Absolute Martian Manhunter: Martian Vision Vol 1 Review

 

Writer: Deniz Camp

Artist, Colorist & Cover Artist: Javier Rodríguez

Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Publisher: DC Comics

Book Length: 144 Pages

Hardcover Price: $24.99

Softcover Price: $17.99

Release Date: November 18, 2025

 

FBI Agent John Jones is lucky to be alive. After nearly dying in an explosion, his wife wants him to take some time off. The doctor urges him to take it easy. His boss insists he go home. But John works for the Stochastic Terrorism Task Force. All he can think about is what provoked a man to put on an explosive vest, walk into a coffee shop, and blow himself up.

 

As he tries to discern a pattern from the chaotic events, John begins to believe he can hear their thoughts and see their memories. Is John Jones going crazy? And why does a fellow FBI agent call John "The Martian" behind his back? Let's leap into Absolute Martian Manhunter: Martian Vision Vol 1, and see!

 

Story

John’s wife yearns for time with him. Like Bridget, his son struggles to cope with their recent relocation. John has lived in his house for a year. Still, it doesn’t feel like home. Government regulations prevent John from sharing the particulars of his job with the woman he loves. So, it's safer to live inside his head and focus on his investigations than risk their future by sharing too much.

 

Absolute Martian Manhunter: Martian Vision Vol 1 opens under a cloud. John keeps himself at a distance not only from his family, but also from his coworkers. Something occurred in his past, and even after he almost died, he’s not ready to talk about it. Nor does he follow his superiors’ orders well. John struggles to predict when and where terrorist activity will occur. The bombing at the coffee shop clashes with John's understanding of human behavior. Until John can understand why he almost died, he cannot progress with his career or his relationships.

 

Deniz Camp’s story doesn’t allow John the luxury of contemplation. After surviving a bombing, more unexpected violence erupts around him. Most of the perpetrators don’t fit his prediction models. The local police detectives consign these events to momentary insanity, but that’s not good enough for John. As the FBI agent investigates these incidents and tries to defuse tensions erupting around him, his boss senses that John is off his game. And as he races from case to case, his wife wonders if John is looking for reasons not to confide in her and spend time with their son.

 

In Absolute Martian Manhunter: Martian Vision Vol 1, strange thoughts fill John’s mind. As an entity speaks to him, John’s senses go haywire. John begins to see the world around him in a new way. The dizzying sensation makes him doubt his sanity. But as John struggles to filter the information flooding his senses, a voice speaks to him. The voice stumbles, as if trying to learn his language. It urges John to remain calm and accept what is occurring. Instead of possessing him, the entity claims it desires the one thing that John has long struggled with: sharing his life with a partner.

 

Art

Javier Rodríguez begins John's story with fire and rubble. A series of headshots portrays John's trauma and recovery while highlighting the alien's presence. Images from other people’s perspectives compare with how John perceives the world. As in a 1960s or 70s crime story, John constantly smokes. And despite a lack of the old pedestal ashtrays, many of the hospital staff fill the air outside with cigarette smoke. As John resumes his life, smoke increasingly invades the air around him. He perceives thoughts and memories through these colored vapors.

 

The vibrant colors of John’s heightened senses contrast with the grays and muted tones of his former mundane worldview. As fluorescent colors contrast with the grays and muted tones of Middleton, an alien figure emerges in Absolute Martian Manhunter: Martian Vision Vol 1. It has green skin and one red eye. Wherever John looks, the mysterious figure appears.

 

Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou employs a wide range of lettering styles, fonts, sizes, and cases while relating John's attempt to understand what is happening to him. Dialogue and thoughts appear in boxes, balloons, clouds, or panel backgrounds. Or they warp and flow through smoke blown by an unseen breeze as John struggles to quell the violence erupting around him. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

In a world where hope is the underdog, where superheroes battle overwhelming forces without a net, Humans forget how far they've come and who they aspire to be. As the ties that bind civilization fray and snap, a workaholic FBI agent struggles to push past his limitations and combat the threat tearing his world apart in Absolute Martian Manhunter: Martian Vision Vol 1.

 

Rating 9.5/10