even with people bleeding out, the tension is slow and the speed never increases. It’s a conversation, talking to the shooter and getting inside his head. There is a feeling of serenity throughout all of Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 2 despite the death and danger.

The dialogue and characters are still so fascinating. Jones is still blank and does not display a personality. Instead, he acts confused and dazed, simply asking questions. It’s like he’s dissociating from the real world as it’s melting. But he has to be quieter because the world around him is getting so noisy. The Martian is speaking to him, and it’s a myriad of voices, opinions and personalities. It’s a lot of knowledge all at once. Sometimes there are single-word answers, and other times there are longer explanations. There are warnings of things to come, both on this Earth and off it.

Depending on how this story progresses, the Martian, or Jones is picking up on the thoughts in other people’s heads. So there can be heaps of information coming that explains why Jones is so overwhelmed. The comic gets more emotive than ever as people start to be injured and die. It gives context and a goodbye to every single person.

The art is captivating. There is creative and unique imagery on every single page. It’s the most abstract style I’ve ever seen in a comic book. The world melts and moulds, turning streets, buildings and people into wriggling lines and shapeless masses. The Martian is constantly becoming something new. It has that big, bizarre form, with one eye and a mouth. It follows Jones, sitting in the car with him or just floating around. It also becomes objects. Signposts, mailboxes and others. Occasionally, it takes a second to find it on the panel, but it is there.

The space around the panels returns, as does the angular, geometric approach to some buildings and layouts. Alongside the weirdness is a disturbing, gripping crime story surrounded and enhanced by imagery. The shooter situation has a lot of grim and horrifying displays of violence that ground the world, suggesting that there is a real world that is being torn apart after all.

The colors are pivotal to the storytelling and the mystery of the art. The book can go from dull, with only a few bright shades visible, to a smorgasbord of intense tones. It blends the madness with the real world, the mundane with the absurd. When the colors erupt, are stark and utterly breathtaking. They are also great and helping make sense of what’s happening. The thoughts radiate out of people like smoke, each with their own color. This means you can follow the smoke to the person and discover their thoughts. Rodríguez can also get dark and scary, filling the page with red when blood begins to flow. But their consciousness flows from the victims too.

The lettering is perfect for the flexibility of Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 2. The text is easy to read, especially regarding captions and narration. However, the characters can often get distracted, and Otsmane-Elhaou presents that on the page. Like the colors, people’s thoughts can flow out of passers-by. The text is kept within the confines of the smoke, shedding any traditional word balloon and letting the words move in strange ways.

Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 2 is more than just genre-defining, it’s genre-melting. It’s the most mind-boggling superhero comic in years, breaking rules like they’re not there. It’s an abstract art gallery with a terrific storyline unfolding within it. Even as the world is morphing like it’s made out of plasticine, a quirky buddy-cop comic with a detective and his Martian co-pilot is starting to take shape. Look at the pages wrong and it breaks your mind. But allow your brain to be fluid and there’s so much within.

Absolute Martian Manhunter Issue 2 is available where comics are sold.