Sign the Petition to Save J'Onn J'Onzz
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Responses continue to pour in from abroad and home, voicing support for J'Onn J'Onzz and asking DC Comics to avert the decision to kill him in the upcoming Final Crisis. The sampling below, from a deluge of material too robust to preview all of it here, is taken from websites and forums that have come under our radar, as well as some of the petition comments.

Spain:

The Martian Manhunter Fotolog spearheads the charge in Spain, distributing links to the campaign and recruiting support from across Spanish comics fandom. A flood of visitors continues to this site from nearly 100 Spanish Fotolog web sites carrying links in support of J'Onn.

On the left, Aquaman. On the right, Martian Manhunter. We must decide who will be the character to fal during Final Crisis. Instructions to save the Martian Manhunter at: http://www.michaelnetzer.com. I'm on the road for now, when we return this item should be spread around the entire world. Thank you for showing suport.

One such recruit, Miguel Angels, posted his own item for the campaign:

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Our admired (and threatened) J'Onn J'Onzz, detective and potential Martian martyr of the new mega-saga from DC Comics, Final Crisis.

TEXT OF THE DAY: I return at the dawn of the storm for a good cause! Although there are other items needing to be here, the rumor that DC plans to do away with our favorite Martian takes precedence. DC has already killed historical characters to increase sales through cheap comics dramatics. We are true fans - be courageous and shout it loudly: SAVE THE MARTIAN, SAVE THE WORLD!!

Elsewhere in Spanish comicdom, Batman - The Dark Blog: chimes in:

And now, unfortunately, the credible Rich Johnston in Lying in the Gutters, tells us that the big fall in Final Crisis will be of the charismatic Martian Detective. We oppose not only the stupid death of a magnificent character, but also the odious tendency of current comics - including DC - to use the death of heroes for dramatic appeal, public relations and to improve sales. At the link below are the details of the campaign to save the Martian Manhunter.

Always the same!! I'm really tired of comic industry making big stupid movements like this. It was rumored for the past "Infinity Crisis" but if this time it's the real deal, is the definitive proof that DC is out of its mind.

From my humble Batman Blog here in Spain, I join you in the plea for justice. One of the best characters in the long history of comic books must not die just because of numbers, because for us, the fans, he is more than just a "less known character": He is as inspiring and loved as Superman, the Dark Knight, Spider-Man or any of the big ones. And we want him to remain so. I already placed the banner on my site and written a little on your cause. Of course you have all my support and surely that of my readers.

Doc Celokunk - One of the best Heroes of all

Dont Kill Martian Manhunter, one of the best. He is all that humankind should be. From Spain...Don´t kill Martian Manhunter.

Germany:

Alex M. Gruner: Nemeo House:

A Worthy Mission...
Killing characters is an overused device. J'onn might be the most underused - and sometimes the most human - character DC has. Hands off, dudes!

France:

Superpouvoir Forums:

J'Onn will be killed...(???)
Congratulations to whoever had the idea! It will strike the imagination. It is rare to kill a character, nowadays!

Costa Rica:
Oscar Salazar: Don't Kill John

One concerned fan, all the way from Costa Rica in Central America, in hopes that they don't finish off one of the best characters in DC history. He even got a decent suit for the first time in 45 years.

Whoever likes the Manhunter and is doing nothing to enlarge this petition is an accessory, so please, sign this petition!

Philippines:
Reno Maniquis - Stop the killings!

Killing characters is an overused device. And now, the axe may fall on one of fandom's most loved characters.

I first encountered J'onn from Mr. Netzer's backup stories in Adventure Comics (though I mistakenly recalled that they were done by Mike Grell). But it wasn't until Giffen & DeMatteis' Justice League that I've really come to like the character.

I hope this petition moves DC to go a step further. Don't kill J'onn, and please bring him back to his original appearance!

Mexico:
Paco Peñaloza: No need to kill him!

It would be a pointless death.

People like me who like J'onn will be angry and he's not so very well known to the non DC comic reader general community, so, it won't even made for a big event world wide, not even like Cam Am's dead. If you have to kill someone do it to a bigger DC name.

Canada:
Mike Valiquette: DC, please don't kill MM!

He's been my favourite character since I first picked up his Super Powers action figure.

Back in the US of A:

A sampling of discussions on the campaign across the US comics web community.

Comics Related Forums
Martian Manhunter DOA?

Comics Related site creator, Chuck Moore, began this topic at the site forum, which evolved into a discussion on the social implications of publishers' need to kill their heroes.

Chuck Moore: It almost defies explanation, but Rich Johnston's Lying in the Gutters is reporting that DC is considering killing off Martian Manhunter. Creator Michael Netzer, in response to this rumor, has written an open letter to DC stating, quite simply, "Take Me... But Don't Kill J'Onn".

Jay Carvajal: I don't know if it's because I've gotten older or what but these "who will die" in the latest crossover stunts have really become so boring to me that I hardly read anything from Marvel or DC anymore. Maybe because as a kid they didn't seem to do them every other month and so it seemed to have more meaning to me back then, but now...sheesh...it seems as though that's the only storyline we keep getting year after year.

