Martian Manhunter #3 Review

Writer: Steve Orlando / Artist: Riley Rossmo / DC Comics One of my favorite comics is back for its third issue! And this one has J’onn’s origin on Earth and his early days as John Jones. This is one of the best books out. Every issue seems to top the one before. But not in a way that makes previous issues seem inferior. It’s just a good study on a well-crafted story. Everything builds off the solid foundation put in place by Orlando and Rossmo. This time around, we got such a heartfelt deep dive into J’onn’s early days on Earth. It was really nice to see these things from the close view of his perspective, rather than an objective view. As everything pertaining to John, it pulls at the heartstrings. Homie was yanked from Mars and thwarted thousands of years into the future on a neighboring planet. He’s alone with no idea how to get back. What I really liked was that Orlando used a lot of J’onn’s Martian history and backstory to explain why he assumed the identity of John Jones. There’s a Martian practice where you wear the shape of a deceased loved one for a full cycle (about a week) after they die. It’s like one last moment with them before you let them go forever. And since J’onn just happened to be present for John’s death, he instituted that same practice in a way to honor a kindred spirit on a foreign planet. The only problem is that it lasted longer than a week. His connections with people enabled him to keep the charade going on a lot longer than intended. But can yo…