Calling Absolute Martian Manhunter something a little different is an understatement, especially in the latest issue out this week. Between Javier Rodriguez’s incredible art and Deniz Camp giving John a new, darker alien voice, the series is taking a psychologically wrecked turn. Can John outlast his new partner’s depressing commentary long enough before the Agency destroys his good green buddy?
Absolute Martian Manhunter #9 may be the darkest work either creator has ever done. Between the Agency’s reckless vivisection of the Martian and John getting beaten down by Despair-the-Zero’s dark thoughts, this book will take you to a messed-up place. In a good way! The story plays out with John doing investigative work while the Agency literally rips things out of the Martian. The series has always been psychological, but now it’s up to John to find a new gear and be strong, or else destroy his own life.
The alien autopsy scenes are quite bizarre, thanks to the Martian’s organs and blood being rainbow colored and cubist. Rodriguez makes you feel the pain through the Martian’s expressions early on, and his ongoing cartoony buddy vibe makes it extra painful. I can’t say I understand what it means for the doctor to snort fumes from a 3D star that was taken from the Martian, but it certainly looks trippy and cool.
Meanwhile, John is facing an uphill battle with Despair-the-Zero. He can read people’s thoughts, but Despair-the-Zero won’t stop adding to their thoughts and words about John, tainting everything. Much like if you’ve been in a depressed mood, John can’t escape dark thoughts and even darker takes on what is being said. At one point, Despair-the-Zero is adding context that’s not there, further cementing the disturbing way you might look at the world in your own darkest moments.
That dude needs to shut up.
Credit: DC Comics
Rodriguez’s design of Despair-the-Zero is also quite good, with a hulking, tall body complete with a beer belly. The one green eye, jagged mouth, and spiky hair create a somewhat cute, but disturbingly chaotic vibe.
This issue uses a recurring visual of Operation, the popular board game, where you pull bones out of a cutout of a body. It’s a good metaphor for both John and the Martian, as the events of the issue literally pluck things from them and weaken them. By the end, between the butterflies being burned up that come from the Martian, and John wearing the face of Despair-the-Zero, you’ll feel like both are utterly lost by the end.
Outside of all the chaos and despair, there’s a touch of character detail about John that adds a bit to him. His ongoing trouble with his wife escalates as well, though it ends in a bizarre way, leaving it unclear where they stand. I can’t say I understand what is going on with the smoke entering John’s wife and kid, but it certainly looks trippy and unhealthy!
Absolute Martian Manhunter #9 pushes the series into its bleakest territory yet, pairing Rodriguez’s hallucinatory art with Deniz Camp’s unflinching psychological writing. The autopsy sequences are as emotionally bruising as they are visually inventive, while Despair-the-Zero becomes a chilling embodiment of intrusive thought and self-sabotage. Some narrative elements remain deliberately opaque, especially around John’s family, but the emotional through line lands with force. By the final page, both John and the Martian feel stripped to their cores, and that lingering sense of loss is exactly what makes this issue so powerful.
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