One of DC Comics most iconic heroes that rarely gets the recognition that he deserves has to be Martian Manhunter. While actor David Harewood has done a marvelous job bringing the live action version of the hero to life on The CW’s Supergirl, the comics have not had a proper Martian Manhunter series since writer Rob William’s 12 issue Martian Manhunter series ended in May of 2016. Fans have been clamoring to see the hero get his own run now that DC Rebirth is in full swing and he has returned as the chairman of the Justice League. Now fans can rest assured that this is in fact happening in a recent DC Comics announcement.
New Martian Manhunter Series
The Hollywood Reporter recently announced that DC Comics will launch a 12-issue limited series of the Martian Manhunter, with issue 1 launching this December. The series is debuting from the Batman/The Shadow creative team of writer Steve Orlando and artist Riley Rossmo. This comes on the heels of news that Steve Orlando is now in the midst of renewing his exclusive contract, making this new series the third he’s working on. He currently works on the ongoing Wonder Woman series and is in the midst of developing a Jack Kirby inspired miniseries titled The Electric People.
New Origins
The comic series is set to explore the hero’s origins once more, as the series begins with the Martian Manhunter resuming his human form and returning to his life as a police detective. During an investigation of a murder, he finds a connection to his past on Mars that will send him reeling and diving head first back into the past he thought he’d left behind on Mars. This will lead to Orlando exploring not only J’onn’s past but Martian culture and history as a whole in the DC universe.
Relatable Hero
One thing that Orlando hopes to do is make the character less perfect than his previous portrayals have been. The best heroes have deep flaws and haunted pasts, such as Barry Allen not being fast enough to save his mother as child or Bruce Wayne being too afraid to stop his parent’s murders, yet J’onn’s past has been that of the last survivor of Mars, with his family being taken out during a war that was out of his hands and being a perfect, morally incorruptible cop both on Mars and Earth. This new series will bring new memories and information on the character to light, making him much more relatable to audiences, at least that’s Orlando’s hope.
What do you guys think? Are you excited to see the Martian Manhunter get his own series? What other heroes deserve their own series that don’t have one yet? Leave your thoughts below.
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Want more Martian Manhunter? Check out the latest trailer for The CW’s Supergirl season 4 down below.
