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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
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Save J'Onn J'Onzz
ARCHIVES
The Campaign to Save J'Onn J'Onzz Continues
 Frank Lee Delano continues exploring a possible creative team for a Martian Manhunter comeback in WWMNzD?... with Judd Winick?
I don't see DC having faith in veteran talent to produce quality stories. No, we're going to need a gimmick. Death-- resurrection-- new costume-- turning toward the dark side-- hot button issues. Who, we must ask, is the best possible candidate to write tales that inflict agendas on characters and readers alike, without regard for continuity, character voice, decorum, logic, or any discernible talent? When ick hits the comic page, I think we all know who's to blame. Now, all we have to ask is, "What Would Michael Netzer Do, should he be saddled with... Judd Winick?!?"
This series is becoming more entertaining with each installment. That these texts are taken from existing published stories must surely have contributed to elevating the comics form to the otherwise unimagined heights it's attained. Click the image at right and read the Winick Way to write J'Onn J'Onzz.
 In a follow-up essay, The Martian Manhunter #150 (Winter 1976), Frank sheds some light on the convoluted history of the Jack Kirby/Fourth World era at DC Comics and gives an insightful appraisal of the mark he made in one issue's contribution to the J'Onn J'Onzz saga:
The title went on a brief hiatus before being handed off to Tony Isabella. Emulating the cover of New Gods #1, Isabella had Kirby's original art reworked to incorporate actual photos of Mars taken by the Viking probe that summer. "The Martian Manhunter #150" was released that winter, and ironically became one of the best-selling single issues Kirby produced for DC in the 70's. Drawing from the Biblical allusions made by Denny O'Neil in several earlier tales, Kirby continued the portrayal of J'Onn J'Onzz as an extraterrestrial Moses guiding his exiled people through the galactic wilderness in search of a New Mars. Unlike O'Neil however, Kirby delved into the more mystical fare, beginning with "The 10-In-1 God of Mars."
...
Even within the confines of a presupposed truncated run, Kirby couldn't help but introduce mythology that would influence future creators like J.M. DeMatteis and Neil Gaiman. He truly was the King, and we're all poorer for his not having continued this tale.
 About that Kirby cover. I now remember having that issue for reference to use on my series. Notice the big brow. That was my inspiration for doing the same with J'Onn.
Now it can be told. I was not the artist who brought back the Martian brow. It was Jack Kirby.
I wasn't worthy. I wasn't everyone's first choice. I was always the last and least popular option.
Like rain on the windshield.
The Hurricane in Spain
The deluge from the Spanish comics, entertainment and arts communities continues to register notable traffic viewing the campaign to save J'Onn J'Onzz.
Chapulin Productions
 Chapulin Productions comments on the web campaign that's sweeping Spain in a blogpost, Madness in Final Crisis (DC):
The campaign is spreading internationally, in weblogs and fotologs, providing banners, links and a petition for all who support it... Someone will die in Final Crisis, that we know, and it could be more than one. The great universal aspiration of desperate publishers to kill their most acclaimed personalities. A deranged scheme to gain sales increases, which only achieves the readership's disdain of such sensationalism.
MondoComic
A Plea for the Fate of a Martian
A few posts back we talked about which heroes might fall in Final Crisis. Well, someone is struggling for the life of J'Onn J'Onzz, who is on the list of candidates. It is Michael Netzer, an artist from back in the mid-70s who was known for illuminating DC and Marvel characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Superboy & The Legion of Super Heroes, Kobra, Green Arrow & Black Canary, Supergirl, Martian Manhunter, Black Lightning and Ms. Mystic. Netzer posted an open plea to DC Comics to save the Martian Manhunter from death in Final Crisis. It is an interesting campaign as he has also posted a petition, collecting signatures to save the Martian from his sad fate.
Visitors continue to pour into the campaign from Spain and other countries around the globe. A partial list includes:
The Martian Manhunter Fotolog (and other linked Folotlog sites)
Jotace
The Batman Dark Blog
Todo Juegos Forum
Planet Chile Forums (Chile)
Superpouvoir Forums (France)
Nemed House (Germany)
New U.S. Coverage
Pen-Elayne on the Web
 After saying last week that I make her blush, Elayne Riggs commented on the campaign to save J'Onn J'Onzz over the weekend and notes that she might address the subject of the death of Superheroes in an upcoming ComicMix column.
Some nice thoughtful essays about death in comic books, by Mike Netzer (who as you may know is spearheading a campaign not to have DC kill off the Martian Manhunter as per a current rumor) and Val D'Orazio. I'll probably throw my two cents in for my next ComicMix column.
Glenn Walker
 Glenn Walker describes himself as follows at 3 of the several sites he keeps, which he's placed banners on for the campaign to save J'Onn J'Onzz, and has enlisted an army of LiveJournal friends for the effort.
Welcome to Hell...
Glenn Walker is a writer with too much time on his hands, or depending on the day, not enough time on his hands. He loves, hates and lives pop culture. He knows too freaking much about pop culture. Given that, he has to vomit up his voluminous opinions on it here... Welcome to Hell...
Comic Widows
All Things Fun, a wonderful comics/gaming/toy store in West Berlin, New Jersey, continues their new podcast series. Tune in to hear Glenn Walker of Comic Widows and Ed Evans of All Things Fun discuss comics in the All Things Fun! Podcast. Episode Seven is now online - Glenn interviews Michael Avon Oeming and Neil Vokes.
