Comics Review
Martian Manhunter: Volume 1 The Epiphany Review
Is There Life In Mars?
Martian Manhunter: Volume 1 The Epiphany
Writer: Rob Williams
Artists: Eddy Barrows & Eber Ferreira, Diogenes Neves & Marc Deering
Colourist: Gaeb Eltaeb
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
DC Comics
Martian Manhunter is a character that, although he has been around since the 1950s, DC have often found it hard to do anything interesting or different with him. There have been a few high points in the character’s checkered history including Darwyn Cooke’s portrayal in The New Frontier and sometimes he was a decent regular player in the various Justice League incarnations at DC over the years.Welsh writer Rob Williams, who has displayed a lightness of touch with much of his work including Vertigo’s The Royals and Judge Dredd in 2000AD, was an interesting choice when the title was first announced. This collection reprints the first six issues of the current run and Williams has managed to make a very decent fist of proceedings indeed. The modern Martian Manhunter is a very alien character, appropriately, who has gone to ground with a series of secret identities. Barrows brings Williams’ story to life with panache and new creations like Mister Biscuits and thief The Pearl are imbued with enough personality to make them leap off the page. Williams’ deft touch with humour is in evidence here and he does play the alien conspiracy card, the idea that there are evil Martians among us with only the Manhunter able to save us, with some style. I am not convinced that the character has enough depth to warrant a long-running series but I am happy for Williams and Barrows to prove me wrong. Martian Manhunter is one of the better DC superhero books currently being published and let’s hope that it doesn’t get swept away in the latest relaunch for the line that is predicted to happen in the summer.
JOEL MEADOWS
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