Martian Manhunter # 6 (of 8)
DC Comics
WRITER: A.J. Libermann
ARTISTS: Al Barrionuevo, Bit
COVER: Al Barrionuevo

J'onn J'onnz finally learns the horrible truth about the fellow Martians that he rescued from human captivity. Unfortunately, most longtime readers will probably have guessed this deep, dark secret way back in the third issue of this miniseries. The slow, decompressed storytelling of this story works against it as the readers can easily guess what is coming ahead, or worse, simply lose interest in the whole miniseries. It is interesting to see J'onn caught between his loyalties to his fellow Martians and his ties to his adopted planet but this internal conflict isn't really played out well. The art also makes it hard to get into the story as the Martians fail to register as individuals so their plight fails to win our sympathies. The strangely-shaped heads of the Martians also seems to change in every other panel. Yes, they are shape-changers but this lack of consistency just looks like artistic carelessness. Incidentally, J'onn's new costume does not update his "look." It just makes him resemble another one of those leather-bound heroes who were so popular in the 1990s. I'd give this two out of five stars.

Martian Manhunter #5