3 days ago
Review – Absolute Martian Manhunter #4: City of Rage
Absolute Martian Manhunter #4 cover, via DC Comics.
Ray: Of all the Absolute books, this is the one that feels the most set apart from the larger universe it takes place in. It's a strange cosmic sci-fi thriller heavily set in one man's mind after he survives a traumatic event. But that doesn't mean it has less on its mind – quite the opposite. As John Jones tries to navigate his troubled marriage and the strange alien passenger inside his mind, things start boiling over – literally. The city is in the middle of a heat wave, with 100+ temperatures for weeks at a time, and people are starting to lose it. One violent scene after another erupts, with people beating each other to death or close over minor events – a spilled coffee, a traffic stop, a zoning dispute. It perfectly captures the ugly vibe of what happens when people take leave of its senses – but given what the Martian warned John about last issue, is this truly humanity at its worse or something more evil? Boiling point. Via DC Comics.
While the escalating tensions in the city are incredibly harsh, the tension building at home is even more so. John's wife has been slowly losing her mind over the course of this issue – with John barely able to talk to her, ignoring their son, and spending all his time at work, she feels like there's a stranger in her house. Of course, given what we know, she just might be right. John himself keeps the reader at arm's length, so there's always been a bit of ambiguity about what's happened to him. What isn't ambiguous is how good this comic is – not only is the storytelling brilliant, but the colorful and surreal art is some of DC's best at the moment. All the Absolute books have a near-perfect fusion of story and art, in a way that's pretty rare to see in comics these days. It all comes together into a book that feels like it could have come out of the Golden Age of Vertigo, but with a superhero twist.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
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