My Favorite Martian Blogapalooza!

ComicsTheory is participating in the ‘My Favorite Martian’ Blog Hop (hosted by http://www.thegeektwins.com, http://justadashofgeek.com, http://lkhill.blogspot.com and www.comicbookandmoviereviews.com), and as is customary, I will be spotlighting my personal favorite alien- J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter!

The Martian Manhunter first burst onto the scene in 1955 as the lovechild of Joseph Samachson and Joe Certa. The very last living martian, J.onn was accidentally transported to Earth by Dr. Erdel. While on Earth he became a renowned super hero, and eventually became a cornerstone of the Justice League. Since the New 52, J’onn has become a bit more aggressive, working in the shadows with Stormwatch until defecting to the Justice League of America.

The key to J’onn’s appeal is something Superman never truly seemed to capitalize on- being the last of his kind, on an alien planet where he is looked up to as a god, J’onn feels a profound sense of isolation. Quiet and meditative, the Manhunter is a true outsider. He can never truly replace what he has lost, which keeps him at a distance from even those closest to him. Almost every person feels truly alone at least once in their life, and for many that feeling never truly disappears, especially in the most contemplative of us. Martian Manhunter may be one of the most powerful and unique heroes in all of print, but despite the surface level differences, he relates to readers on a deep, psychological level. While that may not always lead to direct sales success in a visual-primary medium, it has kept the character relevant and iconic since his inception over a half-century ago. For many, J’onn J’onzz is considered the heart of DC, and there is perhaps no greater legacy he could possibly leave behind.

For those of you following through the Blog Hop, I hope you enjoy my little corner of the internet and I hope it gets you to look at the potential of comics in a new light. Like me on Facebook, and feel free to join the comics conversation with ComicsTheory!

Posted by admin on January 21st, 2013 Posted in Opinion

14 Comments

Liesel Hill says:

January 21, 2013 at 6:03 pm

You know I didn’t know this guy before today, but he’s getting lots of love with this blog fest. I’ll have to check him out. My Martian Post. Happy Monday!

ComicsAndMovies (@ComicsAndMovies) says:

January 21, 2013 at 6:37 pm

Great choice, CT. J’onn has been one of those characters that is always missed when he’s gone, but hardly used when he’s there.

I loved following his exploits in his Ostrander and Mandrake series, plus his time with the Giffen / Dematteis League is now the stuff of Legend.

Shame he didn’t last that long in Stormwatch. Hope his reemergence in JLA is worth the wait.

By the way, nice blog, pal. Please free to connect to mine via GFC, OK?

MPax (@mpax1) says:

January 21, 2013 at 8:27 pm

An interesting choice. I’m not familiar with that one. Thanks for introducing me. Great to meet you.

admin says:

January 22, 2013 at 4:26 am

Great to meet you too! Martian Manhunter is a great character- watch a few episodes of ‘Justice League’ to see one of the best character translations from comics to television.

Reply

dadlovesmovies says:

January 21, 2013 at 9:21 pm

Never much followed the Martian Manhunter, but he’s definitely a solid choice for “My Favorite Martian”

Alex J. Cavanaugh says:

January 21, 2013 at 11:06 pm

J’onn! Awesome choice. Big JLA fan.

Tony Laplume says:

January 22, 2013 at 1:25 am

J’onn is so massively underappreciated. Although to be fair to Superman, in recent years a greater emphasis has been placed on his status as an alien on Earth.

mauricem1972 says:

January 22, 2013 at 2:55 am

That’s a great point about being an isolated alien. Thanks for joining!

admin says:

January 22, 2013 at 4:24 am

Thanks! I’m new to blogging, but I hope to become a big part of the blogging community, and the comics community in general.

Reply

Craig Edwards says:

January 22, 2013 at 5:55 am

Terrific choice – for a character who started out as a Superman also-ran – there was enough of a foundation for subsequent writers to fashion a truly cool character out of ol’ J’onn! Cheers!