Absolute Martian Manhunter #7 is a Hauntingly Beautiful Return (Review)

If you’re like me, you have been counting the days since the last issue of Absolute Martian Manhunter. While the entire Absolute line has been an enormous success for DC Comics, I think it’s fair to call Deniz Camp and Javier Rodríguez’s comic the true breakout hit. Sure, Absolute Batman and Absolute Wonder Woman are top-of-the-line books, but Absolute Martian Manhunter got so many people talking to the point where its first collected edition became one of the best graphic novels sold in November. And it’s because of that success that DC continued what was originally a six-issue miniseries.

It was four months ago that the series concluded its first major arc. Detective John Jones and his partner, a psychic entity known as the Martian, were caught up in a major battle with the Martian’s diametric opposite, the White Martian. The duo battled with White Martian and the unfortunate people it possessed, and thanks to John accessing his inner emotions, the Martian was able to push back against the White Martian’s influence with contagious empathy. But while things all seemed good, the White Martian lived on, now secretly inhabiting the body of John’s son, Tyler.

Rating: 4.5/5

Absolute Martian Manhunter #7 is a Poignant Return to Form

Camp and Rodríguez’s Absolute Martian Manhunter #7 takes place a few months after the events of the previous issue. Things have changed considerably after the people of Middleton experienced Martian Vision during the White Martian’s attack. Everyone’s embarrassed and ashamed by their thoughts, feelings, and memories blending into one another. But it’s not just the people who are acting weirdly. John and his wife have separated. Though we only get hints of what happened, it seems that John’s admission of having a psychic parasite living in his head drove a serious wedge in his marriage.

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All John can do is get back to work at the FBI, where he’s been cleared of all wrongdoing from the White Martian’s attack. Of course, he’s riding a desk now, and a close eye is being kept on him by a suspicious fellow agent. But as much as John wants to suppress his feelings and live his life, the Martian warns him that the odd behavior they’re seeing in Middleton’s people is the White Martian. With the evil entity in hiding, it’s laying the groundwork for an even worse attack on humanity.

Absolute Martian Manhunter’s Second Act Improves Everything Fans Loved

There’s a reason Absolute Martian Manhunter dominates many fans’ conversations about the Absolute Universe. It’s because it really is one of the best character-driven stories and has some of the most creative imagery of any Absolute title. Camp and Rodríguez continue to be a dream team on this book. While I love all the fast-paced superhero action in a title like Absolute Batman, I can’t help but heap praise on the incredibly human melancholy Absolute Martian Manhunter channels in just twenty-something pages.

Camp excels at making John a captivating protagonist. Even at the center of a psychic alien war, John just wants to pick up the pieces of his life and move on. At its core, this issue deals with the unfortunate realities of emotional vulnerability. John exposed his secret about the Martian to Bridget, which cost him his marriage. The citizens of Middleton shared their minds, now everyone’s too ashamed to look at one another. I swear, every issue of this series is like a therapy session that makes me contemplate the way I think and feel and connect with others.

And I can’t say enough good things about Rodríguez’s art. The decision to take an extended break to prevent another artist from filling in was 100% the correct move. His art heightens the emotional weight of this series. And in case you were wondering, yes, we get a new Martian Vision page where two pages blend by looking at it through a light source. But here, the page is used to highlight Jones’ disconnect from his family, making what he’s going through hit that much harder. I swear, these two seriously brought their A-game for this new arc.

Absolute Martian Manhunter #7 is everything fans love about this series. It’s weird, it’s painful, it’s sad, and it’s damn beautiful. It’s rare to find a comic that makes you feel such a gamut of emotions, but I’m happy to say that not a thing has changed since the last issue. If you loved what we’ve gotten so far with Absolute Martian Manhunter, you’re in for a real treat with this. And if you’ve been wondering if this is the series for you, now’s the perfect time to check it out.

Are you excited that Absolute Martian Manhunter is back? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!