January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.
Story Title: “The Strange Experiment of Dr. Erdel”
Published: November 1955
Writers: Joseph Samachson and Jack Miller
Artist: Joe Certa
Story Title: “The Case of the Magic Baseball”
Published: December 1955
Writer: Jack Miller
Artist: Joe Certa
Quick Facts:
Largely known as the “soul” of DC’s premier superhero team, the Justice League of America (JLA), the ridiculously overpowered (and yet strangely vulnerable) J’onn J’onzz debuted in Detective Comics courtesy of former research scientist Joseph Samachson. Though typically at the forefront of JLA-centric stories, J’onn is one of DC’s most underappreciated heroes, despite his prominence in various animated and television ventures.
The Review:
Our first introduction to J’onn J’onzz, the shapeshifting “Manhunter from Mars”, begins in the fittingly high-tech (for the time) observatory of “famous scientist” Professor Mark Erdel. Professor Erdel has just completed his greatest creation yet: a “robot brain” he hopes will allow him to explore the mysteries of the cosmos and other dimensions. Professor Erdel eagerly activates the machine and sets off a cacophony of lights and electrical energy, though even he isn’t sure if the machine is reaching into “space—time–or the fourth dimensions!” Presently, the professor’s musings are answered as a strange alien being appears courtesy of his awesome machine: a muscular, green-skinned figure in a blue cape and matching boots. Identifying himself as J’onn J’onzz, the enigmatic figure boasts incredible psychic powers, which he uses to read Professor Erdel’s mind and quickly learn our language. However, J’onn opts to simply ask how he’s been transported from “the fourth planet from the Sun” and is impressed by the professor’s ingenuity. However, J’onn asks to be returned home forthwith, only to learn that it could take Professor Erdel “weeks–months—even years!” to “change the thinking plot of the brain” and return J’onn to Mars. Still, J’onn doesn’t seem too upset and quickly decides to adapt his appearance fit in for his extended stay, warping his flesh and attire with his “chameleon-like powers” to resemble a common Earthman. Professor Erdel’s so amazed by this, and his visitor, that he suddenly suffers a debilitating heart attack. Although J’onn believes Martian “Xymo serum” could cure the professor, he never gets the chance to retrieve it as Professor Erdel is too weak to do anything but apologise for stranding J’onn on Earth before he dies.
Realising he’s stuck on Earth for the foreseeable future as it will take his people years or centuries to complete their interstellar “Star-Ride” experiments, J’onn throws on a hat and coat and explores his new home. J’onn visits the seashore to use his incredible mental powers to extract gold particles from the sea to fund his travels around the world (since I guess he can’t fly just yet?) in an incorporeal form, marvelling at our skyscrapers, monuments to war, and “ancient-wheeled vehicles”, concepts and technology that Mars has abandoned for a thousand years. Becoming visible, J’onn reflects on humanity’s crime epidemic (another concept Mars made obsolete through “enlightened science”) and decides to help, visiting the local police station as “John Jones” and requesting to become a police detective. This goes ridiculously well as, after a few off-panel meetings, J’onn is immediately hired by the “Chief of Detectives”! It’s not clear what qualifies J’onn to be a detective, and the story doesn’t even show him fabricating documents or using his mental powers to convince the cops to accept him. In fact, J’onn’s more concerned with people smoking cigarettes since fire is his one weakness. J’onn “J’onz’s” first case sees him use his intangibility to pass through a wall and apprehend some gunmen and get the drop on trigger-happy Tom Taylor. J’onn’s lieutenant then tasks him with watching star baseball pitcher “Big” Bob Michaels, fresh out of prison and seemingly a target for mobsters seeking to ruin his chances at a comeback. Hanging around outside Bob’s apartment, J’onn uses his telepathy to listen in as Bob receives a threatening phone call from the Devon mob warning him to purposely lose his upcoming game or have his career ruined before it can properly begin.
