Sign the Petition to Save J'Onn J'Onzz
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Heidi MacDonald, keeper of The Beat, and holder of multiple awards for best comics journalism web site, reports on the campaign to save J'Onn J'Onzz in Michael Netzer Has a Cause! and asks the big question:

He’s fighting for J’Onn J’Onzz’s very life, as the Martian Manhunter is rumored to be on the potential kill list for Final Crisis. Is there no one else who will fight for the life of this comic book character?

Comics fandom, based on the coverage and response covered here, is answering with a resounding YES! And J'Onn J'Onzz lovers across the globe are voicing their support for the campaign. But readers responding in the comments to Heidi's question, are wondering why even bother, seeing how DC doesn't seem to be catering to those who care about the character. The answer I gave there can only slightly help explain the need to voice our opinion on this...

Oh, I’m well aware of what you say, Ken. But that’s one side of the story, as you say. The other side are the ones who do care about the comics mythology and are voicing it very strongly in response to the plea.

So, whether all this will have some marginal effect in changing editorial direction in the long term, isn’t it better to unequivocally state what side we’re on, and to do it with maximum effect and have our voice recorded as such for posterity?

So guys and gals reading and commenting here.. there’s a petition to sign and a superhero to save (link at bottom of the article).

More comments at The Beat:

Rockin' Rich: I’m in. Off Aquaman instead. Or Mike Carlin. Either way, I’m good.

Brian Davison: Yeah, kill the new Aquaman or new Firestorm instead. Both are unnecessary replacements for characters that were just fine before DC’s editorial department started messing with them. If J’onn has to die, though, couldn’t we just sacrifice his new Skrull chin instead?

Franklin Harris:
Dan Didio: OK, we have yet another huge nothing-will-ever-be-the-same miniseries, so we need to kill off some beloved character to prove to our readers that DEATH REALLY MATTERS.
Writer: OK. Let’s kill off Superman. For real this time.
Didio: Death doesn’t matter that much.

HABE: I’ve always been primarily a Marvel guy, but Martian Manhunter is one of the few DC superheroes I ever liked.

JK Parkin at Blog@Newsarama:
Netzer unites fandom in an effort to save J’onn J’onzz

JK Parkin, head keeper of Blog@Newsarama, eloquently and with due perception sums up the campaign and asks, in light of the effort to save the Martian Manhunter: What about Aquaman?

He's also started a petition, created banners and posted many of the responses he's received from around the 'net'. While J'Onn's certainly gotten a lot of support, you have to wonder where that leaves Aquaman, the other DC big gun "marked for karking" in Rich's column. Doesn't anyone want to save the king of the seas?

JK asks a very good question. Though there seems to be less concern for the fate of Aquaman, at least judging from the reactions voiced in this campaign, the seemingly frivolous device of yanking at the hearts of the readers by the killing of Superheroes dramatically and with great fanfare, is in itself at the crux of this effort. Through no fault of his own as a fabulous character, Aquaman has been handled with such apathy to the degree that his own sensationalist execution on the pages of DC Comics was already once averted. Speculation has been that this was because DC editors knew his death would raise little sympathy.

For the time being, and until we begin to address the larger question of what makes for good marketable and profitable comics, without needing to revert to forced dramatics and prime-time sensationalism, we can be mostly assured that the potential demise of Aquaman is less likely and urgent than that of the Martian Manhunter. In this lies the focus of this campaign.

Brian Cronin @ Comics Should Be Good:
They Wouldn’t Really Kill J’onn, Right?

Back at Brian Cronin's report at CBR's Comics Should Be Good comments are mounting in discussion of who The Martian Manhunter is and the ramifications of his potential demise.

Steve: I could easily see J’onn getting killed — he’s basically “classic” enough that people have an attachment to him, but expendable enough that they could do without him (until they bring him back). Probably about the same reasons Ted Kord/Blue Beetle died.

Edward Liu: The fact that a bunch of young’uns already know J’onn from the Justice League cartoons might prevent them from killing him off. I mean, there’s a whole lot of them who think Green Lantern is John Stewart and will answer “Hal who?” about that other guy.

M Bloom: I like J’onn, but he really hasn’t been used well in recent years. He spent most of the JLA years being the team’s telepathic lineman, and the post-Infinite Crisis revamp hasn’t been terribly well received. I think the character could use a few years underground (because we all know he’d be back) to rest up until someone comes along with a really good Martian Manhunter idea. And if they want to make him a Legacy character, M’gann has all the requisite powers and appropriate background to step into the role.

Dave T. Game: Here’s my thinking why they won’t kill him off:
1. They’d kill him off during Final Crisis.
2. Morrison is writing Final Crisis.
3. Morrison wrote DC 1 Million, where Martian Manhunter is alive in the far future.
4. (weakest step) Morrison seems to want to keep internal logic with his own stuff.

Bill Reed: They would *so* kill him, but I really really really really wish they don’t.

The Mad Monkey: J’onn is the first Silver Age super-hero. Barry Allen only gets credit because he was the first to cash in on the return of fan attention to super-heroes. J’onn is widely recognized by comic book professionals, industry “insiders”, and fans alike as being the father of the Silver Age. Just as the original Crimson Avenger is the father of the Golden Age and Superman got the publicity (that’s why Morrison had CA’s cloak enshrined in the Watchtower).

The Rain In Spain

News of the campaign to save J'Onn J'Onzz continues to rain on the Spanish web terrain. Jotace, keeper of the spunky Blog of Jotace has this to say on his Martian abode.

Thanks to our intelligence and equipment, why not say to the good services of Rich Johnston, we know that for the upcoming Final Crisis, two names are being considered as turkey's heads, as candidates for elimination from continuity. One is Aquanman, the other...

The other is the Martian.

Let me tell you one thing, Dan Didio. Mister Danger. Editorcillo of paste. Take your best shot. Do what you can, or what you dare. Because you will not succeed. Because there are still good people, as Michael Netzer, who are able to deliver the life of the Martian.

Hi Michael,

I wrote yesterday to support your initiative as I knew it from Martian Manhunter Fotolog.

I have spread your initiative today from my Fotolog http://www.fotolog.com/cadenadebronce3, that deals with comics characters in humorous text and profiles, posting the original petition I received from Martian Manhunter Fotolog.

I'm also spreading your initiative and your banner from my poetry blog http://nik0lai.blogspot.com. As a writer I do recognize the depth of the character and his unassessable contribution to the DC world, and for extension to the world of the ninth art. It is not possible that such a complex character from his early conception, should disappear from Dc comics.

Spain's comics fans do support this initiative...!

Save the Martian, Save the World...!

Much continued gratitude to everyone carrying banners, links and signing the petition. It's clear from today's coverage that we've made a small dent in the apathy that can sometimes govern us. There's much more work to do, so visit this site for updates and help keep spreading the word.

Sign the Petition to Save J'Onn J'Onzz
Click here to leave a comment and sign the Petition
and get banners to help promote the campaign.

Click here to download and distribute the
Save J'Onn and the Superheores
PRESS RELEASE

Click here for the
Save J'Onn J'Onzz
ARCHIVES