Absolute Martian Manhunter
Absolute Martian Manhunter is a superhero psychological horror comic book maxiseries published by DC Comics, based on its character Martian Manhunter. The series is written by Deniz Camp and illustrated by Javier Rodríguez, and was released on March 26, 2025 as part of DC's Absolute Universe imprint. It is the fifth series from the imprint released in order, and is second in the second batch of Absolute titles, following Absolute Flash and continuing with Absolute Green Lantern.
Plot
A year after FBI Agent John Jones moves into Middleton, he is caught in a suicide bombing but miraculously survives. To the dismay of his wife Bridget he decides to continue working, subconsciously making realizations about those close to the bomber. When checking in on his mute son Tyler, he points towards a clay figure of a green "martian". John begins noticing the multi-colored smoke around people, and when he's talking with the bomber's mother, he breathes in the smoke and experiences the bomber's childhood memories. He runs out into the streets to see the smoke coming out from everyone, as the Martian enters John's mind.The Martian introduces himself as an otherworldly consciousness, conceptualized in John's head as the familiar imagery of a green alien from Mars; he wishes to work with John in uncovering increasing social unrest in Middleton, which it suspects is being done by an outside force. John is able to use "Martianvision" to see inside the thoughts and memories of the people around him. A shooter named Trigger Taylor heads to Certa Street, a Syrian neighborhood known to the locals as Little Damascus, and begins shooting civilians under suspicion of them being aliens, forcing John and the Martian to head to the scene. The Martian dives into Taylor's mind, allowing John to learn more about him, and he approaches Taylor as his childhood friend Clyde Toomis to defuse the situation. The martian discovers the psychological anomaly that feeds off Taylor's bigotry and quickly destroys it, but he is killed by a police officer. The Martian realizes that the anomaly was planted by the White Martian, another cosmic entity intent on sowing anti-life within the people of Middleton.
John investigates the immolation of 24 homeless people at the hands of 24 unrelated people, noting the white cloud of smoke covering the perpetrators' eyes. He tries to talk to his son during the night, but is interrupted by the sight of several buildings going up in flames. Using Martianvision, John realizes that the acts of arson are meant to burn down the philosophical concept of home and shelter, and heads to the next target, the Sunnyside Hotel, the city's largest homeless shelter. While the Martian fights the traumas of the people inside as John evacuates them to safety, a burning figure arrives, warning the Green Martian that the White Martian knows where it is hiding.
The White Martian plants a white sun in Middleton, setting off a heat wave that drastically increases unrest and violence in the city. John recognizes the challenges of living in a cultural melting pot like Middleton, and he and the Martian attempt to calm down the boiling tensions of the people with little success. Bridget finally confronts John about his neglectfulness, and the two fight as the Martian disarms the white sun. It turns out to be a distraction, as bombers attack Middleton's power plants and plunge the city into darkness.
The blackout distorts John's perception of time as he patrols Middleton. Each person's shadow has come to life, representing their suppressed urges and bad thoughts, and John tries to prevent the shadows from causing harm onto others. while witnessing an apartment shooting, John is hit by an ambulance, knocking him unconscious and leaving the Martian in complete darkness, where it discovers Darkseid at the center of it all as the two ambulance drivers, corrupted by the White Martian, attempt to kill and separate the two. John focuses on his family to bring the Martian back into reality, and they are able to teleport to his house, which is being invaded by people the White Martian has corrupted. John admits that he has been neglecting his family and apologizes, which allows his "Martianvision" to upgrade, getting every one in Middleton to experience each other's lives and emotions, and allow the Green Martian to defeat White. As the sun rises, John promises to reveal his secrets to Bridget, as the White Martian retreats into Tyler's body.
Three months later, John is living alone in the Starlight motel, after he tried explain to Bridget about the Martian, but she believed he was crazy and threw him out. The people of Middletown, hung up on guilt and shame after their entire lives have been revealed, are isolating themselves from each other, giving the White Martian victory from defeat. John is called back into work and was soon tasked with investigating hundreds of reports to the FBI tip line. Instead, John gets drunk at a bar, trying to drown out the Martian's warnings. He shouts at the Martian to leave him alone for one night, which the Martian reluctantly does. After sobering up, John visits Bridget at their home, where she admits she misses him but is too concerned about his mental state. Meanwhile, as the Martian is hopping through different people's psyche, he is confronted and captured by members of The Agency, a mysterious organization which claims to protect American from alien ideas. When John awakes in the Starlight motel, he's met with another entity, Despair-the-Zero, who introduces itself as his new partner.
Publication history
By July 2024, a Martian Manhunter-focused comic book series written by Deniz Camp was in the works as part of DC Comics Absolute Universe imprint, titled Absolute Martian Manhunter. Javier Rodríguez is the illustrator of the comic, and Camp described the title as "one of the most dramatic re-imaginings in the Absolute Universe".The design for the 'Martian' was created by Rodriguez as a clay sculpture.
Camp cited various sci-fi works and authors that inspired the title, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, the writings of Ursula K. Le Guin and J. G. Ballard, but the primary influence of the book came from writer Thomas Pynchon, especially his works Inherent Vice and The Crying of Lot 49. He described the book as "psychedelic noir that tackles the big human questions through a small, personal lens".
Absolute Martian Manhunter was released in March 2025. Originally a six-issue miniseries, the book was extended to twelve issues, with the same creative team working on all issues with no fill-ins. The first issue of Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 sold over 120,000 pre-orders in March 2025. The second arc released after a 3-month hiatus in December 2025.