Monsura's Journal
I'm a professional writer and a reviewer of popular culture in all its forms. I've done stints in radio, journalism and as manager of a video store. Ask me anything about movies, television, music or especially comics and you’ll be hard pressed to shut me up. I'm married to a beautiful attorney named Jennifer and have a broken one-eyed kitty named Spooky.
Thanks Glenn!
How is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?
 J Hatter keeps a very interesting blog with some rather special artwork popping up when he doesn't feel like writing.
The Other GREEN Superhero:
I added a link to an online petition (for all the good it will do) to try and save J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter. It appears that DC needs to boost some sales by trying to kill off a character. It could be him, or it could be Aquaman. In either case I think that they both could be spared if they just got rid of the lame writers that reduced them to lame characters. Just my two cents.
Mister Perturbed's Entropy
 "I am evil and my powers of entropy are growing exponentially. Yes, I am doomed. I need to acquire some good karma."
This Would Really Draw My Ire.
Oh, why not kill off The Martian Manhunter in the meantime. Bastards. You leave that nice feller alone and kill off someone else.
Now, I do not care if they kill off the poser "Aquaman" from Aquaman, Sword of Atlantis. He is a big loser. Although I might consider liking him if he had a decent, non-hippy hairdo. Meh. He is The Lame. Stupid fake not Aquaman. Meanwhile, the real Aquaman seems to be dead, mutated and transmuted into water... Whatever.
Once The Final Crisis is done. So am I.
Bastards and their $3.00 comic books.
It's all about me. Me, me, me.
 "My name is Terry and I like to think of myself as a rather creative sorta guy; I'm definitely a bit of a deviant, mostly in harmless ways. I tend to write things that are a bit different - sometimes quirky, sometimes wacky, quite often not that different, but yet... different. "
Save George Wells!!!!
Don't let George die. He was such a good mentor to Heretic II and Twilight. If he dies, then he never will have been, and the timeline is fragile enough as it is...
(Srsly, DC is apparently planning on offing the Martian Manhunter... or removing him from continuity or something...)
Read a bit more here at the website; this site is an artist's, Michael Netzer, who has a history with J'onn.
And from the petition comments:
Rob Kelly: The Shrine Chimes In
Michael - your mentioning of the Shrine got me finally to write something. Thanks for all this effort!
GRILLO
Russell Burbage: J'Onn Rocks!
J'onn is one of my all-time favorites. Of course, I'm also a fan of Aquaman, Hawkwoman, the Atom, and Red Tornado, so I guess I like the "losers." DC is making a lot of mistakes now, and all I can say is, I miss Jeanette Kahn!!!
Jorge from Argentina
Don't kill J'Onn, without him doesn't exist the Silver Age or the Justice League.
Mister Perturbed: Enough Death Already
Has not there been enough death and boredom.
Clayton Cooke
I wouldn't have cared much if they had killed him, honestly. Just because it's a totally expected card to play these days... yawn.
BUT! I will say, that the possibility of Mr. Netzer working on the title instead of him dying, that's really sparked my interest. Really like to see where he goes with it if given the chance of a trade off, that takes balls and it's an interesting dare, and the idea of that makes me 100 times more likely to actually buy a Martian Manhunter comic than DC killing him off and ressurecting him... which I could give a crap about and won't spend money on.
Terrence Willitts: 770 Days
J'onn J'onzz, aka The Martian Manhunter, is one of the most appreciated and most misused characters in the DCU.
To kill off J'onn, without some story-based need for him to die (preferably temporarily) is plain old lazy - it seems that the answer, too often these days is to kill off a character when the creators are not sure what to do with them any more.
The X-men comic was in the same situation when a young mail room worker named Chris came along...
Arun: Some Love for J'Onzz
I grew up on the BATMAN cartoon and watched all of the DC cartoons on TV. I seriously got into comics about three or four years ago, and I've grown far closer to J'onn J'onzz in the past couple of years. I recently attended the comicon in Baltimore, at which point I asked when Martian Manhunter would have his own comic. Ironically, I was wearing a Superboy T-shirt, another character with whom I grew close just before he was felled. I couldn't stand to lose another hero, just because there is a dramatic need to kill someone. Its kinda like the movie "Stranger Than Fiction." I wish his reboot had gone over a bit better, or they had just started a comic line for him that was written really well. He almost writes himself, he is such a complex character with boundless potential. I felt the same about Superboy. Its like the good shows on TV that get canceled. J'onn J'onzz has gotten the cheap end as far as I'm concerned, and if he's killed, it would be shameful. I would personally be hurt. If your idea works I would certainly collect the resulting comic for years to come. I loved his reboot, even though I had some criticisms. I think I just love J'onn J'onzz. I think it is his tragic loss that makes this possibility so plausible, and also so upsetting. Please don't do it DC, you don't need to.
A bit more to say... I got the Showcase special, and I've read most of it. When I think about it, if they kill J'Onn J'Onzz, I might stop collecting DC(at the very least, as much as I have been). He's possibly my favorite character - equal with Superman and Batman. Not to be misunderstood as a threat or criticism to anyone reading this from DC, just as an honest statement and reaction. I just hope these reactions aren't being used as an argument for how meaningful the loss would be. I love all of the recent work. Its amazing. However, this might be too much for me to handle. I'm sure I speak for others...
As we enter into the second week of the campaign, one thought comes to mind. At the pace this story is spreading and the support it's receiving, isn't it time to attempt to interest wider media outlets with it? CNN, NBC, ABC, BBC... wouldn't they be interested to cover such a grass roots movement from the comics web communities? Especially after all the coverage that the deaths of Superman and Captain America received?
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
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