To his credit, the defiant Bob refuses to go along with this demand as he’s determined to rebuild his life. Pondering Bob’s fate, J’onn uses his uncanny powers to take a mental peek into the future and predicts victory for Bob and his team, the Flamingos, if the star pitcher goes unmolested. Eager to see this vision become reality, J’onn attends the big game between the Flamingos and the Wonders, where Bob attracts much media attention. Devon and his mobster buddies also attend the game, relishing Bob’s obvious discomfort and confident that he’ll play ball (no pun intended). Watching on, J’onn employs “a little Martian molecular hypnosis” (what we’d now just call telekinesis) to aid Bob, snagging the baseball in mid-air and driving it straight into the catcher’s mitt for a strike. Each time the nervous Bob pitches, J’onn pushes the ball to the catcher, much to the delight of the crowd and the irritation of the mob, who suspect that Bob is double-crossing them by playing to win. When Bob steps up to bat, J’onn again intervenes and ensures he hits a spectacular home run, securing a dramatic victory for the Flamingos. Enraged, the mobsters reach for their guns and prepare to make Bob pay for his insolence with his life, only to be tripped by the invisible Martian Manhunter. Detective John Jones then apprehends the Devon mob, who are summarily charged with attempted bribery and blackmail.
Final Thoughts:
Like many readers, I’m sure, I haven’t read any of the Martian Manhunter’s solo adventures prior to these issues. There’s a good reason for this as many of J’onn’s solo ventures typically die out as the character is historically unsustainable in his own book and works far better as the heart and soul of the JLA. With the JLA, the Martian Manhunter is a keen mind, a moral compass, and a powerhouse when needed, bringing an outsider’s perspective to the team and carrying a great deal of emotion after losing his home world. Naturally, his debut stories came five years before the first appearance of the JLA so you don’t see any of that here, but that’s not all that’s missing. J’onn’s world is said to be very much alive and so technologically and intellectually advanced that they’ve abolished all war, evolved beyond our “primitive” means of transportation, and have eradicated crime. Oddly, J’onn laments that his people won’t be able to rescue him for years or even centuries as they haven’t mastered space travel yet, which seems to go against how amazingly advanced J’onn makes Mars out to be. Additionally, J’onn is a super nice guy and ridiculously understanding, barely sparing any time mourning his fate or being separated from his world. Indeed, he’s impressed by Professor Erdel and intrigued by his new home and doesn’t seem put out at all by being trapped on Earth.
The Martian Manhunter is certainly a powerful character, even in his debut issues, though his abilities are mostly limited to mental powers and intangibility. J’onn can render himself invisible and intangible at will, with no apparent limitation on how long he can stay in this state. Although now known for being a shapeshifter, the Martian Manhunter only uses this ability once to assume a human guise, a form he basically sticks to for the rest of these two stories. If this ability has more possibilities, we don’t see them here, meaning you’d be forgiven for thinking these were bog-standard detective stories at first glance. The Martian Manhunter makes great use of his invisibility and intangibility to surprise goons and helps Bob Michaels out with his telekinesis, but I don’t get why he didn’t just go to the Devon mob directly and proactively stop them. This might’ve given the story a chance to showcase J’onn’s weakness to fire, which he talks about, but we never see. Or, perhaps, showcased his shapeshifting powers to bee effect as he could’ve impersonated someone. There’s also no sense that the Martian Manhunter can fly or has superhuman strength and speed, though personally I don’t mind this so much as I think it’s better when J’onn’s powers are focused on his mental abilities. Still, these are awful stories to read that completely fail to take advantage of their unique premise or the incredible abilities of the Manhunter from Mars.
My Rating:
Terrible
Did you enjoy the Martian Manhunter’s first appearance? Do you agree that his incredible powers were misrepresented here? Were you surprised to find Mars is still populated at this point? What are some of your favourite J’onn J’onzz moments and sci-fi comics? Agree or disagree with me in the comments and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other Martian Manhunter stories for me to review.
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