Glen Davis: Can't say I'm much of a fan of the character, but I do wish these guys would come up with something other than death.

Ron Fortier: Jay, our society as a whole has pretty much become a death culture. What with abortion, assisted suicide and euthanasia acceptable, life (that thing promised to us by the Constitution but undefinable by the highest court in the land ) doesn't seem to be worth much any more. Is it any wonder that this prevailing social consciousness should filter down into comics? Death in drama is only effective if it is made relevant by the life that preceded it. DC & Market use it as a marketing ploy and in the process cheapen it even further. Can you imagine a day when you prohibit your children from reading Marvel 0r DC comics..not because of they are bad/evil or whatever the old 50s witch-hunt excuses. But rather you'll prohibit them because they are nothing more than junk with bad stories.

Glen Davis: Yeah agreed, and I can throw Iraq in with your list too if you don't mind me doing so, Ron. I don't mind a character in comics dying at all if it means something like you mentioned and I do it myself in my own little universe of comics if it's a natural progression of the story, but I'm just so tired of it being used as a gimmick to drum up the so called interest in the latest crossover event from the big two. I mean it seems like to me now that the story is being completely worked around whoever corporate gives the ok to kill off. I don't know, it just gives it a surgical kind of coldness to me now. No impact, no excitement, no surprise. Ah well, maybe the masses will start to tire of it and check out small press again. One can hope that that will be the plus side to all this.

Chuck Moore: Mike Netzer has turned his save Martian Manhunter post into a full on crusade. Check out all the latest posts here. Go get 'em Mike!

Thanks Chuck! And thanks for helping spread the word!

Justin Tyler - Pulp Secret:

Fan Offers Life to Dan DiDio
In exchange for the life of the Martian Manhunter, who is rumored to be up for icing in Final Crisis. (How could you kill a man with such a dandy of a cane?) Then tautly transitions into asking for the job of drawing said death.

I find that to be an odd request. Would you want the sad task of drawing your favorite heroes death? Talk about Killing your Darlings...

Fan? Alright I'm also a fan. Justin should have read the entire plea more carefully, I suppose. But like I said there, if the axe is to come down on J'Onn J'Onz' head, I would certainly not want the task to go to another artist. Odd, maybe. Committed to the cause, definitely.

Robert Parizek - Between the Staples:

Should J’Onn J’Onzz be saved?
Not that I hate J’Onn J’Onzz / The Martian Manhunter at all, I just wonder if he should be saved or not. Like maybe its time to put down that oreo cookie and save the world… no the DC Universe and be known for that. I mean if he dies in this new day and age of comics - who’s to say he stays dead? Does it matter if he or Aquaman die? Does it matter these days if any super-hero character dies?

Replying to a comment I made to this question, Robert added:

Okay. I understand that but I still wonder why limit this just to J’Onn J’Onzz? Why not try to stop “approved violence” like X-Force, The Boys, Black Summer? I guess I question why it is just the single character over a series that may or may not kill the character as a plot device where we have other fiction out there that glorifies killing just to make a buck.

Good question. But this is the issue on the table right now. Perhaps when we resolve it, comics fandom should seriously consider addressing the wider issues of editorial policy this one is derived from.

Ron Fortier - Editor Airship 27 Prod.:

Rather let's kill off stupid editors and publishers who can't figure out how to write a decent story without killing off fan favorite characters. Worry about writing good stories and leave the marketing to the business egg-heads.

And lastly for today, the following eloquent appraisal from Stephen Schumacher in the petition comments.

Spare the Manhunter
Stephen Schumacher

I agree with the many cogent arguments posted. My own reflections about JJ the MM was that during the late '60s he faded out of DC continuity, seeming an out-of-continuity anachronism that was being retconned out existence... which almost seemed like a good thing. But with Netzer's backup series, followed by the Oreo-eating comedy JLA and his series core role in Morrison's JLA, the Martian Manhunter took on a unique and satisfying core role in the DC universe.

But by far my favorite take on MM was the fantastic Ostrander/Mandrake series (following up on their similarly green and great Spectre series) which was practically the best thing published by DC during its long run. I have to admit that I'm no big fan of his current elongated look and weirdo attitude, as presented in the recent mini-series that I couldn't finish.

Return MM to being the Buddha core of the DC Universe, but don't snuff him for no reason. Instead, dump the Monitors and Monarch and Exterminators and Eclipso and Granny Goodness and other tedious murderer characters who have been congesting Countdown.

Thanks, Mike, for jumpstarting this petition with your nice new artwork.

My thanks to you Steve, and to everyone taking the torch by commenting in the petition, and also to everyone carrying news of the campaign in America and abroad. The response is truly voluminous and encouraging.

The petition comments page is growing and much heartfelt sentiment is being poured out there. Check it often to see comics fandom support for the Martian Manhunter... and let's keep trying to make a difference.

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