‘Martian Manhunter #7’ (review)

Written by Steve Orlando
Art by Riley Rossmo
Published by DC Comics

“I’m not as scared of a monster that’s got my back, Jones.”

This month we’re treated to a long-overdue action team-up between the Martian Manhunter and his human partner, Diane Meade.

Charnn has tipped his hand, or so it appears. Not only has he announced his presence to J’onn, in typical villain over-confidence, but he and Meade have finally broken into the local kidnapping ring that make up part of his operation.

So, in they go, all hardcore police raid and guns blazing, to bring it down and get the bad guy. The sequence is a wonderful bit of storytelling, because despite the revelations of the previous issues, here we have J’onn and Meade side by side as John Jones and Diane Meade, doing what they’ve spent years doing together – being heroes.

The scene goes a long way to demonstrating the sort of hero J’onn is destined to become, particularly when Meade talks him into using his powers, despite the conflicting emotions she still has roiling around about her erstwhile partner. You can tell she’s getting used to the idea, though it’s been helpful to see her extreme reaction to J’onn up till now.

After all, who wouldn’t be upset?

But Meade knows a hero when she sees one. And that goes a long way in her book.

The story is also helped by a healthy dose of sobriety. We’ve had some glimpse into the sort of horror Charnn is capable of. This issue we see just what he’s been up to. And it isn’t pretty.

Perhaps as a dove-tail to events that are unfolding over in the Justice League, it appears Charnn has been trying to perfect his own hybrids of martian and human DNA, one that will allow him finally to escape the unchangeable prison of his own body. Trouble is, the only resources he has with which to perfect his work are… human bodies.

Human bodies like Ashley Adams, our young damsel in distress, who appears to be holding up to Charnn’s process quite well so far. In fact, it looks more and more like Ms. Adams isn’t going to escape this encounter unchanged… if she manages to escape it at all.

It’s another excellent issue of one of this year’s best books. Storytellers Steve Orlando and Rossmo Riley are on the top of their game, and the work they’re producing together is a dream.

And now that they’ve got all of this groundwork out of the way, it’s time to get down to business.

Next Issue: Who was John Jones?