Absolute Martian Manhunter Vol. 1
Not a Martian, Not a man. Absolutely insane.
DC Comics’ new Absolute Universe follows Marvel’s Ultimate Universe formula of the early 2000s in creating an ongoing parallel universe with drastically different interpretations of their characters. Unlike the pinnacle of gritty realism that was the original Ultimate Universe, this new Absolute Universe makes no attempt to emulate the real world. This new world asks the question, “What would the heroes of the DC Universe become in a world where the villains have already won?” Each title makes foundational changes to each and every character. Batman’s not rich; Wonder Woman is a witch and Superman didn’t arrive on Earth until his teens. This might be the biggest departure from the original characters since this new universe was created. Traditionally, J’onn J’onzz is a Green Martian from the planet Mars. He is a shapeshifter, telepath, and enjoyer of Chocos cookies. His civilian identity is a private investigator named John Jones. None of that is the case in this new title.
Written by Deniz Camp with art by Javier Rodriguez and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Absolute Martian Manhunter follows F.B.I. agent John Jones as he goes back to work following being injured by an explosion while on duty. His body has healed but something has hitched a ride in his brain. An alien consciousness going by “the Martian” despite explicitly not being from Mars, has integrated its alien perception of reality with Jones’. John must now reconcile his everyday concerns and anxieties of being a husband and father with the human and alien threats exposed to him with help from “the Martian”.
This series swept at the 2026 Eisner Awards. It was nominated for eight awards and won four. The writer Deniz Camp won an Eisner for this title as well as his own comic creation published through Image Comics, Assorted Crisis Events. Deniz Camp has quickly risen to a household name among comics fans. Along with his success with Absolute Martian Manhunter and Assorted Crisis Events, Camp just wrapped up three celebrated volumes of The Ultimates for Marvel Comics and another original creation partnered with Image in the form of 20th Century Men.
All of this success is warranted. His writing range is never more apparent than in titles like Martian Manhunter. His writing combines a detective story with not-entirely-comprehensible extra-dimensional forces like a technicolor True Detective. The voice Camp and Otsmane-Elhaou give “the Martian” really highlights its other-worldly intelligence. The combination of the script and Otsman-Elhaou’s manipulation of the text give its voice a clear alien presence when presented with other characters’ speech bubbles or text boxes on the page next to it.
Javier Rodriguez’s art is a delight. He takes the opportunity of an alien perception of reality to explore the boundaries of visual storytelling on the page. He uses retro styling combined with more abstract designs. “The Martian” itself was actually designed as a model out of clay when Rodriguez was making concept art. This detail really separates “the Martian” ‘s character design from the Earthlings of this world.
Absolute Martian Manhunter Vol. 1 Martian Vision collects issues 1-6 of the limited series with Vol. 2 The Agency collecting the remaining six issues. For librarians looking to add something like this to their collection, my only reservation would be that now since the series is over, DC may publish the entire series in one binding rather than two. It may be helpful to wait if that is preferable for you or your audience.
For prospective readers and catalogers, this title has the traditional content warnings for a superhero title: violence, blood, death, limited gore as well as domestic abuse, substance abuse and a mass shooting event. DC’s age rating is 15+ which seems appropriate.
Absolute Martian Manhunter Vol.1 Martian Vision
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist: Javier Rodriguez
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
DC Comics, 2025
ISBN: 9781799505211
Absolute Martian Manhunter Vol. 1 Martian Vision
By Deniz Camp
Art by Javier Rodriguez
DC, 2025
ISBN: 9781799505211
Company Age Rating: 15+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
Creator Representation: Filipino-American, Spanish,
