Javier Rodríguez is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of comic book storytelling, and in Absolute Martian Manhunter, he takes that innovation to a whole new level. Written by Deniz Camp, the series reimagines J’onn J’onzz’s journey with a bold, surrealist approach, delving deep into the Martian hero’s psyche and his struggle to reconcile his alien past with his life on Earth.
Through vibrant colors, striking transformations, and an almost mythic visual language, Rodríguez brings J’onn’s unique perspective to life in a way that feels both fresh and timeless.
With the series launching in comic book shops on March 26th, I had the chance to speak with Rodríguez about his artistic process, his unconventional use of clay in designing the Martian Manhunter, and how he approached the series’ distinct visual storytelling.
AIPT: Your artwork in Absolute Martian Manhunter is bold, making the hero almost mythic. How did you approach visualizing J’onn J’onzz’s unique perspective and the surreal elements of his story?
Javier Rodríguez: The search for his image was a little bit of a roundabout way of looking at Deniz’s pitch. He saw a colorful, abstract being, something to contrast with the gray life that Agent John was having. A colorful being that breaks into a mind that sees life almost in a binary way, in black, white, and, if that, some gray.
All efforts went into capturing that idea.
AIPT: You’ve incorporated clay into your artistic process for this series. How does working with physical materials influence your digital or traditional comic work, and what effect were you hoping to achieve? Are you using it for every panel or page?
JR: Well, in a very novel way. And totally intentional. I thought that despite Deniz’s requirement to handle an abstract entity that lives in John’s mind, I should look for a powerful image as the character was going to share the stage with others from the Absolute line. But I also wanted to respect Deniz’s idea of a totally new being. So I decided to step out of my comfort zone and do the design in 3D.
I don’t know how to use 3D programs and I thought that that way I would find something original, because original ideas usually come out of those struggles. I asked Miguel Bandera, a friend who is very good with 3D, and he recommended Play-Doh to me. I bought two kilos and spent two days playing with it. And that’s how Marty, which is what I call the figure, was born.
A picture of Marty from Javier’s social media.
Once I had obtained the figure, I worked on it in the most graphic way possible. With different interpretations and applications. I remember telling Katie and Deniz that my idea was a design that was very easy to recognize. That it could be worn on a T-shirt.
I focused a lot on the idea of pareidolia, those shapes that evoke another object. A plug that looks like a face, the front of a car that seems to be smiling, things like that. A single eye, which for me was a lighthouse, a peephole, a keyhole, a third eye…
But once I had the design, I didn’t go back to the figure and focused on pure drawing. Very 2D and around line and flat color, which is how I work now.
AIPT: Martian Manhunter’s shapeshifting abilities allow for some truly striking transformations. How did you decide on the visual language for these moments, and were there any particular challenges in making them feel fluid yet distinct?
JR: These are the moments where the purest comic language makes its presence felt. Martian is otherness, he is the other, he observes, he comments, and when he intervenes, he does so in non-physical spaces. He is a freaking character. I hope readers enjoy him as much as we do.
AIPT: The colors in Absolute Martian Manhunter feel vibrant and otherworldly while still grounding the story’s emotional depth. What was your approach to color storytelling, and how did you use it to differentiate Mars from Earth?
JR: For me, everything you see on the page is a whole. All the graphic elements have the same value and this includes the color and the texts. Everything that provides information is used to tell the story. If it is a color comic, it has to tell a story, and it has to give information.
For this story, I wanted the Martian and his environment to be limited to six colors and two extra variants of two of them. That’s all there is to it. Whenever we see the Martian, those colors rule and create the smoke. I wanted something very identifiable to the reader, and that would give us artistic freedom. And why not a touch of psychedelia? That’s going to play in contrast with John’s work,d where the colors are rather muted. Or with that of the antagonist, as we shall see, who is the only completely white entity, 000.
In this comic, even the white paper is off-white. There is only one pure white, and the antagonist has it. But I’m already telling too much!
Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 will be released in comic book shops on March 26th.
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